Iggy Pop was a genius. I know he's been somewhat of a joke the last bunch of years, but really, back in the day, the man was on fire.
With Tower Records closing down I've been picking up the occasional album on discount. I recently picked up a remastered copy of Iggy's seminal solo record "Lust For Life".
I haven't listened to this entire album in about 11 years. But relistening to it today, man was I impressed. Here's a guy who has done some hard living and you can hear it in every song on this album. Sure most of the album is rocking fun, but behind the songs you can hear Iggy's cynicism, sarcasam, and anger.
If most people think the album is just the title track and "The Passenger", you are missing out. Listen to the whole thing. Particularly the highlight track (in my humble opinion) "Turn Blue".
"Turn Blue" is a masterpiece of a song. Iggy is completely insane in this song. The song is funny, scary, dangerous, sick, thrilling, dissonant genius. It's the kind of song that clears out a bar in 15 seconds flat so you can sit there alone and listen to Iggy vocally mutilating himself while you seeth over a deep shot of Bushmills contemplating all the bat-shit craziness in this fucked up world.
I love this song. It's right up there with The Stooges' "We Will Fall". It's the song I want to play on loop the day I finally lose it and drive my car off a bridge.
Originally posted on December 1, 2006 on Myspace.
Little did I know when I wrote this that the Iggy Pop and Iggy & The Stooges renaissance was right around the corner. I saw some amazing performances by them in the last 6 years.
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Washington DC’s 5th Gift To The World-Music (Bad Brains)
A tad less refined than Sousa or Ellington, my portion of DC’s 5th Gift to the World is just as influential to its respective audience. I’m here to write about Bad Brains.
Talking about the musical legacy of the Velvet Underground, David Bowie once said that during their original run not many people had heard VU but everyone who did went on to form their own rock-n-roll bands, himself included. The same could be said for DC’s own Bad Brains, the most influential East Coast Hardcore band.
Bad Brains was formed in 1979 by Dr. Know, a former jazz guitarist, who wanted to combine the chaos of live UK Punk shows and the protest song mentality of Reggae lyrics. To do so he recruited three other young, DC-born, african-american musicians – Darryl Aaron Jenifer (bassist), Earl Hudson(drums), and of course the legendary H.R. (vocals).
Taking their musical inspiration from the previously mentioned styles, Bad Brains crafted a hyper-kinetic speed-punk style that no one had ever heard before. Here was a band doing something enitrely new. Bad Brains live shows quickly took Washington by storm and the rest of the East Coast shortly there after. Combining their musical stylings with the Napoleon Hill’s Positive Mental Attitude pseudo-philosophy the Bad Brains were not only spreading a new style of music, but a new way of life. A positive self-reliance that offered some hope in an otherwise nihilistic scene.
In the early 80′s the reputation of Bad Brains spread across the United States. In every community their music reached dozens of Hardcore imitators appeared. The high point of Bad Brains’ hardcore phase was the release of their epic debut album, the ROIR Cassette. Released after 4 years of touring, their self-titled cassette was like a musical hand-grenade, the shrapnel of which lodged into thousands of American punks, creating wounds that would fester until American Hardcore was spreading through Ronald Reagan’s America like gang-green.
Originally published on November 28, 2006.
Part of a series we did on Metroblog DC. I can't find an active link to the rest of the series.
Talking about the musical legacy of the Velvet Underground, David Bowie once said that during their original run not many people had heard VU but everyone who did went on to form their own rock-n-roll bands, himself included. The same could be said for DC’s own Bad Brains, the most influential East Coast Hardcore band.
Bad Brains was formed in 1979 by Dr. Know, a former jazz guitarist, who wanted to combine the chaos of live UK Punk shows and the protest song mentality of Reggae lyrics. To do so he recruited three other young, DC-born, african-american musicians – Darryl Aaron Jenifer (bassist), Earl Hudson(drums), and of course the legendary H.R. (vocals).
Taking their musical inspiration from the previously mentioned styles, Bad Brains crafted a hyper-kinetic speed-punk style that no one had ever heard before. Here was a band doing something enitrely new. Bad Brains live shows quickly took Washington by storm and the rest of the East Coast shortly there after. Combining their musical stylings with the Napoleon Hill’s Positive Mental Attitude pseudo-philosophy the Bad Brains were not only spreading a new style of music, but a new way of life. A positive self-reliance that offered some hope in an otherwise nihilistic scene.
In the early 80′s the reputation of Bad Brains spread across the United States. In every community their music reached dozens of Hardcore imitators appeared. The high point of Bad Brains’ hardcore phase was the release of their epic debut album, the ROIR Cassette. Released after 4 years of touring, their self-titled cassette was like a musical hand-grenade, the shrapnel of which lodged into thousands of American punks, creating wounds that would fester until American Hardcore was spreading through Ronald Reagan’s America like gang-green.
Originally published on November 28, 2006.
Part of a series we did on Metroblog DC. I can't find an active link to the rest of the series.
Musical Chairs
So Andy Taylor (guitarist) quit Duran Duran right in the middle of their tour. I don't know about you guys - but Duran Duran without Andy Taylor just isn't the same band. I'm serious. They might as well have a CBS game show to determine his replacement.
In other radically different music news - I'm going to see Ennio Morricone at Radio City Music Hall in February! One of my all time favorite movie score composers in a rare stateside performance - I am very, very excited!
I can't wait to go to this. Ennio's music has always had an otherworldly quality to it that baffles my imagination in that 'humans can't make this, it must be made by angels' -way. Nobody mixes chorus and orchestra like Morricone!
Originally posted on October 26, 2006 on Myspace.
In other radically different music news - I'm going to see Ennio Morricone at Radio City Music Hall in February! One of my all time favorite movie score composers in a rare stateside performance - I am very, very excited!
I can't wait to go to this. Ennio's music has always had an otherworldly quality to it that baffles my imagination in that 'humans can't make this, it must be made by angels' -way. Nobody mixes chorus and orchestra like Morricone!
Originally posted on October 26, 2006 on Myspace.
“Hey! Sweden!” – “They’re Norwegian, Mac.”
Remember that movie John Carpenter’s The Thing? I used those quotes from it for my headline because it’s my favorite exchange in that movie and writing a review of the Norwegian band Serena-Maneesh has given me an excuse to.
A comparison to The Thing is fitting in regards to Serena-Maneesh in another way too though. In The Thing the alien was an ever-expanding, all-encompassing creature that wrapped up and absorbed any organisim it could get its tentacles on. You could say that the experience of seeing Serena-Maneesh live is exactly like that.
Their music envelopes you, crushes you, devours your soul. The main difference between being eaten by The Thing and seeing a Serena-Maneesh show is that while the first experience is awful, the second is nothing but pure bliss.
I have these old My Bloody Valentine bootlegs that might just be my favorite music posession of all time. There are about six of them and when I listen to them I think to myself, “this is how a live show is supposed to be!” On these bootlegs MBV destroy all preconception of what a live show should be. They destroy the audience with a wall of beautiful and powerful sound, they hammer so hard and long on their instruments that they go in and out of tune within the course of a song, and each song is EPIC. In short they shred like no one ever has before.
For years I’ve worshipped my MBV bootlegs and they left me with an impression of what the ‘classic’ heydey of live shoegazer was like that I never thought I would experience for myself.
That is until last night at the State Theater when I caught Serena-Maneesh (from Norway not Sweden).
Their show last night was one of the best sets of music I have ever experienced. Somehow these frail looking guys from Norway have recreated the MBV live feeling better than any other shoegazer band I have seen (and I’ve seen a bunch). But Serena-Maneesh went one better on me by playing an amazing set, that captured the spirit of my sacred MBV bootlegs, and still managed to be entirely original and true to their own identity as a band. An identity that I can see only getting bigger and better as word about their live performances spreads.
Sadly there were only about 40 (yes 40!) people there to enjoy the mind-blowing show last night. But if each one of us tells 10 people about Serena-Maneesh then maybe the next time the band flies all the way over from f-ing Norway there might be a few more of us in the crowd.
Last night was the best shoegazer show to come through DC that I have attended, probably ever. Serena-Maneesh sounded great in the State Theater’s giant, high-ceilinged room and they played for the few of us who cared enough to show up like they were playing Madison Square Garden. It was fucking awesome and I feel privileged to have been there. I can only hope they come back through the area so more folks can get a taste.
Originally published on October 5, 2006.
A comparison to The Thing is fitting in regards to Serena-Maneesh in another way too though. In The Thing the alien was an ever-expanding, all-encompassing creature that wrapped up and absorbed any organisim it could get its tentacles on. You could say that the experience of seeing Serena-Maneesh live is exactly like that.
Their music envelopes you, crushes you, devours your soul. The main difference between being eaten by The Thing and seeing a Serena-Maneesh show is that while the first experience is awful, the second is nothing but pure bliss.
I have these old My Bloody Valentine bootlegs that might just be my favorite music posession of all time. There are about six of them and when I listen to them I think to myself, “this is how a live show is supposed to be!” On these bootlegs MBV destroy all preconception of what a live show should be. They destroy the audience with a wall of beautiful and powerful sound, they hammer so hard and long on their instruments that they go in and out of tune within the course of a song, and each song is EPIC. In short they shred like no one ever has before.
For years I’ve worshipped my MBV bootlegs and they left me with an impression of what the ‘classic’ heydey of live shoegazer was like that I never thought I would experience for myself.
That is until last night at the State Theater when I caught Serena-Maneesh (from Norway not Sweden).
Their show last night was one of the best sets of music I have ever experienced. Somehow these frail looking guys from Norway have recreated the MBV live feeling better than any other shoegazer band I have seen (and I’ve seen a bunch). But Serena-Maneesh went one better on me by playing an amazing set, that captured the spirit of my sacred MBV bootlegs, and still managed to be entirely original and true to their own identity as a band. An identity that I can see only getting bigger and better as word about their live performances spreads.
Sadly there were only about 40 (yes 40!) people there to enjoy the mind-blowing show last night. But if each one of us tells 10 people about Serena-Maneesh then maybe the next time the band flies all the way over from f-ing Norway there might be a few more of us in the crowd.
Last night was the best shoegazer show to come through DC that I have attended, probably ever. Serena-Maneesh sounded great in the State Theater’s giant, high-ceilinged room and they played for the few of us who cared enough to show up like they were playing Madison Square Garden. It was fucking awesome and I feel privileged to have been there. I can only hope they come back through the area so more folks can get a taste.
Originally published on October 5, 2006.
Adjust Your Schedule Accordingly
A few changes to up coming concert line-ups some of you may want to take note of.
1. Channels will not be playing the Black Cat on Friday night with Medications and Victory at Sea due to illness. The show is still on with Mass Movement of the Moth as the replacement.
2. Alcian Blue will not be playing with Secret Shine on Monday at the Warehouse Next Door due to their breaking up. The show will go on however with A Place To Bury Strangers filling in for AB.
Originally published on October 5, 2006.
1. Channels will not be playing the Black Cat on Friday night with Medications and Victory at Sea due to illness. The show is still on with Mass Movement of the Moth as the replacement.
2. Alcian Blue will not be playing with Secret Shine on Monday at the Warehouse Next Door due to their breaking up. The show will go on however with A Place To Bury Strangers filling in for AB.
Originally published on October 5, 2006.
You Just Disappear
I received word last night that DC’s local shoegazer heroes Alcian Blue, who I have touted, rooted for, DJ-ed with, and written about on DC Metroblogs since the beginning has called it quits as a group.
Apparently the straw that broke the camel’s back came when their set was cancelled due to curfew during the anti-climactic end of the second Wall of Sound Festival.
It’s a damn shame to see this band break-up – they’ve been working at it for a lot of years – and were definitely one of DC’s finest.
Originally published on October 5, 2006.
Jake is now the mastermind behind the excellent duo Screen Vinyl Image.
Apparently the straw that broke the camel’s back came when their set was cancelled due to curfew during the anti-climactic end of the second Wall of Sound Festival.
It’s a damn shame to see this band break-up – they’ve been working at it for a lot of years – and were definitely one of DC’s finest.
Originally published on October 5, 2006.
Jake is now the mastermind behind the excellent duo Screen Vinyl Image.
4 Serious Days of F*cked Up Music
Fans of experimental electronics, tone soundscapes, and noise will be in hog heaven this long weekend as DC hosts the Sonic Circuits 2006 festival at the Warehouse Next Door.
The festival runs from Thursday to Sunday night featuring a wide range of over 30 old masters and up-n-comers in the world of out-there sound. Highlights include Matterlink, Yellow Swans, Mouthus, Mikroknytes, Phill Nyblock, Harvey Bainbridge (of Hawkwind), Yellow Swans, and Wolf Eyes
Originally published on October 5, 2006.
The festival runs from Thursday to Sunday night featuring a wide range of over 30 old masters and up-n-comers in the world of out-there sound. Highlights include Matterlink, Yellow Swans, Mouthus, Mikroknytes, Phill Nyblock, Harvey Bainbridge (of Hawkwind), Yellow Swans, and Wolf Eyes
Originally published on October 5, 2006.
Selina’s Melodie Fountain
Serena-Maneesh, the brilliant up-start shoegazer band from Norway, are playing The State Theater in Falls Church tonight! If you are a fan of swirling, psychedelic, guitar freak-outs this is the band for you.
Think the relentless repetition of Spacemen 3 infused with a hot-shot of The Stooges’ energy wrapped around the sonic experiments and dreamy vocals of Medicine and Serena-Maneesh is pretty much what you get!
Advance press from other cities on this tour is that Serena-Maneesh are the real, deal, super-heavy, wall-of-sound that music geeks from Peoria to Poughkeepsie have all been waiting for since a certain ‘Loveless’ band wrecked eardrums across the US back in ’93.
Don’t miss this -
Serena-Maneesh w/
The Evangelicals and Woven Hand
@ The State Theater
$12 – Doors at 7
Originally published on October 4, 2006.
Think the relentless repetition of Spacemen 3 infused with a hot-shot of The Stooges’ energy wrapped around the sonic experiments and dreamy vocals of Medicine and Serena-Maneesh is pretty much what you get!
Advance press from other cities on this tour is that Serena-Maneesh are the real, deal, super-heavy, wall-of-sound that music geeks from Peoria to Poughkeepsie have all been waiting for since a certain ‘Loveless’ band wrecked eardrums across the US back in ’93.
Don’t miss this -
Serena-Maneesh w/
The Evangelicals and Woven Hand
@ The State Theater
$12 – Doors at 7
Originally published on October 4, 2006.
The King of Hate
The first thing I noticed when I walked into The Rock And Roll Hotel for the first time on sunday is that the space reminded me a lot of the old 9:30 Club – which is a plus. I had heard that the idea behind the place was to be like the 9:30 Club. When I heard that I had assumed the owners were talking about the new 9:30 – much to my surprise they meant the original. The main difference between the original sacred music den and this new club is that the auxilliary drinking space is upstairs instead of down and decorated a little nicer.
The Rock And Roll Hotel stage room is a cool space and I hope they can keep it filled with good bands. Good bands like the one I went to see play on sunday – Snog from the land down under.
Snog‘s touring set-up is spare – two keyboards, a guitar, and lead-singer/ mastermind David Thrussell. Based on Thrussell’s persona through lyrics I have always assumed the guy lives in a hand-made bunker somewhere underneath the Australian outback writing vitrolic diatribes against the “mainstream” world that exists outside his eutopic hippy-in-a-bombshelter compund.
Seeing Thrussell perform live for the first time I realized that my impression wasn’t that far off the mark. Thrussell looks like anything but the stereotype of an EBM musician. No Matrix outfits, no sunglasses, no patent-leather – Thrussell took the stage looking like a middle-aged roadie for White Snake – only instead of wearing a ‘Jersey Devil’ t-shirt he was wearing one that declared ‘I love Robots’.
Thrussell started off by leading his trio through half of their latest album, Snog vs the Faecal Juggernaut of Mass Culture. The new songs featured a range of bizarre vocal stunts by Thrussel backed by ultra-heavy electronic beats that were so in-your-face it was comical. But with Snog that’s the point – at least now-a-days. Thrussell is the Jello Biafra of Industrial – he’s got a message but he’s going to have a lot of fun delivering it.
The new songs seemed to be hit or miss for the crowd, it wasn’t until Thrussell stopped the music to address the crowd directly in a rant about the virtue of ‘true friendship’ that people started to loosen up. Thrussell went on to say that true friends help you when the chips are down – which led into the song ‘Al Qaeda is Your Best Friend’ – which was the most direct attack on Bush and Cheney of an evening filled with many.
Thrussell cut such a bizarre figure that it is hard to describe him to full effect. Between songs he often went off on mumbled rants to introduce songs. However Snog’s music has such biting satire in the lyrics already that the drugged exposition by Thrussell eventually got a little long in the tooth for my taste.
Thankfully Thrussell kept the intro to Snog’s older material short and sweet by saying ‘And now for a walking tour through the museum of EBM’ – which then immediately went into the opening blasts of ‘Corporate Slave’ followed by a good 30 minutes of uninterrupted classic Snog which got the joint jumping.
As much as I dig the newer Snog material it really was the chance to hear these older songs played that got me out to this concert and Snog did not disappoint. Highlights for me were ‘Corporate Slave’, ‘Cliche’, ‘Human Germ’ and the encore performance of ‘The Prole Song’.
‘The Prole Song’ was actually the best song of the show, so good in fact that I wish they had played more off of Buy Me I’ll Change Your Life. Instead Snog ended the show with an awful and totally out-of-place duet with some guy I’ve never heard of doing some lame-ass hippy-dippy song. Which resulted in the odd sight of a crowd of drunk industrial-types linking arms and singing along and of course holding up lighters.
In the end not the way I would choose to end your typical industrial concert, but then there isn’t very much about Snog that one could describe as typical, and that’s probably why I like them so much.
Originally published on October 3, 2006.
The Rock And Roll Hotel stage room is a cool space and I hope they can keep it filled with good bands. Good bands like the one I went to see play on sunday – Snog from the land down under.
Snog‘s touring set-up is spare – two keyboards, a guitar, and lead-singer/ mastermind David Thrussell. Based on Thrussell’s persona through lyrics I have always assumed the guy lives in a hand-made bunker somewhere underneath the Australian outback writing vitrolic diatribes against the “mainstream” world that exists outside his eutopic hippy-in-a-bombshelter compund.
Seeing Thrussell perform live for the first time I realized that my impression wasn’t that far off the mark. Thrussell looks like anything but the stereotype of an EBM musician. No Matrix outfits, no sunglasses, no patent-leather – Thrussell took the stage looking like a middle-aged roadie for White Snake – only instead of wearing a ‘Jersey Devil’ t-shirt he was wearing one that declared ‘I love Robots’.
Thrussell started off by leading his trio through half of their latest album, Snog vs the Faecal Juggernaut of Mass Culture. The new songs featured a range of bizarre vocal stunts by Thrussel backed by ultra-heavy electronic beats that were so in-your-face it was comical. But with Snog that’s the point – at least now-a-days. Thrussell is the Jello Biafra of Industrial – he’s got a message but he’s going to have a lot of fun delivering it.
The new songs seemed to be hit or miss for the crowd, it wasn’t until Thrussell stopped the music to address the crowd directly in a rant about the virtue of ‘true friendship’ that people started to loosen up. Thrussell went on to say that true friends help you when the chips are down – which led into the song ‘Al Qaeda is Your Best Friend’ – which was the most direct attack on Bush and Cheney of an evening filled with many.
Thrussell cut such a bizarre figure that it is hard to describe him to full effect. Between songs he often went off on mumbled rants to introduce songs. However Snog’s music has such biting satire in the lyrics already that the drugged exposition by Thrussell eventually got a little long in the tooth for my taste.
Thankfully Thrussell kept the intro to Snog’s older material short and sweet by saying ‘And now for a walking tour through the museum of EBM’ – which then immediately went into the opening blasts of ‘Corporate Slave’ followed by a good 30 minutes of uninterrupted classic Snog which got the joint jumping.
As much as I dig the newer Snog material it really was the chance to hear these older songs played that got me out to this concert and Snog did not disappoint. Highlights for me were ‘Corporate Slave’, ‘Cliche’, ‘Human Germ’ and the encore performance of ‘The Prole Song’.
‘The Prole Song’ was actually the best song of the show, so good in fact that I wish they had played more off of Buy Me I’ll Change Your Life. Instead Snog ended the show with an awful and totally out-of-place duet with some guy I’ve never heard of doing some lame-ass hippy-dippy song. Which resulted in the odd sight of a crowd of drunk industrial-types linking arms and singing along and of course holding up lighters.
In the end not the way I would choose to end your typical industrial concert, but then there isn’t very much about Snog that one could describe as typical, and that’s probably why I like them so much.
Originally published on October 3, 2006.
Listless
Kitchens of Distinction - Capsule: The Best of KOD
Rapeman - 2 Nuns and a Pack Mule
Silverfish - Cockeye
Nine Inch Nails - March of the Pigs (single)
Clutch - Elephant Riders
The Jesus Lizard - Down
Front 242 - OFF
Bastro - Diablo Guapo
Reagan Youth - A Collection of Pop Classics
Tackhead - Power Inc. Vol.3
Wyclef Jean - We Trying to Stay Alive (single)
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Automatic
Add N to X - Loud Like Nature
V/A- Amphetamine Reptile Peel Sessions
Slint - Tweez
Bad Religion - No Control
B-52's - Cosmic Thing
The Briefs - Steal Yer Heart
V/A - The Indie Scene 1984
Janitor Joe - Big Metal Birds
Mudhoney - Superfuzz Big Muff
Mudhoney - self-titled
Helmet - Size Matters
Braniac - Hissing Prigs in Static Couture
Ned's Atomic Dustbin - God Fodder
Faith No More - discography!
Band of Susans - Love Agenda
Medicine - Shot Forth Self Living
Mira - There I Go Daydreamer
Blur - Leisure
Bleach - Killing Time
Hi-Fi Killers - Loaded
Scherzo - Suffering
808 State - Utd. State 90
Tackhead - Friendly As A Hand Grenade
Skinny Puppy - Rabies
Revolver - Baby's Angry
Geez - I really need to clean off my desk!
Idea: Maybe I'll make a couple of mixes with one song of off each of these albums before I put them away tomorrow.
Originally posted on September 30, 2006 on Myspace.
Just for giggles here are the albums on my desk right now on February 25, 2012.
Ceremony - Rocket Fire
Harmonia - Deluxe
Red Sparowes - The Fear Is Excruciating...
Jesu - Lifeline
Frontline Assembly - Millenium (single)
Working For A Nuclear Free City - Businessmen & Ghosts
Greta - This is Greta
Adam Franklin - Bolts of Melody
Swervedriver - Mezcal Head
Russian Circles - Station
Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth & Collected Works
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Pelican - City of Echoes
Burial - Untrue
The Black Angels - Passover
Rapeman - 2 Nuns and a Pack Mule
Silverfish - Cockeye
Nine Inch Nails - March of the Pigs (single)
Clutch - Elephant Riders
The Jesus Lizard - Down
Front 242 - OFF
Bastro - Diablo Guapo
Reagan Youth - A Collection of Pop Classics
Tackhead - Power Inc. Vol.3
Wyclef Jean - We Trying to Stay Alive (single)
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Automatic
Add N to X - Loud Like Nature
V/A- Amphetamine Reptile Peel Sessions
Slint - Tweez
Bad Religion - No Control
B-52's - Cosmic Thing
The Briefs - Steal Yer Heart
V/A - The Indie Scene 1984
Janitor Joe - Big Metal Birds
Mudhoney - Superfuzz Big Muff
Mudhoney - self-titled
Helmet - Size Matters
Braniac - Hissing Prigs in Static Couture
Ned's Atomic Dustbin - God Fodder
Faith No More - discography!
Band of Susans - Love Agenda
Medicine - Shot Forth Self Living
Mira - There I Go Daydreamer
Blur - Leisure
Bleach - Killing Time
Hi-Fi Killers - Loaded
Scherzo - Suffering
808 State - Utd. State 90
Tackhead - Friendly As A Hand Grenade
Skinny Puppy - Rabies
Revolver - Baby's Angry
Geez - I really need to clean off my desk!
Idea: Maybe I'll make a couple of mixes with one song of off each of these albums before I put them away tomorrow.
Originally posted on September 30, 2006 on Myspace.
Just for giggles here are the albums on my desk right now on February 25, 2012.
Ceremony - Rocket Fire
Harmonia - Deluxe
Red Sparowes - The Fear Is Excruciating...
Jesu - Lifeline
Frontline Assembly - Millenium (single)
Working For A Nuclear Free City - Businessmen & Ghosts
Greta - This is Greta
Adam Franklin - Bolts of Melody
Swervedriver - Mezcal Head
Russian Circles - Station
Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth & Collected Works
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Pelican - City of Echoes
Burial - Untrue
The Black Angels - Passover
Bucketheadland
If the acidic social commentary of David Thrussell’s Snog isn’t your cup of tea but you still feel like having a rocking Sunday night, you could shoot over to the State Theater in Falls Church to catch the return of the enigmatic Buckethead.
No politics in his music, no lyrics at all – in fact Buckethead’s only platform position is to create a mind-blowingly awesome night of guitar goodness. This guy is the Bruce Lee of guitarists and should be seen at least once in every music fan’s lifetime. I saw him in 2004 and it is killing me that there are two great shows on Sunday night.
Decisions, decisions.
Originally published on September 29, 2006.
I decided to see Snog because of the rarity.
No politics in his music, no lyrics at all – in fact Buckethead’s only platform position is to create a mind-blowingly awesome night of guitar goodness. This guy is the Bruce Lee of guitarists and should be seen at least once in every music fan’s lifetime. I saw him in 2004 and it is killing me that there are two great shows on Sunday night.
Decisions, decisions.
Originally published on September 29, 2006.
I decided to see Snog because of the rarity.
The People of Straight Land
Wake up…eat…work out…commute…work…happy hour…commute…eat…watch tv…pay some bills…sleep…repeat 5 times…weekend…yardwork…Home Depot…watch the latest Movie…social obligation…sleeping pill Sunday night…reset…wake up…eat…work out…commute…work…happy hour…commute…eat…watch tv…pay some bills…sleep…repeat for 40-50 years…die…”He/She lead a full and productive life”…burden children with funeral bills…and death tax…and inherited debts…and unresolved emotional issues…wake up in Hell…eat shit…commute for eternity…
Break the cycle and go catch David Thrussell’s anti-mediocrity, anti-corporate diatribe disguised as a band, Snog, this Sunday at the Rock And Roll Hotel . It’s going to be a real treat.
Originally published on September 29, 2006.
Break the cycle and go catch David Thrussell’s anti-mediocrity, anti-corporate diatribe disguised as a band, Snog, this Sunday at the Rock And Roll Hotel . It’s going to be a real treat.
Originally published on September 29, 2006.
“Calls And Responses You Can’t See”
Of all the DC based indie heroes that have come and gone – J. Robbins is my personal favorite. Today I picked up the latest offering from the mastermind behind Jawbox and Burning Airlines – Waiting For The Next End Of The World the debut full-length from his new band Channels.
Channels is a trio composed of Robbins on guitar and vocals, Janet Morgan (J.’s wife) on bass and harmony, and former Kerosene 454 drummer Darren Zentek.
Waiting… is a terrific return for Robbins to the DC music scene.
This album bares Robbins’ trademark guitar-style (albeit with a few deeper riffs than usual peppered through-out) and his vocal delivery is still as impassioned as his lyrics are poetically vague. Zentek’s drumming on this album flat-out destroys, the guy has still got it, that’s really the only way to put it. While those elements make Waiting… a truly rocking album the real highlight of the album for me is Janet Morgan’s harmonizing with both Robbins’ voice and his guitar.
Robbins’ has worked some pretty great call-and-response into his songs in the past but I would say that the harmonizing on Waiting… is some of his best. Maybe it has something to do with Robbins’ wife being his partner on this one – all those unspoken signals between a husband and wife expressed beautifully in sound – or maybe I’m just being a romantic sap. But hey, that’s what Robbins’ music does to me.
Pick up Waiting For The Next End Of The World by Channels at your local record shop.
And don’t forget to catch Channels live at the Black Cat on October 6th with Medications and Victory At Sea.
Originally published on September 27, 2006.
This was a short-lived project because J. and Janet's son was diagnosed with a rare illness shortly after this post. J. has since resurfaced with an excellent project called Office Of Future Plans.
Channels is a trio composed of Robbins on guitar and vocals, Janet Morgan (J.’s wife) on bass and harmony, and former Kerosene 454 drummer Darren Zentek.
Waiting… is a terrific return for Robbins to the DC music scene.
This album bares Robbins’ trademark guitar-style (albeit with a few deeper riffs than usual peppered through-out) and his vocal delivery is still as impassioned as his lyrics are poetically vague. Zentek’s drumming on this album flat-out destroys, the guy has still got it, that’s really the only way to put it. While those elements make Waiting… a truly rocking album the real highlight of the album for me is Janet Morgan’s harmonizing with both Robbins’ voice and his guitar.
Robbins’ has worked some pretty great call-and-response into his songs in the past but I would say that the harmonizing on Waiting… is some of his best. Maybe it has something to do with Robbins’ wife being his partner on this one – all those unspoken signals between a husband and wife expressed beautifully in sound – or maybe I’m just being a romantic sap. But hey, that’s what Robbins’ music does to me.
Pick up Waiting For The Next End Of The World by Channels at your local record shop.
And don’t forget to catch Channels live at the Black Cat on October 6th with Medications and Victory At Sea.
Originally published on September 27, 2006.
This was a short-lived project because J. and Janet's son was diagnosed with a rare illness shortly after this post. J. has since resurfaced with an excellent project called Office Of Future Plans.
Deafening Silence
Last year I left the Wall of Sound Festival with my ears a-ringing from all the shoegazer glory. This year I found myself making the hour drive back from Fredricksburg at 3am with less of a lingering ringing and more of a seething rage.
What a cluster-fuck.
What was potentially the best day of American indie-shoegaze all year fizzled out thanks to a mismanaged time schedule resulting in the two headlining bands being asked not to play. I’m serious – Alcian Blue and Ceremony weren’t allowed to play!
The festival ran over its time-limit and at 1:15 the club pulled the plug – right after Alcian Blue and The Antiques did an incredible dual-band cover of Slowdive’s “Primal” to transition from one band’s set to the other. Their band team-up was definitely the energy high-light of the event and got everyone in the crowd extremely pumped for the Alcian Blue set to end all sets. But it wasn’t meant to be. After that song Jake had to make the announcement that the gig was done.
I know a lot of folk travelled to see this fest and to miss two of the headliners is a huge disappointment.
Looking for an explanation for the time overage I recieved some reports that another DC band (who I’m sorely tempted to name but won’t) pulled a lot of rock star shenanigans which derailed the day by a good hour or so. Of course that’s hearsay but it isn’t going to make me any any less pissed at them.
As anti-climactic and generally sucky it was to have the fest end that way there were a few bright shining moments earlier in the day. A Place to Bury Strangers destroyed as they always do when they blow through the area, Chicago’s Star played a great set of off-kilter muted wash that resulted in a spontaneous dance party, and Soundpool from New York just owned – they are a top-notch outfit to keep an eye on.
Originally published on September 25, 2006.
What a cluster-fuck.
What was potentially the best day of American indie-shoegaze all year fizzled out thanks to a mismanaged time schedule resulting in the two headlining bands being asked not to play. I’m serious – Alcian Blue and Ceremony weren’t allowed to play!
The festival ran over its time-limit and at 1:15 the club pulled the plug – right after Alcian Blue and The Antiques did an incredible dual-band cover of Slowdive’s “Primal” to transition from one band’s set to the other. Their band team-up was definitely the energy high-light of the event and got everyone in the crowd extremely pumped for the Alcian Blue set to end all sets. But it wasn’t meant to be. After that song Jake had to make the announcement that the gig was done.
I know a lot of folk travelled to see this fest and to miss two of the headliners is a huge disappointment.
Looking for an explanation for the time overage I recieved some reports that another DC band (who I’m sorely tempted to name but won’t) pulled a lot of rock star shenanigans which derailed the day by a good hour or so. Of course that’s hearsay but it isn’t going to make me any any less pissed at them.
As anti-climactic and generally sucky it was to have the fest end that way there were a few bright shining moments earlier in the day. A Place to Bury Strangers destroyed as they always do when they blow through the area, Chicago’s Star played a great set of off-kilter muted wash that resulted in a spontaneous dance party, and Soundpool from New York just owned – they are a top-notch outfit to keep an eye on.
Originally published on September 25, 2006.
Confluence of Events
On this day, 1 year ago, I noted here that there was an unholy amount of good things to do in the DC area over this very weekend.
Here I am one year later about to write the same thing. What is it about this weekend that makes everyone schedule their awesome events during it? Could it be the last hurrah of summer?
This weekend we’ve got 3 album release parties and two festivals lined-up.
1. Tonight @ the Black Cat - the Soft Complex & Cedars album release concert – $10
2. Saturday night @ DC9 - the Two If By Sea album release concert – $10
Both of the above concerts featuring my adorable sister-in-law on Cello.
Then we’ve got -
3. Saturday night @ the Market 5 Gallery – the Curly & Rocket “Electricshow” release party that our boy Wayan pointed out – $20
Plus -
4. All day Saturday in B’More – The Virgin Festival featuring all kinds of festival circuit standards like the Chili Peppers, The Who, and Gnarls Barkley – $97.50! (outrageous!)
And then my pick for the winner of the weekend -
5. All day Saturday in Fredricksburg – The second annual Wall of Sound Festival featuring the best in underground American shoegazer – 23 bands for $10!
Read my brief review of the first Wall Of Sound Festival here!
Originally published on September 22. 2006.
Here I am one year later about to write the same thing. What is it about this weekend that makes everyone schedule their awesome events during it? Could it be the last hurrah of summer?
This weekend we’ve got 3 album release parties and two festivals lined-up.
1. Tonight @ the Black Cat - the Soft Complex & Cedars album release concert – $10
2. Saturday night @ DC9 - the Two If By Sea album release concert – $10
Both of the above concerts featuring my adorable sister-in-law on Cello.
Then we’ve got -
3. Saturday night @ the Market 5 Gallery – the Curly & Rocket “Electricshow” release party that our boy Wayan pointed out – $20
Plus -
4. All day Saturday in B’More – The Virgin Festival featuring all kinds of festival circuit standards like the Chili Peppers, The Who, and Gnarls Barkley – $97.50! (outrageous!)
And then my pick for the winner of the weekend -
5. All day Saturday in Fredricksburg – The second annual Wall of Sound Festival featuring the best in underground American shoegazer – 23 bands for $10!
Read my brief review of the first Wall Of Sound Festival here!
Originally published on September 22. 2006.
“Never anything to do in this town.”
Thanks to everyone who braved the elements to make it out to “We Fought The Big One” on Friday. I had a blast blowing the roof off Ernesto-style from behind the decks. From the deluge of compliments on my sets I feel pretty safe in saying everyone else had a rip-roaring good time too.
The hit song of the night was definitely when I pulled a Touch And Go surprise with Big Black’s “Kerosene” – much to my surprise that song freaked out about half the attendees most of whom rushed up to the DJ booth to share the fact that they too will be making the trek up to Chicago next weekend for the amazing Touch And Go Records 25th Anniversary Festival.
So now I’m convinced that the DC music geek elite are headed on a giant exodus to Chi-Town for the reunion madness (Big Black, Scratch Acid, Negative Approach, Killdozer, etc.). I know my buddies and I are, and after Friday now know about a slew of DC musicians and DJs who are…so I thought I’d toss it out there – what other DC music lovers will be attending the T&G fest?
Originally published on September 3, 2006.
The hit song of the night was definitely when I pulled a Touch And Go surprise with Big Black’s “Kerosene” – much to my surprise that song freaked out about half the attendees most of whom rushed up to the DJ booth to share the fact that they too will be making the trek up to Chicago next weekend for the amazing Touch And Go Records 25th Anniversary Festival.
So now I’m convinced that the DC music geek elite are headed on a giant exodus to Chi-Town for the reunion madness (Big Black, Scratch Acid, Negative Approach, Killdozer, etc.). I know my buddies and I are, and after Friday now know about a slew of DC musicians and DJs who are…so I thought I’d toss it out there – what other DC music lovers will be attending the T&G fest?
Originally published on September 3, 2006.
Come One, Come All
Friday night I’m going to be dusting off my head-phones to do a guest-DJ spot at “We Fought The Big One” at the Marx Cafe. I’ll be joining Rick and Brandon up in the booth spinning all kinds of sonic craziness.
What better way to start the holiday weekend than at Marx Cafe with some good friends, good drinks, and good tunes.
Come check out “We Fought The Big One”, recently voted by Spin Magazine as one of the 101 Hottest up-and-coming DJ nights in America (God help us!).
WFTBO
10 to 3
No Cover
@
The Marx Cafe
3203 Mount Pleasant St. NW, Washington
See you there!
Originally published on September 1, 2006.
What better way to start the holiday weekend than at Marx Cafe with some good friends, good drinks, and good tunes.
Come check out “We Fought The Big One”, recently voted by Spin Magazine as one of the 101 Hottest up-and-coming DJ nights in America (God help us!).
WFTBO
10 to 3
No Cover
@
The Marx Cafe
3203 Mount Pleasant St. NW, Washington
See you there!
Originally published on September 1, 2006.
KFC – Kinney Fried Club
The 930 Club lost power last night, right before Sleater-Kinney’s farewell appearance there, when an electrical transformer over-heated forcing the fire marshall to pull the plug!
A make-up show is scheduled at the club for Thursday night barring any more heat related set-backs.
Originally published on August 2, 2006.
A make-up show is scheduled at the club for Thursday night barring any more heat related set-backs.
Originally published on August 2, 2006.
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