Judgment Niiiiiiiight

Although Aerosmith and Run DMC had long before walked this way, 1993's Judgment Night soundtrack was then perceived as a novel intersection of leading rap and rock artists. I was among those who bought it at the time, although I probably had to bum a ride to do it. I thought to pull this off the shelf because Cypress Hill will be playing a free show at Atlanta's Centennial Park on May 12, and they're the only act that appears on the soundtrack twice. They probably deserved it though, as 1993's Black Sunday was the shit.

The format is generally rock bands playing backup to their rap counterparts, contributing some vocals but generally giving up the lead. While others have lamented that the record didn't quite live up to expectations, it remains an interesting document. If anything, the soundtrack's makers did a fine job of picking artists -- nearly fifteen years later many of them remain relevant and/or respected acts. There's no "Ninja Rap" here.

For me, the collection's highlights have always been the Teenage Fanclub/De La Soul collaboration "Fallin'" (with nods to Tom Petty) and the Cypress Hill/Sonic Youth ode to pot "I Love You Mary Jane." Contributions from Dinosaur Jr./Del the Funkyhomosapien and Cypress Hill/Pearl Jam (the supposed "bonus track" despite being clearly labeled as Track 11) were also among the better tracks. The tracklist, and some tunes to check out if this isn't collecting dust in your place:

01. Helmet and House of Pain - Just Another Victim
02. Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul - Fallin'
03. Living Colour and Run DMC - Me, Myself, & My Microphone
04. Biohazard and Onyx - Judgment Night
05. Slayer and Ice-T - Disorder
06. Faith No More and Boo-Yaa TRIBE - Another Body Murdered
07. Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill - I Love You Mary Jane
08. Mudhoney and Sir Mix-A-Lot- Freak Momma
09. Dinosaur Jr. and Del tha Funkee Homosapien- Missing Link
10. Therapy? and Fatal - Come And Die
11. Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill - Real Thing

I don't normally provide four tracks from a single record, but I have a feeling I won't be denting the sales of a 14-year old soundtrack with an uneven reputation. If you'd like a copy of your own, there are scores of used ones available at Amazon.

The Clutters - Don't Believe a Word

Nashville's The Clutters have been a C&T fave for quite a while, and they have a new album due on May 1. Titled Don't Believe a Word, it features more of the kickass garage/punk they're known for in their home region. I've been blasting it in the car for the last week, and I imagine it will become a summer staple.

Frontman Dough Lehmann's distinctive vocal tone and aggressive guitar are backed by Ali Tonn's Farfisa organ (uh... sweet) and a rhythm section comprised of bassist Jake Rosswog and drummer Steph Filippini. Don't Believe a Word is the sort of rock record that I wish were more prevalent in indie circles, akin to seminal acts like The Sonics, The Pixies, and The Stooges. It's odd how refreshing retro can be.

From Don't Believe a Word, due May 1 on Chicken Ranch Records:

The Clutters - 9999 (Ways to Hate Us)
The Clutters - Temperature

From prior releases:

The Clutters - Oh!
The Clutters - Are You Ready for the Country? [Neil Young cover]

Word is they'll be at Atlanta's Star Bar on May 19 with The Booze. Niiiiice.

A little Clutters trivia -- the band is named for the family from Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. Now you know, and knowing is.... you know the rest.

The Pets - "Let's Go"

With the school year drawing to a close, I'm getting that itch for freedom and escape. It's clearly an urge understood by Oakland's The Pets, whose "Let's Go" I've been playing repeatedly the last few days. Hey, anything that makes writing exams and grading more enjoyable is a blessing. Ugh.

"Let's Go" has the sort of aesthetic you'd expect on the soundtrack to a Wes Anderson film -- big beats, driving guitar, and mod-style power pop. It's probably best heard loudly while playing your air instrument of choice, but that's purely optional. It's a juicy little nugget, if I do say so myself.

The Pets - Let's Go

You can buy a 7" of "Let's Go" from Douchemaster Records or through the band's Myspace.

No postage required

Another installment of cuts rescued from my Inbox and around The Internets. Heavily skewed toward pop this time around, but I'm alright with that. Duh.

Laura Gibson - Hands in Pockets [charming folk-pop]
Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - Hey Momma [indie pop]
J. Dimenna - Raggedy Ann [country-tinged gothic crooner]
The Smittens - Stop the Bombs [twee pop]
Toothfairy - Kicked Outta the Band [lo-fi electro/plink-pop]
Dog Day - Oh Dead Life [guy/girl jangle pop]
Shortstack - Wiseblood [rockabilly/boogie]
Rosemary - Heavy Hand [melodic grrrl rock]
The Boyish Charms - Dear Katy [twee]
Vandaveer - Marianne, You've Done it Now [dark indie folk]
Nick Jaina - Maybe Cocaine [indie/alt-folk]
Blue-Eyed Son - Self-fulfilling Prophecy [hooky indie rock/pop]
Plot Against Rachel - Casual Carpool [chill math-rock]

Whatcha dig? Whatcha don't?

Alela Diane

Yet another Portland act I was introduced to by James is singer-songwriter Alela Diane. Her most recent album, The Pirate's Gospel, was re-released last fall and has earned high praise from both local and national media (as well as fan Joanna Newsom). Her music is generally in the realm of understated indie-folk, with often dark themes and sparse instrumentation. Her lovely voice over acoustic guitar is a treat, encouraging the listener to concentrate on her often-narrative lyrics. An obvious comparison is early Cat Power, but I'm pretty sure there's some equivalent of Godwin's Law that prevents me from comparing female singer-songwriters to Chan. So I won't do that. Ahem.

Alela Diane - The Rifle
Alela Diane - Something's Gone Awry

The Pirate's Gospel is available from Holocene Music. She has also since (December 2006) released a limited-edition vinyl EP that can be purchased from Rough Trade. For more 411, check her out on Myspace.

Silent Kids, The Preakness, Mary O. at Lenny's on Fri. night

Things are crazy now at the end of the academic year, but I wanted to make sure I mentioned a really swell show this weekend in Atlanta -- Silent Kids (rock/psych-pop), The Preakness (indie rock/pop), and Mary O. Harrison (folky pop) at Lenny's on Friday night (4/27). Three really good acts on one bill, and the action starts around 9pm. Trashed Dance Party follows, which means I leave immediately at midnight.

Silent Kids - Drift into the Summer
The Preakness - What They're Saying
Mary O. Harrison - Where is Charlotte Anne?

I've been busy and buried lately, but I want to get out for this one.

Dammit, Mark Prior....

Out for the year.

I guess he was due. It is almost May.

Jump, Little Children - Broken
Sebadoh - Broken

Balkan Beat Box - new LP and southern tour

Brooklyn-via-everywhere act Balkan Beat Box has a new record, Nu Med, due May 15 on JDub Records. They're also in the middle of a tour that brings them through the southeast for the next week or so, including a Wednesday (4/25) night stop at Smith's Olde Bar in Atlanta. They've received a considerable amount of notoriety in indie and world music circles so I doubt an extended introduction is necessary -- I think of them as occupying that sliver on the Venn diagram where Dark Meat, Matisyahu, and Gogol Bordello intersect. Nu Med picks up where their debut left off, with strains of electronica, klezmer, gypsy music, rock, and hip-hop in their eclectic output. I hear the live show is great, although I've never seen them on stage.

From Nu Med:

Balkan Beat Box - BBBeat
Balkan Beat Box - Digital Monkey

Although Nu Med is due in stores on May 15, it is available now through iTunes.

The remaining tour dates before they ship off to Europe (and, oddly, Detroit and Chicago):

4/24 The Orange Peel, Asheville NC
4/25 Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA
4/26 SoCo Scene Fais Do Do, Lafayette, LA
4/27 Cell Block, Mobile, AL
4/28 Popeye's Scene International, Lafayette, LA
4/30 The Social, Orlando, FL
5/1 Culture Room, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

For more dates and info, see their MySpace.

ATL items of interest

Pitchfork reports that The Decemberists will play a series of orchestral shows on their upcoming tour, including their July 13 stop in Atlanta (at Chastain, specifically). I suppose this means they'll be playing with the ASO? Need to look into some confirmation on that.

The Decemberists - The Soldiering Life

Southern Comfort Music Experience has announced its lineup for May 11-12, 2007, at Centennial Park in Atlanta. There's nothing yet to get me downtown. Friday is Wolfmother, Mickey Avalon, and Rose Hill Drive. Saturday's lineup is Cypress Hill, Galactic, Sick Puppies, and Zac Brown Band. They claim to still be adding bands, so we'll see.

Wolfmother - Woman

Je Suis France will be at Drunken Unicorn on July 14. Welcome those guys back to the neighborhood.

Je Suis France - That Don't Work That Well for Us

Star Bar will host Jucifer on June 29. That'll probably excite some locals.

Jucifer - Amplifier

Canadian sensation Feist will be at Atlanta's Variety Playhouse on June 15 with Grizzly Bear along for the ride. Pitchfork has the full set of dates.

Grizzly Bear - On a Neck, On a Spit

Lenny's has added a date for Marky Ramone on June 1.

C&T New Coke Mix: A Tribute to Harmonious Flavor

On this date in 1985, Atlanta's own Coca-Cola Company perpetrated one of the biggest corporate fark-ups of all-time. That April 23 the soda giant announced it was abandoning its beloved 99-year old Coca-Cola formula in favor of a new and "improved" version of its signature drink. Coke CEO Roberto Goizueta described the new taste as follows:

"[It's] smoother, uh, uh, yet, uh, rounder yet, uh, bolder ... it has a more harmonious flavor."

Dubbed New Coke, it generated public outcry and Coca-Cola Classic was reintroduced only 77 days after its replacement hit shelves. Not even Max Headroom could rescue the product.

In honor of the decade that brought us New Coke, here's a collection of artists covering songs from the 1980s (well, I cheated for Thin Lizzy... that was 1976). There's probably no relation between any of these and Coke, but whatever.


C&T New Coke Mix: A Tribute to Harmonious Flavor

01. Koala - American Music [Violent Femmes]
02. Jon Auer - Is She Really Going Out with Him? [live; Joe Jackson]
03. Teenage Fanclub - Here Comes Your Man [Pixies]
04. Princeton - Girls Just Want to Have Fun [demo; Cyndi Lauper]
05. Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright - Careless Whisper [live; Wham!]
06. Death Cab for Cutie - Lovesong [The Cure]
07. Spacehog - Senses Working Overtime [XTC]
08. The Boy Least Likely To - Faith [George Michael]
09. Belle and Sebastian - The Boys are Back in Town [live; Thin Lizzy]
10. The Folk Yous - Heat of the Moment [demo; Asia]
11. Cars Can Be Blue - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (theme)

You can download the entire mix from Sendspace [50mb].

If you just can't get enough, visit CokeJingles.com for the likes of Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles & Aretha Franklin, The Troggs, Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison, The Supremes, Nancy Sinatra, Tom Jones, Golden Earring, and others singing about Coke. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hurl.

New Venom image from Spidey 3

Superhero Hype! has posted a new image of Venom from Spider-Man 3, snapped from an aisle at Wal-Mart...

He's not as handsome as Sufjan, but he's quite a looker.

I've seen the final trailer for this flick a few times now, and I can't wait to see it. Spider-Man 3 opens Friday, May 4.

For those who haven't heard, it also appears there may be a Spidey 4,5, and 6 (or that may be jumping the gun). In other Marvel movie news, Edward Norton will take over the role of The Hulk from Eric Bana. The big guy may also be going gray...

Sufjan Stevens 9-20-2006 @ Fox Theater, Atlanta

This show was seven months ago, but something tells me people will still be eager to hear it. I was there that evening, camped out about fifteen rows back. There were some major PA and gear issues at the beginning of the set (thus the abruptly ended "The Transfiguration" and later second attempt), and the setlist wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but there were some very nice moments. I understand the 4600-capacity Fox was the largest show Sufjan had played to that date. Now if I could only find a recording of My Brightest Diamond covering Bill Withers' "Use Me" in the opener, that would be great.

A CNN review of the show can be found here. You can sample a few tracks below, or download the full show in a 180mb .zip file from Sendspace or from Megaupload.

Sufjan Stevens
September 20, 2006
Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA

01. intro
02. Sister
03. The Lord God Bird
04. The Transfiguration (aborted)
05. tech issues [omitted from recording]
06. Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!
07. Casimir Pulaski Day
08. John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
09. Jacksonville
10. Bird Wasp story
11. The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades...
12. Abraham
13. A Good Man is Hard to Find
14. Majesty Snowbird
15. Seven Swans
16. The Transfiguration
17. Chicago
18. applause
19. Romulus
20. The Dress Looks Nice on You

For more on Sufjan Stevens, see his Asthmatic Kitty site.

Bonus mp3:

Sufjan Stevens - The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts [from Illinois]
Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day [from Illinois]
Sufjan Stevens - The Henney Buggy Band [from The Avalanche]

Saturday night in Atlanta...

Well, I'll be darned. There are five interesting shows in ATL this weekend, at least as far as I'm concerned, and all of them are on Saturday night. Crap. Samples from the artists, all of whom have appeared on C&T in the past:


Leslie and The Ly's @ Drunken Unicorn

Leslie and The Ly's - Beat Dazzler
Leslie and The Ly's - Gem Sweater

They're also at Eyedrum on Sunday (6pm).


Warm in the Wake @ Star Bar

Warm in the Wake - Tame Thoughts
Warm in the Wake - Golden Inhibition Destroyer


Tin Cup Prophette @ Paste (Atlanta Film Festival after party)

Tin Cup Prophette - Going Numb
Tin Cup Prophette - Speak or Spill Down


Anna Kramer, The Spooks @ Eyedrum (Bike Spectacle II)

Anna Kramer - I Can't Take It
Anna Kramer - All Those Pretty Things


The Coathangers, African Greys @ YoYo

The Coathangers - Parking Lot
The Coathangers - Nestle in My Boobies

Right now I'm leaning toward the show at the DU since that's the only act who isn't from the Atlanta/Athens area. Hmm...

How long until Stephen Colbert finds out?

Last night I saw this band of robotic bears called The Teddy Bear Orchestra open up for Captured By Robots. They were quite entertaining, chatting between songs, but when I heard them start talking about Stephen Colbert, I had to record it because I know he loves hearing about himself, and he hates bears. I don't know how he feels about robots.

That's Coco on drums and Butterscotch on guitar.

You can see all my photos from the show here.

Snowden to tour with Kings of Leon, The Features

Atlanta's Snowden is hitting the road next month, and they'll be traveling with a couple of bands from the Nashville/Murfreesboro area -- Kings of Leon and The Features. Kings of Leon will be on board for the entire tour, and The Features will play a run of select run of dates. The scheduled appearances:

- with Kings of Leon -
May 2 Seattle, WA United States @ Moore Theatre
May 3 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
May 5 Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
May 6 North Kansas City, MO @ VooDoo Lounge
May 7 Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
May 9 Austin, TX @ Stubbs
May 11 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
May 12 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
May 13 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
May 15 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
May 17 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
May 18 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

- with Kings of Leon and The Features -
May 19 Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
May 21 Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
May 22 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
May 24 Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
May 25 St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
June 1 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
June 2 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
June 5 New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom

- with Kings of Leon -
June 6 Boston, MA @ Avalon
June 7 Philadelphia, PA @ The Electric Factory
June 12 Toronto, ON Canada @ Kool Haus
June 13 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
June 29 New York, NY @ South Street Sea Port, Pier 17

Snowden's Myspace says the Chicago and Asheville shows are already sold out, so buying tix in advance might be a good idea....

Samples from each, for the uninitiated:

Kings of Leon - Charmer
Snowden - Anti-Anti
Snowden - Black Eyes (Le Castle Vania remix)
The Features - The Beginning (Week One)

Hot off the presses

C&T fave Stephen Colbert is featured in the May issue of GQ. He answers a variety of questions posed by the magazine to see if Colbert is fit to serve as America's 44th president. An excerpt:

Q: Please list four jobs prior to current position:

A: 1. Correspondent/whipping boy, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Duties included: carrying water for Jon Stewart’s liberal agenda.

2. Investigative reporter, WKJC-Raleigh. Blew the lid off the “YIELD” sign controversy on Maple Street, just past the Arby’s.

3. Male prostitute—but “classy.” In fact, that was my street name: Butt Classy.

4. Arby’s

Part of the feature is available online. Hat tip to the ever-fashionable Falconer for the heads-up.

Also, the May issue of Spin features 72 hours in the city of Atlanta. They spotlight a variety of local hotspots including many that I visit on a regular basis (Day 1 stuff in particular). There's also a picture of Cole from Black Lips in his tighty whiteys, but you've probably all seen that before anyway. It's a two-page spread, and you can check out the first page and second page here. The issue hits newsstands on April 24. Thanks to Giant Noise for the advance copy.

Cary Ann Hearst - Dust and Bones

Charleston, South Carolina, product Cary Ann Hearst is an artist I have long admired both for her music and for being an all-around sweetheart. I first became aware of Cary Ann when she opened a run of Jump, Little Children shows several years ago, and she has since garnered a strong following in her home region. Cary Ann is a little gal with a great big voice and one hell of a knack for roots music. Her country-rock is tinged with punk, blues, and gospel, not unlike Atlanta's own Anna Kramer. This is music for dirt roads and front porches, sure to induce foot-stomping and sing-alongs.

Her current release, Dust and Bones, was released last summer but has only recently become available for purchase online. Here are a few tracks from the record courtesy of Cary Ann's website:

Cary Ann Hearst - Dust & Bones
Cary Ann Hearst - Black Snake
Cary Ann Hearst - Long Road

Cary Ann's Dust and Bones is available from CD Baby. For more, see her MySpace.

The new hotness (with apologies to Agent J)

I haven't been blow away by too many of the new records I've checked out recently, but there have certainly been some strong releases among them. Among the more interesting have been the new records from Peel and The Narrator.


Austin-based Peel is rooted in the indie rock aesthetic, but set themselves apart with their playful tone, synthesizers, and horns. Idolator digs 'em, and I do too. While not as quirky as How I Became the Bomb or as rockin' as The Clutters, Peel seems to me somewhere between Velcro Stars and a catchy ad jingle. They're bright and punchy, with hooks to spare and tunes that you'll want to listen to with your windows down. Awfully convenient with spring upon us...

Peel - Navy Waves
Peel - Sliding Doors

Their self-titled debut LP was released on April 2, and is available from Peek-A-Boo Records. Tourdates and other nonsense are on their Myspace page.


The third record from Chicago band The Narrator has also been receiving regular spins here at C&T HQ. Their All That to the Wall is due May 15 on Flameshovel Records, and will likely appeal to fans of indie rock from the last decade. They can be both noisy and melodic, reminding this listener of acts like Modest Mouse, Guided by Voices, or Built to Spill at different moments. The intensity of the eleven tracks varies, but one of my favorite moments is probably one of the album's "breather" segments -- a cover of Bob Dylan's "All the Tired Horses." Perhaps not surprising given Dylan has written every popular song in the last forty years, but an interesting choice for inclusion on the record.

The Narrator - SurfJew
The Narrator - Start Parking
The Narrator - All the Tired Horses [Bob Dylan cover]

Fo' mo' info, go to Myspace.

How I learned to stop worrying and love the Bird

As I briefly noted yesterday, I flew home from Chicago Monday afternoon and within a couple hours was in the car headed for Nashville. The purpose of that trip was to see Andrew Bird at Mercy Lounge. It was a show I'd been looking forward to for a while, so I wasn't about to give it up despite my busy travel schedule. I went up there with Tessa (from Drive a Faster Car) and The Falconer (from Do the Thrashers Have Large Talons?). Good company to be sure.

My take is rather close to that shared by Tessa. It was my third time seeing Andrew Bird, and each performance has proven to be charming, dynamic, and entertaining. Mercy Lounge was a nice setting for Bird's music, with its rustic wooden interior and clubhouse feel. He plowed through most of the material from Armchair Apocrypha and a selection of older tracks (including a spirited "Skin Is, My" that rocked the joint after an aborted first attempt had the players on stage giggling).

Bird and his band are a joy to watch, and their frontman commands the room whether playing his trademark violin, whistling, or strumming his newly prominent guitar. They've also added some props to the live show since I last saw them, including a spinning dual-sided gramophone (pictured above) and some badass sock monkeys. My only disappointment was the absence of both "Dark Matter" and "A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left" from the setlist, but I suppose that leaves me wanting more. Andrew Bird remains on tour.

I did tape, so audio will be forthcoming when I can find the time to deal with it. It's the stretch run of the semester now, so time for that may be hard to come by. There was also a video crew in the house doing something for Nashville's local documentary channel (or something), so hopefully that will emerge as well. I also finally met Janet from Out the Other last night, which was a pleasure. I'm sure she'll write a much better review than my own in the near future.

Andrew Bird - Heretics
Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left

Culture Bully has audio and video of Andrew Bird's April 10 appearance on David Letterman's show.

UPDATE: Nashville Cream has published a nice review of the Andrew Bird show.

Can I have four beers?

Back from Chicago, but about to head out the door to see Andrew Bird in Nashville. Yay!

With any luck, I'll get some sleep sometime this week.

Before I go, here's Will Ferrell fighting with his landlady Pearl. She's a demanding soul.

Checking in from Chicago...

A few pics from my trip... it's been a good one. I'm headed home Monday.

From my window at the Chicago Hilton (Michigan Ave. & 8th)

At Millennium Park

At Grant Park

Chicago Theater

Wrigley Field on Jackie Robinson Day

Wrigley scoreboard

The National to open select dates for The Arcade Fire?

I read this yesterday in an email, but I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else. The only place that confirms it is Pollstar, but can anyone else shed some light to this? I've already had tickets for a while now, but if this bit of news is true, than wow...this show just became even more of a hot ticket than it already was to begin with. Here are the few dates that The National will be opening for The Arcade Fire for the following shows:

The National | "Fake Empire"

5/1 - Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Civic Center Theater
5/2 - Asheville, NC: Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
5/4 - Washington, DC: DAR Constitution Hall
5/5 - Upper Darby, PA: Tower Theatre
5/7 - New York, NY: United Palace
5/8 - New York, NY: United Palace

Kurt Vonnegut, 1922-2007

RIP.

The Selmanaires hitting the road

I know there's been a heap of national buzz surrounding Deerhunter, Black Lips, and Snowden for the past while, but as far as I'm concerned the best rock band in Atlanta is The Selmanaires. I imagine long-time readers have seen me praise them multiple times, but I wanted to point out that they're leaving Atlanta this week for another tour. They're hitting about a dozen cities including some of the bigger markets east of the Mississippi. I've been taken with their garage/funk/rock stew (they cite The Kinks, Can, and Talking Heads as influences) for quite a while and the new material I've heard in the live setting has continued to impress.

The Selmanaires on tour:

4/13 JJ's Bohemia, Chattanooga, TN
4/15 Murphy's, Memphis, TN
4/17 The Note, Chicago, IL
4/18 The Lager House, Detroit, MI
4/19 Garfield Artworks, Pittsburgh, PA
4/21 The Comet Bar, Cincinnati, OH
4/25 Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge, MA (with Deerhunter)
4/26 Piano's, NYC, NY (with La Pieta)
4/28 Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA (with Deerhunter)
5/1 Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
5/4 Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA (500 Songs for Kids event)
5/11 Caledonia Lounge, Athens, GA
5/17 The EARL, Atlanta, GA (with Tussle)

The Selmanaires - Selmanaire RockThe Selmanaires - In the Direction of Yes
The Selmanaires - All I Really Want to KnowThe Selmanaires - Selmanaire Rock [live 3-21-2006]
The Selmanaires - Last Great Dive [live 3-21-2006]
The Selmanaires - Psychotic Reaction [Count Five cover; live 3-21-2006]

And as their secret alter-egos, The Pee-Pees (shhh... don't tell):

The Pee-Pees - Danger [Pylon cover, live 7-8-2006]

They're hitting Chicago the day after I fly back to Atlanta. Dammit!

Of Montreal karaoke show highlights

I said I'd try to provide some highlights from the Athens karaoke Of Montreal show... so here you go. The tracks here feature vocals by Athens musicians and were among the best efforts of the evening IMHO. The Spinal Tap cover is Of Montreal on their own to start the night. The Journey track is fronted by Jason from Casper & The Cookies while that band's guitarist, Jim Hicks, leads the rendition of Of Montreal's "Suffer for Fashion." The remaining track, an INXS original, is sung by Andy LeMaster of Now It's Overhead. All the below are live at the 40 Watt in Athens on April 9:

Of Montreal - Tonight I'm Gonna Rock Ya Tonight [Spinal Tap]
Of Montreal - Don't Stop Believin' [Journey; Jason Nesmith on vocals]
Of Montreal - Need You Tonight [INXS; Andy LeMaster on vocals]
Of Montreal - Suffer for Fashion [Jim Hicks on vocals]

Of Montreal will appear Thursday night (4/12) on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. The other guests are Molly Shannon and Tiki Barber. I bet Mary Katherine Gallagher would be totally into Of Montreal.

Posts will probably be rare the rest of the week, as I'm going to be in Chicago through Sunday. Yay!

Of Montreal karaoke setlist

I'll fill in more details later, but here's what I scribbled down last night with MUCH help from Sloan (and now updated with notes from dreamer27 [George D.] on the E6 Townhall):

Of Montreal
April 9, 2007
40 Watt Club, Athens, GA

Tonight We're Gonna Rock Ya Tonight [Spinal Tap w/ Of Montreal]
- begin karaoke -
All Day and All of the Night [The Kinks w/ Candace Dawson]
Don't Bring Me Down [Electric Light Orchestra w/ Josh Lewis]
Don't Stop Believing [Journey w/ Jason Nesmith of Casper & The Cookies]
Rapture Rapes the Muses [Of Montreal w/ George Dobson, Rachel Foreman, and Ben Lambert]
Need You Tonight [INXS w/ Andy Lemaster of Now It's Overhead]
Surrender [Cheap Trick w/ Davey, one of the CCAA Booty Patrol]
Suffragette City [David Bowie w/ Liz Wheeler & Lily Buckley]
Here Comes Your Man [The Pixies w/ Scott Creeney]
Sweet Child o' Mine [Guns N' Roses w/ Heather McIntosh of Elf Power, The Instruments]
Ever Fallen in Love [Buzzcocks w/ Mary Jane Hessell]
Suffer for Fashion [w/ Jim Hicks of Casper & The Cookies]
Islands in the Stream [Bee-Gees w/ Page Campbell of Hope for Agoldensummer and Zach Gresham of Summer Hymns]
Raspberry Beret [Prince w/ Bronwyn]
Dancing Queen [ABBA w/ 8-Track Gorilla]
The Joker [Steve Miller Band w/ Ben Clack and Jeff Tobias of Dark Meat]
Bunny Ain't No Kind of Ryder [w/ Dan Korn (Of Montreal soundguy)]
The Party's Crashing Us [Of Montreal w/ Lauren Ethridge & Sally Miller & Patrock]
Motor Away [Guided by Voices w/ Dave Wrathgeber of Visitations]
More Than a Feeling [Boston w/ Jeff Griggs of Je Suis France]

I did tape but haven't had time to fiddle with it yet. Alex was there taking pics. May clip out a track or two tonight if I have time, but I may go see Grindhouse instead.

Generally, it was a lot of fun even if really uneven. Highlights for me were the opener and the songs with Casper, Jim Hicks, and the guy from Now It's Overhead. Oh, and Kevin B. doing his best Slash. More later...

Fo [FAUX] Montreal - The Bedtime Drama: A Petite Las Vegas Tragedy

I'll post more about tonight's Of Montreal karaoke show later, including the setlist and some highlights, but I wanted to share this before I crash and burn. I mean, it's 4:30am. I'm not gonna write a lot.

Tonight at the show they had an odd item at the merch booth. They were free for the taking, and they were labeled fo [FAUX] Montreal - The Bedtime Drama: A Petite Las Vegas Tragedy. The cover has a picture of a shirtless Kevin Barnes, a ring of penises (Kevin's, apparently), an inset of the band, and a Bloomin' Onion from Outback Steakhouse. I'm not quite sure who created these things or why, but it's completely strange and has some hilarious moments. Very little of it really needs to be heard -- I'd say just tracks 6-7 and 9 would be sufficient (and even those only for Of Montreal fans). Seriously though, this isn't good music even when it is music. Trust me. Gotta love the tracklist though. Here it is, for the curious:

Fo [FAUX] Montreal - The Bedtime Drama: A Petite Las Vegas Tragedy

1. Kevin goes to Las Vegas where he receives subliminal messages from Satan to get naked 1:16
2. Kevin gets naked and the people exclaim 1:28
3. Satan shreds on lead guitar upon victory 0:47
4. Kevin awakes confused in a casino/hotel bedroom as he tries to remember what happened last night 1:05
5. Kevin's realization (Uh-Oh-PP) 0:25
6. Kevin escapes unwanted media persecution by going to Outback Steakhouse 0:36
7. Satan picks up the tab at Outback and orders for Kevin (Satan shreds) 5:42
8. Kevin feels sick after eating Outback 0:25
9. Kevin feels sick after listening to this concept album and wishes that he could make Tim a girl through use of force 1:46

If file transfers are slooooow, you can grab the whole thing at Sendspace.

And that's that. More on the evening later. Rich need sleep.

UPDATE: The NSFW cover can be seen here.

Customers suck (or don't)

Adam Renshaw, drummer extraordinaire (Anna Kramer, ex-Forty Fives) and Criminal Records mainstay, is featured in the current issue of Creative Loafing. Adam lists his five favorite customers of that establishment by type:

1) The old-timer: "We have a handful of older, regular customers who come in frequently and dispense wisdom while they shop. I've learned a lot from several of the old-school guys."

2) The excitable teenager: "They're not all completely jaded know-it-alls. It's exciting to see someone discover a band or a record for the first time and be genuinely enthusiastic about it."

3) The person who knows exactly what he wants: "No small talk, no pleasantries, no BS. Thank you for having your shit together."

4) The person who wants to sing you the song he's looking for: "This can be frustrating or confusing, but it's usually hysterical. I love the challenge of trying to decipher what the song might be behind someone's off-key caterwauling."

5) The drunk person: "Hey boozey-face, thanks for coming in to throw your money around. Just so long as you don't begin weeping, we're going to have a fine time spending your money."

I suppose I'm closest to #3, although I'm prone to small talk/pleasantries if it's a clerk I know. I do tend to thoroughly browse the used bins though... so that might put me in a whole other category. Note to self: avoid Criminal while drunk.

The Brunettes - The Record Store

The Postmarks and The Preakness contest and preview

Thanks to the kind people at World's Fair, I have a couple of items available to C&T readers:

1 pair of tickets to the April 12 Postmarks/Preakness show at Drunken Unicorn (ATL)
1 copy of The Postmarks' limited edition remix EP

For those who are unfamiliar, The Postmarks are a rising chamber pop trio from Miami, Florida. Fronted by the charming vocals of Tim Yehezkely (Miss Tim Yehezkely, mind you), they make lush and lovely pop music. They've been getting a good deal of positive buzz online and in print, and they will be touring in support of their debut LP on Unfiltered Records. The Preakness are, of course, one of C&T's favorite pop acts out of Atlanta and have recently released a 7" on Eskimo Kiss Records.

If you'd like either the tix or the remix EP, please drop me an e-mail with "Postmarks tix" or "Postmarks EP" in the subject line. Feel free to enter both, but do send separate entries. Winners will be selected from a (Cubs) hat on Weds., 4/11, at 10AM.

The Postmarks - Goodbye
The Preakness - What They're Saying

From The Postmarks remix EP:

The Postmarks - Goodbye (Tahiti 80 Remix)
The Postmarks - Goodbye (James Iha Remix)
The Postmarks - Goodbye (Spooky Ruben Remix)

Hope to see some locals at the Variety Playhouse for Sebadoh tonight...

OMG REO WTF

Really, this pretty much speaks for itself:

REO Speedwagon plays Wal-Mart

(WCCO) REO Speedwagon became a rock icon with number one hits "Can’t Fight This Feeling" and "Keep On Loving You." They played giant stadiums in the 70’s and 80’s, but Friday they performed at the Walmart in Eagan.

The band is promoting it’s first new album in a decade and it has an exclusive deal with Walmart.

"I’ve been watching them for 30 years," said Jay Powell from Cottage Grove, "and I had to come to Walmart to meet them, I never would have thought that."

That's rock and roll, kids.

Tenacious D - Keep on Loving You [REO Speedwagon cover; live 12-20-2003]

Wilco expand tour, add ATL date

The Wilco camp has released additional dates for their North American tour before and after the previously released Bonnaroo show (6/17). Here's the rundown:

6/13 Adler Theater, Davenport, IA
6/15 Murat Theater, Indianapolis, IN
6/17 Bonnaroo, Manchester, TN (woot)
6/19 Chastain Park Amph., Atlanta, GA (!!!)
6/20 Ovens Aud., Charlotte, NC
6/22 Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ
6/24 The Pines, Northampton, MA
6/25 Hammerstein Ballroom, NY, NY
6/28 Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, MA
6/29 The Green at Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT
6/30 Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario

Nice to see some outdoor shows on the schedule. I don't see near enough music in the sunshine/moonlight these days. Thanks to OhmPark for the heads-up.

Get in the mood:

Wilco - What Light [from Sky Blue Sky, due May 15]
Wilco - Is That the Thanks I Get? [live on Conan]
Wilco - Don't Fear the Reaper [Blue Oyster Cult cover; 12-31-2005]

Free fallin' with Sebadoh

I am totally going to see Sebadoh on Sunday night (April 8), original lineup and all. They'll be at Variety Playhouse along with The Bent Moustache. Between Jupiter Watts (at The EARL on Saturday) and Sebadoh, it's gonna be a great weekend of rock.

One thing they've been playing on this tour is a cover of Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'," which I understand they also used to do about fifteen years ago. Here it is from the March 24 show in Montreal:

Sebadoh - Free Fallin' [live Tom Petty cover; 3-24-2007]

I imagine I'll be taping. If you're there, look for the goofball under the mic stand...

AthFest headliners announced

The headliners for this year's AthFest (June 20-24 in Athens, GA) have been announced:

Fri - Perpetual Groove
Sat - The Whigs
Sun - Drive-By Truckers

No word yet on supporting acts, but I'll be looking forward to that info.

The Whigs - Violet Furs
Drive-By Truckers - Putting People on the Moon

The 2007 AthFest CD release party will be held May 4 at Tasty World in Athens, and will include C&T fave Tin Cup Prophette along with The Renegadez, The Empties, and Beyond Tomorrow.

Tin Cup Prophette - Going Numb

Black Lips in Creative Loafing

I imagine many of the ATL locals have already seen this (I read a copy yesterday at Manuel's Tavern during lunch), but I wanted to bring it up anyway. The boys in Black Lips are on the cover of Creative Loafing this week, and inside the issue there's a really nice article about the band by Mara Shalhoup. A choice excerpt:

The Black Lips' performance at Club de Ville ends up being decidedly tasteful – at least by Black Lips standards. Alexander spits in the air and catches the loog a few times, but he throws up only once, discretely, off the side of the stage. None of the boys make out with each other (though two of them will at their next gig, the second of the day's five). They don't beat the shit out of each other, either. And there's no trace of blood or urine, leaving the show's final tally of bodily fluids at a mere two.

Slackers.

Black Lips - Stranger

You feel like home to me

As she tends to do now and then, Athens singer-songwriter Madeline has seemingly taken over my car stereo. The catalyst this time was my recent (re)purchase of her 2003 split EP with The Dead Bird. I already owned it, but I'm a music geek and I found two used copies with the original hand-crafted packaging... so I had to buy them. Both.

From the Madeline/Dead Bird split EP:

Madeline - Home to Me
Madeline - Against the World and Losing the Battle (Faith)

More Madeline songs are available on her website. Her various older records are available from Valiant Death Records. Madeline's current release, The Slow Bang, is available from Orange Twin.

My recording of her February 3 CD release party can be had from archive.org.

Bonus mp3:

Madeline - I Left the Light On [live 2-3-2007 @ 40 Watt, Athens]

PJ Harvey 1-5-1992 @ The White Horse, Hampstead

So, guess who's on a little PJ Harvey kick....

Here's an apparent rarity -- Polly Jean playing an unannounced 1992 solo show opening for London rockers Gallon Drunk. Certainly not the best quality recording ever on C&T, but it gets bonus points for content.

Some individual tracks can be sampled below, and the full show is available via Sendspace.

PJ Harvey
January 5, 1992
The White Horse, Hampstead, England

01. Rid of Me
02. Dress
03. Hair
04. Highway 61 Revisited [Bob Dylan]
05. Sheela-Na-Gig
06. Missed
07. Man-Size
08. Dry
09. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction [Rolling Stones]

Not too shabby...


For the Atlanta crew, there at least a couple attractive shows tonight:

Bad Magic Number @ The EARL [new band with members of The Preakness, Silent Kids, Magnapop, Luigi]

Casper & the Cookies, The Coathangers, and The Pop Machine @ Lenny's

Once I had a love and it was a gas

I've gotten a few inquiries about this track since Lily played it in Atlanta... and here it is. I doubt it needs much more explanation.

Lily Allen - Heart of Glass [Blondie cover; live at SXSW]

Many thanks to Heart on a Stick for providing the file!

John Vanderslice, remixed and gratis

John Vanderslice has kindly and generously given a little treat to his fans out there -- a collection of Pixel Revolt remixes by musician and engineer Scott Solter. I've sampled several tracks so far, and these sound like serious deconstructions of the Pixel Revolt material. The whole thing is available on JV's website where you can download it track by track or in a .zip file.

Samples, before you raid JV's mp3 vault:

JV/Scott Solter - Dear Sarah Shu - immersion (version)
JV/Scott Solter - New Zealand Pines - terra sound up from the ground

From Pixel Revolt:

John Vanderslice - Trance Manual

Ruby Isle | elsI ybuR

The gents from Ruby Isle are back in the spotlight this week, now with a video for Sonic Youth cover "Teenage Riot." It strikes me as the sort of video that would have been plastered all over MTV during the Reagan administration, with heavy use of split-screens, mirror images, and inexplicable shots of a random girl in fishnet stockings.

If you've somehow neglected to download the track itself so far, here ya go:

Ruby Isle - Teenage Riot [Sonic Youth cover]

On Stereolab, PJ Harvey, and my own ignorance

"Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn." -- Benjamin Franklin

Browsing through the used bin at Wuxtry the other day, I came across an interesting compilation for a mere $3. Titled Pop (Do We Not Like That?), it is a collection of artists released prior to about 1994 on the UK's Too Pure label. The artists that really grabbed my attention were a pair that I have never really bothered looking into -- Stereolab and PJ Harvey.

I have probably stayed away from Stereolab primarily because of assumptions I made about them. For some reason I had convinced myself that they were the sort of beep-beep-chirp-chirp electro-pop that generally annoys me to no end. I had largely ignored PJ Harvey because I had lumped her mentally with the riot grrrls and angry folkies that rarely interest yours truly. Perhaps there was some truth to those thoughts, but neither characterization appears to be entirely accurate. However, I'm ready to recognize the error of my ways.

So, dear readers, where do I go from here? What material from Stereolab and/or PJ Harvey should I seek out?

The tracks from Pop (Do We Not Like That?) that seem to have served their purpose, if only a decade late:

Stereolab - Super-Electric
PJ Harvey - Sheela-Na-Gig

Jupiter Watts

On April 10, Atlanta's Jupiter Watts release their third full-length album on Two Sheds Music. Produced by Athens-based David Barbe (ex-Sugar, ex-Buzz Hungry, ex-Mercyland; producer of Drive-By Truckers, Kelly Hogan, Son Volt, Harvey Milk, Amy Ray, Rock*A*Teens, etc.), the album offers something increasingly rare in the indie rock arena -- a consistently interesting and engaging guitar-rock record. This self-titled release demonstrates growth after its predecessor Let It Lie -- while the band once seemed to flaunt influences like Guided by Voices, Jesus & Mary Chain, etc., this effort sees them finding a more unique sound.

Dual vocalist/guitarists James Trigg and Ramon Wals, drummer Kevin Wallace, and bassist/keyboardist Jared Welsh capably explore sonic textures, change tempos at will, and lyrically engage topics as diverse as human relationships and atomic testing ("Bikini Atoll"). Contributions by sax ("Crown") and violin ("Hello") players also pepper the occasional track. "Nothing At All" is the sort of anthem that sounds great through one's car stereo -- a hypothesis I tested this evening with stunning success. "We Got Contact" and "On the Water" will delight those who reminisce about bands like Guadalcanal Diary or Let's Active, with the latter song's dual lead vocals an interesting touch. I'd also be remiss if I neglected to mention Wallace's drum playing on the album's final two tracks -- his rumbling on "Hit the Ground" and intricacy on "Our Lesson Learned" actually brought to mind Danny Carey's contributions on early Tool material.

From Jupiter Watts, due April 10:

Jupiter Watts - Nothing At All
Jupiter Watts - On the Water

The Jupiter Watts CD release show is next Saturday, April 7, at The EARL in Atlanta. Opening will be Barbe's band The Great Horned Owls and local act Moresight, who have been generating renewed buzz after strong recent performances. Tix are available online.

Bonus mp3:

Jupiter Watts - Strange Things Happen Every Day [from Let It Lie]

No postage required

It's a busy week here at C&T HQ, but I thought I'd share with you guys some of the interesting new stuff that's come across my desk. Away we go...

The New Rags - Your Room [barroom rock for the new century -- bring it!]
Peel - Navy Waves [synth-heavy pop/rock from Austin]
YACHT - See a Penny (Pick It Up) [typical Marriage Records triumph]
The Modlins - For Goodness' Sake [San Diego indie pop]
Georgie James - Grizzly Jive [repeat-worthy kids song from PLAY comp]
Louis - My Own Good [the good kind of singer/songwriter]
The Marlboro Chorus - Love is in Love [nifty, melodic indie rock]
Thrushes - Aidan Quinn [Baltimore dream pop/shoegaze]
Golden Bear - Galaxy Queen [fuzzy jangle pop]
Scissors for Lefty - Lay Down Your Weapons [dance-rock]
Tigers and Monkeys - You Know [soulful goodness led by ATL export]
Kristoffer Ragnstam - Breakfast by the Mattress [think Swedish Spoon...]
Limbeck - Big Drag [country-tinged pop]
The Dead Bodies [Michigan] - Pink Muff Dance Party... [electro-acid pop]

And the cherry on top (er... at the bottom)...
Patti Smith - Gimme Shelter [Rn'R HoFer cover goodness]

Whatcha think folks? We dealing with a bunch of heroes, or zeroes?

ELSEWHERE...

The Catbird Seat has a new track from Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. High five!

And from the viral video department.... Kermit covers "Hurt" and Alanis tackles "My Humps." Scientists seen adjusting Doomsday Clock in response.