My unyielding compassion for mankind has forced me to announce something I desperately wish I could keep to myself. A band, a longtime favorite of mine, is uniting for the Coachella festival, which excites and dissapoints me simultaneously, because Coachella is overpriced and sold out, overrated, and hot, real hot. I heard, some time ago, that this particular band was going to play a secret show at the Glasshouse in Pomona, CA (Goldenvoice, the promoter of Coachella, books show for the Glasshouse, which certainly was a good sign when I first heard about this.) Upon my excitement, I had emailed a contact of mine at Goldenvoice, trying to ascertain the details, to which I received no confirmation. Earlier today, I found out that this mystery band is indeed performing at the Glasshouse the night before Coachella. I've had dreams similar to the aforementioned scenario and if, you go instead of me because of this tip, I will be forever ruined. I'm all for the "First come first served" rhetoric, but this is of the utmost importance. A consolation prize for those of you that luck out on this opportunity - I hear the band signed to the Agency Group and is considering a comeback tour (they've already announced several European dates, aside from Coachella.) Like I said, you've been warned.
The FAMILY store has one upped their own greatness by announcing a series of upcoming events, all of which look exciting.
Sunday, April 1: 8p JOHN WIESE & JARRETT SILBERMAN Wiese has collaborated with Sunn O))), Merzbow, and Wolf Eyes, while Silberman is behind the notorious Skull Skull and Young People. Warning: this will be loud and purging.
Thursday, April 12: 7p MT EERIE Or known as Microphones, Phil Elverum takes requests, reviews what he's reading, and quotes from favourite Simpson's episodes. Important: This show is totally free, but due to demand, these free tickets must be picked up from Family beforehand. They are attractively screen printed and cool-looking. Come and get one today.
Saturday, April 14: 9p THE SADS Debut performance by this supergroup, fronted by art wiz Aaron Rose, featuring David Scott Stone on modular synth, and Dave Monick on drums. Check out The Sads deluxe release on Teardrops, LA's premier label - with cover artwork by Matt Leines.
Sunday, April 29: 8p ARIEL PINK'S HAUNTED GRAFFITI Ariel's new band add a transcendent dimension to his hits. Their current sound is totally inspired and perfect.
Thursday, May 3: 7p KIM DEITCH signing Psychedelic comics legend, Kim Deitch, will be signing copies of his latest book, 'Alias the Cat'. Afterwards follow Deitch up the road to The Silent Movie Theatre, where he's curated a selection of silent shorts.
Wednesday, May 24: 7:30p SOILED MATTRESS AND THE SPRINGS Soiled Mattress make sensual lounge music: sophisticated, catchy, and upbeat. Matthew Thurber is on tenor sax - imagine the experience of hearing his music, surrounded by his art, while reading his comic, his body scent in the air.
Me? I'm most excited about Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and Soiled Mattress and the Springs. Grab yer calendar and get to markin' - these events are not to be missed!
I want to thank Matzah for hooking me up with the assignment to review Devin the Dude's latest offering, Waitin' to Inhale. I had a lovely Devin-centric weekend and the effects on my personality have been pronounced. My speech patterns have slowed down and I've discovered new syllables in words that I didn't know were there before. My eyes are bloodshot and half-closed and I have a huge erection that just will not go away. That's what happens when you hang out with the Dude for too long.
Before I get to my gripes about Waitin' let me just go on record as saying the album is dope. It has what every good rap record needs which is 5 or 6 undeniably ill tracks. When I get around to copping the vinyl there will be a side or two of straight bangers where I can just drop the needle and forget about it. That's key, because usually when I listen to Devin my short-term memory is slightly impaired.
Songs like "She Want That Money" and "I Hope I Don't Get Sick-A-This" find Devin in prime pimp-clown mode. On "Broccoli and Cheese" Devin tries just a little too hard to convince you that he's STD-free by listing all the side dishes you could serve next to his impeccably groomed penis. "Girl, this dick is so clean, this dick is so clean/that you could boil it in some collard greens". Stroke of genius.
Aside from Devin's dopey antics, there are two tracks with dream team guest lists. On "What A Job" Devin, Snoop Dogg, and Andre3K rap (yes, apparently Andre's rapping again!) complain about work. Devin has a way of complaining about his lifestyle with a weed-weary grin that lets you know he's really loving every minute of it. Andre on the other hand comes a little too close to sounding like the RIAA when he bitches about people downloading his records. Hate to be the one to break it to you Mr. 3000, but file-sharing had nothing to do with the weak sales of the Idlewild soundtrack. Andre gets back on my good side though when he waxes nostalgic about meeting fans who used to get busy to old Outkast albums. To resolve my conflicting emotions about Andre's verse, I downloaded an MP3 of Spottieoddiedopalicious and made love to my woman to it. Afterwards I felt much better about the song.
The other dream team comes on the operatic gem, "Lil Girl Gone" on which Devin hooks up with Lil Wayne and Bun B. Songs like this are the stuff that great rap records are made of. Weezy's passion pulls you into the tale of a young girl's tragic decent into street life. Bun B's disciplined flow contrasts nicely while Devin hangs back like the omniscient narrator, singing the hook. The beat is all tense piano loops, soaring strings and drum machines with just the right little flute accents. It probably won't make it to the clubs but it was the highlight of the album for me. Weezy is just unfuckwithable right now.
The rest of the record was, for me, disappointingly skippable. The "Boom" skits are pretty dumb and distracting. The noodling beat to "No Longer Needed Here" sounds kind of like "Space" by the Greatful Dead if you replaced Mickey Hart with an 808. "Just Because" sounds like Kenny G sat in on the session. The vocodered space-funk that made me fall in love with 2004's To Tha X-Treme is hard to come by.
The second half of Waitin' drags a bit with a few highlights like "Cutcha Up". When I first heard Devin sing the hook I thought it was a brave-yet-disturbing song about Devin struggling with his own violent pedophile urges. On the second listen I realized it was actually an ode to immature female weed plants! Ha, good one Devin.
All in all, Waitin' is a fine piece of product. It just doesn't take it that next next level like I was hoping it would. Still, if you're quick with the skip button, there's a dope record worth of hits to be found amongst the misses. I should also point out that, like Devin's redneck alter ego, I was missing the Boom for most of this album. I was moving into my new house over the weekend so I only had my little MacBook and some iPod buds. A little more low end and I probably wouldn't be as grouchy about this record as I am. That said, To Tha X-Treme still bangs non-stop no matter what you play it on. Sadly, the same can not be said for Waitin' To Inhale.
So Fresh readers, I want to share a band with you that I'm diggin'. The band's name? Awesome Color. That's right. Three youngsters from Michigan, OH totally vibing on Stooges, Mudhoney, MC5, and Sonic Youth. That might explain why they're signed to Ecstatic Peace, Thurston Moore's label.
Below is the video for Awesome Color's "Free Man" - a cheap 90's technicolor video with some various psyhchedelia mixed in for good measure.
A classic dude with a classic 'tude, Devin the Dude, drops his third studio effort, "Waitin' To Inhale," today. If yer not already stoked, then spark one up and get into Devin's "Lacville '79" (Thanks Elliot!)
Word is, Quik (no DJ) and AMG signed to Interscope as The Fixxers. "Can You Work With That?" is the first Fixxers jam known to mankind, so download to get down.
Saw the Re-Up Gang (Clipse, Sandman, Ab-Liva) tonight at the El Rey. I'll tell you, there's nothing like watching mobs of prepubescent, practicing hipsters repeat cocaine laden metaphors in their extra large "There's No Business/Like Snow Business" tees.
I didn't notice him much the last time Clipse performed, but Ab-Liva (1/4 of the Re-Up Gang) was especially impressive tonight (Check the link, Liva ghostwrites for Dre and Old Hov.) He performed with opener, Inglewood bred rapper Damani, in addition to several Clipse joints - all of which were fire.
I'm told Clipse and Re-Up Gang Records are leaving Jive (it's about time!) for either Interscope or Def Jam. Can you imagine Clipse under the guidance of LA Reid and Shawn Carter? Just as long as Jay doesn't shelve the follow up to "Hell Hath No Fury" for another crap "comeback" record (cough, "Kingdom Come.")
Be on the lookout for "We Got It For Cheap, Vol. 3" and a Re-Up Gang full length.
Good news, one of Los Angeles' finer publications, LA Record, finally launched their website. Aside from the Prefix Mag and Los Anjealous calendars, the LA Record site looks to be a valuable resource for fans of music, art, and other good fun in Los Angeles.
Check out the new special SXSW edition, featuring David Cross and Andrew WK on the cover - the two are hosting the New Ship's Mess With Texas event at SXSW (surely not to be missed!) If you happen to stumble on the non SXSW issue (with Qui), check my Clipse preview.
You should also know that you can get yer hands on all the old issues too.
Congressman Mike Doyle (D-Pittsburgh, PA) speaks at a recent hearing conducted by the subcommittee of Telecommunications and the Internet on creativity in music and the RIAA (Free Drama!):
"Mr. Chairman, I want to tell you a story of a local guy done good. His name is Greg Gillis and by day he is a biomedical engineer in Pittsburgh. At night, he DJs under the name Girl Talk. His latest mash-up record made the top 2006 albums list from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Spin Magazine amongst others. His shtick as the Chicago Tribune wrote about him is "based on the notion that some sampling of copyrighted material, especially when manipulated and recontextualized into a new art form is legit and deserves to be heard." In one example, Mr. Chairman, he blended Elton John, Notorious B-I-G, and Destiny's Child all in the span of 30 seconds. And, while the legal indie-music download site eMusic.com took his stuff down due to possible copyright violation, he's now flying all over the world to open concerts and remix for artists like Beck. The same cannot be said for Atlanta-based, hop-hop, mix-tape king DJ Drama. Mix-tapes, actually made on CDs, are sold at Best Buys and local record shops across the country and they are seen as crucial in making or breaking new acts in hip-hop. But even though artists on major labels are paying DJ Drama to get their next mixed-tape, the major record labels are leading raids and sending people like him to jail. I hope that everyone involved will take a step back and ask themselves if mash-ups and mixtapes are really different or if it's the same as Paul McCartney admitting that he nicked the Chuck Berry bass-riff and used it on the Beatle's hit "I Saw Her Standing There." Maybe it is. And, maybe Drama violated some clear bright lines. Or, maybe mixtapes are a powerful tool. And, maybe mash-ups are transformative new art that expands the consumers experience and doesn't compete with what an artist has made available on iTunes or at the CD store. And, I don't think Sir Paul asked for permission to borrow that bass line, but every time I listen to that song, I'm a little better off for him having done so. Until our questions about the future of music get answered, we first have to look at the future of radio."
Well said, but whatcha gon' do about it, Congressman?
Tonight, I witnessed a gathering of some of the best music that LA has to offer right now - the Softboiled Eggies, Silver Daggers and No Age. Missed Mika Miko, what a bummer. The Softboiled Eggies became a new favorite after seeing them perform (a must see for any Raincoats fans!) They're working on a full length that Ariel Pink's label, Tiny Creatures, will release. Then, Silver Daggers. Totally rad, remind me of The Contortions. No Age? Everybody and their mother showed, for good reason too. No Age killed it. Good vibes all around.
Ian Svenonius (reppin' Nation of Ulysses, Weird War, and The Makeup) wrote and published a book (with the fine folks at Drag City) a manifesto of sorts, called "The Psychic Soviet." The book, as I understand it, is the size of a handbook and is wrapped in pink vinyl (somebody's swagger jackin' Cam, huh?), which holds a collection of essays that focus on aspects of pop culture. That being said, Svenonius and his new book begin the inevitable LA takeover this weekend, starting at FAMILY on Sunday, then heading to Part Time Punks at the Echo Sunday night, and Part Time Punks at the Echo on Tuesday. Accompanied by Beat Happening/Dub Narcotic/K Records boss Calvin Johnson, all three events are set to be certifiable good times. Below are flyers, feel free to mix and match!
Darkroom Productions honchos, Juan Donovan and Jamal Roberts, recently announced a deal with MTV that allows them to produce music for all of MTV's programming. Props to those dudes for gettin' the attention they deserve, but let's quickly take a look at the wonderful programming MTV has to offer, taking into consideration the decline of music videos in recent years:
The Hills Rob & Big Real World Road Rules Bam's Unholy Union Two-A-Days
Yawn. Hopefully, the commercial beast that is MTV won't ruin Darkroom.
If you're scratching yer head, wondering "WHO?," Darkroom Productions is THE production team behind the rap scene in Baltimore. When I was A&R'ing at Capitol, I made it my mission to make people aware of Darkroom, to no avail. When Capitol merged recently with Virgin (as part of the EMI shakedown), The Capitol Music Group acquired Bossman, one of the top dudes on the scene in Baltimore. Expect his debut later this year.
Most notably, Darkroom is responsible for the music that you hear on HBO's The Wire, which, combined with the show's success, turned people's heads toward Baltimore. To their credit, Darkroom Productions also released two key mixtapes in Baltimore, "Hamsterdam, Vol. 1: The Best of Baltimore" and "Hamsterdam, Vol. 2: Stash to the Strip," that ended up in the hands of reviewers in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Fader, and XLR8R (who, in turn, lavished the releases with praise.)
My name is Rob Barbato. I love music, good or bad, so Matzah has asked me to write on his blog from time to time. In my little entries that I'll be posting, I'll clue you in to what's going on in my opinion. So to start off I'm going to tell you about the best record label you've never heard of, Attack Nine Records.
So this label was started by Nick Huntington, to put out quality music by him and his friends. It started of with releases by Freescha, an electronic duo hailed by Moby (I know) as his favorite band. Freescha is more tones on tail meets horror films, than their car commercial loving champion. Anyways, Nick went on to put out records by Paris' Women and Children, the Drexon Field, John Webster Johns, LA's Winter Flowers and Casino vs. Japan. Nick Huntington is the master mind behind this collective, whether it's putting records out, producing his own records (Freescha , Canyon Country), or collaborating with Emmett Kelly (The Cairo Gang, Bonnie Prince Billy) on their ...the surf, the sundried...project...you're in for a treat.
Women and Children
Though women and children released their last record 2006 "Paralyzed Dance Tonight" on Narnack Records. They're a huge part of the Attacknine family. They're on tour right now with Bright Black Morning Light and then Sean Lennon in the U.S.A (Check the dates.)
John Webster Johns will be playing guitar with them. john webster johns and dr.lazer (aka flesh unitard)
John Webster Johns is one of the most original artists of our time; fusing lo-fi recordings with heavy lyrical topics, he's very hard to label. Just check his shit out and try to understand how much better he is than you.
Anyway, check all that shit out. You'll love it or hate it, but this is music in it's purest form, without pretense or money.
Kanye (or his old cousin, who's livin' finer than 'Ye himself) gets on Rich Boy's "Throw Some Deez" (produced by none other than Polow Da Don, white girl extraordinaire) and spits some old man fire. Thoughts?
Casey and myself visited FAMILY Thursday night for the Arthur wake. We showed up late, just as Jay Babcock was reading his eulogy for Arthur magazine. Jay then gave props to the LA Record (If you stumble across the new issue with No Age, check out my preview of the DJ Quik show at the House of Blues) and finished his speech, at which point he received an ovation. Sad, but uplifting.
All grief aside, we saw some familiar faces and I was finally able to give the store the browsing time it truly deserves.
Look at all this!
Hannukah is coming soon (I wish!), so I figured I'd post my wishlist a little early. My wishlist includes...
This.
And this (BARR 7" excluded.)
I noticed two books also worth mentioning - a collection of Daniel Johnston's work, called "The Life, Art, and Music of Daniel Johnston," and a collection of Maurice Sendak's work, primarily from "Where the Wild Thing's Are." So rad!
All that being said, I certainly couldn't leave the store empty handed. I bought Michael Azzerad's "Our Band Could Be Your Life" and the Swell Maps' "A Trip to Marineville."
Tonight, Sean Carlson is hosting a jammer of sorts, featuring a pretty diverse lineup, which includes Brother Reade, Moonrats, and Piebald. I'll be there. You'll see me in the corner two-steppin' to BR, ya dig?
