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I updated the Concert Watch in the sidebar yesterday and there are a nice mix of shows coming our way in the next few months (if the city isn't totally melted to the ground by heat and fires by then) including these dudes:
Souls of Mischief: 93 Til Infinity mp3was here
Sondre Lerches': You know so well mp3 was here
Andrew WK Party Hard mp3 wuz here don't you wish you wuz here?
From the inbox: A video of an acoustic version of Do Ya by singer-songer Neil Nathan (pictured on his upcoming album, above). The song was part of the Californication 2 Soundtrack. It's quite a pretty and tender take on the cheeky, frankly somewhat confrontational ("Well ask yourself, punk: Do Ya? Want my love?") well-known original by E.L.O.
I sort of want to escape into the warm, fantastical, flourish-filled world of the video below. It's like a buncha models from the pictures that come with picture frames have come alive and are on vacation. I'm sure they don't have Mondays there:
I didn't get a chance to hear it but Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs brought their act Sid N Susie to KBig (I think?) this morning. I don't know if they do it or not but if I was thems I would do a lot of George and Gracie Burns type vaudevillian banter between songs in concert. Seems like Sweet has an adoring and loyal fanbase and girls and dudes alike dig Hoffs so the audience would be all. over. dat.
Their second album called Under the Covers Volume 2, came out on July 21st and features guest
appearances by Lindsay Buckingham and Dhani Harrison, George Harrison's son. More to read here.
Sid N Susie will be at the City Winery in NYC on 9/11.
Doy, I am stupid busy today... so here's something quick and cheery from the mailbox; Barcelona Spain's Extraperlo is a more upbeat version of El Guincho. Click here for a 7 inch that Extraperlo did with Ruby Suns. More to come later!
Extraperlo: Banadores mp3 was here.
No Age, pictured above will likely be bringing their trademark pose (it's no Keyboard Snarl, but that's ok) to the FYF Fest being held at the Los Angeles' Historic State Park, Downtown, on Saturday September 5th. Tickets are $20. It runs from 2p.m. to Midnight. This promises to be a great show with Wavves, The Thermals, Black Lips, AA Bondy, PB Wolf, Tim and Eric Awesome, Mika Miko and Kurt Vile also on hand. Proceeds will go to helping the State Parks that need help more than ever this year.
++These posters all over L.A. have got to be causing some traffic accidents. The Matt Damon one reminds me of the poster for 40 Year Old Virgin, but I won't make that comparison again since the last time I did it got me a cease-and-desist order. Also, what's with the exclamation point in the movie's name? Hmm.
++Had no idea that Too Short guests on the theme song to Kendra Wilkinson's reality show. Naturally the next question is: "wu+ r d@ leriks 2 da s0ng?"
++Hot Chip will be working with Kylie Minogue on her next album. I think. There are parts of this writeup I don't quite understand.
++Small World: An old interview with Martyn Leaper of the Minders talking about recording techniques and his ties with Malkmus and Elliot Smith.
++Neo-Angelyne DJ Loli will be holding court at the Trash Yourself Record Release party on September 8th in Hollywood.
She'll also be performing with Tommy Lee next month, of being Tommy Lee fame, when not sorting out other problems.
++Vengenance For Dummies:Carrie Underwood has started a charitable foundation in her hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma. I suppose that in the grand Karmic scheme of things, this will make up for causing suggestible rogue fans all over the world to blindly follow the do-it-yourself instructions for vandalization she once sang about.
++Dizzee Rascal has released the cover art for his new album Tongue N' Cheek, which will be released on September 21st via his own label Dirtee Skank. Again, to clarify, Dizzee Rascal is the artist, *Dirtee Skank* is the label.
Dizzee Rascal's Bubbles mp3 was here and bubbled up something good.
-Actor Omar Doom, who played Private First Class Omer Ulmer in Inglorious Basterds was one half of Doomington, a now defunct electro-rock group.
-He says: "I put my money where my mouth is." Maybe the nose would be a better place?
-Dogstar Serious: Tourdates for Ryan Gosling's band Dead Man's Bones.
-I'm always interested in the many different ways people break into spotlight and music business and in marketing efforts in general..here's a new one: Twilight's Stephanie Meyer's publisher, Hachette Book Group, is accusing Jordan Scott of taking legal action against the author in an attempt to advance her music/modeling/writing career.
Scott denies the assertion.
- Rare video from the band The Chills: "Doledrums", The Chills third 7" single, was recorded by Phil Yule and Doug Hood at Mascot Studios, Auckland, over two separate sessions in both July and September 1984 and was subsequently released in late 1984..the band [was] disgusted by the sight."
Woo hoo, Friday!! Let's take a peek into that there inbox:
++Philadelphian Adam Acuragi talks about taking 3 years to release his sophomore effort She Comes To Me and why that's ok.
Adam Acuragi: She Comes To Me.mp3 wuz here.
++Here's the David Sugar remix of the Phenomenal Handclap Band's song 15 to 20. PHB will be playing the El Rey with Friendly Fires on Aug. 24th.
Phenomenal Handclap Band: 15 to 20 was here.
-Sting's ode to the season of winter, If On A Winter's Night will come out October 26th on Deutsch Gramophone. Besides wintry carols and lullabies, it will also include a musical reworking of Schubert's Der Leiermann from Winterreise and an older song that was on 1996's Mercury Rising, The Hounds of Winter. No word thus far on his feelings for the actor, Alex Winter.
-Idolator's headlines have been killin' it lately.
-As of late last year, some of the former members of Blackstreet have been working on a new album.
~Signed, The Only Person Keeping Track of Blackstreet.
The band and its associates are an exercise in alphabetization: J-Stylz, J-Remy, Ja Rule and Jay-Z.
-If you are in L.A., visit the Mewseum, a 6-day installation put on by the Danish band Mew happening August 29th to September 3rd at the Zune Gallery, in support of their new album, No More Stories. Free! Video below and stream here.
I'm Young Again: Glasgow's best named new band We Were Promised Jet Packs (sorry Eeeonbeeon!) released their debut These Four Walls this past June and got a slight case of the bends from the sudden explosive growth and expectations that come with being a hot band in today's fast paced 5 hour energy Drink world:
As a faithful Lamb (Sigh, I don't even know if I'm being sarcastic anymore...) I gotta say if Mariah feels like doing a cover of Foreigner's I Want To Know What Love Is is the right career decision I have to, ummm, support her.
Why aren't there more Obsessed remixes? It's too plain to not be messed with.
Madame Mariah Carey: Obsessed mp3 wuz here.
-I serendipitously and fortuitously stumbled upon this band, Casual Future, from Athens, Ohio and very much like their sound but can't seem to find any new info on them. Casual Future is part of the Ohio musical/art/film collective known as The Aquabear Legion. Collectives totally blow supergroups to bits.
-Here's something nice from the inbox: The Counting Crows and their non-profit The Greybird Foundation are giving away free tickets to local non-profits all over the country. The Crows are touring with Michael Franti from Spearhead and when they pull into a city, Duritz will Twitter clues as to the location of the hidden tickets for the pre-selected charity.
-Thee Quasi does not mess around with excess verbiage and pictures, all you illustration-loving heathens. They have an album coming out with Kill Rockstars next year. I have mixed feelings about the green font on black background. On the one hand it reminds me of biohazard warning. On the other hand it also brings to mind grasshopper cookies. Mmmm, typeface coloring.
Aus-tart Lenka recently performed a version of Friendly Fires' Jump in the Pool on BBC's Radio 1 and gave an interview discussing former teacher Cate Blanchett.
Lenka: The Show.mp3 was here.
++I often hear Wye Oak being compared to Beach House because of the guy/girl duo thing. I think the best way to settle this would be with a good ol' fashioned Battle of the Bands. A new album by the pair called The Knot comes out this September.
Wye Oak: Warning was here
++My Life According To Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:
-Extry, Extry Read All About It: Great News...one of my favorite long-dormant bands, The Fruit Bats, are back with a new album. Now if only Ambulance LTD could get off their posteriors and make something happen again, in a non Chinese Democracy fashion.
-GoogleDoodled : Hey I say that if we can bring back Jazzy Jeff we should be able to bring back the Orsted measurement system. Anything is possible in today's 'Post-Jeffian"(TM) world.
-A possibly new Fiona Apple song in which she duets with unknown singer Christopher Deluy when she's not throwing gang signs. Hmm, Fiona's sister doesn't look like her at all.
-Haha: A collection of Kenny Loggins album covers. Too bad more singers don't use their Christmas cards as cover art. The mind reels with possibilities.
-Quite honestly, internet? This was more Cheryl Cole news than I needed.
-Why So Serious?: The XX: Four teens from London with a love for Aliyah and Womack y Womack. Wow, this is as intense as you would expect from teenagers but also suprisingly austere. Me likey:
The XX: Crystalised.mp3 was here.
-People joke about him but I for one am rooting for DJ Jazzy Jeff to make a big comeback. He's part of a new album by Dynas coming out in September where he raps with Slick Rick called The Apartment.
-Death Panel For Cutie: Son Volt's Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard from Death Cab have teamed for a film and CD project. All the songs for the film have lyrics based on poems Jack Kerouac wrote in Big Sur.
- These people have some strong (almost Town Hall strength!) opinions on the topic of Misstress Barbara:
This is such neat 60's style album cover. Like watching TMZ on t.v., it's a reflection of a reflection with all kinds of stuff happening in the middle. Looking closer into the center I think I see...could it be? Naahhh.
Wooden Sky's album If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone comes out on August 25th. Do download the song below. These guys are in no hurry and it is worth the time. Lead singer sounds a little Bono in the voice without all the bombast, yes? :
Wooden Sky: Something Hiding For Us In the Night.mp3 was here.
-The lead guy from Tokio Hotel kinda fascinates me. I've never actually listened to any of their music but I find his look interesting to behold, in an Aurora Borealis way. Not making fun at all. The dedication to the hair and eyeliner is something to applaud. In actual news news, Tokio Hotel's single Automatic will be released in advance of the group's album, Humanoid, which comes out in October.
-From the same site ("Ace Showbiz: The Ace in the Entertainment Zone!") apparently Jessica Simpson and Beyonce's baby sis Solange Knowles survived a strong 6.6 earthquake in Japan this morning. Although I don't think that the picture presented here, showing Simpson as highly surprised, was actually taken at the time of the quake (as "Ace" might have us think).
-Ooh la la, the beauty of Francais. This song by Coeur De Pirate (which translates to Heart of a Pirate..cool) makes me think of a Christmas song. And worse yet, Christmas being just around the corner again. Ugh.
Coeur de Pirate: Commes des Enfants.mp3 was here.
-Confession time..I've been geeking out over Boston all weekend. I think once I read somewhere or listened to a director's commentary where the director of the movie Boys Don't Cry wanted to use Boston's More Than A Feeling but couldn't get the rights to the song. If you read the lyrics (geek!) to the song you see how nicely it would've fit with that film. Or they did use it, I'm too lazy to find out this morning.
The husband said that he read a review that once compared Boston's layers of sound as 'several glasses shattering all around your head.'
I guess everyone has a mental manila file folder titled "Boston" in black Sharpie marker deep in their brain.
Anyway, someone should totally make a Boston biopic. Perfectionist/genius Tom Scholz alone is fascinating, in the way he took a science-based approach to making music. And then there's the story of gifted lead singer Brad Delp who committed suicide in 2007 and left some very sad notes to his loved ones including his fiancee who he was set to marry a few days after he had died.
