49 posts tagged “punk”

The Maladies

The Maladies - Album Launch - Oxford Art Factory

It was a dark and stormy night.... well, less stormy and more irritatingly rainy.... anyway it was a night to venture out for the purpose of viewing the album launch show of Sydney boys, The Maladies. 

Playing a bunch of songs from their debut album, With You Right By My Side, Baby The Deal Just Can’t Go Down, it was a pretty fine show, I must say. Loud, dirty, bluesy rock, from foot tap inducing tunes to slow, sullen mini-epic songs, but still not quiet. I'd never actually been to a Maladies show before so I was not sure what to expect. Thankfully, it wasn't disappointing in the slightest. I can only assume that the horn section and the back-up lady singers might have been a special occasion for album launching purposes, possibly not the correct sized stage for so many people to squish on to, but you really can't go wrong with a very large saxophone. All the same, quite impressive musicality, the entire band (including back-up musicians on this particular occasion) didn't put a foot wrong. Nice.

Ask me to name a track. Well no, I can't because I am yet to acquire a copy of the album, but i can assure you, that either catching a Maladies show and/or purchasing your very own copy of With You Right By My Side, Baby The Deal Just Can’t Go Down is quite a good idea.

If you are in Brisbane or Melbourne you are in luck because there's more shows to be played:

19 Nov - The Step Inn Fortitude Valley, Queensland w Mexico City & Sue Ray           

27 Nov - The Tote Melbourne, Victoria. w James McCann’s Dirty Skirt Band, Black Pony Express & Little John.           

 

An honourable mention also has to go to Jamie Hutchings. I'm sure he's being playing shows in some form or another since before the dawn of time. Always enjoyable.... and, it seems, about to embark on a tour of europe, so if you're over that way, be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled. Or maybe just look at his website for tour dates (might be easier).

The Maladies - http://www.myspace.com/themaladiesband

Jamie Hutchings - http://www.myspace.com/jamiehutchings

The Rocketsmiths

The Rocketsmiths

The Rocketsmiths.... brought to me by facestalk.... but really.... considering the vast volumes of bands that pop up via the internet I must admit this offering from The Rocketsmiths is not too shabby at all. Not what i'd usually admit to listen to. 

Anyway, a neat little tune named Doctor has landed on my earpod, and i must say I like it. It's simple, it's pounding, straight down the line. Punk pop, short and sweet. A five piece from Brisbane, The Rocketsmiths have been around for some time (well, since 2006 at least) and released a handfull of EP's. Well worth further investigation.

Tour dates for the Doctor tour... here:

20 Nov 2009 - MUM at World Bar, Kings Cross, Sydney,

21 Nov 2009 - The Clubhouse (formerly Empire Corner Bar), Fortitude Valley

The Rocketsmiths -http://www.rocketsmiths.com/

Fan Death

Fan Death

Well, according to Wikipedia (an obvious reliable source) Fan Death is "a South Korean urban legend which states that an electric fan, if left running overnight in a closed room, can cause the death of those inside (by suffocation, poisoning, or hypothermia)." 

As for the band, Fan Death is a couple of ladies who make a brand of discotheque pop stylings of the type that I have never heard before. It's like modern disco, really. Very simple standard disco backing with two female voices singing over the top. Enough to drive you nuts if disco isn't your thing, but i have a little soft spot for disco music....(thanks mum), but not so much for this tune (bring on the Walter Murphy Band... ahem). 

There's not a lot of obvious information available as to where these ladies are from, so I can only assume that they are american and it appears there are no live shows on the horizon. Maybe they've gone to Korea to dispel the rumours.

Fan Death -http://www.myspace.com/fandeath

Sally

sally@weheartmusic.com

I'll admit that these themed-posts takes forever to write and research, so I hope you appreciate this latest handy guide to handsy albums. There are a ton of other albums with hands on the cover, but I'm only including the ones that we've previously mentioned on W♥M.

Chairlift - Bruises Chairlift 2 comments CHAIRLIFT chairliftmusic.com ♥ myspace.com Wow, such a great pop song, that "Bruises" song. It's a perfect blend of catchy bass and Rilo Kiley-esque vocals from Caroline Polachek and trying to impress someone with handstand but only regretting getting nothing but black and blue bruises for your trouble. And just when you thought "yes, what a great song", the song turns into a duet! Then ends on a non-sense "doo doo doo", just for good measure. What I like about them, based on their album, Does You Inspire You, is that their lyrics aren't all about love and relationships: "Garbage" is about all the junk we produce ("we're making shit for you to throw away!") and "Planet Health" seems to be a community of health nut and something about putting out fires by stop, drop, and rolling. I won't read too much into their lyrics, because they seem cryptic enough. What I think the band is having trouble with is what musical direction they want to take. They're either really catchy pop song ("Bruises", "Garbage") or no-so-pop music ("Ceiling Wax", "Make Your Mind Up", "Le Flying Saucer Hat" - although the beeps are awesome on this song). I know this sound harsh, but I feel that most people who hear "Bruises" and expecting the band to sound like this for the other 12 tracks might be in for a disappointment. As evidence, I submit one Kate II, who recently saw Chairlift on tour with PB&J. I get the impression that was how the audience react to their show: kind of zombie like, until that "one song" came on. Still, that song is so good and you'll play the pants off that song and ignore what I've said about the rest of the album. The band's currently taking their hit song on the road: 06/09/09 The Village- w/ MGMT Little Rock, Arkansas 06/11/09 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN 06/18/09 Echo Los Angeles, CA 06/21/09 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, CA 06/22/09 Casbah San Diego, CA 07/18/09 Lovebox London 07/19/09 Latitude Festival Southwold 07/26/09 Secret Garden Party Cambridgeshire 08/01/09 All Points West Liberty State Park, NJ 08/08/09 Lollapalooza Chicago 08/13/09 Oya Festival Oslo 08/14/09 Way Out West Goteborg 08/16/09 Summer Sundae Leicester Does You Inspire You is available now as a re-issue on Columbia/Kanine Records. Apple used "Bruises" for their iPod commercial, so you can get it via iTunes. Get "Evident Utensil" free from killeropeners.net		Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll Yeah Yeah Yeahs YEAH YEAH YEAHS yeahyeahyeahs.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ twitter Let me be clear: we are not a YYY website, I get questions about the banner all the time, showing one model/singer Marijne van der Vlugt. So, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are pretty well-established now, with their third studio album, It's Blitz!. If you've liked the old yyy with their experimental noises and guitars, you may not like their new album - even though I think it's the best and most easily accessible music from them.  If you think that's a joke, well the yolk's on you. Because I'm serious, this is their best work... I would recommend It's Blitz!, not the over-hyped Show Your Bones album, to fans that are just getting into the yyys. The band seems to mostly a collaboration between singer/fashion-trendsetter Karen O and guitarist Nick Zinner. They seem to share most of the spotlight, and you almost feel bad for whatthedrummer's dude (Brian Chase). But I don't think he minds it much, based on his incredibly detailed blog. For the most part, the I really liked the electro-dance songs: "Zero", "Heads Will Roll", and "Dull Life" sounds anything but dull. There's also a few tuned down tracks, "Hysteric" and "Little Shadow", which are great as you can really take the time and hear Karen O singing. If you get the deluxe edition of the album, which I'll recommend, it comes with four bonus acoustic tracks. Maybe you can pick it up at one of their shows: 06/08/09 Marquee Theatre Phoenix, Arizona 06/10/09 Club 101 El Paso, Texas 06/12/09 Bonnaroo Manchester, Tennessee 06/24/09 T-Mobile In Music Festival Zagreb 06/26/09 St. Gallen Festival St. Gallen 06/27/09 Le Rock Dans Tous Ses Etats Evreux 06/28/09 Glastonbury Festival Worthy Farm 06/30/09 Openair Arena Vienna 07/01/09 Roxy Prague 07/03/09 Eurockeenes Belfort 07/04/09 Werchter Festival Werchter 07/05/09 Roskilde Roskilde 07/07/09 Docks Hamburg 07/10/09 T In The Park Kinross, Scotland 07/11/09 Oxegen Festival Punchestown, Dublin 07/18/09 Quebec City Summer Festival Quebec City, Quebec 07/19/09 Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, Ontario 07/31/09 All Points West Jersey City, New Jersey 08/28/09 Rock en Seine Paris 08/29/09 Leeds Festival Leeds 08/30/09 Reading Festival Reading Otherwise, just look for their album at most record store, it is on the Interscope Record label.
The Antlers - Two The Antlers 1 comment THE ANTLERS antlersmusic.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ twitter I've mentioned before that I think a band is important/notable when they have a Wikipedia page... as usually I rely on the user-submitted website for a lot of research. Unfortunately, The Antler's Wiki page tells you nothing about this mysterious band... only to mention that their latest release, Hospice, was "critically acclaimed". Upon digging, NPR calls Hospice Best Record of 2009 So Far. The band seems to center around Peter Silberman, who's been having a lot of success. He recently signed with Frechkiss Records. Apparently the album, Hospice, was inpired by the idea of caring for a terminal patient, who's mentally abusive. It's a difficult situation because they're the one that's dying... This will all be suddenly clear when you hear "Epilogue", which tells the story in song. So, I'll have to say that listening to the album was a struggle for me. It is very atmospheric and you really need to listen with headphones to try and catch everything. The vocals are often drowned in a sea of noise and it feels like shoegazy/spacey for me. It's also too dense for me, and it seems like the sort of music that Pitchfork would love (and they do). I would suggest checking out "Sylvia" as a sample song, but it's a bit too harsh and loud. Instead, I'll direct you to check out "Two". There's a lot of interesting sound on this song, and the vocals sounds like it's being sung far, far away from the microphone. Oh yeah, tour dates: 06/09/09 PLUSH* Tucson, AZ 06/10/09 BAR PINK San Diego, CA 06/11/09 EL REY* LOS ANGELES, CA 06/12/09 VELVET JONES* Santa Barbara, CA 06/13/09 BIMBOS* San Francisco, CA 06/14/09 DRUNKEN UNICORN+ (Peter Solo) Atlanta, GA 06/16/09 LOCAL 506+ Chapel Hill, NC 06/17/09 OUTBACK LODGE+ Charlottesville, VA 06/18/09 IOTA+ Arlington, VA 06/19/09 M ROOM+ Philadelphia, PA 06/21/09 MAGIC STICK# Detroit, MI 06/26/09 SOUNDFIX presents @ ROOFTOP FILMS New York 07/18/09 PITCHFORK FESTIVAL Chicago, IL 07/21/09 MAGIC STICK# Detroit, Michigan 07/22/09 HORSESHOE TAVERN# Toronto 07/23/09 PETIT CAMPUS# Montreal 07/24/09 JERKY’S# Providence, RI 07/25/09 IRON HORSE# Northampton, MA 08/21/09 MERCURY LOUNGE (record release!) New York 09/12/09 MONOLITH FESTIVAL Morrison, CO 09/13/09 MONOLITH FESTIVAL Morrison, CO * w/ Au Revoir Simone, + w/ Cotton Jones, # w/ Frightened Rabbit It should be interesting to see where post-Hospice takes The Antlers, as Silberman stated that anything new will not be solely written by him, but the whole trio (drummer Michael Lerner and multi-instrumentalist Darby Cicci) will contribute in the writing process. In the meantime, you can pick up Hospice on amazon.		Hoots and Hellmouth - You and All of Us Hoots and Hellmouth HOOTS AND HELLMOUTH hootsandhellmouth.com ♥ myspace ♥ twitter So, the first thing I think about when I hear Hoots and Hellmouth's sophomore album, The Holy Open Secret, is that they are good old country folks. You can't help but smile when you hear their music, that's for sure. It would seem that the band name comes from their two primary songwriters: Sean Hoots and Andrew "Hellmouth" Gray (the nickname comes from an ex-girlfriend). The band came together as part of the West Chester University music scene in Philadelphia in 2005. Obviously, as I previously mentioned, I was drawn to the happier songs (banjo-picking "You and All of Us", "Watch Your Mouth"), while the softer, more introspective songs ("Ne'er Do Well", "Family Band") fits well enough in the album, but I don't know how well-receive they will be performed live. To me, they seem like a high-energy live band. It's also worth noting when I saw "What Good Are Plowshares If We use Them Like Swords", this is the first time I've ever heard the word plowshare used in a song. It made me smile as I think of Magic the Gathering. Yes, they're on tour: 06/07/09 Wakarusa Festival Ozark, AR 06/09/09 The Redstone Room Davenport, IA 06/10/09 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN 06/11/09 Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI 06/13/09 Intersection+ Grand Rapids, MI 06/14/09 Ribfest Chicago - North Stage Chicago, IL 06/18/09 joe’s pub New York, NY 06/19/09 Gullifty’s Camp Hill, PA 06/20/09 Southern Shore Music Festival Millville, NJ 07/03/09 Jewish Mother* Virginia Beach, VA 07/04/09 Jewish Mother* Virginia Beach, VA 07/09/09 Club Passim Cambridge, MA 07/10/09 Empire Dine & Dance Portland, ME 07/11/09 StageOne Fairfield, CT 07/16/09 The Basement Nashville, TN 07/17/09 JJ’s Bohemia#  Chattanooga, TN 07/18/09 The Beacon Pub Swannanoa, NC 07/19/09 Unplugged in the Park @ Park Tavern Atlanta, GA 07/21/09 The Melting Point Athens, GA 07/22/09 The Evening Muse Charlotte, NC 07/23/09 The Camel Richmond, VA 08/05/09 Musikfest - Liederplatz Stage Bethlehem, PA 08/07/09 Infinity Hall Norfolk, CT 08/14/09 Summerfest  Society Owen Sound, ON 09/11/09 The Ark Ann Arbor, MI +  w/ Rev Horton Heat! * with The Hackensaw Boys # w/ Madeline and The Ginger Envelope The Holy Open Secret is out now on MAD Dragon Records (Ryko/WEA). You can pick up both of their albums on Amazon. Their self-titled debut album is being sold used for as little as $1.37 (what a bargain!)

James Kochalka Superstar - Monkey Vs Robot (Vs Kiss Remix) 2 comments	Neon Neon-Raquel (Radio) 1 comment	Unwritten Law-Shoulda Known Better	XTC - Dear God 3 comments	Wendy & Lisa - You And I 2 comments
The Chemical Brothers (featuring Fatlip) - The Salmon Dance	Mystery Jets - Young Love (Featuring Laura Marling) 1 comment	Information Society - Where Would I Be Without IBM 2 comments	Dar Williams-It's Alright	Sonic Youth - Sunday 3 comments

1996.... perhaps you were not old enough to care or you didn't have an older sibling (or best friends older sibling) to guide you in the direction of Australian musical goodness. The re-issue of Screamfeeder's Kitten Licks may either transport you back, make you feel really old and/or make you say "wow, Screamfeeder are fairly splendid indeed".

Screamfeeder, Tim Steward, Kellie Lloyd and Dean Schwereb, were one of the staples of Aussie music for many years, but most notably in the mid-to-late 90's. If I am counting correctly, from six full length albums, Kitten Licks had to be the album that implanted the notion of Screamfeeder into the most number of human brains. Festivals and shows; touring for more than a year on the back of the success of the album, we now get to experience it all over again.

The original version of Kitten Licks (which according to their website was also released in the US in 1999 - so no excuses from anyone!) presented 12, punchy, to-the-point, oh-so-catchy poppy punk rock-esque tracks. If you haven't heard them before, now is your chance to be brought up to speed.

Kitten Licks Deluxe (sounds lovely, doesn't it?) has not only the original tracks, but an additional 7 tracks for your listening pleasure. These tracks are in the form of a number of b-sides, a demo version of the single Dart, and and and..... two covers Keep Hanging On (Husker Du) and Off To One Side (Come). So, perfect for those of you who didn't buy the original and even more perfect for you aficionados who can't bear to know where is a Screamfeeder release that you don't own (I know you people exist!).

You can also buy a number of other tidbits if you head on over to their website: www.screamfeeder.com

That not enough for you? Well, if you're on the ball there's a show tonight at the Annandale Hotel (Sydney) showcasing not only Screamfeeder and the entirety of Kitten Licks, but a number of bands that, like Screamfeeder, were at their height in the late 90's (and some that weren't). Midget, Sounds Like Sunset... brilliant!

Should be a brilliant show, so get down there... or alternatively, if you aren't on the ball and/or don't actually live anywhere near Sydney, there are number of upcoming shows around the country that I'm sure you are itching to drag yourself along to. Of note, the show in Adelaide at which guests include No Through Road (another excellent band with a recently released album that is definitely worth a listen, if you get a chance...) and Suzanne Grae and The Katies (never heard of them, but what an excellent name!).

Tickets through moshtix: www.moshtix.com.au (or just look at that poster just there, see it?)



Sally
sally@weheartmusic.com

For a mere £4, this Friday, April 24^th, you can see these two legendary bands: S*M*A*S*H alongside The Orphans (members of These Animal Men) in Southampton at Soulcellar.

S*M*A*S*H - Icon 1 comment S*M*A*S*H - Real Surreal (single version) These Animal Men - Too Sussed? 1 comment

People who knows me, knows that I'm a huge fan of both of these guys, so I'm making this announcement prior to the show. And you know, I would totally be there if at all possible. Unfortunately there's this ocean between us.

Also, I received a 'bootleg' of S*M*A*S*H singer, Ed Borrie doing an acoustic solo appearance at the 100 Club (in London?). The audio is pretty good, it sounds like it's from the soundboard. The whole show is pretty low-key, as expected with an acoustic set. What makes this show kind of cool is the violins by Amber Ross, which you can clearly hear on "15 Years". And, gosh, it's so good to hear Borrie singing his word-plays "All I wanted was to be you, all I wanted was to be used."

Borrie did a few old S*M*A*S*H songs ("Lady Love Your C***", "Revisited #3" and "Drugs Again"), and right before "Drugs Again", he introduced it by saying "Ordinary, I'm in a punk band, so I'll just play a couple of those songs".

It looks the Orphans will make another appearance in October 24^th in Germany, of all places at KOZ, Goethe University in Hessen.

The Orphans have been enjoying a sold-out first pressing of their album (Muff? I have no idea since I haven't correspond with these guys before), so they're going back printing more.

In the meantime, you can pick up Icon from S*M*A*S*H at amazon.co.uk. What made this album so important is because their last/debut album, Self Abused, was released in 1994. That's thirteen years ago! So be sure to pick up Icon when you see them.

SXSW: SUMMARY
You know, the festival is only four days, but it really seem like weeks.

While having every band in the world merge at one place might sound like a great idea... sometime their appearance conflicts with other artists that you also want to see. So one of the biggest problem I had was sacrificing who to see.

Music happens from daylight (probably closer to 10am start) until two in the morning, or even later.

I usually started my day around 8am, working out my schedule for the day. Sometime it's logistics, sometime it's time-issues, but usually I have a full day's worth of stuff to do. I don't follow my schedule to a T, but there are certain items that I absolutely cannot miss (scheduled interviews takes priority over shows).

IMIW09	Shay in the Blackwatch Studios	Camera Obscura - Setlist (3-19-09)
The May Fire - Set List (3-18-09)	Proclaimers - Set List (3-19-09)	Glasvegas - Set List, La Zona Rosa, Austin TX (3-20-09) - From Bob
Late of the Pier - Set List, Austin TX (3-21-2009)	Crimea - Set List, Austin TX (3-21-09)	Superdrag - Setlist, Guero's (3-19-09)
Wave Machines - Friends, Austin, TX (3-18-09)	Jay Jay Pistolet - Friends, Austin TX (3-18-09)	May Fire - Havana, Austin, TX (3-18-09)
Meiko - Cedar Door, Austin TX (3-19-2009)	Superdrag - Guero's (3-20-09)	Primal Scream - Austin, TX - Photo from Bob
Ed Harcourt - Cedar Door, Austin TX (3-19-2009)	Kate Tucker - Cedar Door, Austin TX (3-19-2009)	Diane Birch - The Garden Party, Austin TX (3-21-09)
The Gin Riots - Rio, Austin TX (3-21-2009)	Goldielocks - Rio, Austin, TX (3-21-2009)	Crimea - Austin TX (3-21-2009)
Babies Loves Jeremy Jay - Austin, TX (3-21-09)	Jeremy Jay - Club de Ville Austin, TX (3-21-09) 1 comment	Melissa Auf De Maur - The Garden Party, Austin TX (3-21-09)
Camera Obscura - La Zona Rosa, Austin TX (3-20-09)	Solid Gold - Beauty Bar, Austin TX (3-20-09)	Laura Marling - The Garden Party, Austin TX (3-21-09)
Ed Harcourt - Until Tomorrow Then 1 comment	Cedar Avenue - Running Home 2 comments	Los Fancy Free - JAJAJA 1 comment
The May Fire - Under The Wave 3 comments	Solid Gold - Get Over It 2 comments	Kate Tucker & The Sons of Sweden - Saturday Night 1 comment
Meiko - Piano Song 1 comment	I Am Incinerator 5 comments	The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - The Sun Ain't Shining No More 2 comments
Glasvegas - Geraldine	Camera Obscura - Eighties Fan (original version)	The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) 8 comments
Primal Scream - Suicide Sally & Johnny Guitar 2 comments	Jeremy Jay - While the City Sleeps	Laura Marling - Ghosts 3 comments
Late of the Pier-Space and the Woods [Cenzo Townshend Mix] 1 comment	The Crimea - Jellyfish 3 comments	Camera Obscura - Hands Up Baby 2 comments
Ed Harcourt - Until Tomorrow Then	Crimea - Jellyfish 1 comment	The Proclaimers - 500 Miles

WHAT WORKED
- Offline gmail. This worked! I read/did most emails offline and when I was connected, all emails were sent, marked as read, etc.
- iPod Touch, worked like a charm. I was able to grab onto various (free) wifi to receive emails or websurf (maps), etc.
- Austin Convention Center's SXSW wifi stayed up most 99% of the time. Wonderful!
- Cash (ATM) availability
- Blocking off 6th street for pedestrians

WHAT SUCKED
- AT&T Network, apparently everyone in Austin had an iPhone
- Walking......
- Sony Memory Stick not supported on my laptop
- Bands playing 30 minutes or less
- Badges are ridiculously expensive ($600-$700). I think they should make it more affordable, especially since most places don't bother to check for a badge and/or were free. If there was a cover charge, it is usually under $10.

I guess my problems are not really that bad.

DAY ZERO (Tuesday)
Travelling… nothing too exciting. My least favorite state was the one with the road tolls (I think this was in Oklahoma). We did stop in Oklahoma City to see Blackwatch Studios (myspace). We got to hear a few songs from Minneapolis' Cedar Avenue (official/myspace) band from their forth-coming long playing record. The few songs we heard were incomplete, but it sounds really layered with a variety of tracks.

By the way, if the name Cedar Avenue sounds familiar to you, it is because Kristin reviewed their debut album a while back.

DAY ONE (Wednesday)
Getting my barring was hard. I didn't know where any of the streets were. So when people text me: come over to (name of venue), I replied and ask what the cross streets were. Since walking around was my main means of transportation, I ended up crossing out outlier venues immediately.

Wednesday was evening-only, so I mostly went to see some British acts over at Friend's. These guys were all from the London area, with the exception of Liverpool's Wave Machines (official/myspace). These guys creeped me out with their masks that they wore on stage - however, due to heat and comfortableness, they took them off half way into their short set. Also caught a bit of Jay Jay Pistolet (myspace), whose singing voice is very peculiar... it's like he sounds like he's sing out the side of his mouth.

When Mumford & Sons (myspace) took the stage, it was very, very, very crowded. The audience loved them and it's apparent that these guys are going to blow up this year.

The Havana Bar had some Spanish showcase, featuring mostly Mexican bands such as Songs For Eleonor (myspace), Satin Dolls (official), Cosmopolitan (myspace), and Los Fancy Free (myspace). With the exception of The May Fire (official/myspace) and Spain's Capsula (official). We like Spanish acts, so be sure to read more Mexican Summer and my coverage of Los Fancy Free.

DAY TWO (Thursday)
I think this was the big press day, I got to meet & greet Victoria who setup the interview with Solid Gold (myspace). She was kind enough to have me in the Myspace Music event, featuring some artists that I really enjoy: Kate Tucker, Meiko and Ed Harcourt.

To kick off the party was The Real You (myspace), a power-pop band from Seattle, Washington. According to their biography, they've been on constant tour since forming in early 2007 - so I'm sure you'll run into this young band eventually.

I haven't been keeping up with Kate Tucker (official/myspace), but apparently her latest project is with a band called The Honeydove (myspace) - who debuted at SXSW! Unfortunately, I had prior commitments, but I would've liked to have seen her new band play at the Beauty Bar.

Anyway, the nicest bit about her set was that she wanted everyone at the event to get a copy of her last album, "I want to give you my music!"

So if you weren't at the event, you missed out. Hey, maybe you can stop in and say hi to her in Washington:

04/05/09 Sunset Seattle, WA
05/21/09 Chop Suey as honeydove Seattle, WA

Read more Kate Tucker & The Sons of Sweden on W♥M.

Meiko (official/myspace) had a guest trumpet player on for most of her set (she requested him on for the rest of show because I guess she felt more comfortable with having someone else with her). She actually started her set with "Piano Song", which ironically just her and her guitar... She made some funny comments, such as "I've never played to a bunch of porta potties before".

You get the impression that she was happy to be there, and maybe it's yellow-iest dress combined with her orange/red dyed hair, but she looks gorgeous.

Ed Harcourt (official/myspace) was very engaging…. During "Until Tomorrow Then", he got down to the audience and walked around, singing and putting his hands around people while everyone was filming and taking pictures. Enclosed is a video evidence.

Harcourt is releasing a new six-track EP called Russian Roulette out on May 5^th, but SXSW audience were privy to some of his new songs courtesy of Dovecote Records and Directv. Pay close attention to "Caterpillar", as this is a personal song about his newborn daughter being placed in an incubator as they helpless sit and wait.

Went to an open-door new talent showcase, this was not an official sanctioned SXSW event (you'll find that there are many, many unofficial events), so I don't have a listing of who played at what time. They were all giving away their CDs, but I couldn't bother to pick them up (this would require me to carry around stuff, and I didn't have a hand bag ready). Reminder for next year: bring a man purse.

Also went over to check The Elevaters (myspace) and Rumspringa (myspace) at the Hi-Lo venue. While Elevaters were fun and energetic, it seems the drums/guitar duo of Rumspringa had a lot of problems with their equipment. They had to cut their southern-sounding melodic set short after four (?) songs, quote from the singer, "my shit ain't working."

DAY THREE (Friday)
The busy day. Walked all over town basically. My only out-of-the-way venue was at 3 o'clock to see Superdrag (official/myspace) at Guero's, which I thought was far walking there. I ran into one of our RV family, who we'll call Rose because she looks like a pint-sized Pippettes, complete with dress and all. We walked back across the river so I can make it to my Asteroids Galaxy Tour (official/myspace) interview (this was delayed because of some miscommunication).

Afterward, headed over to Beauty Bar to see Solid Gold play, mustache and all. I can tell the audience was having a good time, especially the girl at the backstage.

Then snuck over to see this punk(ish) band that MTV was covering. I didn't catch their name, but it sounded something like Dirty____ Something. The singer had bleach blonde hair and eye shadows.... and likes to walk around with no shirts on.

Evening was spent mostly at the Scotland show: We Were Promised Jet Packs (myspace), Dananananaykroyd (official/myspace), Camera Obscura (official/myspace), The Proclaimers (official/myspace), Glasvegas (official/myspace), Primal Scream (official/myspace). I was in-out so I did end up missing Glasvegas & Primal Scream, but thanks to Bob for sending in some pictures.

DAY FOUR (Saturday)
Saw a few bands in the daytime at the Press Here Garden Party at the French Legation Museum across the Freeway (this is actually closer than it sounds). The walk there was interesting, and I discovered a no-seating Wendy's on the right side of 7th Street. Yep, I ended up having dinner there since they were making these chicken things that's not available in Minnesota.

I got to the Garden just in time to see Jeremy Jay (myspace), and enjoyed the most of the day with The Soft Pack (myspace) and Diane Birch* (myspace) before heading over to 900 Red River to see Jeremy Jay again.

Listened to Camera Obscura afterwards with those Peelander-Z, as I previously mentioned.

Headed back to the Garden to see Melissa Auf De Maur (official/myspace), who started her set with three cover songs: Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang", Danzig's "Devil's Plaything", and The Smiths "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before". Although the first two went off pretty well, she totally messed up on "Stop Me" - which is understandable because that song has a lot of Morrissey's lyrics and also they had only practiced it the night before in their hotel room.

It wasn't long before people started filling up the seats at the Garden to see Laura Marling (official/myspace). She was joined on stage by Marcus Mumford, I think. He played percussions and sang backup, although I have to say that Marling would've done just fine with her lovely voice and acoustic guitar.

Saw Late of the Pier at the Bat Bar later that night. Since it was being broadcast live on Directv, I think the pressure got to the band and it was just embarrassing to watch. Towards the end, they seem to not be so nervous, and the (rather long) setlist ended with men in death masks coming on stage to carry the band offstage. I don't have Directv, is there a way for non-subscribers to watch this?

Honey Ryder (myspace) was really happy to be Austin, I think this was their first ever US appearance or something. I believe also that their name came from a James Bond girl ? I don't know much about them, but they seem to have a wider audience and following in the UK, where their single "Fly Away" entered the UK Top 40 at #31.

GoldieLocks (myspace) is 75% English and 25% Swedish from Croydon (South London). She raps to DJ Sports (?), who is wearing this Skeletor T-shirt. After the show, she wanted to give everyone in attendance her EP, which actually went pretty fast. As I previously mentioned, keep an eye on this one.

There's no denying that The Gin Riots (myspace) have quite a few hardcore fans here, as evident by a bunch of Gin Riots T-Shirt in the audience.

It's been a few years since The Crimea (official/myspace) toured in the US, so I was happy to be there for them on their second and last SXSW appearance. They were the last band on my list, so it was kind of a relief when it was all over.

And as corrected by superfan Christopher, Tara Blaise shared the stage to sing backup for the band.... Highlight of the show was then Davey Macmanus stepped down and sang in the center of the audience.

* A note on Birch is that she has these incredible legs, but too bad they were well-hidden behind her piano on stage.

I had originally wanted to include What We Do is Secret (2007) in this article, but I could not bother to get past 10 minutes of it before dismissing it as a documentary (it's not). I thought it was a fictional movie, but this is actually an rock biopic of the punk band The Germs. I'm sure it would've been a wonderful film if I loved the Germs, but I just wasn't that interested in it. I ended up returning the DVD as soon as I rented it.

However, we have these two music-related films to talk about:

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS STAINS
fabulousstains.com
I've never seen this wonderful little music drama, despite its cult-classic status. I reckon the main reason was because the film's been out of print for so long - and when it was made available on DVD last September, by Rhino Home Video, I got a chance to finally see it.

I was not disappointed with this release, the video image's been digitally remastered (which should surprise no one since Rhino's been at this re-releasing archival music and video editions for many years now) and the soundtrack is, how can I put it, music to my ears.

The movie is about three teenage girls (two of them being homeless sisters) who formed The Fabulous Stains and ends up going on tour with The Looters (which I thought was called "The Losers", which I prefer) and the all-washed up band The Metal Corpses (whose singer reminds me of Dee Snider).

What's kind of interesting to note here is the movie is way ahead of its time, I wouldn't be surprise if the Riot Grrls were inspired by this movie or even The White Stripes (the singer is dressed up in a red outfit with white stripes in their hair).

As for the soundtrack, it's pretty quintessential 80s music, a mixture of the rock-punk sound of The Looters, the hard-rock sound of The Metal Corpses, the reggae music of their tour manager Lawn Boy, and the new wave-punk rock of The Stains. It has a bit of everything for everyone.

If you were hoping to buy the soundtrack, there seems to be some sort of legal problem between Ode Sounds & Visuals, Rhino Entertainment Company, and Paramount Pictures. Which is a shame, as I suspect the movie was delayed for reissued for so long because of the very same problem. If you want a look and see, the soundtrack is listed on Amazon, but the download option's been removed.

Fans of the Sex Pistols and 80s music will want to check out this fabulous film. I leave you now with The Fabulous Stains doing their cover song of the Looters' "Professionals" (which will explain why their music turned punk-ish).


REPO! THE GENETIC OPERA
repo-opera.com
Repo! The Genetic Opera has a ridiculous name, and even a more ridiculous concept of a "genetic opera". If you have been asking for more musical death since Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, you will enjoy this gloomy rock opera movie.

The movie is set, I think, in the future, where health is a concern. If you were desperate enough, you would accept organs from GeneCo ... however if you miss a payment/refusal of payment, they send in the Repo Man.

The DVD advertisement boldly stated that the makers of "Saw" is responsible for this movie.  Which I think actually hinders, instead of helping the film. The gruesome blood, violence, and sex in this movie isn't taken so serious - especially when it's framed by comic book-styled sequences and over-the-top exaggerated acting.

I find myself asking, is this supposed to be funny? Apparently, I need to be more depressing to find this black comedy to be funny. Although, I didn't find the movie/musical to be all that enjoyable, I suspect if you are dressed up in seven shades of black (read: goth), you will absolutely love this movie. I personally can't recommend it to people who enjoy daylight.

For the soundtrack, they are making it available on Valentine's Day (February 14^th), how sweet, right? I mean what better way of saying I love you than with an actual heart organ and the Repo! Soundtrack. Repo! The Genetic Opera is out now on bluray and DVD.

Trivia: An interesting thing about the movie is that Paris Hilton plays Amber Sweet, a girl who's addicted to drugs and sex... quite a stretch for her, huh?

Other non-music-related movies
Having just watched the too-many-characters-to-keep-track-of movie by Guy Ritchie called Rocknrolla, I will have to say that he's been disappointing me since Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrells. Rocknrolla is just a mess of the film, and the voice-over dialogue only made it worst. The characters are all odd balls and I basically didn't sympathized/identify with any of the characters - an epic fail of a film.

Of course it has its moments, but the gruesome tone at the end of the film contrast many of the not so serious moments in the whole film (if you've seen Snatch or Lock Stock, it has that kind of "crime humor" you'd expect).

If you are looking for a 'serious' type of movie, the "PG-13" movie called Taken (in theaters now) is quite good, although it is hard to believe that a mid-50 actor like Liam Neeson can pull off some of the fighting and agility of its main character.

The story is quite simple: slave traders kidnapped the main character's daughter and he basically takes on a small nation to get his daughter back. Although nothing too complicated (point a to point b), the movie is still compelling to watch ... especially as Neeson acts his way into taking down four guys while handcupped without so much as breaking a sweat (yeahhhhh right).

Trivia: to bring it back to 'professionals', the script writer of Taken is none other than Luc Besson, who wowed us with his Léon the Professional, starring big-nosed Jean Reno, wonderfully evil Gary Oldman, and a very, very, young Natalie Portman.

 12/18/2008 02:07:10  ♥ written by vu ()

Sex Sells, Part Two

In "Sex Sells, Part One", I showed you the very breast of album art. In part two, we'll be taking a closer look at what the men can offer... well mostly.

In Sex Sells, Part Three, I am hoping to have another round of steamy covers to show off. If you have any suggestions, feel free to contact me.

THE ROLLING STONES
rollingstones.com ♥ myspace.com
Who could forget this classic cover artwork of Sticky Fingers by The Rolling Stones? It's 1971 and Andy Warhol is the photographer and art designer for the record. I believe this was the first (and only?) album to feature a working zipper - that when you pull down to reveal the guy's underwear!

VH1, in 2003, named Sticky Fingers the "No.1 Greatest Album Cover" of all time, and who can argue with that?

Morrissey - The National Front Disco MORRISSEY itsmorrisseysworld ♥ myspace.com For someone who claims to be asexual and celibate, Morrissey's Your Arsenal (1992) gave long-time Morrissey fans something to ponder with its cover and album title. The photograph by Linder Sterling shows us a playful Morrissey with a suggestive pose, a flash of the tongue and holding the microphone like he's got the whole world in his hand. With his upcoming Years of Refusal out on Attack Records on February 17th, 2009 - The Mozzer will also be setting on his "Tour of Refusal" World Tour. The most interesting thing I've read is once you pre-order Years of Refusal, you are given the opportunity to buy advance tour tickets prior to public sale. Details of the tour dates are below. 02/28/09 Boca Raton, FL Mizner Park 03/01/09 Orlando, FL Hard Rock live 03/03/09 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theater 03/04/09 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing 03/06/09 Myrtle Beach. SC House of Blues 03/07/09 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse 03/09/09 Asheville, NC Orange Peel 03/11/09 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center 03/13/09 Richmond, VA The National 03/14/09 Washington, DC Warner Theater 03/16/09 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theater 03/17/09 Pittsburgh, PA Carnegie Music Hall 03/19/09 Buffalo, NY University of Buffalo Center for the Arts 03/21/09 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom 03/22/09 Philadelphia, PA Acadmy of Music 03/25/09 New York, NY Webster Hall 03/26/09 New York, NY Carnegie Hall 03/28/09 Mashantucket, CT Foxwoods 03/29/09 Boston, MA House of Blues 03/31/09 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theater 04/01/09 Columbus, OH Palace Theater 04/03/09 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom 04/04/09 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom 04/06/09 Minneapolis, MN State Theater 04/07/09 Kansas City, MO Midland Theater 04/08/09 St. Louis, MO Pageant Theater 04/10/09 Dallas, TX Palladium Ballroom 04/11/09 Houston, TX Jesse H. Jones Hall 04/12/09 Austin, TX Bass Concert Hall 04/14/09 El Paso, TX Chavez Theater 04/15/09 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater PS, Remember all those rumors last year that Morrissey will stop touring, and I laughed it off on our podcast?	The Black Crowes-Wiser Time 3 comments THE BLACK CROWES blackcrowes.com ♥ myspace.com The Black Crowes first came into fame with their rocking version of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle". I don't think they have ever achieved such success, at least from what I remember. They did have a bit of a controversy with their cover artwork for Amorica, because of the pubic hairs. If memory serves me, most of the version that was eventually released just had all black except for the triangle. Anyway, the Black Crowes got the image from Hustler Magazine (July 1976). They are currently doing a few tour dates: 12/17/08 The Fillmore San Francisco, California 12/19/08The Fillmore San Francisco, California 12/20/08 The Fillmore San Francisco, California Yuppie Pricks-Collars Up YUPPIE PRICES yuppiepricks.com ♥ myspace.com Obviously Yuppie Pricks' Balls. is an homage to The Black Crowes' album. Their biography lists them as " self-styled pharmaceutical business magnate", but the truth is, they're just good old punk guys. They obviously have a sense of guys humor with their influences in old 70s punk bands like the Buzzcocks and the Sex Pistols. Apparently the cover image is of Trevor Middleton. Balls. is out now and you can pick it up from their record label, Chicken Ranch Records.
The Silentreatment-Pretty Little Girl 1 comment THE SILENTREATMENT thesilentreatment.net ♥ myspace.com The Silentreatment's lustful lesbian cover of Sinful Acts of Audio is obviously trying to catch your attention... and it certainly got mine. The Silentreatment are an alternative rock band from Pennyslvania, they kind of remind me of Matchbox Twenty, which I'm sure is a good thing. Most of their songs seems to be searching for love, at least on first impression. Check out "Pretty Little Girl", with that blowing kiss at the end! Looking at their store, it looks like they are offering their music as a free download, but making money on T-Shirts and physical CD (which I recommend). Check them out on tour: 12/26/08 Ole Tyme Charley’s Plains, Pennsylvania 12/27/08 Bar Louie @ Mohegan Sun Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 01/02/09 Tonic Dunmore, Pennsylvania 01/30/09 Tink’s Entertainment Complex Scranton, Pennsylvania 02/06/09 Tonic Dunmore, Pennsylvania 02/15/09 Tink’s Entertainment Complex Scranton, Pennsylvania 03/06/09 Tonic Dunmore, Pennsylvania 03/20/09 Tink’s Entertainment Complex Scranton, Pennsylvania 03/27/09 NEPA’s Rock Autism Now Scranton, Pennsylvania	Dionyza-I Told Myself DIONYZA dionyza.com ♥ myspace.com Dionyza's Quite Like Me was released earlier this month (12/08/08), and the cover artwork I was given (not seen here) features her two assets. Actually, the final artwork for Quite Like Me has a bit of a sexual suggestion as well - it's hard to miss. I was expecting to sound more Disney-esque, ala Highschool Musical, but it's definitely more R&B and pop. The reason why I had this misconception is that she sang on the High School Musical. The production is excellent, the music and background mixes are there to play around her innocent ("Quite Like Me") - yet experienced ("Give It To Me") - sweet voice. She seems really comfortable performing and singing, but it shouldn't be such a surprise as she comes from a musical family: I've been around music all of my life, up to the wee hours in studios while Mom and Dad were working. My greatest memory is being at Motown where I got to meet Smokey Robinson. And Teena Marie took my sister and me to the park while my parents were in the studio. I have two older brothers and one sister - I'm the youngest. As children we saw the ups and downs of the music business first hand, so they didn't have to 'warn' us about anything! Every one of us can sing…but I'm the only one taking it all the way! - Dionyza My song choice would probably be "I Told Myself" because it samples from a Kanye West, Jay-Z and Scarface song. You can pick up Quite Like Me from Little Dizzy Records. Other fun fact: Dionyza provides the singing voice for Sasha and Jade on the cartoon The Bratz.
Xiu Xiu - Fast Car 1 comment XIU XIU xiuxiu.org ♥ myspace.com Xiu Xiu is an experimental indie band from the West Coast. The band revolves around singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who got their name from a Chinese film called Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl (1998). They first gained fame (at least on my radar) with their second album, A Promise, featuring a very disturbing photography of a naked asian man. You can see the uncensored cover on wikipedia (not safe for work). The recording of the album was struck with tragedies: original members Yvonne Chen left the group, while Cory McCulloch only wanted to work on production, Stewart's father committed suicide. Certainly you can hear the sadness on these songs on A Promise. It looks like the band is kind of on a break after their Women As Lovers release. There's some sort of Polaroid Project Book or something and band member, David Horvitz, stated that he will not be able to be on the next Xiu Xiu tour.	Padre Pio-Madeline 1 comment PADRE PIO myspace.com/padrepionyc This The Madeline EP by Padre Pio just came in house and looking at the cover artwork, I can't quite tell if it's a woman or a man. It's quite androgynous, isn't it ? I would hazard a guess that it's a woman, possibly the Madeline. The EP was released earlier this month and it was an easy six song listen. I did like the background piano on the title song, "Madeline", and something about her bleeding. Is she hurt? It's a mystery to me. David Mosey's vocals has a vague resemblence to The Psychedelic Furs' Richard Butler. It was a surprise to find out that their keyboardist, Joe McGinty - who previously spent five years playing keys for the Furs! The other thing is that the EP reminds me so much of early 90s British alternative music - mainly focusing on the lead singer. None of the musical instruments (including the sax on "Common Day" or the girl-pop backup singers on "Whenever Moonlight") ever distracts you from Mosey's clear voice. They will be playing at The Delancey in New York on January 29th.

So I figure since my stack of CD's to review is kind of piling up, and I've been pretty lazy, of late, I would start combining reviews in logical ways. By genre, label, release date, etc. So today, I'm talking about some good old fashioned thrash played by some bands that I think get the idea better than most other bands playing this style of music now-a-days.

On the more hardcore end of things is the new album, Infernal Command, by the bay area's Voetsek. Ami Lawless's vocals range from hoarse shouts to high pitched screeches that bring to mind Nausea's Amy Miret. The band is about as thrash as it gets. Speed is the key here. But while the rhythm section is mostly punk, the guitars stray into metal territory quite often with killer leads wherever possible. Double-bass is used tastefully, which is nice to hear in a band like this. This band thrashes through 17 tracks in about 21 minutes, so this thing isn't for the feint of heart.

Lyrics range from dystopian (“Frozen Heart”) to social (“Self Righteous Fuckdom”) to political (“Bully With a Badge/Somone I Used to Know”) to just straight up goofy (“What Would Lemmy Do?”). I'd recommend this as highly for people who are into things like Municipal Waste, Septic Death, Man is the Bastard, Nausea, XBRAINIAX, or Hummingbird of Death as I would for people who are just into old-school 80's thrash.

They've got a few shows lined up, and they all look like complete “burn down the house” sorts of deals. Lack of Interest and Mind of Asian in particular are sick as hell. Here are the dates, and stay tuned to their MySpace page for more:

Nov 21 2008 LACK OF INTEREST, MIND OF ASIAN (Japan), VOETSEK, CALIFORNIA LOVE + more @ Gilman Berkeley, CA
Nov 22 2008 LACK OF INTEREST, VOETSEK, MIND OF ASIAN (Japan), SMD, SUMERIAN AXE, TERRORISM in SoCal Boyle Heights, CA
Nov 23 2008 GHOUL, MIND OF ASIAN, VOETSEK, I WILL KILL YOU FUCKER, DR. KILL ’EM ALL @ Burnt Ramen Richmond, CA
Nov 24 2008 VOETSEK & MIND OF ASIAN in Portland @ Plan B Portland, OR
Nov 25 2008 VOETSEK & MIND OF ASIAN in Seattle @ the Rendezvous Seattle, WA
Nov 26 2008 VOETSEK & MIND OF ASIAN in Eugene, OR Eugene, OR

Now onto the second band of this article!

I wish Sweden's Guillotine had sent me a little more info because I know almost nothing about them. But I'll work with what I can dig up! It'll be okay, I promise. They're on Singapore's Pulverised Records now, a label that I pretty consistently dig. They have one other album out. It came out ten years ago. Their sound is relentless, fast-ass thrash metal. Much more of a straight-up 80's thrash metal sound than the Voetsek album, and definitely rooted squarely in metal rather than punk. I'm not sure I get what these guys are all about, since, unfortunately, they didn't include any lyrics, but their sound is great.

The lead guitar work here is refreshingly creative for this kind of metal, with just enough of a classic sound to be familiar, but with some definite influence taken from Swedish melodic death metal (a style I generally don't like, but it works well here). The drumming is classic thrash all the way through, with a little bit of punk influence, but unmistakably metal overall. The songs here are a bit longer, with 12 tracks stretching over 41 minutes, but not one of them wears out its welcome.

And in true thrash metal tradition, this thing includes cover art by legendary thrash metal artist, Ed Repka (who has also worked with such classic bands as Venom, Death, Atheist, and Megadeth). I'd say it's worthy. You might agree. Anyone who digs things like Kreator will probably be into this. So check it out!

I don't see any tour dates for these guys on the internet, unfortunately, but I'm sure they're good and nasty live. So keep an eye on their MySpace page for some new dates.

 09/30/2008 20:25:36  ♥ written by vu ()

Unwritten Law-Shoulda Known Better Unwritten Law Tour Dates 10/25/08 Hollywood Park Los Angeles, CA 10/31/08 Icehouse Las Vegas, NV 11/29/08 Icehouse Phoenix, AZ