Rose-Noise

NEW BLOG

2008-01-08T14:30:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone! My new blog is at emilyrlogan.wordpress.com, so please go there! Thanks much. -Emily

Who's the Hypocrite?

2007-08-13T11:45:00.001-07:00

I hate to be political, but I find it absolutely disturbing that the mainstream media has not picked up on this.

DIY or Die, Stitch-n-bitch, CraftyBitch - Crafties are hard core.

2007-08-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

I'll be at this awesome event this Sunday, parading around in my home-made T-Shirt and getting way too excited about the latest uses for felt and yarn. I went to the Maker Faire in San Mateo not too long ago and got completely sideswiped by all the amazing things that crafty people can come up with. My favorite was the guy who was simultaneously knitting and playing the drums. That was awesome (I have a picture somewhere...I'll find it and post it). There are so many great ideas that are just waiting to be tapped, and if only I could think of ONE. Sometimes it's all about ripping someone else off and changing the idea just slightly. But anyway, it's always fun to meet the tattooed crafties of my generation. Stitch on.

Stole this from St. Vincent

2007-08-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

Bay Area Music Bloggers go to a Ballgame!

2007-07-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

For my first baseball game in maybe ten years I was lucky enough to share it with six other Bay Area music bloggers as Avery and I represented The Deli. Adrian from ipickmynose planned this Giants extravaganza, and I have to say it was a blast.

Literally, the first eight innings were pretty dead. After the Marlins got three runs in one inning, I lost a little of my optimism. And though Barry didn't do his thing so the Bay Area bloggers could be a part of baseball history, it was fun to see how crazy the entire stadium got every time he came up to bat.

I did demonstrate my baseball ignorance to the boys from The Bay Bridged by saying the word "point" instead of "run" and asking how often Bonds will be coming up to bat (that was just a blonde moment, really). But all in all, baseball is the one sport that I can understand and favor. Football – never.

I also came home with a copy of The Passionistas' God's Boat, which I have playing on my computer as we speak. It's great to hear it all the way through – it's quite a different experience than listening to a MySpace page. That's thanks to Will from New and Used Records.

I unfortunately didn't get to talk to Oz from Hearya, but hopefully I will get some airtime with him at "Bay Area music bloggers go to a museum." ;)

Halou Blog

2007-06-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite SF bands, Halou, is working on a new record and taking full advantage of the internet by video blogging about their work. I think it's a fascinating look into a band's process.

Lead singer Rebecca has thus far hosted two videos - the first about choosing a microphone and where and how she records vocals. The second was about her song inventory and how she catalogs which songs are finished and what needs to be done to the rest. For us musicians and music nerds, this is a real treat. I'm sure other bands are doing this as well, so I'll be keeping the look out.

For now, visit Halou's Website and check it out.

Pip (Tori Amos) Sticks it to the G8

2007-06-08T19:07:00.001-07:00

Holy Cow, Tori Amos has some guts. Watch this clip of Pip singing to the G8 leaders:

Sticking it to 'em

2007-06-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

It's quite ironic that a popular daily email like Daily Candy would advertise San Francisco's most exclusive new art gallery -- but I guess it just adds to the fascination. Our beloved Rykarda Parasol has created a Warhol-esque art gallery called The Hive that only accepts art by recommendation and holds invite-only shows. Though I love my dear Parasol's music, this kind of snobbery is (in my humble opinion) more akin to New York, and the fact that it's popping up in San Francisco disappoints me.

On their website, however, it appears that they may be opening up their doors, at least for a while. Next Friday, June 15, The Hive will host an open-to-the-public show featuring Parasol herself and her Tower Ravens with Caves of Vision. I'll probably try to pop in ... if I can find it. Apparently there is no address, just a description of where to go. I'll let you know if I run into Edie.

Bjork, Newsom, GhostDigital at That Crap Venue

2007-05-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Luckily, Bjork can rock a live show so much that it doesn't matter if she looks like an ant on the stage. Complete with pyrotechnics, the "Ten Icelandic Brass Girls" in florescent gowns, Mark Bell in-the-flesh, and costumes that looked like a bad 80s joke, Bjork's show was one of the best, most polished shows I've ever seen.

The great thing about Bjork is that her voice is so amazing that she could essentially be recording an album track at any time. I really wonder how many takes she records before getting it right, because her live show is just as good as the album tracks. Not to mention, she is 41 years old and can still shout like she's 21. Her vocal cords have certainly not aged badly.

I had only begun to get into Volta when I went to the show, and it definitely helped me get psyched about it. She opened with "Earth Intruders," which also opens the album. It was exciting and clean and a great start to a great show. Throughout the set, she played maybe 5 songs from the new album, but included a lot of great older songs, like "Pagan Poetry," "I miss you," "Mother Heroic," "Unravel," and even "Army of Me."

She ended the first set with a riot -- an even more hyped-up version of "Hyperballad" followed by one of my favorites, "Pluto." Her encore ended with "Declare Independence" from Volta, which left a crowd of people around me complaining that she didn't end with "Big Time Sensuality" or something more familiar, but I think it was the perfect song to end with. It was raucous and exciting, and Bjork clearly believed the message, so I think it was ideal.

Going back in time that night, Joanna Newsom was also amazing. But Shoreline being what it is, I had a lot of trouble hearing her due to the hundreds of people around me who didn't seem to know or care who she was. I ended up standing in the front of the lawn with the 20 other people who were fans, which wasn't ideal. But in general, Newsom is incredibly dainty and fearless at the same time. Her mouth moves in strange ways to create the sounds that only she can produce, and her squeals and squeaks are endearing. Accompanied by a violist and a mandolin player, which I thought were quite unnecessary, but a quaint touch, Newsom succeeded in filling the massive space without being at all rowdy.

Back even further, Ghostdigital was first. I don't have much to say about them except, I laughed the whole time and I hope that is what they wanted. Apparently made up of one or more member of the Sugarcubes, this Icelandic duo had created extremely fun music with almost Zach de la Rocha-like impromptu vocals and gibberish on top. All I have to say is, go check them out.

All in all, it was a fantastic show. I'm so glad I finally saw Bjork, even if she was an ant.

I am Spoonbender and potential heart attacks

2007-05-17T22:03:00.001-07:00

Bet you thought "potential heart attacks" was a band, eh? Not a bad band name, I'd say, but in this case I'm referring to the potential heart attacks from the "concealed and stroboscopically encoded information" that was present at the I am Spoonbender show at the Mezzanine last Friday. I am still not convinced that it isn't a joke, but there were definitely some bomb-in-the-building sounds during their set and their openers' set. There were fliers like this one all over the building and I stole one because it was so bizarre. If you can't read the bottom, it's my favorite part: "Neither the group nor this venue will be held responsible for your perceptions." Ha!

In general, Spoonbender is a band to see. They've got it all -- costumes, light shows, dancing, singing into old telephones, guys with flower faces -- it really doesn't get any better. They have a fantastic mix of utterly strange and completely entertaining.

I have to mention that the second opening band was possibly the worst I've ever seen, but fortunately I don't know their name so I can't be accused of band-bashing. But if anyone knows who that was, don't ever go see them.

Michael Zapruder at Rickshaw Stop

2007-05-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Michael Zapruder played with Rykarda Parasol, The Harbours, The Caves and The Golden Messenger String Band last Thursday. It was the first time I had seen Zapruder and his Rain of Frogs live, so it was exciting. Aside from some tuning and capo problems, it was an excellent set, even with just four members present. Zapruder has a great, raw presence and his band is enthusiastic and blends together well. I unfortunately didn't stay for Parasol, but i you scroll back far enough on this blog, you'll find another entry about her...

Read my story for The Deli on Michael Zapruder and the Rain of Frogs.

Reznor Ruckus

2007-05-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Trent Reznor ripped apart his own record label on his blog this Sunday, citing the ridiculously high price of NIN's latest album and adding, "I guess as a reward for being a 'true fan' you get ripped off," and "No wonder people steal music."

Juliana and (insert name here) sittin' in a tree

2007-05-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Some indie-ites or popular music lovers might hate me for loving Juliana Hatfield, but I am SO not sorry. Ever since the Blake Babies I have adored her. And then when she played an angel on My So Called Life, I melted and learned the song on guitar immediately. I still play it.

So she's back with a new album, a collaboration with Frank Smith, called Sittin' in a Tree. You can hear a song on her MySpace page, or visit her website to buy an advance copy. I'm excited to have her back.

Austin City Lovin' It

2007-05-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

Holy cow, have you all seen the lineup for this year's Austin City Limits festival? It's the most amazing festival lineup I've seen since Woodstock. Technically I can afford a trip to Austin, so I just might consider forking out the $145. Go here to check out the full lineup. Here's a sample (pardon the exclamation marks, but I just can't contain myself):

Bob Dylan!
Björk!
The White Stripes!
The Killers
Wilco!
Arcade Fire
Muse!
Queens of the Stone Age
Bloc Party
Arctic Monkeys
Gotan Project
Joss Stone
Damien Rice
Lucinda Williams!
Spoon

The Decemberists
Regina Spektor
Crowded House
Ziggy Marley
Kaiser Chiefs
LCD Soundsystem
M.I.A.
Ben Kweller
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Andrew Bird!
Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
Ghostland Observatory
Pete Yom
Peter Bjorn and John
Yo La Tengo!
Blonde Redhead!

From my headphones

2007-05-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sample of what's on my playlist right now:

Guther - Sundet: I heard pieces of this album from a friend last year, and knew it was on Morr Records, but I never ordered it. Finally I found a copy in Streetlight, and it's as good as I thought. Not quite Lali Puna or Ms. John Soda, but damn good still.

Asobi Seksu - Citrus: This album was huge last year, but I've revisited it and am constantly noticing new things. It's a bit noisy at times, but generally has amazing melodies, and Yuki's vocals are high and sweet.

Console - Pan or ama: This album is a re-release of the first album by Console (primarily the fabulous Martin Gretschmann, also of The Notwist and many others), from 1997. Parts of it sound like 1997, but it all hints at the brilliance of Gretschmann's compositions, which would later come together in my favorite album, Rocket in the Pocket (buy this if you like electronic music at all -- it's amazing).

Blonde Redhead - 23: YAY! I am so excited that this album is out and that I am able to enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed their other albums. 23 is mature, spontaneous, and just plain awesome. Get it.

The Velvet Teen - Cum laude!: I've been waiting for another Out of the Fierce Parade from The Velvet Teen, which I think is one of the best albums of 2002 and beyond, but it looks like I'm not going to get it. However, Cum laude! is a great album, though different. The band recently lost their drummer, Logan, and is on hiatus until members figure things out, but I'll be keeping tabs on them.

Oops! Tori's new album

2007-05-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

It really makes you feel oblivious when you find out that one of your favorite musicians has a new album that you had NEVER heard about. But that was the case for me with the new Tori Amos album American Doll Posse. I ended up buying it at Fry's Electronics, which was the first place I ever heard about it...yikes. It must be my lack of recent exposure to mainstream music publications, as I have lost faith and interest in Rolling Stone and Spin.

Anyhow, the album so far is fascinating. Once I listen to it more, maybe I'll write something about it, but on first glance it seems that she has reverted back to her most rock and roll side, as opposed to the softer side that The Beekeeper brought out. Lots of the reviews about The Beekeeper criticized this and made the assumption that this could be attributed to the fact that she had just become a mother. Well, man has she proved them wrong with American Doll Posse. This album kicks those critics' butts. Go buy it.

Missed Coco Rosie

2007-05-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

So, I totally missed Coco Rosie at Bimbo's last night because I got lazy, so as consolation I am giving them this lame post...link, photo, praise, etc. Go visit their crazy website and buy their CD. You get the idea.

VAST and... some others at Slim's

2007-04-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

I went to just about the strangest show I'd ever been to on Friday night. Each band felt like a different night - like I was in a totally different place with completely different people. Here's what I saw:

The first band, August House, was a typical Orange County band, on the verge of "emo" but they'd probably hate me for calling them that. They were all 5'4" boys with skinny jeans. I must have missed this trend, but the lead singer was also wearing suspenders hanging down on his legs. The music was fun at times - the band flung around and you hoped they wouldn't bang each other in the head (or that they would...). The lead singer had a typical voice for that style, with exaggerated enunciation. And one of my biggest (and stupidest) pet peeves - he always said "thank you" before anyone started clapping or cheering. Man, that bugs me.

The second band, Point One Blank, was the most bizarre of all. The guitarist was a typical heavy metal guitarist, with pointy guitars and a, let's face it, disgusting short mohawk. But the lead singer was the fascinating one here. He looked just like Brendan Frasier's basketball character in the movie "Bedazzled" (don't ask why I've seen it - I couldn't tell you) - huge and with bleach-blonde hair. But here's the kicker - he was wearing a Bjork t-shirt. Now, maybe I put her up on more of a pedastal than she should be on, but anyone who wears a Bjork t-shirt is A-OK in my mind. But this guy had THE heavy metal voice. I mean, he could growl. But he was tall and lanky and awkward in his movements, which made me hope that he would later realize his potential for good music and go off to do some amazing post-Bjork project in which he didn't have to feign uber-masculinity. But with lyrics like "You're my oxygen," I had to just hope that he wasn't the one writing the lyrics. Throughout the performance, the guitarist pulled out all the easy-but-looks-hard guitar tricks as I pulled out my toilet-paper-ear-plug tricks. At the end, he took off his shirt. I really didn't need that. But luckily, what was about to come made it all worth while.

VAST was amazing. That's all I can say. This was a band that I had heard of literally about a week before the show. I liked what I heard, so I decided to check it out and hang out with a friend. But I wasn't expecting to attend one of the most well-done live shows I had seen in a long time.

I'll start with my only problem with VAST, which is that it is technically a solo-act. Jon Crosby calls himself VAST and is the mastermind behind the music, which in itself is an amazing feat. But I always have a bit of a problem with someone being a "solo" artist when there are clearly many musicians who make that music happen. But in this case, the songwriting was pretty spectacular, so maybe that warrants it being just him. The show was apparently being recorded for their upcoming DVD, or so a fellow concert-goer told me. The band was all dressed fairly nicely. Every band member was relaxed and comfortable, and they all were clearly immensely talented. It was such the antithesis of the previous bands because there were no theatrics. There was an occasional movement by the guitarist or the bass player, but they didn't have to hide behind tough facial expressions or spastic moshing. They were just GOOD without that. And the lyrics were intelligent ("I didn't want to hurt you, but you're pretty when you cry"). For the music nerds among us, there was a song where they alternated between a 10 measure beat and a 3 measure beat (10/4 and 3/4?), which was so fun. At the end, a violinist and cellist came out to give even more depth. The songs flowed one into the next with very few breaks, and VAST's voice glided smoothly through every transition. In short, a beautiful show.

Here is a TERRIBLY CRAPPY video I took at the show. The sound is the worst, but the picture will give you an idea of the "relaxed and groovy" vibe:

Radio on the TV?

2007-04-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

So, I usually don't care about anything on television enough to write about it in any way (unless I'm quoting Ralph: "My cat's breath smells like cat food!"), but I had to write about what I think is an absurd show. Sarah and no name 'after dark'. I mean, I know Howard Stern did it before, but that had a target audience of idiot men who just wanted to look at women's breasts. Now, there is a show on network television that is basically filming talk radio DJs doing their work. Now, don't get me wrong, I have no problem with DJs (although I'd much rather hear music on my drive to work than someone else talking), but I would not in a million years want to watch them. I used to be one - it's not that interesting. Occasionally something silly happens - you laugh - you accidentally spit on the mic or something - but really, nothing worth watching happens. So anyway, there's my negative post for the year :)

Bjork VOLTA Tour

2007-03-27T18:27:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! I finally get to see Bjork. All the other years, I've either been totally oblivious (i.e. in college) or too young to take the initiative to go. It sucks that the local show is at the Shoreline -- I really hate that venue. The sound is terrible and it's to big to even feel like anything is happening. I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs there and it was SO the opposite of a NY club. It was hard to get into it, even though Karen O is freaking awesome. But hopefully this will be cool either way. Here are the tour dates, for all you international folk:

04/01 - Reykjavik, Iceland - Forma At Nasa
04/27 - Indio, CA - Coachella
05/02 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
05/05 - New York, NY - United Palace Theater
05/08 - New York, NY - Apollo Theater
05/12 - Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
05/15 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
05/19 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
05/23 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Deer Lake Park
05/26 - Gorge, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre
06/22 - Pilton, England - Glastonbury Festival
06/28 - Werchter, Belgium - Rock Werchter
07/01 - Gdynia, Poland - Open'er Festival
07/05 - Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07/25 - Nyon, Switzerland - Paleo Festival
09/08 - Toronto, Ontario - Virgin Festival

2007 Better be Better

2007-03-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

So, I promise I'm going to TRY to post more because I know I would be annoyed with this sporadic posting. I've just been reading Under the Radar and got very excited about some new music in 2007. Here are the ones I'm totally excited about:

Blonde Redhead - April 10
The first time I heard Blonde Redhead, it didn't hit me. But after delving into Misery is a Butterfly and going from there, I feel I will never get sick of this band. Their songwriting is amazing and Makino's voice is raw and amazing.

Electrelane - May 7
Imperfection is beautiful! This band is raw, sings out of tune sometimes, accidentally picks the wrong string when they play live, but it's so damn good that it all blends together and becomes part of the magic. Reportedly, this new album is more lyrics-based, which I am looking forward to. Their instrumental singles album didn't do it for me as much as The Power Out.

Iron and Wine - ?
My partner always says, "I don't want to like Iron and Wine, I just do." I guess that's the "manly" impression is of a band that is so tender, they could make The Hulk cry. I'm all for music that relaxes me while at the same time igniting every subtle emotion in my being. So, yes. Can't wait for this one.

Metric - ?
I love Emily Haines for making a solo album, but Metric still has more of a soft place in my heart (hard place?). I'm excited to see if they rock out or take a softer approach.

UNKLE - Summer
UNKLE has actually continually disappointed me for years...I think I had a completely wrong idea of what kind of band they were ever since they joined with Radiohead for "Rabbit in Your Headlights". But I'm determined that they will come out with something that I love because it's so close. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I love Al Gore

2007-03-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

'Nuf said.

Live Earth Music Festival

Sarah Vowell at the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center!

2007-03-06T19:39:00.000-08:00

Sarah Vowell, my absolute favorite author, is coming to the Osher Marin Jewish Community Center on Thursday, March 29 at 7:30 pm. I've seen her twice already and it is SO worth it. Her essays are painfully funny and her high-pitched vocal inflections make them even better. Tickets are a little expensive, at $32, but if you're a student you can get them for half price! What a deal...
Sarah Vowell Tix HERE!

map

2007-02-10T17:34:00.000-08:00

I found this cool feature on Google and decided to put in all the places I've been in the world. Although, it makes me feel less well-travelled than I thought I was :) For some reason you have to zoom out to see the whole thing. Check it out...

For the Annoyance of all...

2007-01-29T19:58:00.000-08:00

This guy is totally nuts, but I LOVE him. Be warned, this first song is a total ear-worm...you'll be saying "shoes" with a valley-girl accent for days.