WAVED RUMOR

The Who Super Bowl Tshirt

2009-11-30T01:30:00.006-05:00

Yep! this is it! The Who are playing the Super Bowl halftime show and this is official Who Super Bowl t-shirt - Odds & Sods as the backdrop?? That's wacky! You'd think the old Marquee club image with the Townsend windmill would've sufficed! No matter - get ready to hear these four songs at halftime in February - my guesses, these - I Can't Explain, I Can See for Miles and Baba 'O Riley. Whaddya think?

Billy Idol - Super Overdrive (DVD)

2009-11-30T00:49:00.011-05:00

Whew! Billy Idol live and rockin' from a hot Chicago summer night at the Congress Theater. Eagle Entertainment's new DVD release of the punk rock icon's show is pretty fun. I mean, c'mon, how many of us have pumped and waved that fist during "White Wedding" ("Start AGAIN!") or "Rebel Yell" ("She want more, more, more")? Ok, well, I have!

This DVD “In Super Overdrive Live” was filmed at the Congress Theater, Chicago for the US TV series Soundstage and originally broadcast in America in July 2009. The DVD includes live workouts of a couple of old Generation X songs - the always energetic 'Ready Steady Go' and what Billy calls probably his favorite Gen X song 'Kiss Me Deadly'. That was a cool treat. Plus, there's alll the 80s hits from 'Dancing with MySelf', 'Flesh for Fantasy' and 'Eyes Without A Face'up to tracks from his most recent album “The Devil’s Playground”.

Guitarist extraordinaire Steve Stevens and Idol look great - it's really the Idol and Steve Stevens show. Billy's 54 yr. old torso looks a heckuva lot better than most of us, and Stevens plays that guitar inside out, upside down, in his teeth, around his head and more. It's guitar showmanship! A few distractions abound, though - the band's rhythm section, while competent, look like heavy metal band refugees, which looks a little out of place in Idol's stage playground. And while Billy does a few pump-up-the-crowd exhortations, his in-between chatter is pretty low-key - either he's catching his breath or he's pretty shy guy out of the front stage spotlights.

'Billy Idol in Super Overdrive' is a fun DVD - clean sound, great angles and a babe heavy front row for the camera guys. One commetor on Amazon wrote: "The one huge problem is that several of my favorite Billy Idol songs are not included. "Hot in the City," "To Be a Lover," "Sweet Sixteen," "Mony Mony" and "Cradle of Love" were all performed the night this show was recorded but were left off!" Well, dude, you can't have it all, can ya! Buy one for your ex-punk uncle and score some beers at the family Christmas party.

AOF - Give Thanks - You Weren't There (Chicago punk DVD)

2009-11-25T18:44:00.019-05:00

It's been awhile since I wrote about my old fave 80s Chicago hardcore band Articles of Faith and since they had a great 1984 LP titled 'Give Thanks', it seems appropriate to rock it out tonight. Watch the band rock it down below.

Plus, it comes right around the release of the new DVD about the nascent Chicago punk scene 1977-1984, in which AOF was part, called "You Weren't There - A History Of Chicago Punk 1977-1984". The DVD looks back on the impact that punk rock had on cold windy city boys. The clips feature a lot of the known and some unknown bands of that time and today's talking heads still carping about the rivalries that then (still?) existed. Choice clips from AOF, Naked Raygun, the Effigies, Strike Under, Big Black, Silver Abuse, Mentally Ill, Subverts, Negative Element, Tutu & the Pirates, DA, Rights of the Accused, Savage Beliefs, End Result and others.

Happy (Give) Thanksgiving!

The Pixies 'Doolittle' Tour - Right or Wrong?

2009-11-23T23:46:00.009-05:00

One reason I love Chicago (apart from having been born and raised there until my early 20s) is that there are two great rock critics working for the two main papers in town - Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis. Now some may take exception to my use of the word 'great' when describing their work, but like that other great Chicago critical powerhouse - Siskel and Ebert - from years ago, Kot & DeRogatis have always been a consistent, passionate couple of music critics.

Last week, both critics reviewed a show on The Pixies 'Doolittle' tour, which hit Chicago last week for three big shows at the great Aragon Ballroom. Here's Kot's take on the show: "At the finish, Black Francis, Deal, Lovering and Santiago gathered at the lip of the stage for a group bow, a rare display of team unity from a band not noted for its warmth. It was the only real surprise of the evening. The quartet plowed through the set with workmanlike dispatch, playing the songs exactly as recorded. As a live act, the Pixies were always pretty pedestrian; only Deal actually appeared to be enjoying herself on stage. Fortunately, the clamorous and still-extraordinary music made up for the showmanship gap."

Jim DeRogatis, writing in the Chicago Sun Times, saw the show perhaps a bit more cynically, but not too terribly different from Kot. "None of it was embarrassing, but none of it was extraordinary, either. The Pixies were a stilted, static band that added little fire to the songs in live performance in '89, and the same is true in '09. This time, however, you could buy a live digital recording of the show you just saw for $25 on the way out, to relive the experience you already bought with your $44.75 ticket. Of course, reliving the experience is what the new millennial Pixies are all about. And they seem happy to continue facilitating that as long as people want to keep buying it."

Keen insights from both, on the magic of The Pixies' music that once was to what the dollars in Black Francis' pocket sure feels like now. Extra kudos to Chicago music fans on their smart, balanced, insightful and passionate comments at both blog posts - definitely worth reading for various perspectives.

Here's a fine rendition of 'Debaser' for you fan boys out there from this week's Fallon show:

Robert Pollard's Rock Show - The Devil Went Home and Puked (DVD review)

2009-11-23T16:57:00.016-05:00

So over the weekend, I watched the new Robert Pollard/GBV retrospective DVD "The Devil Went Home and Puked" and wrote down everything I saw. It's perhaps the ideal way to 'review' such a scrappily-thrown together DVD. There are a lot of fun things in this video, but when you pull back the curtain, there are a few slippery bits. The video is really edited together like GBV's early mix 'n montage LPs that worked so well in audio, but I'm not convinced it's the best format to present a bit of GBV and Pollard's history.

First things first - thanks to MVD Visual for providing the review copy (I'm supposed to say that now, right?).

Second: the description that accompanied the trailer reads: "Straight from the personal archives of Robert Pollard, The Devil Went Home and Puked is a video collage made up of live footage from nearly every era of GBV and Robert Pollard tours (94- present)and early GBV studio footage. This DVD also contains 9 hard to find full length videos from GBV and Pollard projects, including Circle Saw Boys Club, Winston's Atomic Bird, I-Razors, Get Me Extra and more." True on the somewhat rare live footage, not so true on the 'hard to find' extra Pollard projects, all which I found YouTube links for (more on that below). Unless having to search on YouTube means 'hard to find"? Dunno.

Third: The ending credits read "Thanks to all the fans who taped things over the years and sent them to us, telling is we could use them if we wanted...cause we just did." And that's really the heart of the DVD - The Devil Went Home and Puked is really a artsy home movie, with GBV and Pollard fan and friend footage from over the years, focusing mostly on (former GBV bassist) Greg Demos and his pants. No, really. :-)

The credits show "Conceived by Robert Pollard. Produced by Rich Turiel." GBV fans in the know understand how important Rich T. has been to Pollard's operation. I met Rich T. in 1996 when I got invited to Dayton for a meet and greet with Robert Pollard, his brother Jimmy and others at the Walnut Hills bar in Dayton. Rich has been a great guy to know during those years (and following, but to a lesser extent). But for better or worse, The Devil Went Home and Puked is Rich T's 2009 video-compilation project. He even includes some of his own post-college (college?) days sports broadcasting video clips, which make no sense to the casual GBV fan, but is a fun and funny glimpse into Rich's own background.

Overall, I liked it - it's got classic lineup GBV video, backstage shenanigans, vintage clips of the Dayton scene, Demos and his pants(!), but we get no real personal glimpses of the band and its members over the years. It's a bit of a bang-bang, hurly-burly, asphyxiated circle, mix up the satellites kinda production. Which may work for casual fans and viewers. Or not. Or maybe it's just for the fanboys from way back. Or it just may be... "And I am getting old, aren't I?"

So this may get long, but here's the entire DVD in tweet-text form for you. Some of the segments are a minute or two long, others are 20 secs. or less.

* DVD opens with the trailer ( I ask: what's the point of that?)

* Shots of Striped White Demos from a July 9, 1994 gig rockin’ to Shocker in Gloomtown, then Tractor Rape Chain over the opening credits

* Now a guy in a Cincinatti Reds cap (Geo?) on the former Pollard Dayton home's B-ball court, followed by Circus Devils Bogus Reactions video.

* Next, footage of longtime GBV road manager and Pollard confidant Rich Turiel doing some sportscasting during his Boston U days, then some TV and club clips of GBV rockin’

* Very exciting footage with the ‘classic’ lineup doing ‘Echos Myron’

* Soundcheck footage from Hara Arena, Dayton doing ‘Pimple Zoo’

* Then a ‘testimonial’ from a former student of Teacher Pollard! Classic!

* RARE footage from the "Same Place the Fly Got Smashed" recording sessions with Robert Pollard recording vocals for ‘A Hard Way’ (and later ‘Mammoth Cave’ and ‘Murder Charge’ - very cool to see)

* Some Jon Stewart TV show '95 Motor Away footage

* Some footage from Haverford College show in 1997 (the stage is in front of windows with bright light silhouetting the band - the sudio is good, the video blows - I have this show on VHS in my collection somewhere).

* Then, awesome Demos in his white shirt and striped rock pants

* Then DEVO-esque clip – Circus Deviles? Svelet – Slusarenko

* then Motor Away in an office – Jason Narducy and a few other Ascended Masters miming to Motor Away in an office lobby in NYC(?)

* One of the 2004 GBV farewell shows – 19 Something and Five (Strawberry Philadelphia Drive) with Bob and Tobin hugging and singing

* More Circus Devils weirdness Eye Razors video clip with masked guys

* Footage from Heedfest 2 – Bob’s Dayton Party with Bob and whiffle bat – different angles of "A Salty Salute" than the clip on YouTube

* Lethargy Live - Chris Slusarenko pretty drunk jumping on Nate Farley knocking him down, a bit of a tussle, then a hug, then they finish the song – Great footage.

* Chicago’s Abbey club – Ascended Masters – Psycho and the Birds Father is Good song – other songs from the 2006 show are on YouTube

* Then a girl water video clip – classic old GBV song – cool

* Back to 7/9/94 Demos legs rockin out

* Then Circus Devils ‘Get Me Extra’

* Few more live clips – a little dig(?) at Kevin March’s height and clips of a longhair Tim Tobias(?), who allegedly fell out of favor with Pollard in the early 00s
------------------------------------------------------
Then it shoots into final year footage 2004

* Sons of Apollo live (From Half Smiles) – great version

* Jill Hives RARE video (Pollard’s son(?) dressed as a carrot singing) Never saw this before. And indeed a great song.

* Short clip of ex-GBV drummer Kevin Fennel from 2004(?) reminiscing about the old days of basement rocking

* Then Circus Devils War Horsies

* I ask - No Jim Greer footage? No Matt Sweeney footage?

* Then, Winston’s Atomic Bird video winner – Mike Jueneman

Then Robert Pollard video of his art collages set to music 'Shadow Port' from Standard Gargoyle Decisions

* Live ‘Pantherz’ before classic lineup - is that Peyton Eric on guitar? Awesome song, still.

* Demos and Pollard – starts 'Game of Pricks', then cuts abruptly to 'Cut Out Witch'

There are two extras on the DVD - a quirky (weird?) film by Josh Chambers, which uses a strange arrangement of ‘Gold Star for Robot Boy” as basis for film – (10 minutes of arty gaga, I thought). Then the full ‘Loving Memories' film, which was shown onstage prior to GBV farewell tour show in 2004 - That one is also found on YouTube.

Last niggling point - who's titling these GBV releases? A few years ago, there was "The Who Went Home and Cried". Now we have the similarly titled "The Devil Went Home and Puked"? What's with the Going home? Is there a template that has to be followed?

So it's cool to have all this Pollard/GBV history in one DVD, but for the casual fan, it may be too abstract for multiple viewings. Plus, the video lacks a scene selection so it's hard to cue up to a favorite part. But the legacy lives on. Long live GBV - Buy the DVD as a Christmas present for your GBV fanboy.

Andrew Belle / Ten out of Tenn - upcoming tour dates

2009-11-23T00:58:00.005-05:00

I'm enjoying some Andrew Belle music tonight. He's got a sweet pop swing and a cool voice, coupled with passion and substance.

"Andrew Belle is a Chicago and Nashville-based singer/songwriter whose new CD The Ladder was recorded with Grammy award winning mixing engineer Vance Powell (The Raconteurs). The Ladder will be self-released on February 23, 2010 and Belle will be touring nationally with Ten Out Of Tenn this winter."

The tour happens over the next few weeks - the Phoenix date is on Thanksgiving weekend at Rhythm Room (see list below) - and it looks like it might be a mighty tough thing to fit all Tenn on Rhythm Room's tiny stage. We'll see how it shakes out.

Ten Out of Tenn Tour Dates
Nov 27 - Chelsea's - Baton Rouge, LA
Nov 28 - The Loft - Dallas, TX
Nov 30 - Rhythm Room - Phoenix, AZ
Dec 1 - Troubadour - LA, CA
Dec 2 - Independent - San Francisco, CA
Dec 3 - Jon Henry's - Eugene, OR
Dec 4 - Chop Suey - Seattle, WA
Dec 6 - Doug Fir - Portland, OR
Dec 8 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
Dec 9 - Everyday Joe's - Ft. Collins, CO
Dec 10 - Bluebird - Denver, CO
Dec 11 - Sokol - Omaha, NE
Dec 12 - Duck Room - St. Louis, MO
Dec 13 - Exit / In - Nashville, TN

Click here to stream or download his 2008 debut LP All Those Pretty Lights.

Rock Clip(s) of the Week - Just Under the 80s Mainstream Radar

2009-11-20T02:39:00.006-05:00

I was thinking of a few of my NYC pals Kevin & Cindy, who spearhead an '80s cover band called The Fades that played a gig at LES' Fontanas on Thursday. It got me to remembering mainstream 80s music, much of which I have not listened to in a while (exception Billy Idol - never out of style on my record player).

In the mid 80s, I was mostly listening to American indie/alt/college rock (REM, dBs, Replacements, Husker Du, Soul Asylum, Talking Heads) or British wave (Bauhaus, New Order, Cure, Smiths, U2, Echo & the Bunnymen). So I never really took to this whole 80s revival that's been around a few years (we're already into the 90s revival actually).

Which is a roundabout way of saying - I searched YouTube tonight for the coolest '80s non-mainstream 'hit' song I could remember. By 'hit' I mean that is was at least played on radio or early MTV action, and might've gone mainstream with more support, but never really made it.

And I picked one from each side of the Atlantic pond:
US - Translator "Everywhere that I'm Not" (close second - Three O Clock)
UK - Lightning Seeds "Pure" (close second - Ned's Atomic Dustbin)

Here's a reunited Translator playing "Everywhere that I'm Not" from a few months ago in San Francisco:

And here's a live clip of Lightning Seeds playing 'Pure" from an undated clip

Both of these tunes had some sales and success, but really, both should have been way more massive than they were. Too bad they weren't. Great songs, each of 'em. Enjoy.

Tragic Thursday Tantrums

2009-11-19T14:09:00.004-05:00

A swagger around the rockblog-o-sphere brings us...

- Glorious Noise opines that Jack White is the new Rick Rubin

- And then there were Two - Ringo Starr has Paul McCartney guest on a few tracks for his upcoming LP (via Rock and Roll Daily)

- MySpace gets Imeem for a steal, writes TechCrunch

- I saw Tobin Sprout in his incarnation as EyesinWeasel back in October 2000

- Bob Dylan has put out a polka version of "Must Be Santa" in a video - craaaazy! (watch it at the link)

- Alkaline Trio is returning to its punk rock roots with its 2010 CD on Epitath label. (via punkmusic.About.com)

And now here's your moment of Morrissey-zen:

The Willowz - New CD 'Everyone', December tour

2009-11-18T18:33:00.011-05:00

Punk-garage rockers The Willowz are rockin' - great Jack White-like vocals, rockin' guitars, atmosphere and more. The band had their CD release party for "Everyone" in NYC last night, and they head out on a short December tour. The band's label DimMak has their single 'Repetition' on its landing page. There's also good stuff at the band's blog.

"The Willowz new album "Everyone" is out today! We recorded it back in January with Grammy award winner Stuart Sikes and it is our best album to date! There is only one way to find out though so go to your local record store and demand it! Or, go to iTunes and get it digitally for only $9.90! We will see you in December on tour to support the new album, so get it quick and know the songs!"

You can win a Willowz fun pack from Dim Mak if you
- Buy The Willowz new album "Everyone" digitally during the first week of its release (11/17 - 11/23 at Midnight) and email your digital receipt or a screenshot of your purchase confirmation to CONTEST@DIMMAK.COM. Only one submission per person will be accepted.
- Please put the SUBJECT LINE as "THE WILLOWZ DIGITAL CONTEST"
- Include your name, phone number, and address in the email.
- Two winners will be randomly chosen and will receive a Willowz prize pack (the Willowz "Chautaqua" album, a signed Willowz poster, and other surprise Willowz & Dim Mak goodies).

Here's a clip from earlier this year of the Willowz in Austin, TX:

The Octagon - Arm Brain Heart Liver EP

2009-11-17T13:31:00.008-05:00

Dig the raw rockin' sounds of NYC's The Octagon, whose latest EP "Arm Brain Heart and Liver" (released in September on SeriousBusiness) just kicks ass for five straight songs - "You Can Make It On Your Own!"

The band wrote on its MySpace blog page: "The title track is my own, featuring my singing and erstwhile classical guitar playing; Zack wrote the others. "...Wizard" features the robust 5AM vocal stylings of Edward Hale, Joseph Petrucelli and Kaben Schwartz. Joe also sang a bit on Reiki. These joints were recorded live to four track at our practice space in March, the same sessions that yielded our forthcoming 3rd full-length."

Listen below and Jump!

Tuesday Nerve Central

2009-11-17T12:00:00.006-05:00

It's Tuesday, sportsracers, and Waved Rumor brings you non-Kiss-related items for your Tuesday nerve central pleasure.

- Rock & Roll Daily reports: Oasis the band is really done, says Liam (again). But Liam is recording with the old Oasis bandmates for a new project and says he'll play live in early 2010. No sign of Noel Gallagher. Yet.

- Colorless is the new Green. (via Alltop)

- Mick Jones and Tony James of Carbon/Silicon are making their new Carbon/Silicon songs available for free download at their website. Dig! (via Strange Glue)

- The BoldFresh 2010 tour has already sold out half its tour. They will rock the house.

- Do you like the 'indie-folk' that's all around (I don't). Or do you prefer to rock to the new (old) rockin' beat? (I do) NPR's Carrie Brownstein looks at the whole issue and decide that rock musos needs to shave the beards (YES!) and get a little dirty again!
"What we need is more contemporary rock music that addresses or mirrors the chaos, the gray areas and the uneasiness. Just go listen to The Stooges or Bikini Kill for a second to remember what that sounds like. I enjoy sweet songs as much as the next person, but I'm tired of passive music that allows us to merely sit back. I want music that makes me sit up. Personally, I think it's time to shave the beard and risk getting a cut or two."

- Grab some 'work' songs from The Vinyl District:
Chelsea - Right to Work (Mp3)
The Vaselines - Rosary Job [Live in Bristol) (Mp3)
Death - Where Do We Go From Here (Mp3)
Pernice Brothers - Working Girls (Mp3)
Steely Dan - Dirty Work (Mp3)

Dfactor does KISS Cover "See You Tonight"

2009-11-16T23:24:00.021-05:00

Sometime around late September/early October, with news of a new KISS album and 35-yr anniversary tour in the wind, I finally got around to reading the official KISS biography called "Kiss: Behind the Mask", an excellent look at the early days and success years for KISS. Sure, the thing was published in 2003, so it took only six years for me to catch up. Not unusual.

I was a big KISS fan way back. I made posters, was part of the KISS Army, subscribed to CIRCUS Magazine (the unofficial PR arm of KISS in the mid-70s) and saw the band at least 3-4 times in Chicago during the classic years (1975-1978). Teen rock stuff. So I knew a lot about the band. But in reading the book, I learned more, like how Gene and Paul used to rehearse in a Chinatown loft; its early days as Wicked Lester and the LP they made but was never released (and the Wicked Lester songs you can now hear on YouTube), who wrote which songs and much more.

And that's how we get to the video below of me swinging a cover of "See You Tonight" - great lil' pop song, with easy chords, cheesy, repeatable lyrics and the absolute surprise that it was written by Gene Simmons in 1969 (re: the book). Who wudda thunk? Click the song title link to hear Kiss's '96 Unplugged version - it's great. So there ya go.

One recording note - my video below is all one-take stuff, after two muffed intros. You notice I'm singing into the microphone in the video - not to look cool, but actually to record it! I used this recording as the basic track, added some backing vocals, the ever-present Dfactor tambourine and some sonic dimension. And voila, you have Dfactor singing a 1969 pop song as written by Chaim Witz. I added that version to my MySpace page - or just download it here.

Rock author Greil Marcus next Thursday Columbia University NYC

2009-11-12T15:01:00.005-05:00

"To mark the just-published 20th-anniversary edition of his book 'Liptick Traces' the book, Columbia University in partnership with the ARChive of Contemporary Music presents Greil Marcus in a one-man performance of Lipstick Traces. The event will take place on Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at Altschul Auditorium, 417 International Affairs Building, 420 West 118th Street and is free and open to the public.

In addition, the Music & Arts Library at Columbia University will display books by Marcus, books that influenced him, and posters, records, and other materials courtesy of the ARChive of Contemporary Music. The exhibition will be on display from November 1 to December 15, 2009 at The Gabe M. Wiener Music & Arts Library, 7th floor of Dodge Hall, at 2960 Broadway.

Greil Marcus is the author of Mystery Train (1975/2008), Dead Elvis (1991), The Old, Weird America: The World of Bob Dylan’s Basement Tapes (1997), The Dustbin of History (1995), Like a Rolling Stone (2005), The Shape of Things to Come: Prophecy in the American Voice (2006), and other books. With Werner Sollers he is the co-editor of A New Literary History of America, published this fall by Harvard, and the editor of Best Music Writing 2009, published this fall by Da Capo. The first records editor at Rolling Stone, in 1969, in recent years he has taught at Berkeley, Princeton, and Minnesota; this fall he is teaching “Music as Democratic Speech, from the Commonplace Song to Bob Dylan” at the New School. He lives in Berkeley."

Iggy and the Stooges: interview Planeta Terra 2009 Video by Straight James Williamson - MySpace Video

2009-11-12T14:55:00.000-05:00

Iggy Says (while doing the metal rock sign with his fingers):

Q: "And with the Stoogs, you're always celebrating, yes?"
A: "Yessss...This is James Williamson, who did the Raw Power, uh, all the real hard, uh, the stuff all the hard boys like..." HA! Iggy and the Stooges: interview Planeta Terra 2009 Video by Straight James Williamson - MySpace Video

Check out all the videos from the Brazilian return of The Stooges at James Williamson's MySpace page.

Pirate Radio - the spirit of renegade radio

2009-11-12T14:29:00.003-05:00

I'm hopeful that the new film Pirate Radio is cool. The film is based on the renegade broadcasters of the 1960s in the offshore international waters outside British broadcasting jurisdiction, and it features British invasion rock music and big stars. Though I'm a little worried that the director is the guy behind "Love Actually", "Notting Hill" and "Four Weddings and a Funeral", all fairly likeable but corny films.

Here's the set up:
"Pirate Radio is the newest ensemble comedy from filmmaker Richard Curtis (screenwriter of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, and writer/director of Love Actually), spinning the irreverent yet fact-based tale of a seafaring band of rogue rock and roll deejays whose pirate radio captivated and inspired 1960s Britain. Playing the music that rocked a nation and a decade, the group boldly and hilariously defies the government that tries to shut them down. Broadcasting live 24/7 from an old tanker anchored in the middle of the North Sea (just beyond British jurisdiction), Radio Rock sends out a vibrant and unifying signal to millions across the nation, ranging in age from wide-eyed pre-teens secretly tuning in long past their bedtimes to everyday people in need of a musical pick-me-up."

Here's the Pirate Radio trailer and below it, some footage form the real pirates from the 1960s.

Music Mojo Masterworks

2009-11-12T11:44:00.005-05:00

Over-the-top observations from an over-the-hill rocker:

- Weezer's new CD 'Raditude' is getting so-so reviews from many leading music critics (check MetaCritic). Most can't seem to deal with Cuomo's jokey, tossed-off pop lyrics. I kinda like it. He's a smart guy. He knows what he's doing. Listen to 'Put Me Back Together' (sweet!) and 'I'm Your Daddy' over at Mochi Beats. On December 1st, Weezer plays Chicago's cavernous Aragon Ballroom, the same room I saw The Clash, The Jam, The Dictators, AC/DC, Devo, Gang of Four and many other bands during my formative years.

- Robert Pollard wins a mention in NME's "Worst Onstage Banter" photo feature, for his many onstage rants against bands and more. You might see some of these on Pollard's video compilation of rare GBV moments on 'The Devil Went Home and Puked', out now.

- Win tickets to see Julian Casablancas perform in Los Angeles at the Palace Theater this Friday night (via LA MetBlogs).

- Rock music writer Stevie Chick tells Mojo Music fans why live albums rule: "At their best, Live Albums freeze the moments we all wish we’d witnessed: unexpected cover versions, guest appearances, performances that utterly eclipse the studio originals. Moments like Nina Simone and a gospel choir re-interpreting My Sweet Lord as a twenty-minute anti-war hymn before an audience of GIs at Fort Dix military base on 1972’s Emergency Ward; like the feverish interplay between drummers Clyde Stubblefield and Nate Jones throughout a thirteen-minute Cold Sweat off James Brown’s Say It Live And Loud: Live In Dallas 1968; like Aretha Franklin walking Ray Charles onstage for her encore on At The Fillmore West, trading verses with him throughout the sinfully funky gospel of Spirit In The Dark."

And here is your music moment of zen:

Flaming Lips' New Video 'Watching the Planets' (NSFW)

2009-11-11T16:09:00.005-05:00

NME is hosting the new Flaming Lips video for 'Watching the Planets'. (I tried to embed and was disallowed). It's crazy wild and better suited for home viewing. The vid's full of naked grown people who come out of a womb of sorts and well, they hoist and pull singer Wayne Coyne out of his bubble, and...well you'll have to watch it for yourself. No spoilers here.

Buy the new Flaming Lips release 'Ebryonic' at their site.

Touring Bands in Phoenix Tonight

2009-11-11T12:34:00.004-05:00

Couple of cool live shows in Phoenix tonight:

Two Brooklyn, NY bands - Bishop Allen and Darwin Deez - are touring together and show up tonight at Modified Arts. Local electronica outfit Futurekind kicks things off. Love the clean clear pop of Bishop Allen's "The Ancient Commonsense of Things - hear it at their MySpace page. And Darwin's Deez's 'Constellation' is groovy as a childhood lullaby for hipster kids. Read more about Bishop Allen at Brooklyn Vegan, arbiter of all great things musical NYC.

- UK experimental synthy hoo-haw from Fuckbottons, along with Growing, at Rhythm Room. Listen to their nearly 10 minute 'Sweet Love From Planet Earth' at MySpace for a taste of their uncompromising sound. Think Suicide for today.

Green Rock - Friday, Nov 13th - Phoenix

2009-11-10T13:43:00.010-05:00

Thanks to a big Green Sustainability conference in Phoenix this weekend, we get free bands at Stinkweeds as part of this coming weekend's street festival Phoenix Green Streets! Yay!

You might ask - huh? A Green conference and free bands? How does that come about? Well, it's likely that it's all because of the rising civic leadership work of Phoenix music honcho Kimber Lanning. Through her hard behind-the-scenes work, Ms. Lanning can use her connections (both civic and musical) to create win-win fun for the PHX community. That's a good thing. And along with cool-guy music promoter Psyko Steve, bands get to play and you get to be green. Or something like that. It seems Everything's Gone Green. Anyway, free concerts at Stinkweeds are always a decent time, and Friday night should be no exception.

Bands playing include Snow Songs, Turn Back 'O Man and Snakes!Snakes!Snakes!.

More about it here:
"The Green Streets Festival in downtown Phoenix is a FREE community event open to the public on Friday, November 13, 2009 from 6PM to 10PM, celebrating green initiatives, sustainability, arts and urban living as the grand finale of the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo coming to Phoenix November 11th-13th. Welcoming more than 25,000 out-of-state Greenbuild attendees and the local community, the Green Streets Festival on Friday evening will feature a premier Green Zone on Roosevelt St between 4th St and 7th St for vendors and demonstrations showcasing eco-friendly, sustainable products and services, information about energy and water saving resources and programs, and green job training opportunities."

The NYC/Brooklyn music scene (NY Mag)

2009-11-10T13:25:00.006-05:00

"....fearless sincerity, devotion to craft, agnosticism about digital technology (which is to say, they use it but don’t fetishize it), profound musical curiosity, ingenuity at using the human voice as an instrument, and an uncanny ability to reproduce their complex material in live performance (in no small part because this is where the money is).

These also happen to be the qualities that define the most exciting aspects of the local scene, the vast swarm of artists who inhabit the bars, clubs, and unlicensed loft spaces of Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, and beyond. Is there a 23-year-old alive in northern Brooklyn who’s not making music right now? It may be a good deal harder to get rich in the music business than it was a generation ago, but that doesn’t seem to have deterred anyone. What are they all after?"

------------------------------------------------------

Read more: Brooklyn's Sonic Boom - Why Dirty Projectors Is One of the Most Risk-Taking Groups of All-- New York Magazine

The Ramones - Live CBGB 1977

2009-11-10T00:31:00.006-05:00

From The Ramones' It's Alive DVD, here are the two parts that make up the band's June 10, 1977 show at CBGB, two weeks before its third LP 'Rocket to Russia' was released to the world.

Part 1

Part 2

You want much more Ramones? Find it at RamoniacCretin's Youtube page. Stunning.

Agent Ribbons - Tales of woe, scratchy CD, US tour

2009-11-09T19:05:00.006-05:00

This trio of gals - Natalie, Naomi and Lauren - aka Agent Ribbons calls their band "the lost band of the great depression" and that's no joke. The girls kick off a serious month-long tour next week in order to bring some equity to their struggle to stay financially afloat and get their songs heard. (The band comes to Phoenix's Modified Arts in early December)

From their Myspace blog page, Agent Ribbons relays this sad tale: "In July, we went to Los Angeles to record with an engineer named Manny Nieto. We were excited to record with him because he worked on some of the last Breeders record, and we love that band. He records all analog and we knew we wanted our record to be on tape if possible, so we booked time with him."

Well, seems that the review CD that engineer Nieto provided to the band was full of pops and bips, and then he also taped over the original analog recording sessions. And the band's plans for a new release this fall was crushed, and is now looking toward 2010. Seems like an ugly no one wins situation. Anyway, the girls are seeking music-loving benefactors to help their quest to bring their vaudeville/cabaret/punk influenced folky indie pop tunes to the world. Bless 'em. Hope it all works out.

Here's a video of the band from earlier this year. See all the tour dates at the band's MySpace page.

Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump hits Live at Daryl's House Nov 15th

2009-11-09T13:21:00.004-05:00

No lie - I like Live at Daryl's House - How can you not? It's got it all - wine-drinking musicians hanging out a gorgeous country farmhouse, playing music with other R&B/soul/pop lovers, and its all captured on web video? What's not to like? (Note to self - start up a garage rock-punk show just like it when you buy your own country farmhouse, like Little Steven's Underground Garage, but cooler!)

News comes on November 15th that Daryl Hall is bringing Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump (the other guy in the band) for the 25th installment of the awesome music show. From the copy:
"As a producer, Stump has worked with such bands as Gym Class Heroes, whose vocalist Travis McCoy is also an unabashed Daryl Hall fan and a participant in a previous Live From Daryl’s House. Fall Out Boy guitarist Joe Trohman calls him “a musical genius, a mad scientist,” while noted producer/performer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds says, “Patrick is one of the hottest dudes I’ve seen in a long time… He’s got a great voice and a tremendous amount of talent.” Fall Out Boy’s fifth album, Folie a Deux, was released last December, producing the hit singles, “I Don’t Care” and “America’s Suitehearts.”

Stump puts that great voice straight to work, joining Daryl in a seven-song set highlighted by singles “Out of Touch” and “Guessing Games,” the latter from the H2O album. Among the Fall Out Boy songs Daryl and Patrick perform are versions of “I Don’t Care,” “What a Catch, Donny” and “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” along with a cover of Jimmy Ruffin’s soul classic, “What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted.”

Here's an earlier series clip of Daryl and Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heros.

Teenage Bottlerocket pics

2009-11-06T12:30:00.004-05:00

Caught a fast, fun set by Teenage Bottlerocket last night at Chasers' in Scottsdale. Pics below.

The band played great - tight, tuneful, fun. I sang along to "In the Basement" - great tune that. Like The Ramones, the band goes slam bang right into the next song, without stopping a beat. We were all pogoing at one point.

Stayed a bit for The Lawrence Arms, but left a few songs in. I was too pissed off at Chasers. Dire club conditions ABOUND - the only working stage lights were in the back by drums and a few on the side - none up front on the singers at the mics. You couldn't see the bands! And two bartenders for a LOT of thirsty people? Bad, bad form, Chasers - no wonder the rock scene here is eroding. Who likes being at clubs that are poorly run?
Aargh.

See the full set here.

Teenage Bottlerocket - Lawrence Arms (plus Cobra Skulls) Thursday night

2009-11-05T01:15:00.008-05:00

See that poster at left? Well, it still holds good for Thursday night rock frolic with Teenage Bottlerocket and Lawrence Arms in greater PHX/Scottsdale. Except the show won't be at The Sets, cause The Sets closed down a few months ago when I first promoed this show.

Wikipedia says: "In June 2009 The Lawrence Arms recorded a new studio EP. Titled Buttsweat and Tears, it will be released on October 27 through Fat Wreck Chords both as a 7" EP and as a digital download with an extra song. They have announced a tenth anniversary performance for October at the Metro Chicago, followed by a seven-date headlining tour of Arizona and California in November with Teenage Bottlerocket and Cobra Skulls as support."

Anyway, I like the songs of Teenage Bottlerocket and have never seen them live, so the stars are aligning for me to be rockin' this show at Chasers in Scottsdale. Rock. Look how the band rocked a tiny club in Tokyo just a few short months ago.