Latitude 44.2N

A New Beginning

2006-12-01T21:07:00.000-05:00

As of this evening Latitude 44.2 North will no longer be updated. Flatlander, author of False 45th, and I have officially merged blogs. I will be writing full time at the new and improved False 45th, which has a new look and address (www.false45th.com, the blogspot has been dropped). Click here to see what Flatlander wrote about the merger a few weeks ago.

This is the 180th post at this site, which began 17 months ago. Within the last year I've received over 25,500+ visits from nearly every corner of the globe. Thank you. Your interest is humbling. It is my hope that the combined blog will allow more consistency and focus, while continuing to deepen and expand my interests. It's bigger, better, and badder.

This blog will stay online, but entirely for historical purposes.

Again, thank you for the ride. Don't forget to visit at www.false45th.com. I'm just around the corner.

J DiMenna | Radio Bean | November 5, 2006

2006-11-17T21:41:00.000-05:00

The J Dimenna show two weeks ago at Radio Bean in Burlington was fantastic. Lap steel guitar was a fantastic addition to every song, the majority of which were new tracks. As with most shows, the songs came off much more honest, direct, and rocking. These dudes (+ vibraphone playing dudette) are the most underated group that I've seen in a long, long time.

More photos here.

More dates here.

The Roots Live

2006-11-08T08:39:00.000-05:00

The Roots, the Philly-based "hip-hop band" with 8 albums to their credit, the latest of which is the highly regarded Game Theory, have a fantastic website that captures the element that makes them stand above all others. TheRootsLive.com is an archive dedicated to providing free mp3s of Roots' concerts. The site currently hosts approximately 45 shows that go back as far as 1993, many of which contain video. I'm currently digging their March 13, 2003 show at the Roseland Ballroom.

J DiMenna coming to Burlington

2006-10-31T23:14:00.000-05:00

Back in March I gushed about J DiMenna's debut release Awkward Buildings. I gave it the "Elliott Smith, Archer Prewitt, and Jeff Buckley sitting in a cabaret having a drink with Leonard Cohen." Earlier this month his track Prayer Flag was featured on NPR's All Songs Considered. The host, Bob Boilen, said the following " . . . If you like great pop music, the type of music you may hear Elliot Smith or Jeff Buckley write, you should listen to J DiMenna. DiMenna's made a CD that's infectious. Its the kind of infectious music that took time to grab me, the kind of infectious music that I find myself singing and not realizing what it is or how it even crept into my subconscious."

DiMenna and his band are currently taking part in the CMJ festivites in NYC, like everyone else, but will be heading up to VT as part of their 'stick season' tour. The live show includes the hypnotic vibraphone of Brandy Noel, lap steel guitar/trumpet player Joe Novelli, Sean Donnelly on drums, and Kevin Thaxton on bass.

Oct 31 - CMJ Music Marathon - Mo Pitkins, New York, NY
Nov 2 - CMJ Music Marathon - Fat Baby, New York, NY
Nov 4 - Metropolis Records, Torrington, CT
Nov 5 - WEQX – 45th Annual Ski and Snowboard Expo, Albany, NY (1PM)
Nov 5 - Radio Bean, Burlington, VT (8PM)
Nov 8 - Bear’s Place, Bloomington, IN
Nov 9 - Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines, IA
Nov 11 - The Basement, Nashville, TN
Nov 13 - Tasty World, Athens, GA
Nov 14 - Relative Theory Records, Norfolk, VA
Nov 15 - Brillo Box, Pittsburgh, PA
Nov 17 - No Radio Records, Ithaca, NY
Dec 3 - Melody Inn, Indianapolis, IN
Dec 6 - Liberty D's, Norman, OK
Dec 7 - Launchpad, Albuquerque, NM
Dec 8 - Plush Tucson, AZD
Dec 13 - Red 7, Austin, TX
Dec 14 - KRTU San Antonio, TX
Dec 15 - Cell Block Mobile, AL
Dec 17 - The Grey Eagle Asheville, NC

Hopefully the boys will be ready to rock once they get to Radio Bean, as the afternoon show at the Ski & Snowboard Expo in the bowels of the Gattaca-styled Empire State Plaza in Albany will surely be a trip. I grew up going to that event and I can't remeber bands ever playing while I was checking out winter gear and trying to score lift tickets. But a band does what a band has to do.

BTW, the word on the street is that Awkward Buildings has sold out of its original pressing. A second release is planned for December featuring bonus material, including a collaborative video project from J and cover artist Roland Beccera, a video for Raggedy Ann, and additional footage.

All Songs Considered Podcast - Episode 121

J DiMenna - Prayer Flag.mp3
J DiMenna - To Meet You.mp3
J DiMenna - Awkward Buildings.mp3

Toubab Krewe 2 Nights in Burlington

2006-10-28T19:34:00.000-05:00

Toubab Krewe Live at Winston's - September 29, 2006 via Archive.org

New Jurado

2006-10-26T23:02:00.000-05:00

As I've professed before, Damien Jurado is one of my all-time favs. In celebration of his latest release, And Now That I'm In Your Shadow (out October 10th, but I've been lazy), he's provided a spot-on cover of Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" for Spin Magazine. If the handful of tracks that are streaming on his website and MySpace are any indication, this may very well be one of Damien's best albums.

Two items for the big Jurado fan:
1) torrent of live show from this past summer:
Damien Jurado - 6/10/06 - Lund, Sweden.
2) Audio Blog. Interesting idea, but the latest ones are sort of boring and sad. ie: "there are loud birds everywhere, I don't know if you can hear them. Crickets everywhere too" - October 1, 2006. The earlier entries, on the other hand, consist of some pretty sweet songs that he plays into the phone. Sounds good being all sorts of scratchy: July 18, 2006, July 20, 2006, & July 23, 2006.

Damien Jurado - Pink Moon.mp3 (Nick Drake cover)

And Now That I'm In Your Shadows (Secretly Canadian)
Damien Jurado - What Were the Chances.mp3

What Drugs Will Do To You

2006-10-26T06:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a great YouTube find: Dutch prog-rock one hit wonders, Focus, playing "Hocus Pocus" on the Gladys Knight, of Gladys Knight & the Pips, TV show in 1973. This sentimal yodalelic groove rock masterpiece is made more bizarre by the drug fueled performance.

AMG's review:
Perhaps the most inspired bit of looniness to come out of the progressive rock era, Focus' "Hocus Pocus" was an absolutely irresistible combination of heavy guitar riffs, neo-classical organ, and Alpine yodeling. Sure, lead vocalist Thijs Van Leer also threw in some faux-angelic falsetto, plus a memorable break of rapid-fire, almost Muppet-sounding gibberish over a polka beat. But the descending yodeling line that serves as the song's chorus is the instantly memorable hook, ending with an ascending arpeggio whose squarely on-the-beat rhythmic placement turns the melody into a gleeful parody of neo-classical elegance. Although "Hocus Pocus" is nearly seven minutes long, its structure is pretty simple -- guitarist Jan Akkerman powers his way through the song's main riff, which alternates with passages during which Van Leer struts his stuff. And it isn't always yodeling, either -- besides the aforementioned polka gibberish, Van Leer takes two instrumental solos, playing more complex variations on the song's main riff. The first is an unaccompanied, manic flute solo drenched in echo, and the next is a polka-tinged accordion break over which Van Leer whistles energetically; there is a brief snippet of dubbed-in stadium applause at its conclusion. Toward the second half of the song, Akkerman grabs the solo spotlight during his main-riff sections, spinning off hyperspeed pyrotechnics that mesh perfectly with the insanity going on around him. Plus, there are plenty of short breaks for drummer Pierre van der Linden. The whole package is utterly bizarre, yet crazily infectious as well. Originally released on the 1971 album Moving Waves, "Hocus Pocus" caught on in the U.S. during early 1973, when it scraped the lower reaches of the Top Ten -- a feat rarely accomplished by Dutch bands. Although Focus never duplicated the widespread success of "Hocus Pocus" (nor, really, its humor), the song's spirited goofiness and musical virtuosity still sound fresh and unique.

Thanks AE for the find.

Langdon Street Round Up

2006-10-24T18:40:00.000-05:00

The Bowmans/Kris Gruen show this past Friday ended up being one of the best shows that I've attended all year. Outside Montpelier's cooperatively owned coffee house was the first snow of the year. Inside was warm, comfortable, and exciting. I caught only the last two songs by The Bowmans, but little was heard as the time was spent talking to friends and settling into my first Organic Oatmeal Stout. Soon after Kris took the stage along with a full 4 piece band. The music was much fuller and expressive then his debut album, Lullaby School, - my head full of comparisons with Jeff Buckley (without the 90s era grunge and rediculous vocal range) and Heartbreaker-era Ryan Adams (minus any hint of pretention and a more prominent blues base to accompany the alt-country twang). I found myself wanting to take back the original "folk" label and replacing it with...I don't know...Americana Rock? That doesn't seem right at all. But the show was far more then a dude and a guitar.
For me it was pretty close to perfect.

False45th should have video and a write-up in the near future.

From Lullaby School
Kris Gruen - Tender Theory.mp3
Kris Gruen - In The Clearing.mp3
Kris Gruen - Further Down.mp3

Genius of Yankovic

2006-10-20T11:57:00.000-05:00

Slate has a great article exploring "25 years of Weird Al." It truly is remarkable how current he's been able to stay ever since 1981's Another One Rides the Bus. I know Weird Al a different animal (maybe more of a parasite), but I can't think of any other performers who have stayed at the forefront of pop culture for a period that spans Queen to MIA.

His latest is White 'n Nerdy, which uses Chamillionaire's Ridin' as a basis to parody the world of geek – from Dungeons and Dragons to MySpace to Wikipedia to X Men to ROTFLOL. W 'n N is the hottest YouTube music video for the month. Check it:

The Bowmans in Montpelier this Friday

2006-10-19T07:11:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I posted on Kris Gruen's upcoming gig at Langdon Street Cafe, today I'll post on the group that he's sharing the bill with: The Bowmans.

The Bowmans w/ Kris Gruen - October 20th @ 10 PM - Langdon Street Cafe

Langdon Street's calendar incorrectly identifies them as The Bowman Sisters. They are most definately not The Bowman Sisters, which were around in the 1930s and are credited as the first country sister duet to ever recover. Furthermore, The Bowman Sister's father was the famed Charlie Bowman, fiddler with the original Al Hopkin's Hill Billies from Galax, Va. (my old stomping grounds). The Hill Billies are generally thought to be responsible for establishing the string band as an important part of country music. Bowman is credited with the song Nine Pound Hammer (of course stollen from African-American railroad workers).

Anyways, The Bowmans are twins from NYC via Iowa whose harmonies fuse a beautiful blend of Americana and indie-folk. Claiming Cat Power, Gillian Welch, Nick Drake, and Neutral Milk Hotel as influences, they self-describe their sound as "shades of Americana connect with characteristics of modern singer-songwriters; vaudeville blends with indie-folk; undertones of classical influences meld with loads of rock and roll edge."

Purchase The Bowman's latest, Far From Home, from AntiFolk Records here.

The Bowmans - On The Road.mp3
The Bowmans - Diggin for Gold.mp3
The Bowmans - The Kitchen Song.mp3

Kris Gruen in Montpelier this Friday

2006-10-18T19:15:00.000-05:00

I've been digging Lullaby School by Kris Gruen all summer. Early 30 something creative writing teacher in Montpelier, Kris’ debut album is full of tender yet captivating folk music. Via the Kris Gruen website:

From the outset, the deftly plucked banjo strings and soothing vocals on Lullaby School point to a tasteful array of Americana influences-- Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens and Jeff Buckley to recall a few. However, Kris manages to make this collection distinctly his own. With tracks like "Truffles", "Further Down” and "Enchant Me" he moves us from moods that at once haunt, then embolden, then lament with somber fragility.

Kris Gruen w/ The Bowmans - October 20th @ 10pm - Langdon Street Cafe

Click here to read the Seven Days review of Lullaby School by False45th's Flatlander.

Click here to purchase Lullaby School.

Time Eater: Line Rider UPDATE

2006-10-16T19:35:00.000-05:00

As the weather gets colder I wait in anticipation for one thing: sledding. Nothing is like traipsing through the backcountry on a crisp winter day seeking out the next dangerous chute. Or letting a day at the office melt away as I launch off the backyard kicker with my two year old.

Luckily I've found something to hold me over until the season arrives. Line Rider is a simple, yet highly addictive, flash game that brings the kid out of me. A product of the DeviantART online artist community (wiki), Line Rider is a sledding game that lets you create a terrain and then watch to see if the little dude makes it. It has already ate up a good two hours of my time, but has been totally worth it.

N Lannon - Hollow Heart.mp3

UPDATE

Some folks with WAY more time and skill on their hands have turned this little game into something specatular. YouTube is full of people's Line Rider creations. This one is my favorite:
Thanks =A= for the link.

Joseph Arthur: Nuclear Daydream

2006-10-12T11:17:00.000-05:00

I picked up Joseph Arthur's 2002 release, Redemption's Son, thanks to a KCRW stream. Though I found the album a bit unbalanced and at times fairly thin (even though he puts a trillion layers on his vocals), I kept Arthur on the radar. Now I'm glad I did, as Nuclear Daydream has just been released. While he's always had that global appeal that comes with being "found" by Peter Gabriel and touring with Ben Harper and lightweights like Gomez, the country-rock/Americana mixed with Leanord Cohenesque brooding seems to be the most sincere on this here fifth disc.

My Old Kentucky Blog is raving about a recent live Indianapolis performance and has the whole show available for download.

Joseph Arthur - Too Much to Hide.mp3
Joseph Arthur - Black Lexus.mp3
Joseph Arthur - Slide Away.mp3
Joseph Arthur - Last Train to Ithaca.mp3 (Not on Album)

Eliane Elias

2006-10-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

Eliane Elias: Brazilian songstress with piano chops and a penchant for covers. While her recent album, 'Around The City,' is filled with originals that fit nicely in the background of a 30 something's wineparty, it's the bossa nova covers that stick for me. First is a reworking of Bob Marley's "Jammin," second a playful version of Beck's "Tropicalia."

Eliane Elias - Jammin(Bob Marley Cover).mp3
Eliane Elias - Tropicalia(Beck Cover).mp3

Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars in Barre UPDATE

2006-10-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

A soundtrack to a documentary whose focus is the making of the soundtrack? Sounds a bit circular, but well worth the trip.

It's the remarkable story of a group of six Sierra Leonean musicians who came together to form a band, not creatively titled, but to the point Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars) while living as refugees in the Republic of Guinea. Through music they find a place of refuge, a sense of purpose and a source of power. The film follows the band over the course of three years as they make the difficult decision to return to their war-torn country and realize their dream of recording an album of their original music. The award winning documentary (preview below) is touring the film festival circuit and will be making a stop in Burlington this week for the 17th Annual Vermont International Film Festival, with Q&A on the 15th.

After viewing the film you can wait 12 days and check out the live show at the Barre Opera House on October 27th. Their debut album was released last month on ANTI-records.

Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars - October 27 - Barre Opera House

The Barre Opera House is a pretty spectacular Neoclassical building (which also houses City Hall). When opened in 1899, it was considered the finest theatre in VT. Reconstructed in the late 90's, it's still a great historic place to see a show.

All-Stars at Myspace
All-Stars on NPR

Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars - Living Like A Refugee.mp3
Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars - Big Lesson.mp3

UPDATE
According to the All-Stars booking agency, Rosebuds, and our local weekly paper, The World, the documentary will be shown at Monpelier City Hall this Saturday, October 20th, as a benefit for the Vermont Refugee Assistance non-profit.

RIDE A BIKE!

2006-10-05T08:58:00.000-05:00

The most detailed report identifying global warming affects in the Northeast was released yesterday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
The Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment is the result of two years using multiple state-of-the-art climate models and weather records to project likely climate changes from New Jersey and Pennsylvania up to Maine through 2099. Some of the most impactful statements in the report illustrate how the environments of individual states are predicted to be impacted by current development trends; ie: New Hampshire's climate will be more like that of South Carolina by the end of the century; with lower greenhouse emissions, it would be like North Carolina. In the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region, without changes the climate would be like eastern Virginia's by century's end; with lower emissions, it would be more like Georgia's.

The Changing Northeast Climate: Our Choices, Our Legacy - Eight page summary of the report

Reducing Heat-Trapping Emissions in the Northeast - Two page fact sheet on climate solutions for the Northeast

Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast - Full Report

Hayden - Bad as They Seem.mp3 (Neiles Life)

Share the Music

2006-08-25T07:44:00.000-05:00

Central Vermont Share the Music, Inc. (CVSM) is a Montpelier based non-profit which puts on the Annual Used Musical Instrument Sale. This weekend marks the 10th anniversary of the sale, which grossed $16,000 last year.

This Friday, Aug. 25, and Saturday, Aug. 26, at Bethany Church, 115 Main Street in Montpelier.

Drop off - Friday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Help with pricing will be available. The owners of instruments that are sold will receive 80 percent of the selling price, and Central Vermont Share the Music will retain a 20 percent commission and donate the entire proceeds from the sale for music scholarships for Vermonters at all levels of proficiency.

Purchase - Saturday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Home for Vermont Music Archives?

2006-08-21T08:52:00.000-05:00

It's fun when different aspects of life come together. In this case it's planning, Vermont, and music.

Abandoned Addison Co. Building to Become VT Music Sanctuary

By Casey Kaufman

Can an effort to preserve Vermont 's music also help save a historic landscape? That is the goal of Big Heavy World’s newest project; the restoration of a century-old abandoned building to become a climate controlled archive of music from the Green Mountain State.

With headquarters in downtown Burlington, Big Heavy World is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting Vermont 's original music. Staffed mostly by volunteering teens, it was founded in 1996 and has been collecting and cataloging Vermont-made music as The Vermont Music Library since 1998.

The building is located on a rock ledge overlooking the valley along Lewis Creek at the north end of Starksboro's historic village district. Starksboro is in Addison County, a region that's emblematic of Vermont 's agricultural traditions. "Our attraction to the structure arose from its location," says Big Heavy World Executive Director James Lockridge. "The archive building overlooks Lewis Creek Farm and the Hogback Mountains. It's scenic and peaceful, a great home for the music." This restoration will be a nice addition to the area’s recent trend of preserving buildings on the verge of demolition as opposed to neglecting or gutting them.

Known as the L.S. Gordon Store, the building was constructed in 1908 and served as a general store in the once-bustling mill town. It was purchased for Big Heavy World by a family that will be devoting itself to a true historic restoration, returning the structure to its original appearance. It once had large plate-glass windows, installed when the technology to produce the large sheets of glass was very new. New glass produced authentically on old, original machines will be procured as replacements. “It is such a pleasure to see a building like this rescued, especially this one," says Elsa Gilbertson, Regional Historic Site Administrator for the Vermont Division of Historic Preservation and resident of Starksboro.

The restoration is a reflection of Vermonters valuing their culture and its history, as well as the spirit of volunteerism that has been apparent throughout the project. The Myers Container Service Corp provided two 30-yard dumpsters for a site clean-up, a boon to the organization that struggles for operational support. On July 8, a hot Saturday, eight volunteers gathered to work throughout the day to clear away trash, empty paint cans, and old shingles surrounding the building. “I was glad to be there and see all of the volunteers working together,” says Katy McElroy, a Hamilton College intern at Big Heavy World who helped load buckets with debris and brigade them for disposal. “It was great to see all of the progress that was made by the end of the day.”

Others are lending their support as well: The Preservation Trust of Vermont subsidized a condition assessment of the building with a grant from its Robert Sincerbeaux Fund and John Moyers, owner of the Old Bristol Trading Post, contributed windows from his renovation project to be re-purposed as cabinetry glass in the music archive.

The project has to make its way successfully through town zoning processes before carpentry can begin, but everyone involved so far is optimistic and working together. "Gordon's store is a bit of a diamond in the rough," says preservationist Eliot Lothrop of Building Heritage, LLC. "The Vermont Music Library Archives is an excellent fit and will be a great landmark on the edge of the village."

Toubab Krewe in VT this Weekend

2006-08-03T20:31:00.000-05:00

Two chances to catch Toubabe Krewe this weekend in Northern Vermont. On Friday, August 4th, they'll be playing the 9:45-11:30 pm slot at the North East Kingdom Music Festival (NEKMF) in East Albany, VT. I caught their set last year (which was followed by the intense and engaging Saul Williams) at this totally hippified event. This was my first foray into the world of summer music festivals since I had become mr america (husband, father, working for the man, house, picket fence, suv, etc, etc). It was startling to realize how far removed I had become from the "fatty veggie burrito" days of yore. It was fun none-the-less. And thankfully my kid didn't end up with lice.

If you aren't too keen on the hippies and don't want to throw down 80 bucks, then head over to Burke Mountain for the 1st Annual Umbrellafest on Sunday, August 6th. Announced just this week, Umbrellafest is a fundraiser for a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering communities of strong women, supported families and safe homes (you guessed it, it's called Umbrella). This family oriented event starts around 3 pm with some local music, barbeque, and family activities (Bounce House, Face Painting, and Waterslide - oh my!). Toubab Krewe will perform outside of the Sherburne Base Lodge starting at 7:00 pm. $10 Adults, $5 Children or $25 Family.

The Krewe did a pretty decent interview and live performance a month ago on NPR's World Cafe. Click here for the page with links to the whole session and live studio tracks. The version of Roy Forrester is righteous, brother.

Live experience from The Bandersnatch, Granville , OH - 2.14.06:

Holy Hasselholff!

2006-07-24T20:52:00.000-05:00

I'm afraid he's serious:

One from the Office

2006-07-18T17:05:00.000-05:00

So the new job has really cut into my blogging career. Never a career, obviously/actually, but if I keep the late nights up it can never ever be.

But I'm bucking the tendencies and posting a quick one from the office cpu. Albiet at 6pm, but a post none-the-less. No worka gonna keepa me down...

Biru brought this one into my field of vision and I am greatly grateful (while eating grotesque and grandeous grapes). Horse Feathers are featured on the new PDX Pop Now comp that's floating around. Perfect new-roots/old-time with the necessary violin and banjo, this two-piece Portland, Oregon outfit makes beautiful music that fits very well next to Sam Beam. And by next to I nearly mean at the same level. Their full-length debut, entitled Words are Dead, is scheduled for a September release. Check it:

Horse Feathers - Finch on Saturday.mp3

Going Down the Crooked Road

2006-07-07T20:55:00.000-05:00

Going Down the Crooked Road is a fantastic website that chronicles the adventures of three individuals trekking the Virginia Heritage Music Trail, a series of linked roadways that traverse a 250-mile course deep in Southwest Virginia. The trail is a tourism initiative created to spotlight the area's mountain music traditions and history. The site includes interesting interviews, recordings, podcasts, photographs, and even recipes that highlight not only the past but also the current status of a culture that's consumed by music.

Perhaps I find this especially intriguing given that I used to frequent Floyd's Friday Night Jamboree. It was a melting pot of old timers, hippies, and suburban college kids, but the music, dancing, and toothless smiles were as real and genuine as any situation I've ever experienced. It's great to see a multimedia website that so accurately portrays the experience.

Make sure you click on the Multimedia Experience box.

Farm - June 24 - Langdon St. Cafe, Montpelier

2006-07-06T19:05:00.000-05:00

A good number of months ago I wrote about this St Albans, VT based trio in advance of their last Montpelier appearance. I wasn't in attendance that time around, but made sure to catch them when they played two weeks ago at Langdon Street Cafe.

What I expected was an eclectic low-fi roots rock show with occasional spaced out solos and muffled vocals. What I got included all of the above, but with more creativity, multi-instrumentalism, and soulful blues. The band members rotated seats throughout the show, allowing for a variety of tempos and styles. This is something that could easily leave the listener ranking favorites and the set sounding fractured, but in this instance it worked extremely well. Each singer had a distinct style for sure (first impressions from each: Bonnie Prince Billy-era Will Oldham, Nirvana unplugged, and Black Mountain stoner rock chants), but the music stayed stayed nestled in that neverworld where blues based-stoner rock-indie Americana meet.

Below are a handful of tracks from the show, which do a better job illustrating the tight variety than I can. The quality is surprisingly good, if only a bit quiet. Don't miss the beautiful Devil's Got a Hold on Me (which balances sloppy guitar and pitch-perfect trumpet) or the fantastically distorted and drawn-out 31.

Sadly enough these guys will be strangers from the road during the next few months. Hopefully their return will bring about a new cd that can capture some of the understated excitement that they put out live.

More dark and blurry pictures at Flickr

Live at Langdon Street Cafe - 6/24/06
Farm - Devil's Got a Hold On Me (live).mp3
Farm - Story's Over (live).mp3
Farm - 31 (live).mp3

Aberdeen City coming to Vermont

2006-07-01T00:50:00.000-05:00

Boston based Aberdeen City will be performing on June 25th at Murder by Death and Langhorne Slim. I came across AC last summer via the fantastic Bradley's Almanac. I guess it's a bit modern rock, like a sellable product from the Williamsburg Interpol Cloning Factory that was so busy a few years ago, but I enjoy them none-the-less.

This is what Indie Workshop had to say about their 2005 debut The Freezing Atlantic (which will be re-released August 8th by Sony):

The band has an uncanny knack for finding the right moments of sheer orgasmic, melodic release amid a bed of lyrical and musical tension that occasionally sounds so claustrophobic, it's like you're afraid to breathe. Normally I would hesitate to describe a band's songs as "anthemic," but in the case of The Freezing Atlantic, I use that word in the most complimentary light possible. These are songs on a grand scale, crafted yet still retaining a visceral element that keeps the album and the listener alike on edge.

Purchase The Freezing Atlantic for $10

Aberdeen City at MySpace

Four song in-studio performance at WOXY - 11.11.05

Band of Horses - June 20 - The Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC

2006-06-27T23:08:00.000-05:00

Beyond their really great debut album Everything All the Time, I didn't know anything about Band of Horses before seeing them in Asheville during a recent trip to my old stomping grounds. Given their shiny Sub-Pop packaging, I expected a fairly conservative Ben Gibbard and Co. look and performance. I had no idea.

The Grey Eagle is a hot place. Fans are blowing, rafters are exposed, and Pabst is the drink of choice. I set the scene just to let you know how perfect BoH fit in this context. When lead singer Ben Bridwell came on stage to take his seat behind a lap steel, he flashed a huge crooked toothed grin behind a scragly bearded face and heavily tatooed neck. He looked like so much of the crowd, a sea of southern redneck/punk/hippy hipsters. Before they started into the set he thanked his mom and aunt who were in attendence. At this moment it all came clear. He wasn't actually from the Northwest - he's a southerner, specifically a South Carolinian. This show was to be a sort of homecoming. That's exactly how they played.

The band tore through nearly every song on the latest disc, adding a few new tracks and even a cover of Hall & Oates' You Make My Dreams (preceeded with "this is for you mom"). I couldn't believe how much energy and presence they had on stage. It was raw and beautiful. Ben's voice is as pure and clear live as it is on the album (at least two dudes surrounding me were talking about how much they envied his vocal chords). It was the perfect rock show - just fun and rednecky of the southern variety (sort of a more approachable My Morning Jacket). The industrial fans did nothing to cool the sweaty crowd or performers. It was sweaty bliss. Pabst splashing all around.

Band of Horses at MySpace

More pictures at Flickr

Check out 3 Red Squares for some decent video footage of their recent Atlanta performance

Band of Horses - Funeral.mp3
Band of Horses - Bass Song.mp3
Band of Horses - Dingle.mp3
Band of Horses - Wicked.mp3

Norfolk & Western and Devotchka - June 26 - Higher Ground

2006-06-26T23:53:00.000-05:00

Great show. N&W covered Neil Young and Camper Van Beethoven. Devotchka covered Siouxsie and the Banshees. (Last week I saw Band of Horses cover Hall & Oates. I have no idea what's going on.) N&W played really strong and had lots of depth. Roots folk, but with more energy and sound then I anticipated. The Neil cover fit perfectly.

I saw Devotchka open up for M Ward approximately a year ago. I think there were a dozen people there, tops. That show felt so weird - the romantic atmospheric music and an empty room. It was like they were singing just to me and I didn't like it very much (the music was fine, but the feeling was a bit too intense, almost stalkerish). I thought that in the right setting they would be fantastic and far from flat. I was right. Approximately 200 people filled HG's small room. People were dancing and enjoying; the band even seemed to be digging the crowd's energy (espec. for a Monday night). I still find Devotchka a bit gimmicky, but I can appreciate gimmick. The lights on the tuba, the theramin, the banana shaker, not to forget the South American rhythms and Eastern European gypsy melodies, it all works. Just make sure more that you are surrounded by more then a dozen of your friends.

Norfolk & Western

Norfolk & Western set list

Devotchka

More pictures at Flickr

Indie Music Festival in Montreal!!!

2006-06-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

I have to say I've slowly become jealous seeing all of the amazing music festivals cropping up in every nook and crany of North America (even in Lawrence, Kansas!). We do have the fantastic POP Montreal Festival every fall, but there's nothing like the mix of music and sunshine on the skin. Jealous no longer, the Osheaga Festival has just been announced in Montreal during Labor Day weekend! (is it Labour Day in Canada? I thought that was just and American holiday.)

40 bands across 4 stages for 2 days of music and arts. The line-up is starting to look like this:
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
Flaming Lips
Sonic Youth
Damian Marley
Bedouin Soundclash
K-Os
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Dinosaur Jr.
Starsailor
The Hidden Cameras
Final Fantasy
Bell Orchestre
The Stills
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
DobaCaracol
Islands
Malajube
The Magic Numbers
Lady Sovereign
Joseph Arthur
Wolf Parade
World Party

Get your $80 weekend tickets this weekend through Higher Ground. It looks to be a great time at the beautiful Parc Jean-Drapeau amongst Buckminster Fuller's Geodesic Dome, Alexander Calder's Man, and a stones through from Casino de Montreal.

Let's Dance

2006-06-16T10:35:00.000-05:00

Today's my last day at my job. Ending an era. An era of only 32 months, but an era none-the-less. On to newer and bigger things. I'm expecting the new position keeping me in my hometown much more, so expect less Montpelier insights, but more Barre love.

I've attached a live version of M. Ward covering Bowie's early 80's hit Let's Dance. The track was recorded at LA's Largo on back in 2003. A far superior studio version can be found tucked at the end of Matt Ward's great 2003 release Transfiguration of Vincent.

M. Ward's latest album, Post War, will be released by Merge Records on August 22nd and includes appearances by Adam Selzer (Norfolk & Western), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Neko Case, and many others.

Purchase Transfiguration of Vincent at Insound

Largo, LA, California - 9/30/03
M. Ward - Let's Dance(live).mp3

Post War
M. Ward - To Go Home.mp3 (featuring Neko Case)
M. Ward - Right in the Head.mp3

Remembering the Soweto Uprising

2006-06-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

30 years ago today black students in Soweto, S. Africa rose up against the ruling apartheid regime and its Afrikaans Medium Decree, a policy which forced all black students to learn the Afrikaans language and be taught secondary school mathematics, social sciences, geography and history in the language. Soweto, which is specifically a collection of townships that hold more then 50% of Johannesburg's population (the most populous city in South Africa, third most populous in Africa behind Cairo and Lagos), was created during the height of the apartheid regime specifically for housing African people who were then living in areas designated by the government for white settlement. The riots on this date had been bubbling to the surface for some time, as some Soweto children went on strike months earlier in defiance of the Deputy Minister of Bantu Education's statement: I have not consulted the African people on the language issue and I'm not going to. An African might find that 'the big boss' only spoke Afrikaans or only spoke English. It would be to his advantage to know both languages.

Intended as a peaceful demonstration carefully planned and supported by the Black Consciousness Movement, the protest became bloody when the 10,000 students found themselves trapped in a police barricade along their intended route. The police gassed the crowd and then started shooting students, killing 20 black students and supporters on the first day. The violence continued during the days that followed as the heavily armed police locked down Soweto, swept the city at night and enabled officers to shoot at random. The total number of people killed varies from 200 to over 1000.

South Africans, Africans, and the international community were shocked and outraged by this demonstration of brute force and oppression by the ruling Afrikaans party. The riots signified the beginning of the end for apartheid, greatly due to international pressure from the UN and many Western nations.

Today, June 16th, is celebrated in South Africa as Youth Day.

S Africa marking Soweto uprising from today's BBC
Article and pictures of the riot
Hector Pieterson, the new Che Guevara
Cry Freedom and Steve Biko

Abdullah Ibrahim - Guilty.mp3 (via WFMU)

Age Rings

2006-06-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

Six-piece out of Boston, Great Scott this past Tuesday with excellent Birdmonster, New Yorkers in a few weeks at Lit Lounge), sink your teeth into the mp3s.

Boston Globe write-up

Age Rings - Everything'll Fall Apart.mp3
Age Rings - Calm Down.mp3
Age Rings - Millions of Americans.mp3

Jackhammers will kill ya

2006-06-12T10:26:00.000-05:00

Oh how I miss SW Virginia.

Phew

2006-06-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

It's been 19 days since my last post. Not bragging. Just shy of Lat 44.2N's one year anniversary and I go and get all sorts of slack. No promises about getting regular in the near term, as there's way too many things currently biding for my time (new job, travel, home repairs, etc). But don't go out and take me off your blogroll (or perhaps favorites?) just yet, as this is just a spell. I've got plenty of blog in me - I'll be sneaking a few in between airport terminals and foundation repairs. Promise.

The Pants Tickets Going Quick UPDATE

2006-05-23T18:43:00.000-05:00

I swung past the Higher Ground box office yesterday and picked up a pair of tickets for this Saturday's reunion of the long defunct Burlington rock gods The Pants. Good thing I did, as the fella working the window said they've already sold more then 500 tickets, leaving only 100 or so left. I have no doubt that the show will sell out - 100 tickets a week before a show can disappear like Little Debbies at fat camp. If you are planning on seeing what the buzz is all about (as is the case with me), or you want to recapture the days of yore, you better get off your rump. And do it before the UVM kids start hearing the Trey Anastasio rumors.

The Pants w/ Tell No One (formerly Akrasia) - May 27 - Higher Ground

Casey over at Solidstate has a handful of tracks available for download

Purchase The Pants' Eat Crow for $10 at the Vermont Music Shop

UPDATE (5/26/06) - It looks like the 100 tickets left was an exaggeration. As of Wednesday there were more like 300 tickets left for the show. That doesn't make a sell-out imminent, but still possible.

Sharron Van Etten/The Hero Cycle/Fire the Cannons - May 19 - Montpelier, VT

2006-05-23T18:27:00.000-05:00

Friday, May 19th saw the first true indie rock show at Montpelier's Positive Pie II. Unless they are able to work out the sound, it may be the last. The bands played well and the crowd was excited and un-characteristically "hip" (topping at nearly 150 for The Hero Cycle), but the harshness of the sound and bad mix made the show fairly difficult for all parties involved. Flatlander at False45th has a much more detailed and well written review of the evening then I could put down. I agree with his assessment. Despite the difficulties it was fun and I look forward to seeing The Hero Cycle in the future. I'd like Positive Pie II to give it another try, but I'm afraid that their space will only be useful for hosting the booming bass of hip hop and reggae.

More pictures are available at Flickr.

The Sixfifteens/Greg Davis/The Books - May 12 - Middlebury College

2006-05-19T07:02:00.000-05:00

Oh college. That wonderful time of exploration and experimentation. The safety. The "be your selfness." I spent four years at a small liberal arts school, but it has nothing on Middlebury. The parents of the 2.300 kids pay $43k/year (endowment of $660 million doesn't touch Harvard's 22 BILLION, but it's certainly something) and they expect their kids to be taken care of. And they are.

The spring festival for WRMC, Middlebury's college radio station, known as Sepomana, is a pretty sweet deal. They've been known to pull in Animal Collective and Rilo Kiley; this year's main act was The Books.

Opening the show was the Saratoga Springs, NY four piece The Sixfifteens. Blending perfect pop with mathrock arrangements, the 4 piece entertained the crowd of approx 75 for nearly an hour. Powered by Joel Lilly's infectious and creative drumming and Jeff Fox's guitar riffs, they went far beyond the normal opening band meekness, even earning a crowd demanded encore.

Keeping with the theme of liberal arts open mindedness, the rock of The Sixfifteens were followed by a dude DJ'ing from his laptop. I'm sorry, but that does absolutely nothing for me. Especially when he mixed in a hip-hop version of Stairway to Heaven. I chose to stand outside in the rain. My civil disobedience.

I came back halfway through Burlington's own Greg Davis sitting cross-legged on the stage in front of his laptop. Looking as peaceful as Thich Nhat Hanh, he occasionally accompanied Mac generated enviro-soundscapes with bells, a squeezebox, and omming, all the while mushroom images swirled above him. The crowd was sitting and subdued, with the front row laying on their backs staring off into the dark ceiling.

Then came the main event. The crowd swelled to three times its earlier size as soon as The Books took the stage. They were rewarded handsomely.

First off, the two dudes are incredible musicians. Guitar and cello. I was amazed at how fast and creatively they played to pre-recorded material (mostly beats, but other things too. Pretty much all but main vocals and the strings). One could argue that it was a bit too structured and pre-planned - leaving out improv, but that's cutting it short. In addition to the sound (which made the wanna-be hippie kids dance in their LEOTARDS), it was all about the perfect visuals that were primarily video segments. The first one was ancient b&w shots of prominent Mormons - some times it was a few seconds of someone standing, other times they would go all Brady Bunch and have multiples on the screen, and at other times it was shots of ants in the grass. One whole section concerned religious ceremonies - absurdity surrounding Baptist revivalist stuff ("you're healed!") next to shots of Hindus, etc, etc. Then there were times when the black screen had just white words in time with the lyrics ala Dylan/INXS. The interesting thing was that they weren't written in plain English, but instead were totally screwed up smaller sentences with weird letters, but still readable. The effect was that if the audience was forced to concentrate on what was being said, even though it was impossible to know all that was being taken in.

The bottom line is that it was pretty amazing. More performance in the art sense then concert. It would fit perfectly at MASSMoCA or some other contemporary art museum. I left realizing how their stuff on cd is only half the package; Which is sort of how it always felt - a bit empty. But the imagery transforms it into something much more then just music.

I was surprised by The Books closing song, which was a beautiful cover of Nick Drake's Cello Song. I never imagined hippie dancing to Nick Drake, but Middlebury students surpass all expectations.

At the end of The Books set I heard one of The Sixfifteen guys say, "did we play tonight?" My sentiments exactly. It went from rock to DJ to acid trip to art house. Liberal arts at its finest.

Great article by the Harvard Independent, which grapples with describing The Books in concert.

More pictures available here.

YouTube concert footage:
The Books - Cello Song (Nick Drake cover) - North Adams, MA - 5.6.06
The Books - Take Time - Grand Rapids, MI - 4.28.06
The Books - Smells Like Content - Hollywood, CA - 4.15.06

Devotchka/Norfolk & Western coming to Higher Ground

2006-05-16T12:50:00.000-05:00

Indie gimmickry that's greater then the sum of its parts:

Devotchka/Norfolk & Western - June 26 - Higher Ground

Denver based Devotchka is a big band with a big appetite (name inspired by my most unfavorite movie of all time: A Clockwork Orange). They flawlessly perform Eastern Eurpean soundscapes with more emotion then an Olympian losing the gold. I saw them open for M Ward at Higher Ground last April in front of a handful of people. Disgrace. Hopefully the recent Beirut references will pull out more folks. They are plenty deserving and put on a great show. As much influenced by Modest Mouse and Ennio Morricone as gypsy rock.

Norfolk & Western are on of my favorite "period" group. They have a vintage folk feel but are unafraid to bring the rock. The latest N&W release, A Gilded Age (available for $9!), keeps the beats solid, the banjos picking, and the harmonies sweet. N&W's lead singing through a Victrola Grammaphone, like Devotchka's gypsy rock, may seem a bit gimmicky, but it works. Just make sure you check your preconceived notions at the door.

MySpace
Devotchka
Norfolk & Western

Devotchka - How it Ends.mp3
Devotchka - We're Leaving.mp3
Norfolk & Western - A Guilded Age.mp3
Norfolk & Western - Porch Destruction.mp3

Sharon Van Etten coming to Montpelier

2006-05-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

Sharon Van Etten hails from central New Jersey and creates haunting and engaging acoustic guitar music. That's all I know. Four of the more haunting songs can streamed at MySpace. Two more are attached. I hope to learn more this Friday, which looks to be a great night out in Montpelier.

Sharon Van Etten/Carrigan/Fire The Cannons/The Hero Cycle - May 19 - Positive Pie II - Montpelier

Sharon Van Etten - You Don't Wear White Well.mp3
Sharon Van Etten - You're No Good.mp3

Jolie Holland

2006-05-12T08:08:00.000-05:00

Jolie Holland made me cry. I was huddled over a listening station at Pure Pop Records this past weekend checking out Holland's latest disc, Springtime Can Kill You, and the horns on Crush in the Ghetto got me. I stood there, tears streaming down my face, dumbfounded. I can barely explain it - the horns we so beautiful and sad, perfectly matching Holland's vintage voice.

Jolie Holland was a founding member of the Vancouver-based all female old-timey bluegrass/blues/folk outfit The Be Good Tanyas, but left after contributing tracks to the group's stellar debut, Blue Horse. While I enjoy The Be Good Tanyas for a breezy summers drive, I appreciate Jolie Holland for the darker more introspective moments. Her solo work is equally beautiful, but in a sadder/smokier way. The Be Good Tanyas are to Vancouver as Jollie Holland is to her native Texas.

Springtime Can Kill You is Holland's second proper release (the first, Catalpa, was a collection of early demos). I have yet to pick up a copy (it was released on Tuesday, but the local shop, Buch Speiler, lived up to their reputation and didn't have a copy on hand), but gauging from what I've heard and the early reviews I've read (Metacritic has it at 87, above Springsteen's great Seeger Sessions, the Arctic Monkeys' debut, and St. Elsewhere by Gnarles Barkley), it'll fulfill my needs when I'm searching for a soundtrack to life's beautiful sadness.

And excitedly, Higher Ground has booked Holland and her "sepia-toned song noir and billowy voice":

Jolie Holland w/ Sean Hayes - July 13 - Higher Ground, S. Burlington

Purchase all of Holland's discs at Insound

Springtime Can Kill You
Jolie Holland - Crazy Dreams.mp3
Jolie Holland - Springtime Can Kill You.mp3

Escondida
Jolie Holland - Old Fashion Morphine.mp3
Jolie Holland - Black Stars.mp3

Catalpa
Jolie Holland - I Wanna Die.mp3
Jolie Holland - Black Hand Blues.mp3

Politics

2006-05-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple short but sweet notes from the Vermont political landscape.

First, I'm a big fan of author and VPR commentator Philip Baruth's blog, Vermont Daily Briefing. His insight and wit are intriguing and fun. Yesterday's post takes the cake. In Tarrant Openly Taunts Workers: “It’s All Mine! Whoo!”, he details the Republican billionaire candidate for Senate's campaign theme song, Bachman Turner Overdrive's Taking Care of Business. The lyrics for the song highlight "a very rich man openly mocking the workers who don’t control their own destinies." Truly amazing and, as Baruth points out, rivals Reagan's attempted usage of Born in the USA.

The second note is pretty glum. Douglas to veto seed bill. Sad day for Vermont. If you want to do something, contact the Governor today to request that he sign S.18, The Farmer Protection Act. 802-828-3333. Click here and here for more information.

Jana Hunter & Devendra Banhart - A Bright-Ass Light.mp3 (via musicisart)

Damien Jurado

2006-05-01T19:17:00.000-05:00

Damien Jurado is one of my favorite "generation x" crooners (along with Richard Buckner). He's a sad "urban folky" from Seattle who has been pressing deeply personal and exciting albums since 1997's Water Ave S. His five lp's since have traveled between rolicking numbers, alt-country, found sounds, and downbeat acoustic musings. Through it all is a classic storytelling lyrical style, emotion, and a sound far from polished.

Damien and company played a handful of dates earlier this year with Clem Snide and Rocky Votolato, but he cut the tour short as he went home "to just hang out loving my family who i am feeling distant from" as he was once again dealing with depression.

I've always been impressed with his dedication to his family, as I heard him once on a KEXP studio broadcast attempting to play while his young son was running around pressing buttons in the studio (he explained that it was his day with the little guy).

Here are a couple tracks off the six song tour ep that was available during the short-lived tour. It's acoustic and sad - just the way I like it.

Damien Jurado at MySpace

Purchase most of Damien's recordings directly from his website

Damien Jurado - Denton, Texas.mp3
Damien Jurado - Arcade.mp3

Toubab Krewe - Montpelier, VT - April 27, 2006

2006-04-28T11:35:00.000-05:00

Toubab Krewe, hailing from both Asheville, NC and Cabot,VT, played their brand of West African jam-rock music to a capacity crowd at Montpelier's Positive Pie 2. The approximately 150 person crowd noodled their way through a two hour set based in Malian beats, improv jams, and kora breakdowns. It's amazing to witness the growth that this group, who started less then two years ago, has experienced. The music was strong, positive, and connected as ever, but they appear to be taking more risks and mixing in a handful of new songs.

TK will be playing numerous summer festivals, including Bonnaroo, the Joshua Tree Music Festival, and the Northeast Kingdom Vermont Music Festival, as part of a non-stop touring schedule that doesn't quit until August. The next step Burlington's Metronome tonight. Ex-Phish bassist, Mike Gordon, will most likely be seen lurking next to the stage, as he's said to be a huge fan and is reportedly receiving kora lessons from the Krewe's Justin Perkins.

More blurry shots available at Flickr.

Toubab Krewe at MySpace

Purchase Toubab Krewe's debut album at CDBaby

Toubab Krewe - Wassoulou/Bani.wma

Toubab Krewe - Bamana Niya.wma

Toubab Krewe - Moose.mp3 (live from Goombay Festival - 9/26/05)

Danielson UPDATE

2006-04-27T11:37:00.000-05:00

Danielson's sixth and most accessible album to date, Ships, hits the shelves on May 9. Danielson (who can also be found under the monikers Danielson Famile, Daniel C. Smith, Bro. Danielson, Danielsonship, and Tri-Danielson) is part of the Sounds Familyre collection of artists (Half-Handed Cloud, Sufjan Stevens, Sereena-Maneesh, etc). What started out 10 years ago as a senior thesis project while finishing art school has grown into a group that has created multiple concept albums (Alpha, Omega, and Brother is to Son) and a reputation for wild "heart on sleeve" stage shows filled with uniforms and even the occasional nine-foot tall fruit tree costume (remember, art school).

For those who like Sufjan's quirky preciousness, but want something a bit more arty (and even more Christian), then Danielson's your man and Ships is your disc.

BTW, SXSW saw the debut of the group's documentary, Danielson: A Family Movie (or, Make a Joyful Noise Here). Click here for a preview (in .mov)

Pre-order Ships directly from Sounds Familyre

UPDATE: Danielson will be playing Higher Ground on July 21 with openers Phantom Buffalo! I'll freak if they give away ice cream and have a reading of Jane Jacobs' work while Glory of Love is playing in the background.

Danielson - Two Sitting Ducks.m4a
Danielson - Did I Step on Your Trumpet.m4a

The 100 Worst Lyrics of All Time

2006-04-26T08:39:00.000-05:00

The great independent weekly serving New England's major costal cities (Boston, Providence, & Portland), The Phoenix, has a hillarious piece out entitled The 100 worst lyrics of all time. While there's actually only a couple dozen on the list (it's a spoof on the VH1 specials), it includes a good number of doozies. For example:

LFO, “Summer Girls”
“New Kids On The block had a bunch of hits / Chinese food makes me sick/And I think it's fly when girls stop by for the summer, for the summer.”
We would print out the whole song, but we threw up after rhyming “speakin’” with “Alex P. Keaton.”

Train “Drops of Jupiter”
“Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone conversation /The best soy latte that you ever had . . . and me”
First we’re travelling in space all fine and dandy, then he starts name-dropping fads from the year 2000 as if it’s a VH1 special and he’s Hal Sparks. Soy Lattes? Tae Bo? Yes, Venus did blow our minds.

Bruce Springsteen, "Glory Days"
"He could throw that speed ball by you / make you look like a fool"
Bruce, we hate to bring this up, because we think you're great and everything, and it might sound a little nitpicky and all, but it's just that . . . um . . . well, a fastball is what Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson throw and a speedball is what John Belushi took to kill himself. Unless you were trying to make a prophetic comment about Doc Gooden's career, in which case you did a great job.

America, "A Horse With No Name"
"There were plants and birds and rocks and things"
What, did he get tired? Rocks and things?

Take a look and don't forget to vote for the worst.

Peter Cetera - Glory of Love.mp3 (via Earfarm)

Free Cone Day

2006-04-25T14:03:00.000-05:00

Today is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry's. They may have sold-out to the man (Unilever) years ago, but the ice cream company that put Vermont on the map are keeping alive one of their greatest traditions. I just barely beat the high school rush to pick up a fine cone of Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl and a small dixie cup of Jamaican Me Crazy (served by a sweaty guy in a cow costume).

So stop what you're doing and get to the local Ben & Jerry's. The rainy weather is keeping the lines down.

Check out the Vermont production company, Dreamlike Pictures, and their film "The Green Movie." This piece includes a satire on the Unilever/B&J thing. Plus it includes a scene where the Burlington bumblegum twee pop group, The Smittens, play a Green Prom that's solar-powered, has organic food, etc. That's just how Vermonters role.

Purchase The Smittens latest, A Little Revolution, directly from their website.

The Smittens - Good Migrations.mp3
The Smittens - Gin and Platonic.mp3
The Smittens - Stop the Bombs.mp3

RIP Jane Jacobs

2006-04-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

Steve Payne for The New York Times

TORONTO, April 25 (Reuters) - Jane Jacobs, the social activist and renowned urban development critic, died on Tuesday at age 89.

Jacobs, an American-born Canadian, is best known for her book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities", which, since its publication in 1961, has become a standard text on urban issues.

Jacobs, who was born in Scranton, Pa., advocated density and mixed use in communities, staunchly opposed large highways and warned of urban sprawl.

She moved to Canada from the United States in the late 1960s, concerned about her two sons being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.

"Jane Jacobs will be remembered as one of the great urban thinkers of our time," Toronto Mayor David Miller said in a statement. "Her contributions and insights have forever changed the way North American cities are developed."

On May 9, 1996, Jacobs was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada.

"Her seminal writings and thought-provoking commentaries on urban development have had a tremendous effect on city dwellers, planners and architects," her citation on the Order of Canada Web site states. "By stimulating discussion, change and action, she has helped to make Canadian city streets and neighborhoods vibrant, liveable and workable for all."

In a 2001 interview for Reason magazine, she spoke about the distinctive nature each city should possess.

"It should be like itself. Every city has differences, from its history, from its site, and so on. These are important," she said. "One of the most dismal things is when you go to a city and it's like 12 others you've seen. That's not interesting, and it's not really truthful."

Jane Jacobs interviewed by James Kunstler

Phantom Buffalo

2006-04-23T19:55:00.000-05:00

Phantom Buffalo is a five piece out of Portland, Maine who has been knocking the socks of the British media. Their full length, Shishimumu, which was recorded some four years ago (but only released in England last year), has been called an aural orgasm by the BBC Collective (who also gave it 4/5), received a positive write-up in NoWax, loved by Said the Gramaphone (ok so he's Scottish, but he came across the album while in London), and was Mojo Magazine's "42nd best record of 2005." Their UK label mates include Belle & Sebastian, the Strokes, and Arcade Fire. Of course none of that guarantees that they are good, but at least one would expect to have heard of them, especially around northern New England. Have you heard of them? Chances are no. It's a disgrace to the USA. Originally conceived as The Ponys (the lesser known version), this group of art students make beautiful countrified psych-pop that's filled with strange and gorgeous detail and layers, but produced to sound incredibly simple. It's a bit reminiscent of The Shins and The Byrd's, but less straightforward and predictable. That's what I like about it best, whether the tracks get a bit folky, alt-jangly guitar-popish, or country, it's all a bit off-kilter and plenty interesting.

Luckily, Phantom Buffalo have already finished their second full-length, entitled The Unfortunate Phantom Buffalo Take to the Trees. If all goes as planned, it'll be picked up by a decent lable in short order and be made available in the fall. Between the new album and their scheduled cross-country trek across the country during the summer months, I feel that they're about to receive the buzz that's more then past due.

Photo courtesy of Somira Sao

Phantom Buffalo at MySpace

Video from their New Years 2006 performance at SPACE, Portland, ME

Dozen songs and interviews from an on-air performance earlier this year for WMPG's Local Motives program (thanks to The Air Strange)

Killing's Not Ok EP (2005)
Phantom Buffalo - Killing's Not Ok.mp3
Phantom Buffalo - What Makes it Go.wma

ShiShiMuMu LP (2002)
Phantom Buffalo - A Hilly Town.wma
Phantom Buffalo - Distracting Salamander.wma
Phantom Buffalo - Cheer Up My Man.wma

Bummer, Man

2006-04-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

Portrayed as Potheads In 'Dazed,' Trio Has A New Joint Venture: Suing the Filmmaker

This amazing year and a half old article from the Washington Post explores how the individuals who inspired Richard Linklater to write "Dazed and Confused," Wooderson, Slater, and "Pink" Floyd, filed suit against their old high school acquaintance back in 1993 for "defamation" and "negligent infliction of emotional distress." Amazing.

And by the way, the Criterion Collection version will be released soon.

Drive By Truckers - Fox on the Run.mp3 (Sweet Cover)

KONONO N°1 Coming to Higher Ground

2006-04-15T19:36:00.000-05:00

This is crazy exciting:

Konono N°1 - July 18 - Higher Ground

There really isn't any way for me to explain Konono's music. It's addictive, inventive, and exciting. Their disc Congotronics was on loads of "best of 2005" lists.

This music is powered by spirits, and channeled through Konono N°1’s sound system, borne of the junkyard and transmitting aural fire. - Dusted Magazine

Here's their pr:
KONONO N°1 was founded over 25 years ago by Mingiedi, a virtuoso of the likembé (a traditional instrument sometimes called "sanza" or "thumb piano", consisting of metal rods attached to a resonator). The band's line-up includes three electric likembés (bass, medium and treble), equipped with hand-made microphones built from magnets salvaged from old car parts, and plugged into amplifiers. There's also a rhythm section which uses traditional as well as makeshift percussion (pans, pots and car parts), three singers, three dancers and a sound system featuring these famous megaphones.

The musicians come from an area which sits right across the border between Congo and Angola. Their repertoire draws largely on Bazombo trance music, but they've had to incorporate the originally-unwanted distorsions of their sound system. This has made them develop a unique style which, from a sonic viewpoint, has accidentally connected them with the aesthetics of the most experimental forms of rock and electronic music, as much through their sounds than through their sheer volume (they play in front of a wall of speakers) and their merciless grooves.

Purchase Congotronics at Insound

Konono N°1 - Paradiso.mp3
Konono N°1 - Mama Liza.mp3

To NY and back by breakfast

2006-04-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

Last saturday I took an early morning drive to NY to pick up a mtn bike that I won on ebay. The bike, of course, was a steal. But the even greater reward was the adventure. I met the owner on the NY side of the Crown Point Bridge. I followed the valleys on the way there (to Burlington and then down along Lake Champlain through farm country) and then up and over the Green Mountains on the way back (via Appalachian Gap). It was 170 miles of pure bliss - looking at the scenary, stopping to take pictures, picking up a fresh blueberry muffin, and jamming to tunes. The soundtrack was provided by The Wrens - Meadowlands, Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene, & Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones. Here are some of the sights.

Total, complete, ABSOLUTE!
Vergennes, VT Is the bus going to pick me up today? You betcha! Looking at Vermont who knew there was a Rodin on the monument in Crown Point?Eastern view from App Gap (notice the snow covered road - driving was a nightmare!)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Pin.mp3

The Wrens - Everyone Chooses Sides.mp3

Broken Social Scene - Baroque Social.wma

ABA in Barre UPDATE

2006-04-12T23:01:00.000-05:00

There's an ABA team starting up in my town known as the Vermont Frost Heaves. Just like with the old ABA, the new one has proven to be kooky and entertaining - and our team will be joining the fray this fall.

Some of the interesting elements for this minor of the minors team are:
1) It's being undertaken by Sports Illustrated writer and Vermont resident Alexander Wolff (his trials and tribulations are being documented in the mag);
2) team payroll's are capped at $120,000;
3) team will be owned by the community ala the Green Bay Packers;
4) concession stands will feature locally produced food and drinks;
5) the 11th Man Rule enables someone from the community to suit up for and play in every home game; and
6) fans vote on team matters.

The last point is of great interest right now as I, a member of the Bump in the Road Club, have been asked to vote on the team's head coach. The two individuals both have backgrounds as assistance in the NBA, NCAA Division I, and even as head coaches abroad (Tralee Tigers of the Ireland Super League and the Ulriken Eagles of the Norwegian pro league). For such a fun and challenging start-up, each prospect seems eager and wild enough to take the job. I originally thought the native Vermonter, Will Voigt, who played high school ball up the road in Cabot would be the hands down winner in this contest. But then I read the introduction from his challenger from Chicago, Rus Bradburd.

Where Voigt's intro talked about the importance of a high-pressure defense and up-tempo offense, Bradburd's took an entirely different tact. He instead talked about how he sees "a team that will be responsible citizens within the community—socially, educationally, and environmentally." He continued with "I hope that the Frost Heaves can be an impetus for positive change at this unique time in our nation’s history." "Holy freaking cow," I thought, "this guy's trying to get a coaching job using the peacenik approach!" Seriously, who does that.

He continued with a run down of times where American sports have been on the forefront of social change (Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Mahammed Ali, etc) and also when it's "lead to a mindless herd mentality," such as when "fighter jets fly overhead at the Super Bowl in a numbing show of military force, while D.C. schoolkids don’t have adequate supplies." Just in case there was any ambiguity, he comes out and puts it on the table - he's a member of Athletes United for Peace.

I have no idea if a peace lover who's all-time favorite ABA player was the Burt Reynolds look-a-like bad boy Wendell "Mr. Excitement" Ladner can overtake the local "play it safe" kid (the obvious Dr. J is his #1) for the head coaching job. But it certainly has the potential to happen, because this is the ABA. This is Vermont.

Nada Surf - Where is My Mind.mp3 (Pixies cover via MyExBestFriend)

UPDATE:
You’ve picked a coach.Will Voigt, the 1994 graduate of Cabot (Vt.) High School who is currently coaching in Norway, will lead the Vermont Frost Heaves of the ABA for their inaugural season.
Some 739 of you cast ballots—more than 60% of the Bump Club membership. That’s a better turnout than in Presidential elections and in the typical New England town meeting. Thanks to everyone who voted.I’ll be back with more details in another Bump in the Road Club posting tomorrow. In the meantime, congratulations to Coach Voigt, and thanks and best wishes to our other finalist, Rus Bradburd.
Alexander Wolff
President and G.M.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - April 11, 2006 - Higher Ground, S.Burlington

2006-04-12T06:43:00.000-05:00

Great show last night. CYHSY translated their disc's energy and excitement really well. They seemed to be having fun and trying to impress. Maybe it's because they've had to do it all on their own for so long, but it's obvious that they're resisting complacency. The sold out show lasted about an hour.

I had the destinct opportunity to go upstairs for the last song and the encore.They played four new songs. Spoke with Lee Sargent (all but Alec Ounsworth came out to talk to people afterwords) who said that they are really enjoying the new stuff and will be recording in May.

Look at a ton of pictures here. Slideshow of the same shots here.

wallpaper-by-numbers

2006-04-10T08:31:00.000-05:00

Wallpaper-By-Numbers encourages writing on the walls with a variety of trippy bold prints and brightly colored backgrounds. Available in borders or full wallpaper sheets.

Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche.mp3 (via Stereogum)

Unreleased Album: Rolling Stones - Live’R Than You’ll Ever Be

2006-04-07T21:25:00.000-05:00

Live at Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California, USA, Nov 9, 1969, SECOND SHOW.

Invented to capture live sound from remote locations during filming, the portable tape recorder could also double as a device to record a live concert. But how would it compare with a professional recording? The father of the modern bootleg, "Dub", answered any doubts on quality when he and his partner Ken issued Live’R Than You’ll Ever Be, on their TMoQ label [Trademark of Quality]. Live’R was the second set The Rolling Stones played at the Oakland Coliseum in November, 1969, on the US tour that made their fame.

Click here to read more about the history of this recording. Many thanks to BigO.

Rolling Stones - Jumping Jack Flash.mp3
Rolling Stones - Carol.mp3
Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil.mp3
Rolling Stones - Stray Cat Blues.mp3
Rolling Stones - Prodigal Son.mp3

UPDATE Best Week Ever

2006-04-05T21:09:00.000-05:00

According to VH1, my fellow Central Vermont blogger and dear friend, K, is having the Best Week Ever. His blog Analog Giant, was mentioned today on LISTEN UP: Your Daily Dose of the Best Music Ever. I'm new to BWE's blog - just used to seeing the washed up comedians hold on to any hopes of a career on the old tube.

The funny thing is the music that they liked off his site was the latest Pearl Jam leak, Parachutes. How hilarious and so VH1. I can't wait for the readers who came over from BWE to start reading his political rants. Boy are those comment sections about to get interesting.

Speaking of local bloggers getting noticed, Flatlander over at False 45th has received the honor of Seven Days' Post o' the Week. His post from last week talked about the high number of indie music junkies blogging from Barre/Montpelier.

And oh, the picture? The tag line is "Weren't you flying back to Bombay Today?" Love it. That's the type of day that K and Flatlander are having. They are all sorts of "F Bombay, I'm just going to paddle shirtless below this here castle while the chick catches rays. You picking up what I'm laying down? Bombay another day."

T. Rex - Cosmic Dancer.mp3

UPDATE:
Looks like K's week's getting better and better. He got the BWE mention once again, this time for the Gorillaz' covering the Editors' "Feel Good Inc." The funny thing is that I sent the track over to K a week ago after I got it from Bob who writes the great music blog Extrawack! He shares the majority of the credit, even though he probably got it from someone who got it from someone... Nothing's original on ye olde blogosphere.

The Editors - Feel Good Inc.mp3 (Gorillaz Cover)

Oven-door Thievery

2006-04-04T13:21:00.000-05:00

I don't like seeing people get ripped off. 99% of the time I don't side with thieves. But every once and a while a thief's creativity is inspiring. And the people they are scamming, well, they just aren't helping themselves. Evidence:

April 1, 2006

Cooking up a flat-screen TV scam
Associated Press

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A rash of oven-door thefts may be linked to a recent case in which a woman bought what she thought was a flat-screen television, only to discover that the package held an old oven door, police said.

South Bend detective Sgt. Jim Walsh said police arrested a suspect Thursday they believe sold the appliance door to the woman. According to police reports, officers found an oven door and packaging materials inside the trunk of the man's car.

Oven doors are an increasingly hot item in burglaries targeting vacant properties. Walsh said police have investigated five recent burglaries where oven doors were among the items stolen.
Police have had two reports of the doors being sold as flat-screen televisions, and it's likely that others went unreported by the embarrassed dupes, Walsh said. Officers continue to investigate at least two other suspects who may be disguising oven doors and selling them.

Walsh said it's risky to buy products off the street, particularly without opening a package first to make sure the items are what they appear to be.

In the case of the bilked woman, she was approached by the suspect Feb. 20 at her workplace with an offer of a flat-screen television at a bargain price of $500. When the victim couldn't come up with the money, the suspect settled for $300.

But when she unwrapped the packaging, peeling away the bubble wrapping and the Wal-Mart store labels, she found a cord, a controller -- and an oven door.

"It's an elaborate job of packaging," Walsh said.

Can - Thief.mp3 (via An Idiot's Guide to Dreaming)

Free

2006-04-03T07:49:00.000-05:00

I've been a member of the Washington County Freecycle group for a good number of months. It's a great little email list where people give away things that they no longer need for free. I'm a part of this group for a couple of reasons: 1. It lets me unload things I no longer need; 2. Helps me get things I've been looking for at no cost; 3. Allows me to buck (maybe nudge is a better word) the capitalistic system; and 4. I love seeing the stuff that people get rid of.

A good number of interesting things have come up, like a rototiller, windows left over from a renovation, clothing, chest freezers, etc. I've only picked things up once, and that was a box that included an odd selection of greeting cards, a toy cash register (my original intention), and a bunch of junk (it was a "must take all" posting).

But now I've come across two postings that I'm sure could only happen in Vermont. The first is an offer for a $5 Starbucks gift card. That's right, 5 free dollars to be spent at Starbucks. Talk about fighting the establishment.

I'll let the original posting describe #2:

Offer: Jamband Stickers

i have 3 phish stickers (one logo decal, 1 antelope and 1 high geere) and 1 string cheese incident sticker (the crosswalk hooper). pick up in montpelier or charlotte.

Again, only in Vermont.

The Tiny - Everything is Free.mp3

Three for a Day

2006-04-01T06:21:00.000-05:00

Trying to figure out what to do with that extra hour of daylight tomorrow? I’m using mine to listen to 3 new bands (well, one new and two old) I recently discovered. I know… that’s only 20 minutes per, but anyway…The common theme uniting these critically acclaimed, but little known bands is, that after a promising start together, each of their frontmen left for artistically and financially disastrous solo careers. In short, they were fools.

Taking them chronologically:

1. Leafing through the vinyl at the local record store, I was arrested by the fanciful artwork on the cover of an album titled Byzantine Labyrinth from a band called Return to Perryman. Further research, both online and on the turntable, proved revelatory. Apparently, this trans-continental prog-rock sextet caused quite a stir in the mid-Seventies with a series of “mind expanding opus works.” Fronted by angelic voiced Brit Reg Gulliver, RTP received a fair amount of critical acclaim for the album Endos Entropy, which hosted the lone 42 minute epic, Stratosfear, the only song to play on both sides of a vinyl record, and were often compared favorably to the likes of Emerson, Lake and Palmer and even Yes. That is, at least, until 1980, when their ill-advised frontman left the group and released Gulliver’s Travails theme album devoted to his trials and tribulations with his former label, Synthetic Records. Incidentally, bassist Niles Bissette didn’t fare much better with his company Floorverb Industries, which marketed (poorly apparently) an effects unit designed to make floors in small houses echo when walked upon like those in the marbled mansions of rockstars.

2. Pioneering screamcore band, Throat Culture, tore it up in the first half of the 90’s with a series of pugnacious albums Streptonukeleeosis, Cultivo de la Gorgantis, and Juggler Vain (the latter featuring a photo of an armless clown primping in the mirror with three bloody machetes lying behind him on the floor). Though I’m not much of a hardcore aficionado, I can’t help but appreciate a band that expressed such straight-up energy and aggression in it’s hardcore/thrash albums, with shards of heavy metal cutting through at times. Unfortunately, their promising start was cut short when lead vocalist, Sal DeBan, left the band to start a music label featuring heavy metal for toddlers. The Itsy Bitsy Spider never bit so hard.

3. Just last year indie-rock outfit Jesus, You’re Killing Me seemed destined for the stardom they didn’t give a shit about. Their debut (and only) album Façade to the Back, garnered blogger buzz that rivaled The Arcade Fire. Breathe is Broken was featured in the Sundance heralded indie flick Grouse Flock, MN, staring Michale Caine as a mobster and Parker Posey as a seductress on the run. Ironically, the group’s lead, Roger Juarez, left the world of secular music after being born again in the Southern Baptist tradition. He now plays church conventions and Young Republican rallies as Divine Right. The remaining 4 members still play in and around Ft. Lauderdale as The Something Incident.

Return to Perryman - Galaxas Lenticular IV.m4a
Throat Culture - Dissident Principle.m4a
Jesus, You're Killing Me - Breathe is Broken.m4a

Liza Minnelli you so CRAZY!!!

2006-03-30T16:07:00.000-05:00

Here are a collection of clips from Liza's March 15, 2006 Lary King Live interview. Make sure you stick around for the call from the "musical theatre major at the University of Arizona."

Nat Baldwin

2006-03-29T13:27:00.000-05:00

Double bass + vocals + sadness = Sold
Really, that's all it takes for me. It's that simple.

Example: Nat Baldwin.

Nat hails from Portsmouth, NH and plays in Tigersaw and Dirty Projectors. After dabbling in free improv and experimental music, he started to lay down tracks of his own stuff in 2004. The resultant sound is simple and heart wrenching. Well paced and engaging. Creative and new.

Nat will be performing with the Dirty Projectors on April 20th at Bennington College.

Nat Baldwin at MySpace. The unreleased songs available for stream are fantastic.

Latest EP reviewed by Pitchforkmedia.

Purchase the 8 song EP, Lights Out, directly from Broken Sparrow Records.

Nat Baldwin - Wake Up it's Time to Rise.m4a
Nat Baldwin - Look Away.m4a
Nat Baldwin - These Days are Best.m4a
Nat Baldwin - Only in my Dreams.m4a

April/May Shows

2006-03-27T22:38:00.000-05:00

Here's a list of upcoming shows that'll be taking place within two hours of Barre. Feel free to let me know if I've missed anything worth noting. * denotes shows I'm planning on attending.

March 29 - The Elected - Main Hall, Montreal
March 29 - Ray Davies - Olympia Theatre, Montreal
March 31 - The Smittens/Brett Hughes - Monkey House, Winooski
April 1 - The Jazz Guys - Billings Hall, UVM
April 2 - Art Brut/Gil Mantera's Party Dream - La Sala Rossa, Montreal
April 4 - Neko Case/The High Dials - Club Soda, Montreal
April 8 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Metropolis, Montreal
April 8 - The Farm - Radio Bean, Burlington
April 11 - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah/The Brunettes - Higher Ground, S. Burlington*
April 13 - Half-handed Cloud/Vollmar - Bennington College
April 15 - Death Cab for Cutie/Franz Ferdinand - Univ of Montreal (Sold Out)
April 18 - Wolf Parade/Holy Fuck/The Besnard Lakes - Higher Ground, S. Burlington*
April 19 - Ladytron/The Presets - Club Soda, Montreal
April 20 - Dirty Projectors/Nat Baldwin - Bennington College
April 22 - John Vanderslice/Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice - Casa De Popolo, Montreal
April 26 - We Are Scientists - Higher Ground, S. Burlington ($.99!)
April 27 - Toubab Krewe - Positive Pie, Montpelier*
April 28 - Toubab Krewe - Nectar's, Burlington
May 1 - Two Gallants - La Sala Rossa, Montreal
May 12 - The Books/Greg Davis/The Sixfifteens - Coltrane Lounge, Middlebury College*
May 12 - The Books/Greg Davis - Higher Ground, South Burlington
May 13 - Kid Koala/Coldcut/Blockhead - Metropolis, Montreal
May 18 - Tara Jane Oneil - Bennington College
May 27 - The Pants - Higher Ground, S. Burlington*
June 7 - Dungen - La Sala Rossa, Montreal

The Smittens - Good Migrations.mp3
The Jazz Guys - Amanda.mp3
Neko Case - Star Witness.mp3
The High Dials - The Holy Ground.mp3
Gil Mantera's Party Dream - Elmo's Wish.mp3
The Farm - Paul Klee.mp3
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Over & Over Again.mp3
Half-handed Cloud - Feed Your Sheep a Burning Lamp.mp3
Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner.mp3
Dirty Projectors - Naked We Made It.mp3
Nat Baldwin - Wake Up it's Time to Rise.m4a
John Vanderslice - Exodus Damage.mp3
Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice - I am the One I am and he is the Caretaker of my Heart.mp3
We Are Scientists - Inaction.mp3
Greg Davis - Brocade.mp3
The Sixfifteens - Montreal (live).mp3

J. DiMenna - Awkward Buildings

2006-03-26T12:28:00.000-05:00

I've been listening to J. DiMenna's debut release, Awkward Buildings, for over a month now. My intention was to write a review much closer to the time that I received the record, but the digestion period took much longer then anticipated. In all honesty I believe that to be a good thing.

It may not be too much of a stretch, but in an attempt to save face I'll compare my deliberative writing process to that which the album itself was created. The recording for Awkward Buildings started nearly three years ago in Asheville, NC. A wide range of musical accumpaniment was part of the project, including Theremin work by late great Bob Moog. The album was finished in Brooklyn and will officially hit the shelves this Tuesday via Exotic Recordings.

So all this time and what have I come up with? I've struggled with the genre bending, the mentioning of influences, and the "____ meets _____" talk (which I despise). But I can't help it. So here it is:

Elliott Smith, Archer Prewitt, and Jeff Buckley sitting in a cabaret having a drink with Leonard Cohen.

What else is there to say? The album shares pieces of Elliott Smith's Figure 8 era arrangements, but more whimsical and cabaret-y. The lyrics are sharp and haunting, going beyond personal relationships and confronting larger issues, such as society and politics. What I think I like the most about the album is the mystery that is J. DiMenna. An artist in the truest sense of the word, the nearly hour long album is strong and sincere, but with a level of complexity and depth that will beg the listener to place the disk back in the cd drive time and time again.

J. DiMenna at MySpace.

Purchase Awkward Buildings directly from Exotic Recordings.

J. DiMenna - Prayer Flag.mp3
J. Dimenna - Raggedy Ann.mp3
J. Dimenna - Better Walk Down.mp3

Arctic Monkeys/Spinto Band - Montreal - March 22, 2006

2006-03-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

Came back early this morning after seeing the Arctic Monkeys and The Spinto Band at Spectrum De Montreal. The crowd was wild (crowd surfing, moshing, etc!) and the bands delivered. The Spinto Band seemed a bit flat and tinny. The sound quality issues didn't help the fact that they looked like little kids (striped polo shirts, baby faces) and their seemingly lack of any real presence. Sure they sounded good and they had lots of energy, but I didn't feel the connection.

The connection was felt with the Arctic Monkeys, who most definitely lived up to the hype. A lot can be said for the crowd - which absolutely loved them and seemed to know every lyric (this seems to happen at every Montreal show). They were punky, sharp, and flat out rocked. Made me think what a Sloan show would be like in one of the Canadian provinces.

Overall it was a great experience, helped by great sushi, real wasabi, and fun company.

Click here for pictures.

Arctic Monkeys - From the Ritz to the Rubble.mp3 (via MyExBestFriend)

The Essex Green at SXSW

2006-03-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

Lou2ser has brought to my attention various media that he captured from this past Saturday's appearance by The Essex Green at SXSW. They include video for Uniform, Rue de Lis, and Elsinore - all cuts off their latest release Cannibal Sea.

Link removed at band's request.

Also available are a variety of pictures from the performance.

Saturday: Farm in Montpelier

2006-03-16T13:17:00.000-05:00

I'll be taking a break from the Guppyboy -> The Essex Green retrospective for a couple days. The family is headed for a wee vacation in (hopefully) sunny Florida. When I get back I'll give the ensuing posts the attention they deserve. In the interim...

St. Albans, Vermont's very own folk-rock outfit Farm (formerly House Horse) can be found playing at Montpelier's Langdon Street Cafe post St. Patrick's Day. The indie outfit Shirt were scheduled, but due to circumstances Farm will be in their place. There's rumor of a guest appearance by the North East Kingdom based noisecore sextet Truck. That last part was a joke.

Farm - Saturday, March 18, 2006 - Langdon Street Cafe - 10 PM

Here's a review of Farm's first EP from Seven Days back when they were using their earlier moniker:

St. Albans-based trio House Horse are an organic, post-folk delight. Featuring the multi-instrumental and vocal talents of Joshua Givens, Jedd Kettler and Ben Maddox, this debut EP boasts a gorgeous, indie-goes-rustic sensibility. It's a rare release that hooks me on the first track. This one did.
Gently strummed acoustic guitar and muted electric piano announce the opening of "Glass of Wine." In an odd production choice, the tune features lightly distorted vocals. The effect only enhances the track's sinister beauty, however. With a buoyant bass line and cavernous percussion, the song provides a lush, if unsettling, ride through folk rock's darker avenues. "Work Boots" floats from the speakers in delicate tonal tendrils. Pedal steel guitar intersects with workmanlike drumming and spare electric guitar. Warm, clear vocals sing of skeletons and the summer sun in an intoxicating mix of the everyday and the idyllic.
"Drunks need bars like mechanics need cars and romantics need stars," states the alt-country shuffle "Jesus Song No. 1." Nifty line, but what makes the song really interesting is an atonal organ lurking in the periphery like a madman. This juxtaposition of traditional song structure and avant-garde elements separate House Horse from other neo-Americana acts.
"Yonder Comes a Sucker" boasts an evocative electric guitar figure and hypnotic backing vocals. The tune is a testament to restraint; the empty spaces seem as important as the notes themselves. Although most of the song is subdued, the coda features a cyclical bass and guitar motif loaded with intricate trills. The part is all the more powerful because you don't expect it. Closer "Paul Klee" sounds like something David Lowery might have written in his Camper van Beethoven days. The tune tells the tale of an aspiring bohemian who falls short of his artistic goals. I'm not sure what it has to do with the legendary expressionist painter, but with music this enticing, who cares?
House Horse win big with their patient interplay and smart arrangements. I'd love to hear them on a double bill with Burlington's ethereal rockers Swale. Who wants to set it up? - Casey Rea

Farm's MySpace page with streaming audio.

Farm - Paul Klee.mp3
Farm - Jesus Song No 1.mp3

And on a completely different note...if you are in need of a laugh take a look at this: Weight Watcher Recipe Cards -1974 w/ commentary. Chances are you've already received this/will be receiving this via email from that crazy uncle who sends along every fwd under the sun. Needless to say this one's a keeper. My lungs still hurt from all the laughing.

Guppyboy -> The Essex Green - Chapter II

2006-03-15T13:47:00.000-05:00

Part two in a series. The first installment can be found here.

The Essex Green
The move to Brooklyn in 1997 was a new beginning for the remaining members of the band. For the first time in four years Mike Barrett, Chris Ziter, and Jeff Baron were living under the same roof. In the interim Jeff had spent time working in other outfits, most notably Ladybug Transistor, with Sasha Bell.

With only 4/5 of Guppyboy, a new name, The Essex Green, was chosen (in reference to Mike and Chris' home town of Essex Junction, VT). A new drummer was added in Tim Barnes, whose previous credits include keeper of the beat for the Silver Jews.

The sound changed a bit with the new surroundings, name, and configuration. With a dash more psychedelia and straightforward pop, The Essex Green played the New York circuit before touring the East Coast with Aden and Saturnine in 1998. Their first release was a split single with The Sixth Great Lake the following spring. Everything is Green, their first LP, was put out by Elephant 6/Kindercore records in late 1999. The Elephant 6 seal of approval said a lot about a band - sort of like a film coming out of Disney Studios. Elephant 6 was the neo-psychedelia revivalist label in the 90s, spawning such groups as The Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Of Montreal. Needless to say, releasing an album as part of "The Collective" brought expectations; The Essex Green exceeded them.

The album received rave reviews for its uncanny accuracy at capturing the psychedelic heyday of the late 60s. Eight years of exploration had brought the band together with tight arrangements that went far beyond the typical superficial similarities commonly found in neo-psychedelia indie pop. Pitchfork gave it a very respectable 7.9; Popmatters a 9.2.

Four years and a lot of touring went by before a full follow-up (The Essex Green EP was released in 2000, on Elephant 6/Parasol Records) . The Long Goodbye was brought to the masses in 2003 on Merge records. In the interim Mike left the band and moved to Nashville and the Elephant 6 Record Company went under. Despite the losses, the influence of The Collective and the three core members (Chris, Jeff and Sasha) endured. The Long Goodbye brought Sasha's voice into clearer view amongst a backdrop of melodic structures and new string arrangements. The sound on this album isn't quite as crisp as the first LP, as it tends to be a bit moodier and slower with a peppering of country styled numbers, such as the instrumental Old Dominion.

Some have called the second disc a transition album. After taking a listen to Cannibal Sea, which is scheduled for release on March 21, I now know what they mean. Cannibal Sea is The Essex Green's strongest effort to date. The album evenly mixes the country-rock that was hinted at in the previous release with classic harmonized pop structures. The sound still nods to The Byrds, but looks forward in a manner that had escaped their previous efforts. Part of the cohesiveness is due in part to the "concept album" styled theme: travel and feeling lost in the big city. I can't imagine a subject matter that's closer to home for these kids that started playing in the basements of Burlington. Perhaps its the personal nature behind the lyrics, the way the songs flow together, or the über catchy choruses, I'm not sure of the reasoning, but The Essex Green are most definitely playing beyond their influences. And it's really good.

Pre-order Cannibal Sea from Merge Records here. The first 100 orders receive a free Cannibal Sea luggage tag and poster.

The Essex Green at MySpace.

Next up...Chapter III - The Sixth Great Lake.

The Long Goodbye - 2003
The Essex Green - The Late Great Cassiopia (stream)
The Essex Green - Our Lady in Havana (stream)
The Essex Green - Old Dominion (stream)

Cannibal Sea - 2006
The Essex Green - This Isn't Farm Life.mp3 Link Removed
The Essex Green - Don't Know Why (You Stay).mp3 Link Removed

Guppyboy -> The Essex Green - Chapter I

2006-03-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

This is the beginning of a multi-part post on the history of Burlington's Guppyboy and the bands that it spawned. Each post will focus on a different musical piece of the puzzle, starting with Guppyboy, then exploring The Essex Green, Sixth Great Lake, Ladybug Transistor, Finishing School, and Mike Barrett's solo project. The intention is that we'll finish the puzzle in time for the release of The Essex Green's third full length - Cannibal Sea on March 21st. We'll see how many twists and turns there are to travel before we get to that final destination. Many many thanks to Bradley's Almanac and Mike D. for helping me get the history together.

Guppyboy
Follow a direct line from the Velvet Underground, steer it through Palace Brothers and Cowboy Junkies, throw in a little psychedelia, a little yee-haw along the way, and you'll arrive at Burlington's Guppyboy. - SEVEN DAYS 7/30/97

Guppyboy was formed in late 1991 in Burlington, VT out of a friendship that started between Essex Junction high school buddies Mike Barrett and Chris Ziter. Guppyboy took shape during Mike and Chris' senior year at UVM with the help of fellow classmates Zach Ward and Jeff Baron. The main songwriting and vocal duties were shared between Chris (guitar), Jeff (guitar), and Zach (bass). Mike kept the beat.

From its first inception Guppyboy had a sound and urgency that clicked for many. With classic harmonies and psychedelia ala The Shins (who would emerge much later), they were equally addictive, challenging, and accessible.

The band left the area for Chicago in 1993, which lasted 18 months, before three of the four returned to Burlington (Jeff made his way to NYC). While in the Windy City they created a furry of tapes (a final count of 22 tapes were completed during their tenure). At home a friend got a bunch of Burlington musicians together to create a tribute tape entitled "Guppylove." The album's six bands, Chin Ho!, Hover, Jedd Kettler, Jesse Sargent, Spray 9, and PYG Roast, pay homage to the hometown heroes that went out to make it big.

Back in Burlington Guppyboy was tagged "one of the most creative yet underrated bands Burlington, Vermont has ever seen." They played hard and became the area's favorite musician's band. Jeff was still tied to the band - traveling up for recordings - but had joined Ladybug Transistor with his sister Jennifer. While with Ladybug Transistor Jeff met Sasha Bell, who in turn started traveling with him to Vermont in 1996 to play keys and flute with Guppyboy.

In 1997 the band started recording at Zach's house in Jeffersonville, VT. The scene was something akin to The Band's Big Pink sessions. Each of the band members wrote and sang lead on at least two songs, giving the final result, Jeffersonville, quite the varied but coherent sound.

Soon after Jeffersonville's release Mike and Chris decided to chase the dream again, this time moving to New York City with Jeff and Sasha. Knowing that Guppyboy wasn't Guppyboy without Zach, they started playing as the Essex Green with the addition of Silver Jews drummer Tim Barnes.

Click here for the Guppyboy website.

Click here to purchase Guppyboy 7" singles.

Big Heavy World lists Guppyboy's Jeffersonville available for purchase here. The Elephant Six related blog Optical Atlas has mentioned that despite the album's listing at many online cd stores, most places don't appear to have copies. To remedy this E6 Townhall's Lou2ser has made the entire album available for free download. Download the Jeffersonville zip file via Rapidshare here.

Click here for 16 Guppboy mp3s, sort of a greatest hits collection (but not the best quality).

Next up...Chapter II - the Essex Green.

Rani cassette tape -1992
Guppyboy - Fall.mp3

Guppylove tribute cassette tape - 1993
Hover - North Hyde Park.mp3 (Guppyboy cover)

Haci Baba cassette tape - 1994
Guppyboy - Fool.mp3
Guppyboy - Musician Mentor.mp3

Jeffersonville LP- 1997
Guppyboy - Wendy.m4a Link Removed
Guppyboy - Ball in the Sky.m4a Link Removed
Guppyboy - Snow Song.m4a Link Removed

When the Lights go Down in the Citay

2006-03-13T09:31:00.000-05:00

There's a danger in judging someone by track record alone. Resumes, a drawer of receipts, and ex's can tell you where one's been, but they aren't so good at indicating the future. The future is...well...the future. Directions change, life puts up hurdles, and then you sprint. No telling where you might end up.

So is the case with Citay. The resume says ex-members of Piano Magic, The Fucking Champs, and Nation of Ulysses. That's a history of spacey, sterile London space-rock, 70s/80s metal, and political post-punk, respectively. One member has production credits for albums by Sleater-Kinney, Comets On Fire, The Melvins, The Donnas, Bikini Kill, Trans Am, etc. But Ezra Feinberg, Tim Green, and Tim Soete sound nothing like their past.

Centered in San Francisco, this three piece makes post-minimalist guitar folk-rock that sits in the middle of a strange bedfellow of genres: soft rock, hippie folk, blues, and glam. Sounds are made with heaps of mandolin, glockenspiel, sitar, Casios, choral effects, 12-string guitars and a variety of percussion toys and noisemakers. The end result is full of melody and texture psych-pop - full of everything you've heard before, but interestingly unlike any of it. Like the foggy acoustic interludes on Zepplin and early Yes albums, but with vibraphones, Boston solos, and Beach Boys worthy harmonies. Pretty far removed from their cold London and Dischord past.

Citay at MySpace

Purchase their recently released self-titled debut directly from Important Records.

Citay - Nice Cuffs.mp3
Citay - Shalom of Safed.mp3
Citay - Seasons Don't Fear the Year.mp3

Live Clap Your Hands Say Yeah on NPR

2006-03-10T09:31:00.001-05:00

NPR's Live Concert Series has done it again. Two nights after they provided a webcast of the Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers show at DC's 9:30 Club (mentioned here), they did the same for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The set list, interviews, and the show in its entirety is downloadable in Real Audio and Window Media formats. Enjoy.

Girl Don't Tell Me

2006-03-09T12:28:00.000-05:00

My turntable is once again front and center in my living room. After nearly two years in the attic, my neglected vinyl is getting its well-deserved play. I've been very methodical about listening to the records. I'm averaging two albums a week - feeling the warmth, tuning into the classic sounds, dissecting the arrangements. At this rate it'll take me well over a year to get through them all, but that's fine. It helps balance out all of the mucho-hyped indie rock that I listen to while at work or traveling. My home is my nest, and in my nest I like the warm sounds of vinyl.

The first record I put on was the fantastic Beach Boys double LP compilation Endless Summer. Released in 1974, Endless Summer features their 1963-1966 material and was their first album since 1967. It sat at number one on the charts for two subsequent summers and spent a total of three years on the charts, the longest of any of the group's albums.

I've never been the largest Beach Boys fan, but I appreciate Pet Sounds and SMiLE. My main motivation for putting on the album was so that my 20-month year old son and I could dance - plus I thought he'd enjoy the artwork.

While dancing in the sunlit room to the classic oldie tunes - Surfin' USA, Help Me Rhonda, and the like - I came across a track on side four that totally blew me away. Girl Don't Tell Me is unlike any Beach Boys song I'd heard before - it lacks vocal harmonies, has a Motown breakdown, and the overall production is fairly simple. The solo lead vocal is performed beautifully by Carl Wilson, which marks his debut as a lead vocalist.

I find this track to be a gem. It's different enough then most of the "classics" that we all know, but it's still catchy as hell and very well written. If only the content wasn't so Lolita-ish, but I guess that's how things were done back in the mid 60s.

Beach Boys - Girl Don't Tell Me.mp3 Link Removed

The Vermont Way

2006-03-08T07:53:00.000-05:00

During yesterday's day of democracy, Town Meeting Day (for which I had off from work), five Vermont communities passed resolutions requesting the state's representative to the US House to file articles of impeachment against the president, alleging Bush misled the country about Iraq and engaged in illegal domestic spying. Of the five communities, only one has a population over 2,00: Newfane (1,680), Dummerston (1,915), Brookfield (1,222), Marlboro (978), and Putney (2,634), but the symbolic votes were resounding, as in Newfane's 121-29.

If it hadn't happened already, Vermont can now take it's position next to those crazy liberals in California.

Five Vermont towns endorse move to impeach the president (Boston Globe)
Brookfield votes to impeach the president (Times Argus)

The Mountain Goats - The Boys are Back in Town.mp3 (Thin Lizzy Cover with R. Kelly Ignition breakdown) Link Removed

Tonight: Greg Davis

2006-03-03T11:04:00.000-05:00

Vermont's latest musical performer swooning the Pitchfork crowd, Greg Davis, will be in Burlington this evening with Nest Material and Hammer & Saw.

Greg Davis w/ Nest Material and Hammer & Saw - March 3 - 8 PM - Narthex, Burlington

Mr. Davis pushes the field of experimentalism in his combining of field recordings, acoustic guitar, vocals, and electronic sounds on a laptop to create what is commonly referred to as folktronica, laptop folk, or pastoral electronica. It has a feeling similar to that of The Books (with whom he'll be opening for in Vermont & Montreal in May), Prefuse 73, and Compass. But make no bones about it, he's into some pretty wild stuff, which can be illustrated in a post on his blog about an Alvin Luceir performance of "Music for Solo Performer." Alvin Lucier hooked himself up to a machine which translated his alpha brainwave signals into bass frequencies which were fed to various loudspeakers around the space. On top of or touching the loudspeakers were various drums, cymbals, gongs, and other percussion. Alvin's been doing this stuff since the mid-60s.

Nest Material is a project related to Tanner, blogger of the always random yet insightful Highgate, which also utilize found sound, but in a manner that I find at times to be a bit more accessible.

And on the topic of random, the three-woman bluegrass outfit Hammer & Saw is scheduled the scheduled opener.

If you miss this evenings performance, you can catch Greg Davis and Nest Material on Thursday, March 23 at the Firehouse Gallery on Church Street in Burlington.

Greg Davis @ Lofi - Seattle, WA - 11/6/04 - Stream

Tonight: Kamikaze Hearts/Micah Blue Smaldone

2006-03-02T10:20:00.000-05:00

Just a quick reminder for the local readers. The acoustic roots-rock/appalachian/indie folk of the Kamikaze Hearts can be heard this evening at Montpelier's own Langdon Street Cafe. The show is slated for 8 PM and includes the raw old-time blues of Micah Blue Smaldone.

Article on Micah Blue Smaldone from the Portland Phoenix. Promo page.

Click here for a 4 song player from Micah Blue Smaldone's latest, Hither and Thither.

Kamikaze Hearts - Five Point Turn.mp3 (live)

UPDATE: Belle & Sebastian/New Pornographers - Metropolis, Montreal - Feb. 27, 2006

2006-03-02T08:24:00.000-05:00

Flatlander called me a slacker for not writing my review. That's motivation enough. He did a really great job with his write-up, so I'll just add a few thoughts:

The crowd was wild. So many fans, so much cheering after the first couple notes of a song, so much DANCING. These Canadians LOVE their Belle & Sebastian. The excitement and dedication of the fans made me think of my Phish days (well that and the dread locked hippie dancer in front of me). At one point I asked a French speaker what song was being playing, as I was lost amongst a full fledge sing along behind a techno beat. What I heard was "Cheerful Cowgirls off Bookends.” I still have no idea. Either way it must be off some non-major release and it seemed that everyone around me knew it.

Stuart Murdoch was in charge up on the stage. Between his banter with the audience, his self-proclaimed "Molly Ringwald dancing," and amazing power over the songs, he made me think of Bowie and Smiths era Morrissey. I'm not saying he's at that level, but he emanated mad gender-neutral bravado. Off-lead singer Stevie Jackson even stated to the crowd at one point "this is like an Elvis show," referencing the disappearance of Murdoch who had jumped off the stage and was shaking hands with the crowd.

I have a bigger appreciation for B&S's music after seeing the show. The sound was larger and stronger then it is on record. They definitely kept the sweet harmonies and cutesy lyrics, but songs like Sleep the Clock Around and Simple Things were larger, dancier, and fairly raw, while still maintaining fullness. I especially enjoyed the dirty keys on White Collor Boy - when they first started it made the whole venue shake. I hadn't noticed their prominence while listening to The Life Pursuit, but now I can't not hear it. And I love it. Another highlight was Dear Catastrophe Waitress' I'm a Cuckoo.

I also greatly enjoyed the New Pornographers. I wish we weren't in the very back of the venue, but the sightline was still pretty good. Carl Newman's niece, Kathryn Calder, did a great job with Neko Case's parts (those are some mighty big shoes). The sound was a bit more rocking then poppy, which I liked. And again, the crowd were nuts for them. I assume they get a fair amount of radio play up there, given the whole 30% native artist rule for Canadian radio and federal grants for music videos, etc.

More of my pictures are here. Another Vermonter, Mearse, was also there. Click here for his great shots from the other side of the hall.

And if you are sad that you missed the show, well you aren't completely out of luck. NPR will be webcasting Monday's show at the 9:30 Club in Washington D.C. as part of their Live Concert Series. The webcast starts at 8 PM and should be available for stream the following day.

Stream New Matisyahu

2006-03-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

Matisyahu and his most annoying but true tagline "Hasidic Reggae Superstar" has a new album, Youth, coming available on Tuesday, March 7th. This third album, sophomore studio release, can be streamed from MTV's The Leak:

Matisyahu - Youth

I don't know much about MTV, I don't even have TV reception, but I'm going to assume that The Leak makes upcoming albums available for a week before it's release. Leak for a week, or something. Enjoy.

Pre-order Youth from Sony

Neko Case

2006-02-28T09:40:00.000-05:00

Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, due out March 7th, is the latest offering by Neko Case. Her fourth album appears to bring to climax her genre-bending resume, which has spanned indie rock collaborations with the New Pornographers, tours with the cinematic Calexico, and her silky smooth "roots-infused vocal stylings." Fox Confessor's liner notes nod to the inclusion of The Band's Garth Hudson, Calexico's Joey Burns and John Covertino, and Giant Sand's Howe Gelb.

I feel like this album is going to resonate with a lot of people. Not only is she a highly talented musician in her own right, but it appears that we as a populace (or consumers) are once again at a point that strong roots/pop based females can sit at the head of the table (see the success of Jenny Lewis' latest album). Can't help but think of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn.

Neko Case will be performing on Jay Leno - March 9th

Upcoming regional performances:
Club Soda - 4/4/06 - Montreal, QC
The Roxy - 4/5/06 - Boston, MA

Pre-order Fox Confessor Brings The Flood from Insound

Neko Case - Star Witness.mp3 Link Removed
Neko Case - Hold On, Hold On.mp3 Link Removed
Neko Case - Maybe Sparrow.mp3 Link Removed

Arctic Monkey Stream

2006-02-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

In case you didn't pick up the Arctic Monkeys' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not when it was a UK import, or grabbed it yesterday during its US release, AOL is providing the album for free stream:

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

I'm having a hard time understanding the insane buzz surrounding these kids (I believe the lead is 19, thanks Rolling Stone). I like them, but their road to glory is mad redic. For instance, WPSIA,TWIN is the fastest-selling debut in British chart history, with sales of more than 360,000 copies during its first week on the charts (CBS News). And with chart success comes celebrity: two months after the album's release, lead vocalist Alex Turner was declared The Coolest Man On The Planet by NME magazine. Sure, I heard (on NPR of all places) all about how they built buzz for their first release by giving away mp3s, but tell me what "unknown" band isn't doing that? Free mp3s + catchy hooks + "honest lyrics" don't add up to tickets for their upcoming NYC show going for over $150 a piece! Should I mention again that their album was just released in Manhattan yesterday?

Give it a listen and let me know if you can help me make sense of this quandary. In addition to how Stiffler got in the band (far right).

Also, if you cruise the AOL site you are bound to find streams of the latest releases from Arab Strap, Dilated Peoples, Eels, Grand National, and Maximo Park. Thanks to Brooklyn Veegan for the tip.

Mittens

2006-02-20T21:21:00.000-05:00

The word makes me instantly nostalgic for those jovial snowy days building tunnels with friends and then sipping cocoa while the cold weather outfit sat drying next to the crackling fire. It also makes me think of kittens.

Now the word means something different, but the feelings are still intact. Mittens is a three piece from Boston that play stripped down sugary melodic jangle pop. Their writing is as fun and infectious as their sound, filled with skillful humor and easily memorized choruses. Guitarist/vocalist Andy Brooks explains that someone once stated that they sounded like "a skiffle (jug band-style) Talking Heads -- and that made sense, though the Talking Heads were a much better band than we are."

In their four years they've created a bit of a stir around Boston - thanks to a lively show and a well received self-titled debut release (2005). Come March 25th they'll drop their second disc, Fools on a Holiday, on the masses. In this current climate of indie-pop (thanks New pornographers), I have a feeling that they are about to reach a much wider audience.

Mittens at MySpace

Mittens (limited release EP - 2002)
Mittens - Morning Comes.mp3

Mittens (2005, purchase from Insound)
Mittens - Belinda.mp3
Mittens - Big Decisions.mp3

Fools On A Holiday (2006)
Mittens - Leeway.mp3 (via The Phoenix)

Story: Twin Cities

2006-02-17T14:23:00.000-05:00

So there are these two communities: one continually the popular one in the region, while the other is, well, the other is not. The first community, let's call it M, is where everyone wants to be. The cool kids are there, fresh fashions are always happening, and when you walk down the street kids are laughing, dogs are friendly, and the mood is light and enjoyable. The other, let's call it B, has a bad rap. B was raised in the school of hard knocks and it shows. Parents from outside the area hesitate to bring their kids there, because B has a history of drugs, crime and mullets.

It's always seemed futile, but there's continually been a rivalry between these two. There schools sport teams are always competing. When people from B and M come to neutral areas (such as small B, or b), one can always here disparaging comments about the other.

One way this rivalry has played out is through their music selection. Since M is hip and always on the cutting edge, it's always been easy to point out B's apparent backwardness. But something's been happening in M. M has started to ignore it's rivalry with B and has started to experience infighting. But while M's been asleep, B's been focused. B's been creeping on M and it's starting to show. For example, here's last week's top sellers at each community's local independent record store:

M
KT Tunstall -- Eye to the Telescope
Roseanne Cash -- Black Cadillac
Jack Johnson -- Sing-a-longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George
Matisyahu -- Live at Stubb's
Cat Power -- The Greatest
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals -- Nothing But the Water
Susannah Clifford Blachly -- Middle of the Night
James Blunt -- Back to Bedlam
Coldplay -- X & Y
Gogol Bordello -- Gypsy Punk: Underground World Strike

B
Barry Manilow -- The Greatest Songs of the Fifties
KT Tunstall -- Eye to the Telescope
Andrea Bocelli -- Amore
Beth Orton -- Comfort of Strangers
Roy Orbison -- Black & White Night
Train -- For Me, It’s You
Matisyahu -- Live at Stubb's
Johnny Cash -- Legend of Johnny Cash
Jack Johnson -- In Between Dreams
Buddy Guy -- Bring 'Em In

Barry Manilow you say? Train? How do you expect me to believe that B's even in the same league? Well, sure, it's not spotless, but B's on the move. A few weeks ago B had Korn and 80s hair metal, so in comparison B's doing good. But beyond that, the mix of cd's that are flying off the shelves in B are, should I say it, hipper. Yes that's a concieted and loaded term, but you have to admit. I'd much rather listen to the mix from B then from M.

So continue your VPR crusade, M. Enjoy living the stereotype. We in B are going to continue to do what we want. We are creeping. One day you might notice, but it'll be too late. The rivalry may be over.

I wonder where the Vermont stereotype comes from?

2006-02-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

The Duke Spirit - Cuts Across the Land.mp3

Editors/Stellastarr* Coming to South Burlington

2006-02-16T09:02:00.000-05:00

The flood of indie rock continues.

Editors/Stellastarr* - March 21 - Higher Ground

Following the Arctic Monkeys in their so hot in England right now buzz, the Editors will be making a stop at the Higher Ground as part of their first major US tour. They took a quick spin through the US in mid January that left the mp3 blogging community's jaws on the floor (Bradley's Almanac, Brooklyn Vegan, Yeti Don't Dance, Village Indian, Gothamist). For more on this 4 piece from Birmingham, read False 45th's breakdown from late January.

And not to be outdone, they are playing with NYC's Stellastarr*.
Although they are a similar art-rock group whose name is easily lumped with Interpol (and are derivative of Gang of Four, Television, Echo & the Bunnymen, etc), they have their own dark and rich atmospheric art-school sound (see The Cure). They are on their 2nd LP and haven't received a smidge of the Editors' blogger love; I guess the jury's still out. I'll have to wait until late March to make my decision. I'm just curious who'll be opening for whom; afraid of another The National/Clap Your Hands debacle like what happened in Northampton last September.

Stream their upcoming/latest albums:
Editors - The Back Room (US - March 21, 2006/UK - July 25, 2005)
Stellastar* - Harmonies for the Haunted (US - Sept 13, 2005/UK - March 6, 2005)

Editors - 35 minute set from KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic - stream video and audio.
Editors - Acoustic session on French radio Planet Claire - June 22, 2005

Photos courtesy of Joachim Beckers (Editors) and What's Up NYC (Stellastarr*)

Montpelier is full of Love

2006-02-15T10:06:00.000-05:00

This is also from Montpelier. Perhaps it's tag should be City of Love.

Beth Orton - Touch Me With Your Love.mp3 (via Disco Not Disco)

Valentines Day Phantom Strikes Again

2006-02-14T09:04:00.000-05:00

There are a few things one can expect living in Montpelier. Women wearing flax and wool, Carhartts, beards, dog poop frozen in the snow, and the city covered in hearts on Valentines Day. For at least the three years that I've been living in the area, the mysterious Valentines Day Phantom covers downtown Montpelier with some 3,000 paper hearts. I had sort of forgotten about Valentines Day during my commute, but as soon as I walked towards Main Street I saw a sea of red hearts flapping in the wind. (I guess some high school kids tore down a whole bunch of them, but the effect is still there).

I only have my camera phone today. I'll update this post when I come across better photos (this stuff is usually in the local news).

I also came across this sweet sticker on a Toyota this morning. It seems contextually appropriate. Jose Gonzalez - Love Will Tear Us Apart.mp3 (Live Joy Division Cover) (via YANP)

UPDATE: Pictures of the hearts from our local paper, Times Argus, can be seen here and here.

Portishead Remixed

2006-02-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

UK's Hearing Double has just made available for free download a remix of Portishead's trip-hop classic album Dummy, but are requesting donations be made to the poverty fighting Oxfam. The rework of the always-elusive band's seminal 11 cut album looks like this:

Portishead Remixed - Dumb
1. Mysterons - JoolsMF
2. Sour Spit - Rolo
3. Stranters (DJ Matt Hite Remix) - DJ Matt Hite
4. It Could Be Real - Pheugoo
5. I Chill (ft. Katie Enlow) - Lenlow
6. It's a Con - Pilchard
7. Thriftshop's Numb - Thriftshop XL
8. Roads (CompactRisk's Hard Shoulder Remix) - CompactRisk
9. Pedestal (Solcofn's Dark Matter Mid fd. Katie Enlow) - Solcofn
10. Biscuit (Toy Mix) - Ektopic Beats
11. Glory Box (Alex C Adventure)- Alex C

I Chill and its mixed in Radiohead is currently my favorite. They aren't all great (ie: It Could Be Real by Pheugoo), but it's great to hear a different take on something that I've come to know so thoroughly. And by the way, Portishead is supposedly working on their third album.

Again, please make donations to Oxfam, or purchase the original album.

Kamikaze Hearts

2006-02-10T23:55:00.000-05:00

I've been sitting on this post for a while, but no longer. The Upstate Porch Rock must be shared, because it's honest, true, and damn good. Plus, they are about to be making a stop at Montpelier's very own collectively owned coffe house/community space/anarchist haven/music venue:

Kamikaze Hearts w/ Micah Blue Smaldone - March 2 - 8 PM - Langdon Street Cafe

The Kamikaze Hearts are a Albany, NY quartet that plays passionate acoustic roots-rock/appalachian/indie folk. Armed only with four part harmonies, acoustic guitars, a mandolin, and a three piece drum kit (plus the occasional banjo and dobro), their sound proves to be full and their energy electric. I've caught them live on two occasions and have experienced them impress not only the folk crowd (Cafe Lena - the "oldest continuously operating coffeehouse in the US" and stop for the young Bob Dylan (1961), Arlo Guthrie and Don McLean), but also the indie rockers (they toured the Eastern US last summer with indie/pop outfit The Sixfifteens).

As their bio suggests, they are equally influenced by the Mountain Goats, Black Sabbath, and Ricky Skaggs.

The Kamikaze Hearts' second full-length, Oneida Road, is expected to be released summer 2006. The future's looking bright.

Kamikaze Hearts on MySpace (includes tunes)

Self-titled release (2002)
Kamikaze Hearts - Beverly Hills.mp3

WAMC (Northeast Public Radio) Performance - 9/24/04
Kamikaze Hearts - Boston Whaler.mp3
Kamikaze Hearts - War Horse.mp3

BUILT TO SPILL COMING TO VERMONT

2006-02-09T22:43:00.000-05:00

This is better than Christmas. Built to Spill are touring the country in support of their first album since 2001's brilliant Ancient Melodies of the Future, entitled You in Reverse. Based on what I've heard on their Myspace page it looks to be more of the fantastic same.

Built to Spill w/Helveta - April 30 - Higher Ground

I won't be surprised if this one sells out, so get yours quick (on sale Thursday the 16th)! In addition to picking tickets up through the venue or its certified outlets, you can get Built to Spill pre-sale tickets at reduced service fees via their website's new Ticket Page (I just checked and this option appears to be more expensive for the Higher Ground show, although it probably provides an advantage for venues in larger locales).

Word on the street is that the new album includes organ by Sam Coomes of Quasi (whose own new record will be coming out March 21, called When the Going Gets Dark). The track listing for You in Reverse is as follows:

1. Goin' Against Your Mind
2. Traces
3. Liar
4. Saturday
5. Wherever You Go
6. Conventional Wisdom
7. Gone
8. Mess With Time
9. Just A Habit
10. The Wait

Spin Article on You in Reverse

Elliott Smith Tribute

2006-02-09T12:28:00.000-05:00

The late Elliott Smith was one of the better singer songwriters that the indie scene has ever known. To: Elliott From: Portland was released two days ago with a host of great tributes from Portland area bands. Ten percent of the net proceeds of this tribute album will be donated to the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund's charity, “Free Arts for Abused Children.”

Track List:

Clementine - The Decemberists
Satellite - The Helio Sequence
The Biggest Lie - Dolorean
Ballad Of Big Nothing - Eric Matthews
I Didn't Understand - Swords
Rose Parade - Sexton Blake
Between The Bars - Amelia
Needle In The Hay - Eric Matthews
Division Day - We Are Telephone
Angeles - Crosstide
Wouldn't Mama Be Proud - Jeff Trott
Speed Trials - Knock-Knock
King's Crossing - To Live & Die In L.A.
Happiness - Lifesavas
High Times (Previously Unreleased Track) - Sean Croghan

For Mp3's check out My Yellow Country Teeth, In House with Jeremy Peterson, & Trees Lounge

Purchase from Insound

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever

2006-02-07T23:31:00.000-05:00

In the interim between shutting off the Dish service and sending back the DVR, I've found myself unable to keep from surfing the channels, even though there are only 6 that I still have access to. These free options consist of the Pay Per View guide, NASA Television, Shope at Home (SAH) - home shopping with such not to be missed shows like Coin Vault, the Sky Angel Satellite Television Network and it's painful Faces of Abortion program, the English-language 24-hour news channel of China Central Television - CCTV News, and the Fair & Balanced Fox News.

While flipping through this variety of astonishingly agenda biased channels (guess that's what you get for free), I came across an advertisement for perhaps the most amazingly named album of all time: The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever. I must admidt that I don't know too much about classical music, but all of it seems pretty dang relaxing. Anyone out there have any experience with this one, or the second edition, or The Most Relaxing Opera Album in the World...Ever? Is The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe just some cheap rip-off, or really the best? Do they come with warning labels advising that they should not be played while driving?

Jamie Lidell - Multiply.mp3

The Walkmen - Higher Ground - January 26, 2006

2006-02-03T21:07:00.000-05:00

2004 is so hot right now.

The Walkmen's Bows + Arrows was released February of that year and I missed it. I tried to purchase it on numerous occasions during its first year, but each time was met with faliure. In 2005 I saw the album in a used bin, but still couldn't bring myself to pick it up. It ended up taking me seeing them live (for free) two Thursday's ago with Mazarin to motivate me to lay down the 10 bones to experience them on disc. My reaction can be seen in two ways: well worth the wait, or what has taken me so long? Either way, Bows + Arrows makes me happy.

Higher Ground's smaller space was easily 3/4 full that evening (that equals packed in relation to typical indie shows in Central Vermont). The friend that I bribed with a free ticket grew up with the bass/keys player of Mazarin, so we made sure to catch their set (he was previously in the Lilys). I was pleasantly surprised by their sound, as it was both tight and interesting. It wasn't the most exciting set I'd ever seen, but that may be because I tend to rate bands heavily by their leader. Although I'm quite the fan of beards, the Mazarin frontman's beard and old man styled snapped-brim fredora masked any of the excitement that he might of felt. I found it hard to engage with the music or the lyrics with the lead so reclusive - it just made me tired.

The Walkmen's Hamilton Leithauser is a totally different story. They sounded dynamic, raw, hungry, and just excited to be there. The classic euro whine of the vocals, NY indie band energy, and jangling guitars caught me hook, line, and sinker. Being a bit of a novice to their catalogue (although I have a variety of their mp3s), I was amazed at how much I became absorbed. My friend hadn't heard a lick of them before, and I spotted him following the crowd's foot tapping and head bobbing. During one of the highlights of the show, "Think of a Dream I Had," my friend leaned over with a big smile on his face and said "I don't know if it's this margarita, but these guys are rocking." And they were. The other highlight was their mini-hit "The Rat," which I haven't been able to get out of my head ever since.

I certainly wasn't the only one leaving the venue with a smile and anticipation for a future indie show (and The Walkmen's next disc scheduled for April). The only bumber was that my camera's batteries died before I could get a shot. But I've got my memories. And the cd.

The Walkmen - The Rat.mp3

Wolf Parade Coming to Higher Ground!

2006-02-03T16:18:00.000-05:00

Higher Ground loves us. I can certainly say that I love them. They have officially put an end to my whining about not having indie rock in Central Vermont with this:

Wolf Parade w/ Holy Fuck(!) - April 18 - $15

That's right, exactly one week after Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Wolf Parade, the other indie rock band of 2005, will be making a stop on the west coast of New England. I'm starting to look forward to mud season.

Wolf Parade - Shine a Light.mp3
Wolf Parade - You are a Runner.mp3

Lapse

2006-02-03T09:05:00.000-05:00

There are two things that I try not to do on this site. One is to talk politics - not because I'm apolitical, I actually work in the political arena - but because this site is my escape from the depressing world of politics. The second is to apologize. I try to be as upfront and honest on this site and not waiver in my convictions. Sure I'm that way in the real world, but I'm also a bit of a pleaser. I'm not writing to please anyone else. Blogging is a good excersize for me to lay it down like it is and nothing more.

That being said, I don't want to apologize for not writing for a week. I doubt my absence really dissapoints too many that read this site. It does dissapoint me a bit. But life throws curve balls such as visiting friends, dying computers, and farm shows that occassionaly send the half hour on the internet to the back of the bus.

As a welcome back, here's some sweet Sand Fantasy. I hope to be giving more nuggets of JDS' life in the near future, but I ain't apologizing if it isn't regular.

Sand Fantasy.mov (I just wish the music was metal and heavy)
More Sand Fantasy clips

Bad Cable

2006-01-25T23:08:00.000-05:00

One of my new year's resolution was to keep it positive (not really a big time resolution, but something I continually work on). Too often I find myself delving into negativity and sarcasim. As the Byrds have said again and again, there's a place for everything. But the positive feedback loop of negativity is something that I try to steer clear of.

That being said, I'm greatly enjoying Buffalo Beast's 50 Most Loathsome People in America, 2005. The inclusion of Robert Novak and Johnny Damon are no brainers, but there are a few that I didn't automatically think of, but sit perfectly on the list. Example:

48. Larry the Cable Guy

Charges: The absolute nadir of the American South's baffling cultural hegemony. A middle-class Nebraskan, raised in Palm Beach, whose parents sent him to private school, masquerading as an Appalachian mutant and making millions off the nine-toed cyclopes in his audience by calling his material "blue collar," when it's really just a celebration of proud ignorance. The latest in a long line of "entertainers" propagating the lie that real talent is elitist. The South has risen again—just long enough to grab the rest of the nation by the legs and pull it back down to its Lovecraftian depths. Isn't even "bad funny." Makes Jeff Foxworthy look like Chris Rock.

Exhibit A: Ostensibly humorous catchphrase translates into "complete the task."

Sentence: Sent back in time for the sole purpose of having Mark Twain's cigars extinguished on his face.

Thanks =A= for the heads up.

Block Party - Positive Tension (Blackbox Remix).mp3 (via Veritas Lux Mea)

Crime in Central Vermont

2006-01-25T08:49:00.002-05:00

Firewood stolen from Calais home
CALAIS — Vermont State Police are investigating a report of firewood stolen from an Old West Church Road residence. Individuals plowing the snow in the area observed fresh tire tracks leading up to a wood shed located on the property of the house and called the state police. The homeowners reported wood stolen last month with similar tire tracks found leading up to the wood shed. State police said witnesses did not see tire tracks on Friday but did see them on Sunday at about 4 p.m. The amount of firewood stolen is unknown, police said. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Hunnewell at the Middlesex State Police Barracks at 229-9191.

Raising Cain

2006-01-24T10:14:00.000-05:00

I was blown away this past week by Raising Cain. I don't mean the 1992 film with John Lithgow of Harry and the Hendersons and Footloose fame, but the PBS documentary based on the best selling book Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys. The documentary, Raising Cain: Boys in Focus, is hosted by the book's co-author, child psychologist Michael Thompson, Ph.D., and explores the emotional development of boys in today's society.

I've always considered my upbringing to be fairly successful - I had engaged and supportive parents & siblings where our basic needs were taken care of, and I was shielded from trauma. But that didn't make growing up easy, especially under the shadow of three older sisters. Even when I was young, I have always been fascinated with the development process, specifically that of boys. In college I wrote papers on the process that boys go through to become men. While in Lesotho, I was able to interview men that had, and had not, gone through the male initiation ritual that had been custom for the Basotho for as long as anyone had remembered, but was being lost under western influence.

Now that I am a father of a spirited 1.5 year old boy, I find myself more interested then ever in the psychological development of boys. I see all around me boys young and old with short fuses, full of anger, struggling in a world that appears to provide them with limitless opportunities. What can be done to create a society of strong, responsible, and open men? What can I do to raise a son that is solid and full of goodness and light - and will bring those elements out of others?

This two-hour documentary is a start. It's an honest and refreshing look at the state of boys in America today, giving insights into how we have gotten where we are. Most of all, it provides a few tactics that parents and adults can take to better understand and raise our children.

The documentary was premiered on January 12, 2006. Check here for re-broadcast information. I've taped the program and am more then willing to pass it around to any who are unable to catch it on the TV.

Raising Cain: Boys in Focus - Trailer

Karma. You got to love it.

2006-01-23T22:58:00.000-05:00

As noted last week, the indie rock levy recently broke in Central Vermont. We have been free of good (or any) acts for months and then Ok Go w/ Apollo Sunshine & Controller Controller are scheduled to play at Higher Ground this Wednesday followed by The Walkmen w/ Mazarin & Lobot the following night. Being a responsible parent/husband, I decided to choose between the two, but have struggled with the decision for over a week.

Friday afternoon, while in the midst of deciding which would be the best show, I receive this email: CONGRATULATIONS! You have won a pair of tickets to see The Walkmen with Mazarin, and Lobot on January 26 at Higher Ground.

Jeezum Crow! The contest is part of Seven Days' Hot Ticket promotion where they highlight an upcoming act and give away a pair of tickets.

I guess that answers my question. I look forward to posting pictures and a review. I'm still in shock.

Suggestions on how best to keep the good karma going?

The Walkmen - Wake Up.mp3
The Walkmen - We've Been Had.mp3
The Walkmen - The Auld Triangle.mp3 (Live in Harvard Square - April 2005)

Eliza Lynn - Frisky or Fair

2006-01-19T18:01:00.000-05:00

Eliza Lynn is a singer. Not just a singer in a band, but someone who sings, is always singing. Always. I spent three months traveling with her throughout Southern Africa in the 90s and I don't think I ever heard her stop singing, humming, moving, drumming, playing. But she doesn't sound like other people - well not small framed red heads hailing from Illinois. There is soul in her voice that speaks honestly and directly. Add an oil well of depth, a necessity to sing, an ear for roots music (old time, West African drumming, jazz) and a drive to share all this with others, and you get her magnificent debut album: Frisky or Fair.

The album's sound is somewhere between jazz, blues, gospel, and oldtime, but that's merely the setting. When listening to tracks I find myself taken by her full and rich voice and the resultant cat and mouse game that she plays with Rayna Gellert's fiddle or Dale Roberts' cornet. The songs unravel tales of happiness, naivete, and love cloaked in loss and pain.

The album could easily be played at dessert parties for 30 somethings, but there's much more sitting below the surface waiting to be discovered.

so listen to yourself sing,

as you wander down the road,

you'll breathe in a sweet patience,

and exhale your lonesome load.

- Tunnel

Review of Frisky or Fair at the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

Eliza Lynn - Honeysuckle.mp3
Eliza Lynn - Frisky or Fair.mp3

A Bittersweet Longing For

2006-01-18T01:25:00.000-05:00

I'd like to take this moment to highlight today's (yesterday's, actually) post by Said the Gramophone. Said the Gramophone is a top notch mp3 blog that's been in this game for some time now (even if the cast of writers have rotated). A Bittersweet Longing For shows off the blog's ability to craft top notch entries that beautifully bring across the feeling of the highlighted tune.

I had a pretty indepth post on this subject and it was lost. I'm trying to let go of it, but I'm still a bit bitter.

Camera Obscura - Suspended from Class.mp3 (via bows + arrows)
Camera Obscura - Anti-Western.mp3 (via bows + arrows)

Who said we don't have Indie Rock in Vermont?

2006-01-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, so it was me. The fine folks at Higher Ground are doing their best to make me look the fool (or answering my plea, depending on how you see the glass, or vase, or whatever). They have gone and booked two very exciting shows for the spring:

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - April 11 - $13/$14
The Books - May 13 - $12/$14

Hallelujah! If nothing else, 2005 was the year of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. This four piece from Brooklyn bursted on the scene labeless, but with something to prove. Their sound is uber catchy and reminiscent of some of David Byrne's best work. It easily found its way on my top ten albums for the year. Click here to read False45th's write-up on the world's most blogged band. Listen at their MySpace page.

The Books' debut release in 2002, Thought for Food, brought something new and exciting to the indie world - and continues with release number three from last year. This hard working duo does all the work themselves (sample collecting, composing, writing, recording, mixing, and mastering in home studios and no producer or engineers) mixing acoustic music and various samples of found sound. The final result is a kaleidoscope of sound that is intriguing yet focused. All three of their albums may be streamed through their amazing website. A great review of their first album can be found at Dusted Magazine.

Thank you to Nick for bringing these shows to my attention.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood.mp3 (via Badminton Stamps)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Blue Turning Grey.mp3 (via Anablog)
The Books - Be Good to Them Always.mp3 (via tmwsiy*)
The Books - It Never Changes to Stop.mp3 (via tmwsiy*)
The Books - Venice.mp3 (via tmwsiy*)

Grateful Dead - Playboy After Dark, 1969

2006-01-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

They say that three is the magic number, so here's my third post in one day that could be categorized as hippie.

I came across a great video of the Grateful Dead playing Mountains of the Moon and St. Stephen on Playboy After Dark from March 22, 1969. It starts with a great conversation between Jerry Garcia and Hugh Hefner with Jerry explaining that the purpose of the dual drummers was for "mutual annihilation" and that they "chase each other around, it's like, it's kinda like the serpent that eats its own tail" and "if you could stand in between them, uh, they, they make big figure eights in side of your head." This is quite the valuable piece of footage, if not for how sharp, vivacious, and engaged the Dead are, then at least to see the dancing Bunnies, the dudes in tuxes, and the overall squareness of the crowd.

Playboy After Dark was a late-night variety series, which featured popular musicians and comedians performing on a stageset built to look like a Penthouse apartment filled with Playmates. Hosted by Hugh Heffner, the short lived series only ran for 2 seasons. During that time it featured musical performances by Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, Taj Mahal, B.B. King, Canned Heat, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Sir Douglas Quintet, Steppenwolf, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Fleetwood Mac, Ike & Tina Turner, Country Joe & The Fish, and James Brown.

The above photo is from a Haight-Ashbury show in 1969. My deceased uncle is pictured in the audience above the snare. No joke.

Grateful Dead on Playboy After Dark - March 22, 1969 (Episode: #1.11)

Phish at the Vermont Statehouse

2006-01-12T11:24:00.000-05:00

Despite starting to look like a hippie/jam blog, I give you this nugget of information:

Jon Fishman, the vacuum cleaner soloing-dress wearing-drummer from Phish, will be playing with Alexander's Goodtime Band at the Vermont Statehouse. The free event, which will take place in the House Chamber on Wednesday, January 18th at 7pm, is part of the weekly Farmers' Night Concert Series that are held throughout the legislative session. Although it may seem strange to have a member of one of the largest jam bands of all time hanging at the Statehouse, Fishman has turned into quite the environmental activist (ala Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's True Majority Action). Since the demise of Phish, Fishman has become a vocal board member for the New England Coalition and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. I'm curious to see how the politics and music mix next Wednesday. Can't wait to people watch.

Alexander's Goodtime Band - Let Us Try Again.mp3
Alexander's Goodtime Band - Dancing All The Time.mp3

The Gambler

2006-01-12T09:34:00.000-05:00

I'd like to highlight the latest post on Poker Bluegill concerning an upcoming Vegas trip. Dewey has been a family friend for as long as I can remember and has weaved a pattern in my mind of great stories and great story telling. I remember having a conversation with him at a wedding some 6 years ago when he told me about his interests in gambling. I was afraid that it was going to be a story of sadness, depression, chasing an impossible dream, etc, etc. But it wasn't at all. He had nearly perfected the gambling vacation.

Dewey's attention to detail and nearly fanatical frugality have allowed him to take Vegas for all that it's worth. Each year he travels to the City of Sin for a few weeks for what ends up being cost-free. As his latest post attests, he has set up 17 days in a hotel for a total of $54! Using potential poker comps, "a library of 2-1 food coupons," and a free airfare from a previous bump, he'll be living cheaper then it would cost to stay at home. But you mention the gambling, he'll loose it with the gambling. Good point, but no. He takes the same approach to card games as he does food and lodging, betting minimal, predestined for specific tables - and let's not forget he's a really good card player.

I spent a night in Vegas back in '99. Throughout the night I bet $12 and made $15. I got loads of free drinks, ate at a $2.99 breakfast buffet, and shared a room on the strip that cost a total of $29. I thought I did good. I had no idea.

Bloc Party - Hero.mp3