Crib Notes

From Decatur CD

Dear Sugarland,

About five minutes before we started writing this letter, a customer walked in and inquired about your new CD/DVD release, Live on the Inside. “Do you know if it’s out yet?” she asked. We said that, yes, it was released Tuesday, but that we were not allowed to sell it. She’d have to go to Walmart to get it. “Walmart?” she replied, with an incredulous look. “Really?” She left disappointed, and frankly, we’re disappointed as well.

You guys have been around roughly as long as Decatur CD, and we’ve been supporters of your music from day one. We’ve put your releases on listening stations, given away tickets to your shows and so on. After all, what is a local music scene if not an extended family of sorts? We have to take care of each other.The point is that by shutting the door on independent record stores, you’re in effect shutting the door on your hometown.

We’re not naïve. We understand that exclusively releasing your music with Walmart means big, fat, non-returnable, guaranteed sales, a wide reach, a truckload of money, etc., but what do you get by cutting us out? We’ve read the articles; we understand you think we’re insignificant, offhandedly commenting that there are only “two or three” record stores left. But a lot of your fans in the city where you got your start think rather highly of us. They like to buy local. They like to support independent business.

Continue reading An Open Letter to Sugarland.

(Photo courtesy Sugarland)

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According to Flagpole music writer Gordon Lamb, this year’s annual Athens PopFest has been canceled due to the stress and strain of the flailing economy.

In this week’s Threats & Promises column, Lamb writes,

“…both the Sprockets Music Video Competition & Show and The Athens PopFest have canceled this year’s events. In the interest of full disclosure let me say that I am a main organizer for The Athens PopFest. In the case of Sprockets there is a desire to restructure the organization and bring a presenting sponsor on board. With regard to the Athens PopFest the simple answer is “it’s the economy.” As both consumers and businesses tighten belts this year, we deemed it unfeasible to press on with this year’s festival in the current economic climate. Full statements from the organizers of both events can be found at www.filmathens.net and www.athenspopfest.com.”

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The three little ladies who make up Murfreesboro, Tenn. trio Those Darlins kick out an awful lot of twang with their debut, three-song EP, “Wild One.” Together they helm an unruly marriage of ornery wit and traditional country sounds that come together with an indie rock M.O.

I caught up with guitarist and vocalist Jessi Darlin last week and talked about everything from the old Nashville music scene to the production on the new Vampire Weekend album.

Those Darlins play the Earl w/ O’death and Vortex Park on Tues., Dec. 2nd. $10. 9 p.m. 488 Flat Shoals Rd. 404-522-3950.

Is Wild One EP your first release?
Yes. It’s our first release. The other songs on the Myspace page are just older recordings. Live stuff and things that we just have.

Are you all from Murfreesboro , Tenn. or did you come there from somewhere else?
We all live in Murfreesboro now. I’m from Kentucky, Kelley’s from South Carolina and Nikki is from Virginia. Kelly went to college here and me and Nikki just kind of moved here and we all met … It has one of the top recording schools in the country, so a lot of musicians move here who know that they’re supposed to go to college but don’t know what to major in beside music, so they move here and do that.

Who plays what in the band?
I play guitar and bass, Kelley plays guitar and bass and Nikki plays some baritone Ukulele and we all sing.

And you are all Darlins, like the Ramones or something?
Yep, exactly.

Who’s your drummer?
Linwood Regensburg Jr. He’s our roommate.

Are there many places to see music in Murfreesboro?
Off and on … There have been some really awesome venues that have opened here, but they all end up getting shut down for a million different reasons. This town is cursed like that. But whenever something good opens the town has a ton of incredible bands coming through. Currently there aren’t any music venues open.

Is there a good house show scene?
Definitely. There are always house shows here. Whenever a venue closes down someone will just start booking at their house until someone else comes up with enough money to get another venue open.

Tell me about the EP and the full-length that you’re working on now.
We recorded the EP in Brooklyn and the album in Brooklyn, so we’ve been playing New York a lot. We’re recording with Jeff Curtin who has a studio, called Tree Fort. He helped produce Vampire Weekend’s debut album and he does all the sound for Pitchfork TV.

darlins from t.v. on Vimeo.

“Wild One” MP3

(more…)

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For today’s Roll Call we call out Nikki Darlin, vocalist and Ukelele player for Murfreesboro, Tenn. country trio Those Darlins.

Who are you?
The infamous Nikki Darlin.

Describe yourself in three words.
magic, drunk, smashy.

Who — dead or alive — would most you like to meet?
The Marx Brothers. The best entertainers of all time without a doubt!

Whom would you most like to slap in the face?
There are so many I don’t know where to start, mostly old smart ass men (not in the funny way) who are condescending creeps to young women like myself and the rest of the Darlins.

What song do you wish you had written?
“Awesome” by Nick Lowe

Elvis Costello or Elvis Presley?
Elvis Costello winked at me on a plane, Presley didn’t. I’d rather flirt with Presley. He makes me shake my ass harder than Costello.

LP, CD or MP3?
LP! I throw CDs around like trash and I can’t throw mp3s so I don’t bother with them.

If you could start one trend, what would it be?
Back to the basics. Leather, furs, bones and feathers.

If you could end one trend, what would it be?
Beards.

With whom would you most like to play a game of spin the bottle?
All the Marx Brothers. It wouldn’t be sexy at all but would probably be the most hilarious spin the bottle ever.

Those Darlins play the Earl w/ O’death and Vortex Park on Tues., Dec. 2nd. $10. 9 p.m. 488 Flat Shoals Rd. 404-522-3950.

(Photo courtesy of Oh Wow Dang Records)

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