Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 20, 2009, at 6:23 am
A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime.
The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, July 20: Spinnerette (the alt rock foursome featuring Brody Dalle and Tony Bevilacqua, both formerly of The Distillers; the band just released their self-titled debut in June)
Tuesday, July 21: the Flatlanders
Wednesday, July 22: Diane Birch
Thursday, July 23: Ginuwine (pictured) with Missy Elliott (They’ll likely perform “Get Involved,” the second single from Ginuwine’s latest album, A Man’s Thoughts. The song also features Timbaland — he produced it — but he’s not scheduled to appear.)
Friday, July 24: Judy Collins Read the rest of this entry »
Good news for every independent musician in the World. MTV (owners of the Rock Band franchise) just announced its own new distribution platform through the immensely popular musician-simulation game Rock Band.
The Rock Band Network is a revolutionary system that will allow bands, studios and record labels to create and sell playable game content from their master recordings using the same professional tools used by Rock Band developers. Rock Band Network, currently in closed beta, should launch to the public in August (with in-game sales later in the year).
MTV has infused Rock Band Network with professional utilities to enable a community of music makers to get their work to the masses and profit by it. Paul DeGooyer, a senior VP with MTV games, tells Billboard that “We’re talking about a set of serious professional tools to allow people on the front line of writing and recording songs to completely control their destiny with respect to interactive products and then giving them direct access to the download store.”
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 17, 2009, at 12:59 pm
Gainesville’s dreadlocked singer-songwriter Chris McCarty, a local fave who hits the Skipperdome every eight weeks or so, brings his soulful acoustic groove-pop back to town, this time performing at Push Ultra Lounge for a “Ralley Florida” concert. The charitable event is held to raise awareness and funds for the statewide, grassroots “Share a Little Sunshine Tampa Bay (SALS)” viral marketing campaign to infuse much-needed revenue into Florida’s economy.
If you’re interested in doing your part, visit the SALS website (at VisitFlorida.com). Once there, upload some sort of video about Florida’s greatness, then send it out to encourage friends, family and loved ones to vacation here. Every person who sends or receives an invite will be registered to win one of 12 Florida getaways. As an added bonus, every person who sends an invitation and brings the printed online confirmation to the concert gets in for free. The show takes place Friday, July 24, at 9 p.m.; regular admission is $5 at the door.
Tuesday night, Wilco appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, with special guest vocalist Feist, to perform “You And I.”
The next day, 66-year-old ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and his band played a 22-minute concert on the roof of the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater. They flew through “Coming Up,” “Band on the Run,” “Let Me Roll It,” “Helter Skelter,” and “Back in the USSR,” and sounded tight as f!@#, in this author’s opinion.
When Billy Corganfirst announced his intention to resurrect The Smashing Pumpkins, longtime fans crossed out the names of uninvolved former members (except Jimmy Chamberlain) one by one. We knew there would be no James Iha (now in that silly supergroup Tinted Windows) and no D’Arcy Wretzky (right). Only now do we finally hear what’s up with the silvery-haired bassist! D’Arcy randomly called Chicago alt-rock station Q101 to let us know she left the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle behind in favor of passing her days on a horse farm in rural Michigan. Oh, and she loves Silversun Pickups, who don’t at all sound like The Smashing Pumpkins.
Last month, I reported on Courtney Love and her similar intention to resurrect Hole with minimal involvement from former bandmates. Former Hole guitarist and co-conspirator Eric Erlandson took time out from Buddhism and marketing vegan food for a Spin Q&A. When asked about his feelings on Hole’s return, he responded:
We have a contract. She signed a contract with me when we decided to break up the band, which was like 2002 or something, so I really don’t have a comment on it except that I know my part in that band. The way I look at it, there is no Hole without me. [Laughs] To put it blunt. Just on a business level… I’m open to discussions regarding the real Hole, and if she has a solo album together, I think that’s great.
Posted by Eric Snider on Jul. 16, 2009, at 12:39 pm
For years, the annual Warped Tour has been more or less a knucklehead boys club on wheels — with music in between — but in recent years more female-dominated bands have been cracking the lineup. Count among them Meg & Dia, the two easy-on-the-eyes, Utah-bred sisters Frampton (no relation to Peter) — Meg, 23, and Dia, 21 — and their three male bandmates.
The group has been on three Warped jaunts, including this year’s.
Meg & Dia is supporting its first major label release, Here, Here and Here (released April 21 on Sire), an accomplished collection of confessional and sometimes confrontational (and irrepressibly catchy) modern rock that takes more stylistic liberties than most bands in the pop-punk/emo realm.
Dia (foreground in photo), who sings lead and splits songwriting duties with Meg and the other band members, called from the tour bus and proved to be a lively, open interviewee. Here’s an edited version of our conversation.
What are the good parts and the bad parts about Warped?
(Coughs) Well one of the bad parts is getting sick and not being able to get better. We don’t have a hotel, a place to take a hot bath. I’ve been cleaning out my nose with a netti pot. I’d give anything for a hotel right now, a quiet room. Yesterday I had a crazy fever.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 16, 2009, at 8:55 am
This time, instead of opening for of Montreal, brother-and-sister indie pop duo The Fiery Furnaces bring their own headlining tour back to town. No Clubs Presents the band at Orpheum Saturday, August 22; tickets are $13 in advance and can be purchased at Daddy Kool ($15 day of show). Here’s the full Fiery Furnaces release/bio:
Eleanor was constantly ridiculed in the crudest and least interesting manner by her brother Matthew. He, for his part, had to suffer such things as her coming in the room, and various other affronts, for instance talking, or watching the TV show she wanted, or putting on a record she might like to hear. Read the rest of this entry »
As I said with my last post about Nerdapalooza, I wasn’t really familiar with the whole genre (or its fan base) until mere weeks before attending the festival, but I had a short list of people I wanted to see as Trevor and I shoved off from St. Petersburg last Saturday morning.
Now, I’m typing this a little under 24 hours after getting home from the festival. Showered, rested, and fed, I’m still not sure how I want to cover it. There were plenty of disappointments, such as Kabuto The Python (the #1 thing I wanted to see) not thinking to try the rapping with a mask thing out before stepping out onto a stage, which resulted in Kabuto the Mime. There was The Protomen’s set so mired in feedback that you would have thought they brought it along as a special guest. Then there was the most frustrating part of all, the festival’s complete and utter inability to stay anywhere close to the schedule (more on that later).
But this isn’t meant to be a diatribe from some outsider coming in to point at the nerds and talk about how shitty their convention was. And as I drove home, I reflected on some of the cool shit we saw. The first band we caught, Captain Dan & the Scurvy Crew, were quite entertaining both sonically and visually as they took the stage in complete pirate garb. Kabuto aside, the rest of the Scrub Club showcase was phenomenal. As a “crew” they seem to embrace a “hiphop first, nerd second” approach to their music and stage show that really appealed to me.
Then there was the out of left field “holy shit I am gonna talk about that for months” set by Schaffer The Darklord. I’d listened to his material on Myspace in preparation for the festival and was lukewarm to it at best. However, live … live is where it was at. Those lazy beats and rhyme delivery were pushed aside for an uptempo, high energy tight stage show that captivated the entire room. Watching him on stage I kept thinking, this dude is like nerdcore’s version of Col. J.D. Wilkes (for those who don’t know, read about JD here). I don’t think there is any doubt that Schaffer stole the entire festival with his shortened performance. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 15, 2009, at 12:51 pm
It’s been three years since Soviet-American songstress Regina Spektor first enchanted us with the soul-pop perfection of Begin to Hope and proved herself a storyteller with a keen sense of detail and drama, a confident singer with a broad vocal range — from high and pure to low and sensual — and a poet with a unique use of words and an alluring inflection, not as if English were her second language, but as if she’s established a whole new charming style of speaking.
The follow-up and Spektor’s fifth studio album doesn’t quite attain the catchy ease of its predecessor, but far (Sire Records) carries its own abundance of appeal.
In the bouncy opening track, “The Calculation,” Spektor playfully ponders the mathematical equation of love and the surprising fury of its burn while in “Folding Chair,” she enjoys a casual day at the beach with her sweetheart and daydreams of domestic bliss (“Let’s get a silver bullet trailer, and have a baby boy / I’ll safety pin his clothes all cool and you’ll graffiti up his toys”). “The Wallet” shows her way of making the mundane seem remarkable with a touching ballad about finding someone’s lost wallet, and she combines quiet, abstract contemplation with grandiose stretches of piano and rhythmic flourishes in the melancholy yet somehow uplifting “Eet.” (Video after the jump) Read the rest of this entry »
Drew Danburry prefers his family’s brownie recipe over cookies, plays pranks on his friends while they are pooping, disagrees with capitalism, favors ankle socks to tube socks, and could not care less about what is going on in the lives of Britney Spears or Brangelina.
Drew has toured with Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin, Lydia, The Robot Ate Me, Aubrey Debauchery, Harry and the Potters, TaughtMe, and many others. Additionally, he just recently wrapped up a solo acoustic tour. I spoke with Drew about this tour, the downside of being a “nice guy,” his engagement to his long-term girlfriend, Lynette, signing to Emergency Umbrella Records, and his future plans. Read the rest of this entry »
To begin by beating a dead horse: Modern Radio sucks! We’re lucky in the Tampa Bay area with WMNF, but even this leftist station leans toward mainstream boomer culture rather than underground or avant garde sounds. And who can blame them? Fiscal feasability dictates the output of modern media (d’uh).
In a pinch, I tend to listen to right wing radio for a good, healthy gut laugh, because it’s better than being depressed by cheesy mediocrity! Bottom line: Radio is for the masses. Lowest common denominator pandering pervades every aspect of post-modern living. From the huge conglomerates to the indies, companies and not-for-profits don’t have faith in our ability to think, contemplate and make our own decisions. This is not special knowledge that I’ve tapped into / I do not have any extra intelligence not available to the rest of you. You are all well aware of the hoodwink that modern media attempts to pull over on us every day. It/s like that “Everybody Knows” song by Leonard Cohen (he supercedes boomer culture, right?). Read the rest of this entry »
Some of you might be surprised that music isn’t my primary motivation for going to this weekend’s fifth annual Pitchfork Music Festival, but seriously, folks … that’s the god’s honest truth. I mean, I’m definitely hyped about going and checking out a handful of the bands playing there, but what has me most excited is a get-together with a group of old friends who’ll be congregating in Chi-town for the fest. A motley crew to say the absolute least. Let’s just hope none of us get arrested this weekend – unlike that other Chicago adventure that ended with my boy getting thrown in the pokey for public nudity! Three-plus days chock full o’ friends, libations, hot dogs (not really, well, kinda … I’ve never been to Hot Dougs!) and music … it just can’t come soon enough! Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Kate Cillian on Jul. 14, 2009, at 4:20 pm
I think it is safe to say that we are all “RIOT”ed out.
In 2007, Paramore proved itself as a band not to be reckoned with, putting out single after single, and continually making it to the top of the charts with songs like “Misery Business,” “Crush Crush Crush” and “Decode,” which hit the radio and moved into the homes and iPods of teens all over the world.
If you’re a Paramore fan, I have some good news. The band released a new single, “Ignorance,” on July 6. The song is more of a push towards punk-rock than previous Paramore albums. Frontwoman Hayley Williams recently told a journalist from Entertainment Weekly’s Music Mix blog, “the album is really soley based on friendship and betrayal, losing people you thought would be there forever, and then maybe either finding them again or not finding them again.”
These ideas are more than apparent in “Ignorance.” The new single illustrates a more confident Paramore, perhaps due to their recent flush of fame. Could this tune be aimed at ex-band members or maybe even ex-boyfriends? We may not ever know, but listening to it brings us closer to Hayley, in a way. “Ignorance” is spunky and catchy — watch out, it could get stuck in your head for weeks after listening. The single is available on iTunes or at Paramore’s official website. The new album, Brand New Eyes, will hit stores September 29. You can pre-order it now, also on their website. (Check out the new single performed live after the jump.)
Posted by Eric Snider on Jul. 14, 2009, at 1:53 pm
It was not all that long ago that a self-imposed eight-year hiatus by an R&B singer was tantamount to quitting the game. Labels wouldn’t have it; fans would forget.
Singer Maxwell’s retreat for most of the decade into “pedestrian life” has done nothing to hurt his career. BLACKSummer’snight, his first release since 2001’s Now just entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 with sales of 316,000.
Maxwell’s re-arrival happens at a precipitous time, amid a listless modern soul scene where hardly anyone can resist the Auto-Tune button. We’ll call BLACKSummer’snight a solid return, especially welcome considering contemporary R&B’s current state of affairs.
The 36-year-old Brooklyn-bred artist is a genuine singer in the classic mold of a Marvin Gaye. His stock-in-trade is smoldering restraint, but he can grasp for the rasp and turn up the passion when called for.
Posted by David Warner on Jul. 14, 2009, at 12:52 pm
I distributed the following memo to the Tampa Creative Loafing staff this afternoon.
In the face of declining print revenues and an according shift of resources to web-first production, Creative Loafing is restructuring its editorial staff. Unfortunately, these adjustments have made it necessary to eliminate the position of senior editor held by CL veteran Eric Snider.
There is no question that CL will be a different place without Eric. He has made a major contribution to the company as a writer and editor, and his style, his street smarts, his charismatic presence and journalistic expertise have added immeasurably to CL in print, online, and in our day-to-day lives.
We will miss having Eric as part of the staff, both as a journalist and a friend. He will continue at CL full-time through the end of this week; after that, we hope to continue working with him on individual projects.
Sharry Smith, Publisher
David Warner, Editor
Nothing much else to say except that the recession sucks, that this was an extremely painful decision, and that it brings to four the number of layoffs we have had to make this year from an already small edit staff. And yet, in spite of everything, I’m still optimistic about the future of this company.
Posted by Kate Cillian on Jul. 14, 2009, at 12:49 pm
As I type this review, the memories of an unbelievable show put on by The Lonely H linger in my mind and make my heart soar. I’ve always sworn that I was born in the wrong era, and these guys give me hope that great throwback music can be found in this day and age.
To start the show, lead singer Mark Fredson gave us an important tidbit of information: “This is Eric’s first show with out a mustache. He’s had it since high school.”
Eric admitted, “I feel naked.” On that note, the audience was given a clue about the general vibe put off by these dudes: super laid back.
Hailing all the way from the rainy town of Port Angeles, Wash., The Lonely H takes us back to the classic sounds of American blues rock ala The Eagles, Tom Petty, and the Stones. This foursome has been all over the country (NY, IL, NB, MS, and more) in a crappy old van “with no AC!” When prompted, they said that “a European tour would be ideal. Like Spain or Prague.” They call themselves a “denim rock” band. What exactly is denim rock? Well, I had to ask…
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 14, 2009, at 11:56 am
This just in from the Bruce Springsteen newsite: The Boss had added 25 dates to his current U.S. tour, including a stop at Tampa’s Ford Amphitheatre on Sept. 12; tickets go on sale July 24. Here’s the complete details, with the fluffery (gushing quotes from European press) edited out:
Bruce Springsteen & The Legendary E Street Band have added 25 new US concert dates to their 2009 ‘Workin’ On a Dream’ tour. Springsteen has now sold over 1.5 million concert tickets in 2009 alone, with the new dates expected to push that number over the two million mark. (Video of the band performing “The River” at 2009’s Glastonbury and complete schedule of tour dates after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Vinyl Fever on Jul. 14, 2009, at 11:05 am
Brought straight to your desktops by Lee at Vinyl Fever.
VINYL:
AA Bondy – American Hearts
Their latest (2008) release, now available on vinyl.
Amon Duul II – Yeti
“Yeti” was the second album by Amon Duul II and is quite a musical achievement. This is a double LP set and contains some of Amon Duul’s most impressive work – delivering their thick, full-fledged, multi-layered sound with dense instrumentation and a certain epic vastness. This is Krautrock in the full depth of its power: huge, towering, dark and completely devoid of any happy optimism, but still bound full of energy. An essential bit of the psych/prog era. Released with the original artwork.
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Deluxe reissue features the original album remastered and a bonus disc of 12 rarities, live tracks and B-sides.
David Bowie – Man Who Sold The World
David Bowie – Pinups
High-end Simply Vinyl label pressings.
The Clash – The Clash
The Clash – Give ‘Em Enough Rope The Clash – Combat Rock
High-end Simply Vinyl label pressings.
The Dead Weather – Horehound
The latest musical adventure by Jack White epitomizes the alt-rock ethic: do the music you love, do it yourself, and do it fast. The Dead Weather brings together lead singer Alison Mosshart (half of the London-based lo-fi post-punk duo The Kills), Queens Of The Stone Age guitarist Dean Fertita, The Raconteurs’ bassist Jack Lawrence, and White on drums and vocals.
Iggy & The Stooges – More Power
Digitally remastered collection of rare studio recordings from the Raw Power era.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 13, 2009, at 2:01 pm
It is finally confirmed. Phish is not lame and did not drop all the most obvious hints about the location of the upcoming “Save the Date” fest so we could figure it out with little or no detective work. They led us all down a false trail, encouraging speculation and spreading rumors so thick and detailed that pretty much everybody and their brothers were convinced that the fest would be held at the Coachella site in Indio, California, also a city known for its date farms. (By date, I mean the fruit.) The rumors seemed so solid that hundreds (including a CL staffer, not myself), booked rooms in the Indio area.
Throughout the past several weeks, to hype up the forthcoming festival set to occur in a mystery location Oct. 30-Nov. 1, Phish anchored their homepage with an interactive pic of the United States, with various flash disasters — swarms of hungry ants, gods blowing storms in from the heavens, even Mike riding doomfully across the country on his Segway — to remove the possibilities state by state. California was still on the map up until today, when it was hijacked by four hot air balloons, casting all previous speculation into the dirt.
My original theory, since Nevada is still on the map, that Phish has decided to take over Vegoose and will either be the headliner on a bill of bands, or the sole band. Vegose is a Halloweentime fest. I guess only time will tell — but you heard the theory here first!
Stay tuned for a complete Phish Saves America wrap of the first leg of the summer fest, with pics and video.
WMNF’s 4th Annual Americana Fest at Skipper’s Smokehouse went off without a hitch this past Saturday, July 11, a hand clappin’, boot stompin’ good time that showcased the vast array of talent in Florida’s Americana scene.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 13, 2009, at 6:30 am
“Don’t stop, believing — hold on to the feeyayaling!”
“‘Cause I can’t fight this feeling anymore, I’ve forgotten what I started fighting for! And if I have to crawl upon the floor, come crashing through your door, baby, I cant fight this feeling anymore!”
“Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me!” (Think of Cartman singing it. Makes it twice as great.)
All right, enough of that. Just wanted to introduce two concert announcements I received over the weekend about two upcoming shows featuring ’70s classic rock bands known for their epic power balladry.
Journey (the current incarnation pictured at right, in case you didn’t recognize) stops at the Amway Arena in Orlando Wed., Sept. 23, with Night Ranger to open. Tickets are $126, $66 and $36, and go on sale this Sat., July 18 at 10 a.m.
And the “Cant Stop Rockin’ Tour 2009″ with REO Speedwagon and Styx (also featuring special guest opener Night Ranger) play a pavilion only Ford Amphitheatre Fri., Oct. 30. The reserved seat tickets are $59.50, $39.50, $29.50 and $19.50, with four-packs available for $60. Sales this Sat., July 18 at 10 a.m.
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 13, 2009, at 12:00 am
A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime.
The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS Monday, July 13: Kelly Clarkson (Pictured, to promote her new album, All I Ever Wanted)
Tuesday, July 14: Wilco with Feist (who will perform their collaboration from Wilco the Album, “You and I.”)
Wednesday, July 15: Paul McCartney (hopefully he’s be yakking and playing)
Thursday, July 16: Grizzly Bear (to make up for their non-appearance a few months ago, when they got bumped because GM’s Bob Lutz went over. Will likely play something from Veckatimest.)
Friday, July 17: Metric
It’s been many weeks since I’ve made it out to a show in Tampa. I blame travels, nonspecific busyness and a lack of excitable summer concerts in the Tampa Bay area. It took Georgia’s Perpetual Groove (pictured, photo by Phil Bardi) — a band I’ve always somehow managed to miss even though they play the area frequently — to get me out of the house.
By the time the four-piece (drums, bass, guitar, synth/keys) took the stage just after 10 pm on Friday, July 10, a few hundred of Tampa’s finest heady brahs and chicks in sundresses crowded Ybor’s Crowbar Friday night. PGroove’s first set held true to their name — flowing from one disco rock groove to the next. It worked for most of the set, but I grew bored, craving more interplay, energy and stronger melodies. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 10, 2009, at 2:04 pm
You’d imagine Dignan’s music is conceived somewhere cold and snowy grey and stunning in its starkness, a place for thinking meaningful thoughts and contemplating life’s everlasting mysteries.
Not a Texas town located a mere five miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border and boasting a significant Hispanic community. (Dignan photo by Taylor Pool)
“There’s not much of that in the music,” bassist and Dignan co-founder Devin Garcia tells me via phone a few weeks ago while the band was enjoying some down time in Cincinnati before a show later that night. “A lot of times, people are almost surprised about that.”
The atmospheric chamber pop has a distinctive psyche-folk feel in the same vein as Grizzly Bear. The multi-layered vocals are delivered in gentle and mellifluous intones or passionate cries, and are backed by wordless chorales and tasteful washes of sound with small textural details added for affect — glock chimes, guitar reverb, tambourine jingles, hand-claps, accordion notes, whistling.
Dignan is named after the charming ne’er-do-well in Wes Anderson’s first film, Bottle Rocket, and had its start when high school-aged Andy Pena met Garcia in church and became fast friends while tooling around in the church’s music room, where they spent many a late night experimenting with various instruments and taking full advantage of the empty performance space. Soon enough, Pena was playing guitar, Garcia electric bass and the duo were recruiting other young musicians to join them. Eventually, they settled into the current lineup with keyboardist and harmonizing vocalist Heidi Plueger, drummer Trey Perez, and David Palomo, who sings and plays accordion, glock and keys. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 9, 2009, at 4:18 pm
After two confusing Tweets from Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry — one alerting fans to the re-scheduling of Aerosmith’s Florida dates, the next saying the show could potentially still take place — I finally received word that the show has indeed been postponed.
Here’s the official Ford Amp statement:
(July 10, 2009) Aerosmith has postponed their scheduled show for July 11th at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL due to an artist injury. A rescheduled date will be announced soon. Tickets purchased for the Ford Amphitheatre concert will be honored at the rescheduled date. For additional tour and ticket information, please visit www.livenation.com or www.aeroforceone.com.
Posted by Kate Cillian on Jul. 9, 2009, at 12:34 pm
Don’t let her goofy personality and head full of dreads fool you. Emily Turnage is a young musician with huge potential. “I think I’ve been playing since I was about 14,” she told me in a recent conversation. A Saint Petersburg native, this flower child finds her peace through the strings of her guitar.
Her love of guitar paved her way to joining band after band, never giving up on her dream. “I want to have 30,000 people sing my songs with me.”
Raw talent flows through her veins. She has never taken a guitar lesson in her life. “I taught me-self!” she exclaimed with a laugh.
Emily took inspiration from the music around her. “My best friend Jacob is an excellent musician and whenever he played I just fell in love with it. Hayley Williams [Paramore] influences me as well.”
Punknews.org reported this week that Long Island emo-rockers Brand New named and dated their upcoming fourth album. And One Head Can Never Die is scheduled to drop September 22, sandwiched between new albums by Muse (9/14, hopefully the next day in the U.S.) and AFI (9/29).
UPDATE: According to Aversion.com, Brand New renamed their forthcoming album Daisy.
As much as I love and revere Muse, my hopes and expectations are even higher for Brand New. While frontman Jesse Lacey never hesitated to elaborate his deepest, inner-most feelings even dating back to their pop-punk-leaning debut Your Favorite Weapon(2001), the musical progression showcased on the band’s two successive albums dwarfs his still-impressive growth as a lyricist. Deja Entendu(2003) and The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me(2006) find two almost completely different bands, each superior to the last.
With Brand New progressing by leaps and bounds with each release, why does the end now draw near? (VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP) Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 8, 2009, at 5:10 pm
Here’s a quick breakdown of your best live music bets for the upcoming weekend. Yes, we count Thursday, because that’s when the weekend really starts, right? I mean, for those of us who pretend it’s just a second Friday… For a more comprehensive schedule of concerts, check out our Upcoming Events page.
Thursday, July 09 Don Chambersw/Urbane Cowboys/Roppongi’s Ace/Al TorchiaDon Chambers (pictured) sings in a raspy drawl, plays banjo with electric guitar aggression, and writes Southern gothic narratives about death, heartbreak, and other grim topics set against slinky Southern-fried roots rock that crackles and burns with a fiery intensity. Last September, with his Athens, Ga.-based band GOAT, Chambers released his fourth album, Zebulon, which was co-produced by the Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood and featured on NPR’s Second Stage. Chambers has been likened to Tom Waits and Johnny Cash, and both are adequate, if not accurate, comparisons. Chambers performs solo (sans GOAT) at two shows on either side of the Bay: at New World Brewery on Thursday with Urbane Cowboys, Roppongi’s Ace and Al Torchia, and on Friday at The Garage in St. Petersburg with support acts TBA), and also appears on Studio 10 Friday morning. Thurs., July 9, 9 p.m., New World Brewery, Ybor City; and Fri., July 10, The Garage, St. Petersburg. Both shows are $6. —LP
Friday, July 10
PBS (Porter Baptiste Stoltz) Ever since The Meters, New Orleans has had a tradition of turning out funky trios. PBD includes stalwarts of the Crescent City: bassist George Porter Jr., drummer Russell Batiste and guitarist Brian Stoltz. Their vocals are serviceable, but their musicianship and way with a groove are really the reason to see them. Standback opens. Fri., July 10, 8:30 p.m., Ace’s Lounge, Bradenton, $15 in advance/$18. —ESRead the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 8, 2009, at 4:49 pm
The John Lisishow at Dave’s Aqua Lounge listed in this week’s issue as taking place on Saturday, July 11, is actually taking place on the following weekend, Saturday, July 18. Please make note on your live music calendars and we apologize for the error.
Tampa electro-infused powerpop five-piece, Select Start is going to be repping “Earn It Yourself” on the Kia Kevin Says stage Sun., July 26, at the St. Petersburg stop of this year’s Van’s Warped Tour.
Now, if you’ve never heard of Earn It Yourself, I can assure you that you’re not alone.
I myself wasn’t aware of the amazing “E.I.Y.” or “Earn It Yourself” philosophy created by Sarah Saturday, which is based on the idea that everyone can and should use DIY methods to work towards their goals, but not feel guilty or worried about being labeled a “sell out” when they succeed. Her idea stemmed from years of playing in a band and working in the music industry. After brainstorming with other like-minded music lovers, and with a little help from Warped Tour creator Kevin Lyman, Saturday turned E.I.Y into a full-blown website that helps unsigned bands get lots of exposure and connects them with other industry professionals and normal people who are really tapped into their local scenes. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 8, 2009, at 11:32 am
Sludgy post-punkers The Melvins are set to release Chicken Switch, a different sort of 15-song remix CD, on Sept. 29 via Ipecac Recordings. How is it different? Apparently, instead of given a single track to work with, the remixers on Chicken Switch were provided with complete albums to produce their single tracks, and in some instances, more than one album was used as source material.
The band is also hitting the road to support NOLA heavy metal supergroup Down this August and September, which includes a stop at House of Blues in Orlando on Sept. 2.
Check out the Chicken Switch track listing and participating artists as well as the complete Melvins tour schedule after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
They saved the not-a-dry-eye-in-the-house part for the very end. As the Michael Jackson memorial stretched just past two hours this afternoon, after a series of speeches and several emotional music performances, Jackson’s daughter approached the microphone, aunt Janet steadying her. Choking back sobs, 11-year-old Paris said, “Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. I just want to say I love him so much.”
If that didn’t get to your tear ducts at least a little, you’ve got a pretty chilly heart.
The second-most famous Jackson, Janet, clad in a black dress and beret, was sad- or stone-faced every time on camera. She neither spoke nor performed. Michael’s brothers Jermaine and Marlon offered tributes, and Jermaine sang a teary rendition of what speaker Brooke Shields said was Michael’s favorite song: the Charlie Chaplin chestnut “Smile.”
Maybe I’ve reached Michael Jackson overload, but I stayed dry-eyed until Paris’ comments at the end. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Leilani Polk on Jul. 7, 2009, at 4:06 pm
The Allman Brothers Band brings their 40th Anniversary Tour to Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall on Wednesday, October 21. Because of the classic jam rockers’ longtime popularity and legion of loyal fans, the show will most likely sell out. (The Allmans haven’t played a headlining date in the Bay area since their 2005 stop at the Ford Amphitheatre, likely because the annual Wanee appearances draw enough fans not to warrant an actual Florida tour.) So, if you can afford to pay $131, $101.50, $81.50 or $61.50 per ticket to see the Allmans at Ruth Eckerd, get your tickets when they go on sale, this Friday, July 10, at noon.
It was fated that one day they’d collaborate. Audioslave (and former Rage Against the Machine) guitarist Tom Morello and Boots Riley, rapper for the Coup, are two of the most stridently radical musicians to ever plug in. Get ’em together and you get Street Sweeper Social Club, 11 songs and nearly 40 minutes of unremitting agitprop set to thunder beats and monster guitar riffs.
Every song rails against something: bosses, politicians, capitalism, materialism, the System. Virtually every song advocates the violent overthrow of oppressive forces, the gathering of guns, the whole ain’t-taking-shit-NO-more thing.
Unless you’re planning to cause trouble at the next G8 summit, this kind of rhetorical and musical onslaught can wear your ass out. But give Morello and Riley big ups for commitment — and big up Stanton Moore for providing the crushing funk-rock grooves.
Rap-metal is a worn-out subgenre, and to some extent the Morello/Riley team (along with drummer Stanton Moore) sags under the weight of stylistic orthodoxies. There are only so many new ways to approach a heavy guitar riff, only so many variations on funk-rock beats. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Eric Snider on Jul. 7, 2009, at 12:07 pm
No TV at the job? No worries. We’re streaming the Michael Jackson memorial here via Hulu. The stream starts at 12:55 p.m., so leave the window open or check back with us. Comment, comment, comment. I’ll be watching and weighing in.
The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
When 
To begin by beating a dead horse: Modern Radio sucks! We’re lucky in the Tampa Bay area with WMNF, but even this leftist station leans toward mainstream boomer culture rather than underground or avant garde sounds. And who can blame them? Fiscal feasability dictates the output of modern media (d’uh).
