Mike Doughty

Ex-Soul Coughing frontman, Mike Doughty is coming to The Vogue next month. The date is sandwiched between Built To Spill and My Morning Jacket, so it should be a great couple weeks.



Mike Doughty - I Hear The Bells (follow)
Mike Doughty - Busting Up A Starbucks (follow)
Mike Doughty - Tremendous Brunettes (follow)
Mike Doughty - I'm Still Drinking In My Dreams (follow)

Read the whole post...

Architecture In Helsinki: Live On WOXY

The day after Architecture In Helsinki played The Patio here in Indianapolis, fabulous show, they headed down to Cincinnati for a radio appearance on WOXY. Here is that performance.


AIH - Intro
AIH - It's 5
AIH - Living Without You
AIH - Interview
AIH - The Owls Go
AIH - Maybe You Can Owe Me
AIH - Do The Whirlwind
AIH - Outro

EDIT: Outro link fixed. Thanks.

Read the whole post...

Indianapolis Colts Practice - Photo Recap

Yesterday was pretty cool. I went to a luncheon at The Colts practice complex, listened to Colt's President, Bill Polian speak and then watched about 45 minutes worth of Colts practice. It was interesting, these guys are huge up close...except for the running backs and wide recievers who really seemed very small and lithe when I was watching them at such close range.

Listening to Polian speak was pretty cool, although he mainly spoke about why The Colts have looked so bad this preseason (0-4). He said don't expect a win in the final preseason game either as they will not play any of the starters who have all ready got some preseason time. He said the trip to Japan really screwed with the guys and that it takes 22 days to fully recover from a trip like that. He said that they are averaging going into each preseason game with 22 injuries, so that has really hurt them as well. He was talking to all of the sponsors, so he needed to give all the excuses so none of them would be scared off. Colts need the dolla dolla bills ya'll!

At the practice, Peyton was mucho impressive, he was rifling bullets all over the complex, pinpoint accuracy. I mean, the receivers did not drop balls thrown by Peyton. He was pretty vocal with the recievers too, barking instructions and constructive criticism. Marvin seemed to be exempt from instruction, but then again, he looked the most crisp and Peyton probably didn't have much to say to him as they have been playing together for so long. I'll tell you who was amazing - the kickers. I mean, these guys can freaking launch that ball. 65 - 70 yards easy. It sounded like a small canon going off, with each kick, when kicker Dave Raynor was practicing kick-offs. OK well, here are the photos...


These two have hooked up for a lot of TDs

Peyton talks foosball with Marvin and Troy Walters

Peyton talks foosball with Marvin

Peyton

Peyton

Marvin Harrison

The Edge

Back-up Running Back James Mungro

Reggie Wayne

The Wide Receivers after a drill

Snap

9 on 7

Big Boys

Peyton even lined up on Defense a few times against the 2nd team

I'll come with some music in the next post...

Read the whole post...

Nothing's Gonna Stop The Flow...

Sports Edition:
I'm going to The Indianapolis Colts practice facility today for a luncheon and to watch Peyton Manning throw touchdown passes all over the place. I love the Colts and Peyton, but they gotta get tough. They gotta hit somebody in the mouth. I hate that they are a 'finesse' team. It's wildly exciting to watch the ball flying all around with Harrison, Wayne and Stokley flying down the field, but they need a power running game to go with it. Edge is a great player, but if the Colts had a Jerome Bettis, in his prime, type back that could just power through for 5 automatic yards, they'd have a Super Bowl ring. Eh well, My prediction: 12-4 this year with a loss in AFC Championship game...AGAIN.

The big story this year, in Kentucky, is the Louisville Cardinals football program. The Cards finished last season ranked 6th in the nation and have every possibility to run the table this year as they have an even better team and maybe an easier schedule. The question is though, even if they do, will they get to play for the National Championship? Well, a lot of games left to play before we get to that, but watch out for the Cardinals again this year. My team, The University of Kentucky is gonna get waxed left and right again this year. It's time for Rich Brooks to prove his worth or get the funk out. Athletic Director, Mitch Barnhart needs a good kick in the ass, preferably out the door.

Blogger Fantasy Football draft is tonight, but there is the possibility of rescheduling. I had my money-league draft Sunday night and am pretty pleased with my team. I drafted out of the 2nd pick slot in a 12 man field. Here is my money-league team: This league starts: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 WR/RB, 1 WR/TE, 1 K, 1 DEF.

L.Tomlinson RB/SD
T.Owens WR/PHI
Kerry Collins QB/OAK
David Carr QB/HOU
Ronnie Brown RB/MIA
Ricky Williams RB/MIA
Kevan Barlow RB/SF
Lamont Jordan RB/OAK
Roy Williams WR/DET
Tyrone Calico WR/TEN
Brandon Lloyd WR/SF
Dallas Clark TE/IND
Ryan Lindell K/BUF
Alanta D
-1 open slot - will probably pick up LT's backup, Turner-


Upcoming Events:
Go to Vegas for Vegoose...Official Site.

Blog Props:
I know there are some Country & Western fans out there...MJ, at least. Well, if you have an inkling for 80's and 90's country/western music, I want you to check out Thunderstorms and Neon Signs and you'll find something for your achy-breaky heart.

Also, go say hi to Samantha over at So...Where Is Helsinki. I think she was my first MySpace friend other than the guy they give you. More importantly, she has excellent musical taste. I'd try to make her a blog-girlfriend, but then I think I'd have the law on my tail if I did.

Enter Mallie's mix tape contest!

Thanks, Love & Sorrow:
Big thanks and love for all the support lately all of you, thanks for helping me through in my time of grouchiness, I'm not 100% through it, but things are looking up...also, unending love to my mom and dad and wife.

My heart and prayers go out to the city of New Orleans and it's occupants...I hope all your friends and family are safe. J-Bobo let's us in on some of the science behind the destruction.

Here are two of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands, Folk Implosion and one of my favorite movies...from Kids OST...
Folk Implosion - Natural One (follow link)
Folk Implosion - Nothing's Gonna Stop (follow link)

Read the whole post...

Movie Review: Four Brothers

I don't really do a lot of movie reviews do I? But I saw John Singleton's Four Brothers this weekend with MJ and I was pretty pleased with it. The reviews are pretty mixed on it, kind of one way or the other, but I think it's a good ghettofied/urban western take on John Wayne's The Sons Of Katie Elder. Based in the projects of Detroit, four brothers wreak havoc in order to discover the reason behind their mother's murder. The chemistry between the brothers (Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin & Garrett Hedlund) is pretty hilarious throughout, but they are also for-the-most-part-believable as tough-as-the-streets Detroit bad boys too.

Mark Wahlberg's nothing-to-lose attitude is solid as the wild-eyed leader of the brothers. Tyrese is a lot of comic relief, but believable as the muscle. Benjamin fits well as the bad-boy gone good-now family man just trying to support, and Hedlund is good as the baby of the crew, who's picked on constantly, but guarded and protected in every spot of danger.

The movie keeps a good pace, the comedy between the brothers and the villians is entertaining and the excitement/gun-fights are edge-of-your-seat nailbiters...even if the gun fights are a little bit like G.I. Joe cartoons where each guy unloads 5 clips and doesn't hit shit. Red and blue lasers going everywhere and nobody's falling, you remember that? The violence is shot with a strong artistic notion. There's a great car chase in the middle of a Detroit snow storm and car crashes that seem to come out of nowhere. You have to remember one key throughout the movie: bad guys exist to get shot and good guys exist to shoot them. If you can keep that in mind, you will probably enjoy the movie.

Four Brothers is a solid summer movie. It’s got action to hold up against the comic books but enough style and substance to make it memorable. On the musical note, it's got a great Marvin Gaye-heavy soundtrack with superb songs by The Four Tops, The Miracles, Jackson 5, and The Temptations as well.

The Miracles - You've Really Got A Hold On Me

Added Bonus:
Kanye West - Drive Slow (ft. Paul Wall & GLC)

Read the whole post...

Greg Dulli / The Twilight Singers - Amber Headlights

The Twilight Singers are set to release "Amber Headlights" and you can preview tracks from it at The Twilight Singers MySpace.



Pre-Order 'Amber Headlights' : Their site also includes the upcoming tour dates for Dulli and Afterhours in Italy as well as Dulli's reflections on "Amber Headlights". Another addition is the "Access" section, which allows you to submit questions to GD for possible inclusion on the site.

As an added incentive to pre-order the album, the first 400 copies will come with an autographed CD booklet and one person will win a Dulli-autographed black Fender Telecaster.

The album is the curtain-raiser for Dulli's Infernal Recordings imprint and contains many friends and past collaborators, most notably multi-instrumentalist Petra Haden.

For all things related to The Afghan Whigs and bands spawned by their breakup check Summerkiss

Since I can't give you anything to download off of 'Amber Headlights', I'll give you this...

Moon Maan - Light Of The Moon (follow link)

What's this you say? Moon Maan is Rick McCollum's band, who you might know was a founding member of the Afghan Whigs. This band was formed in Minneapolis in early 2004 and carries on a lot of the Afghan Whigs alt-rock sound. This is a good and gritty alt-rock tune.

Moon Mann's website

Read the whole post...

Am I taking crazy pills here?!

Life has been a little rough lately, or at least the last couple weeks, it seems...not bad, just bumpy. All the house buying/negoticating is stressful if only because I would like to get this house, and I KNOW MJ would love to get this house, but the people selling it are living in frippin' Utah now, so it slows the process down way too much. We'd like it to be on the contigency of us selling our house, they'd like it to be on a "first-right" contigency, which isn't a bad deal, but it still leaves the door open for us to lose the house or have to pay more for it. The nice thing is we seem to be in the same place on the cost right now.

I got a speeding ticket today. $161 dollars, 19 miles over the posted 40. i knew I was dead. I came over a hill, on my way and late for work, and there he was...pointing the gun right at me. I just started pulling over before he could even flip his lights on.

Work has slowed down, it's even boring right now. I shouldn't complain, but maybe I am.

I think, just overall, I feel complacent or lost. I need to have or make something happen. A big change or life direction switch. Last year was so tumultous, as those of you who have been reading MOKB for a while now know and this year has just seemed basic or boring. I mean, I DEFINITELY don't want things to be like last year, I just want something to happen. I feel like I have no idea what I want to do with my life. What am I going to be when I grow up? I don't really want to be some lifelong manager in the appliance and electronics biz...I mean, that's direction things seem to be headed. I'm an artist, I paint, I throw clay, I design, but this monotony is starting to squeeze me.

Like everything has made me irritable lately, everything bugs me. I have even not been such a big fan of MOKB lately...does it show? Probably...

I think I wanna move west or north or south or overseas. I really think I want to move overseas for a year or two or join the PeaceCorp. I feel like I'm going a little crazy at times the past couple weeks.

Maybe it's just gas...

Tegan & Sara - You Wouldn't Like Me (follow)

Read the whole post...

The Luxury Liners

The Luxury Liners is the other project of Dave Dewese, lead of yesterday's featured band, The Foxymoron's. (thanks to The Graduate). Named after a Gram Parsons song, The Luxury Liners were originally intended as an alt-country outlet for Foxymorons member Dewese (after he moved from Texas to Nashville). However, the group ended up more as a guitar-heavy power pop band. Their influences include Badfinger, Big Star, The Byrds and The Raspberries.



The Luxury Liners - Sunshine
The Luxury Liners - Restless
The Luxury Liners - It's You
The Luxury Liners - Believe (Cher Cover)
The Luxury Liners - Breezy

Added Bonus:
Five Acoustic Coldplay tracks here.

Read the whole post...

Wolf Parade

The new Wolf Parade album, set to launch in late September/early October, is entitled Apologies to the Queen Mary. It's been leaked to the 'net for quite some time, but hopefully you are planning on buying it when it comes out. Here are two songs from it.



Wolf Parade - I'll Believe In Anything (I LOVE THIS SONG...Highest Rec!)
Wolf Parade - It's A Curse

The Montreal-via-Victoria quartet has already received celebratory write-ups in both The New York Times and Time's Canadian edition, been featured on The Believer's highly touted music-issue compilation (covering an unreleased Frog Eyes song), and taken to the stage at NYC's Piano's to celebrate that disc's release.

When asked to describe Wolf Parade's music, frontman Dan Boeckner replies:

Dan: Oh. Ostensibly, we're just making folk music without any of the musical connotations of folk music. We have keyboards in the band because we didn't have money to buy anything else when we started - I didn't even have a guitar - so I think a lot of the sound comes from working with the limitations of our equipment. If we're close to anything, I'd say it'd be bands like Frog Eyes.

Read the whole post...

K-Os

I'm all about making you shake yo ass today. You wanna shake yo' ass? Well, I'm yo' pusha...I got just what you need. K-Os is a Toronto-bred and based emcee who has blown up in Canada and is getting touring requests from respected US hip-hop/neo-soul groups like The Roots. K-Os is a skilled singer and producer as well...his first release, Exit stood out dramatically with lush, instrument-driven arrangements to go with the traditional hip-hop elements of drum programming, samples, and the like. His latest release is called Joyful Rebellion. Here are two songs from it...Buy it.

K-Os - Crabbuckit
K-Os - B-Boy Stance

Added Bonus:
Tribalistas - Ja Sei Namorar

Read the whole post...

The Foxymorons

So, I'm hanging around Frank's blog the other day and someone comments on the The Foxymorons. I go check them out because I heard them on an Elliot Smith tribute album, but more importantly to me at the time, they have done a full covers album and I love covers...I mean, who doesn't right? Anyway, the covers album is kinda disappointing - they picked some good songs, but executed them pretty poorly. The Gram Parson's song 'Older Guys' is pretty solid, in my opinion, but I like me some Gram Parsons.

However, all was not lost. The Foxymorons' new album Hesitation Eyes sounds pretty good. Especially this number: The Foxymorons - Harvard Hands and here is the title track from Hesitation Eyes: The Foxymorons - Hesitation Eyes

Anyway, you can hear and download lots more Foxymoron mp3s here, including every one of the songs from their covers album.

EDIT: Check out The Graduate's interview of Dave Dewese of The Foxymorons!

Read the whole post...

Bravo Silva

Bravo Silva is an NYC based indie pop duo that makes catchy and 80's-esque dance music. Bravo Silva recently played Movable Hype 4.0 at The Knitting Factory in NYC with Langhorne Slim (who MOKB posted on this week as well - scroll down). They are really up-and-coming fast movers, the brand new shiz, and most importantly, MOKB endorsed! Get on board and check them out!

Bravo Silva - I Can't Say Goodbye (Highly Rec'd! - Rapidshare - follow link)

Bravo Silva's MySpace

From their website:
New York duo Bravo Silva makes pop rock music that is at once extremely listenable and sonically complex. The songs of Henry Silva and Joel Bravo take a crash course through 80s radio rock melody, singer/songwriter verse, and 70s prog rock theatrics. Lush and textured soundscapes call to mind the arrangements of Blonde Redhead and 10cc, and pop-oriented melodies draw from The Outfield and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Read the whole post...

J Ralph

You've heard J Ralph before probably, maybe without knowing it. Millions of people have actually listened to J. Ralph's music, yet he's far from a household name. The 29-year-old musician's dreamy, hypnotic compositions have become a hit with advertisers, appearing in ads for Volkswagen, Nike and others.

J. Ralph -- whose given name is Josh -- has no formal musical training. He spent time working in hip hop studios and got a big record deal for his debut CD, which went nowhere. Then an ad agency found one of his orchestral songs and licensed it. More ads followed. Among the most famous is one called "Big Day" for Volkswagen : It features a beautiful bride, her father, who frequently checks his watch, and a frantic young groom in a Jetta racing to the church. The ad debuted during the 2001 Super Bowl and ran for three years -- an eternity for a commercial.

One of many unique instruments in J. Ralph's cavernous studio is this 60-inch gong. "Anything that makes sound, I find inspiration in," he says. "Whether it's raindrops, or crickets, or newspaper rustling, or drums, or gongs or anything."

J Ralph - One Million Miles Away (Volkswagen Big Day Commercial)

J Ralph - NPR 'All Things Considered' Interview

Read the whole post...

Whatchu Gonna Do Brother...?

Random thoughts and happenings...I used to be a 'Hulkamaniac' and I'm proud of it. It was around my 7 to 10 years...good times. "What are you gonna do, brother, when the 24-inch pythons wrap themselves around you?!"

WOXY.com is launching Unsigned@WOXY.COM, a new program focusing on up and coming, unsigned artists that will air on its Internet radio broadcast and then be made available as a downloadable podcast. Unsigned@WOXY.com will be a regular feature for the station and joins its existing podcast of the Modern Rock Minute, a feature of music news. The new program and podcast are slated to debut in September, and a call for submissions is under way.

Artists interested in submitting music for Unsigned@WOXY.com can find more information and instructions at www.woxy.com/unsigned.

My buddy, Rich, reminded me that there are tons of live KVRX performances in these folders, but you gotta be willing to do some digging.

I watched 'Be Cool' last night...It was ok. As MJ said, the laughs were a little few and far between, but when they came, they were good laughs. Is Uma Thurman hot? I mean, I think she'd be an awesomely fun girlfriend, but is she hot? She looks great in this movie. Is Vince Vaghn actually hot too? I mean, he's funny as hell, but he's kinda Belushi-esque isn't he? Kinda greasy and sloppy? I don't know...he was pretty irritable in this movie after the first few scenes.

Man, still in the offer/counter-offer stages with the house downtown. They finally countered, we have until tomorrow. I just want our house to sell fast w/o dropping the price. We'd be all good if our house would hurry up and sell. It's only been on the market 3 weeks really, so I gotta be more patient. We had an open house this past Sunday and all the visitors really liked it, we just need one of them to pull the trigger.

Got some bigger tires for my Jeep...getting them put on today...hope it looks good.

Telepopmusik - Breathe
Royksopp - Remind Me
Looper - Mondo 77
Pinback - Fortress
Colin Hay - I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You

Quickly becoming a blog I enjoy on a daily basis, Touch That Dial has Wilco covering 'Don't Fear The Reaper'. I always gotta have more cowbell.

We need one more blogger to complete the Fantasy Football League... Mike Jonze is the latest wanting a taste. Anyone else wanna step up to get knocked down? Gmail me if you want in.

Read the whole post...

Yerba Buena

Yerba Buena just made a visit to Indianapolis, but I had to miss it...I wish I hadn't. Yerba Buena is a NYC -based Latin Funk collective...The group's super-infectious live-band party feel has changed everyone's idea of new Latin groove with a mind-bendingly original, Afro-Cuban/Afrobeat/hiphop attack. You gotta check this track...you'll move and if not there are some other tracks you can try.

Yerba Buena - Guajira

Added Bonus Tracks:
Art Brut - Emily Kane
Willy Mason - Oxygen
Eisley - The Winter Song
Blonde Redhead - Elephant Woman

Read the whole post...

New Pet Politics song

I'm sure Magnus sent this to every blogger out there, but there is a new Pet Politics song up on his website. check it...



Pet Politics - The Ghost Mary and Her Friends

Read the whole post...

Athlete - 'Half-Light' Video & Tour

Athlete is about to start a new tour across the US. Here is the stream for their new video 'Half-Light' and the tour dates.

Athlete - Half-Light (ram)
Athlete - Half-Light (asx)

Get a taste:
Athlete - Out Of Nowhere



Athlete - Tour Dates:
9/15 Cambridge MA - T.T. The Bear's
9/16 Montreal QC - LaTulipe
9/18 Ottawa ON - Zaphod Beeblebrox
9/19 Toronto ON - Opera House
9/21 Chicago IL - Double Door
9/26 Los Angeles CA - El Rey Theatre
9/27 San Francisco CA - Slim's
9/29 Portland OR - Doug Fir Lounge
9/30 Vancouver BC - Commodore Ballroom
10/1 Seattle WA - KEXP radio show - Neumo's
with : M83, The National, Math & Physics Club,
Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah
10/3 Baltimore MD - Sonar Club Stage
10/4 New York NY - Bowery Ballroom
10/5 Philadephia PA - World Cafe Live
10/6 Atlanta GA - The Loft

Buy Athlete's 'Tourist' : For fans of Coldplay, Doves and Snow Patrol.

Read the whole post...

Nick Cave & The Louisville Cornhole Cup

Nicks history is well cataloged, his ever burgeoning success and notoriety fueled by a variety of achievements since the early, wild Birthday Party days.



After his family moved to Melbourne from the country town of Wangaratta in 1973, he met some of his future band mates at Caulfield Grammar School and began performing singing duties with them at weekend rehearsals and occasional school dances. By 1977 the band, now called The Boys Next Door, were slipping untidily into the new "movement" of Punk/New Wave and Nick met Anita Lane who would become his (un)steady girlfriend for the next 10 years.

His writing at this time was still maturing but after the move to London in 1980 it went from strength to strength and found it's own unique mode of expression within The Birthday Party.
Nick's untamed stage manner and fierce vocal delivery were the conduit through which the bands crazed performances flowed.

Since the group's demise Nick has developed unhindered as his work with The Bad Seeds, his novel "And the Ass Saw the Angel" and his various involvements in film work (writing, acting and composing) amply demonstrate. A biography of Nick called "Bad Seed" written by Englishman Ian Johnston was released in 1995.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - There She Goes, My Beautiful World (follow link)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Abattoir Blues
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - The Curse Of Millhaven
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - People Ain't No Good
Nick Cave - The Ship Song
Nick Cave - Stagger Lee

September 24th, 2005 - The Louisville Cornhole Cup

If I wasn't going to be in Austin, TX for ACL, this is where I would be. This year The Louisville Cornhole Cup is being put on by The Kentuckiana Kids Foundation (KKF), a not-for-profit foundation which benefits children and young adults of Kentucky and Southern Indiana. This year, KKF has chosen Kosair Children’s Hospital as the beneficiary.

All you in the Kentuckiana area get out there and support this good cause while playing one of the best games ever.

Read the whole post...

Winna! Winna! Chicken Dinna!

This weekend was pretty solid. MJ and I hosted a poker party on Friday, 13 people showed up...good crowd. We got a late start, around 8:30, so I was afraid it would be a long night...the last game didn't finish until 3:30ish in the A.M. My boy, Butrose came up from Louisville again and we had quite a few new faces, so it was a lot of fun and challenging. I started out a little shakey and MJ made a huge blunder early on, but we both recovered and in the end, she and I made the final table. We wittled away the rest of the field until it was just her and I! We started to play it out, but then realized the money, no matter which one of us won, would just be going in the joint account, so we called it a draw and took home the first and second place money.



I tell you, I am proud of her. This is her best finish ever and the second time in two tourneys that I've made the final two and split the pot. I was the chip leader at completion, just to rub that in. Heh Heh. She woke up the next day and said, "We shoulda played that out, I woulda beat your ass." She may be right, she knows my bluff better than anyone...it's why I hate being at the same table as her. I mixed it up pretty well this weekend though, so I had people off balance a lot.

They all did their best to shake me...sending me into a panic attack when I thought I had lost/misplaced the pot money. Turns out I gave it all to MJ and forgot. Of course everyone else knew she had it and I'm running around the house looking for it...yelling at them for not helping me...all the while MJ is giggling in the corner. I'm like, "What's so funny?! Why aren't you helping me find this money!?" and MJ like, "It's in my pocket you moron, you gave it to me at the start of the game!" Everyone is laughing because I'm the only one who didn't remember. I couldn't figure it out...I figured everyone would be all up in my shiz that I had lost the money, but no one was and I just didn't know what was going on. ANYWAY, didn't lose the money and they couldn't shake my hustle! I caught some lucky cards at some crucial points, but you have to create your own luck in poker sometimes I believe...a couple people left unhappy on what some (or at least they) considered "bad beats", but when the cards go your way, whatta say? If I hadn't of stayed in, I wouldn't of knocked them out.

Got to see a bunch of my boys from out-of-state as a lot came in for a fantasy football draft one of my buddies had. It was a fun time. SPEAKING OF FANTASY FOOTBALL: I bunch of music bloggaz have put together a league on Yahoo and we need a couple more people to fill the league. Chris, Ryan, Kevin, Mallie, TMWSIY and many more are all ready in the league. Let me know via email if you'd like in. This is simply a pride league, no money, just bragging rights. Seriously, I'm gonna take these kids to the bank...if it was for money, they'd stop coming to my blog because I think I'm gonna have it locked up by midseason. Show me the money!

Random Assortment:
The New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno
Danger Mouse and Zero 7 ft. MF Doom - Somersault
Jet - Hold On
Snoop Dogg - Fresh Pair Of Panties On

Read the whole post...

Mahjongg

Mahjongg is a weird band. A clanging and frenetic pop sound, a wall of what sometimes seems like meaningless noise or video game background music, but it makes you move, shake and groove.

Mahjongg has yet to publish a clear, colored picture of themselves, usually sets their vocals low in the mix, and fills up both their website content and liner notes with dozens of jumbled, black-on-white lines of text, their mysterious aura is ultimately achieved through a complex, genre-less, analog recorded collection of late 70’s lo-fi guitar, polyrhythmic drum explosions, fuzzed-out bass lines, and glorious keyboard complements. Like Animal Collective, The Fire Show, and the Black Dice, among others, Mahjongg’s sound achieves such a high level of eclectic density...(in describing Mahjongg's sound)...1980’s Talking Heads are the easiest reference point, as tribal polyrhythm backs dense instrumental montages that occasionally include jittery, treble-happy, David Byrne guitar work. But to cast Mahjongg off as another American band heavily influenced by 1977-1982 would serve as a great injustice.
-Kyle McConaghy of Stylus Magazine.com

Mahjongg thrills, trills, and hits notes that only canines comprehend. Layers of overdubbed keyboard, guitar, and percussion weave around each other in an almost fugue-like manner. Pill popping polyrhythmic teutonic noise, afro blip, and intrinsic groove that rarely fail to inspire. "An amalgam of uptown jams for downtown kids and odd, quiet meditations on rhythm."--Spin. For fans of Timbaland, Prince, Talking Heads, Suicide, Fela Kuti, Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band, Need New Body, and Sharkula.
-Insound

Mahjongg - Hot Lava
Mahjongg - Aluminum
Mahjongg - Fractal (Instrumental)

Review @ Eleven Elephants

Read the whole post...

MOKB Hometown Band, My Morning Jacket and more...

Touch That Dial has some great tunes from MOKB fave and hometown boys My Morning Jacket.



My Morning Jacket - Rocket Man (Demo/Elton John Cover) (Follow Link)
My Morning Jacket - Anytime (From "Z") (Follow Link)
My Morning Jacket - Off The Record (From "Z") (Follow Link)
My Morning Jacket - Tyrone (Eryka Badu Cover)
My Morning Jacket - One Big Holiday (Dodge's favorite MMJ song)

Added Bonus:

Finally, here's a tune from one of the bands I enjoyed most at Lolla this year, The Dead 60's. They are a Clash rip-off at times, but mix in some cool reggae and ska elements that make their music more their own. They're young, so with time they could really develop. They are really fun live and have great stage presance.

The Dead 60's - Riot Radio (Follow Link)

Read the whole post...

Rock Star:INXS

Sooooo, who has been watching Rock Star:INXS? You know Ol' Dodge has. It's good, it like... not American Idol. Last week's show was the best yet, performance-wise. It was more stripped down as to accentuate the performer's vocal capabilities. My favorite so far is Mig. MJ's favorite seems to be Marty. I think Ty is ridiculously talented, but his facial expressions irritate the shite out of me, so I have a hard time watching him. Jordis is amazingly talented vocally and if INXS actually intended on having a woman front their band, which they don't, she would have the best shot of the ladies. J.D. is interesting, as he seems to be the most talented at musical arrangement and song-writing/altering capabilities. I think he has been vastly overrated performance-wise. Suzie and Deanna, while I like both, have got to be on their way out.



MJ loves Dave Navarro. Some week's I can stand him and other's not so much. INXS is a pretty likable band when they talk...the Farriss brothers are translate to be pretty cool when they talk. Brooke Burke is hot, but wears some weird-ass outfits that just don't accentuate her incredible figure...she's best when she doesn't say too much. Navarro is sort of the same way. I watch the performance show and elimination show, but skip the reality show portion. I guess my question is: No matter who wins, will anyone accept them as INXS's new lead? The Farriss bros do all of the song-writing anyway, so you know they'll write good songs still, but will anyone listen?

INXS - Suicide Blonde
INXS - Devil Inside
INXS - Listen Like Theives

Read the whole post...

The Magic Numbers

The sound of The Magic Numbers revolves around the songwriting and guitar playing talents of singer Romeo. Born and raised in Trinidad (where his mother had her own opera show on TV) the family moved to New York when he was teenager and later moved again to Ealing in London.

There he met drummer Sean and started making music. Consequently, these days the two are to be found sitting in the sound-proofed front room of the family's terraced house, without natural light or air, surrounded by instruments, prolifically penning as yet unheard classics. To complete the core band line-up they added Romeo's equally talented sister Michele on bass and vocals, while Sean's sister Angela takes care of percussion, melodica and third vocals.

Drawing inspiration from many sources, singer songwriters (Cohen, Dylan), 60's harmony groups (Mamas & Papas, Lovin Spoonful), epic rock or such mavericks as David Axelrod. The band craft a sound which like Flaming Lips or Beck, is coming from everywhere but is uniquely theirs. The band is signed to Heavenly Recordings same as Doves Ed Harcourt, The Duke Spirit and 22-20s.

The Magic Numbers - The Mule
The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You Do
The Magic Numbers - This Love

Read the whole post...

Langhorne Slim

I picked up a copy of Langhorne Slim's debut EP, 'The Electric Love Letter', in the dollar bin the other day. It was an accident really, I thought it was a different band. But, I've read a thing or two about him, so when I realized what I had (and not what I thought I had) I wasn't upset...it was only a dollar anyway.



Slim plays old-timey country styled blues with occasional outbursts of punk rock insolence thrown in for good measure. His sound is really like punk-bluegrass which I think is pretty cool mainly because I haven't ever really heard anyone like him.

Langhorne Slim - In The Midnight
Langhorne Slim - She Don't Want

Read the whole post...

The Spooks

Each member of The Spooks' have had a passionate love of knowledge and music, it's what brought them together. Mr. Booka-T and Joe Davis grew up together as member of a hip-hop group known as Rated-X in North Philadelphia, and gained experience recording and performing between Philly and New York. Ming-Xia and Mr. Booka-T met at an art college in NYC, where they developed a close bond in both art and music, Hypno was sporadically pursuing his own music career. After a mutual friend connected the male MCs, they immediately clicked and hit Philadelphia's club and freestyle circuit in 1995. When Ming was brought in to sing on a track in 1996, it was clear that her distinct voice was the missing link. From that point on, all of the diverse elements converged together to form Spooks.

Spooks - Things I've Seen
Spooks - Karma Hotel

This is a Ryan-inspired post. I havn't listened to The Spooks since their release of "S.I.O.S.O.S." back in 2000, but loved it. I picked up the maxi-single with remixes of 'Things I've Seen' later in the dollar bin and bumped for hours on end. Anyway, thanks for bringing them back to me Ryan.

Read the whole post...

Mystery Jets Cover Bloc Party's 'The Pioneers'

I heard this this weekend...It's The Mystery Jets covering Bloc Party's 'The Pioneers'. It's a very different version, but it is REALLY good.



Mystery Jets - The Pioneers (Bloc Party Cover) (mp3 file - Savefile - follow link)
Mystery Jets - The Pioneers (Bloc Party Cover) (wma file, direct link)
Bloc Party - The Pioneers

Read the whole post...

Julie Doiron

If "Indie" music had 'em, Julie Doiron could be an "indie diva". She is as unguarded and unaware as to how others view her work it seems as an artist could be...a songwriter as inert artist, creating for the sake of creating, not for garnering attention. Each song seems to garner all the individual attention you would hope an artist would give, they are delicate and sparse, but full and complete.

She is a university trained photographer, lending the same candor to her photos as to her music. She's a wife and mother of two. Knowing all this, she may not sound overly "hip", but over the years, her work has grown from her 'Broken Girl' sadness and angst stage to this current stronger and mature sound. Her music is as honest and true as it comes. Doiron is from and still lives with her family in New Brunswick, Canada.

...she came to be a name in Canada in the early and mid 90s with the rock band Eric's Trip but folk and lo-fi people will prefer her solo albums to ET's fuzzier indie rock sound. Fans of Sufjan Stevens (though he's more built up and organized), or Karla Shickle from Ida will like her, and she's got some of that art-of-deadpan vocal sound that Cat Power has, some of the time, but then the band will pick up, and a beautiful minor harmony gets thrown in...

Julie Doiron - Dance All Night
Julie Doiron - No Money Makers
Julie Dorion - Wintermitts
Julie Dorion - Sending The Photographs
Lots more here...

Read the whole post...

Tegan and Sara: Sirius Satellite Interview (3 songs live performance)

Here is a really cool interview with Tegan & Sara from a Sirius Satellite radio show. I think it is from January '05, which I know is old, but this was the first time I heard it, so that's why I'm sharing it. It's about 46 minutes long. Two of the songs are at the very end. They sing 'Where Does The Good Go', 'Walking With A Ghost' & 'I Know, I Know, I Know'.

Tegan and Sara - Sirius Interview (43MB - Savefile - follow link)

Read the whole post...

Black Mountain

Black Mountain is Matthew Camirand, Stephen McBean, Jeremy Schmidt, Amber Webber and Joshua Wells and they have been opening for Coldplay on their recent North American tour. I was pretty unimpressed by them, except for their last song, which I don't know the name of, but some out there are giving them the love. Why don't you listen and let me know what you think. A note of interest: Black Mountain is on the Jagjagwar Label, same as Okkervil River.

Black Mountain - Druganaut
Black Mountain - Heart Of Snow

EDIT: Links fixed, thanks Kevin!

Read the whole post...

DangerDoom - The Mouse & The Mask

I was a little hesitant when I heard that the collaboration between Danger Mouse and MF Doom would be themed around Cartoon Network's Adult Swim...I don't know why, it just sounded weird. I just figured it would be all cheeky with no substance, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It IS cheeky...it cuts in and out with Adult Swim characters dialogue, but it never seems to interfere with the music, the flow is continuous and incredibly smart. It really shouldn't have been a suprise, I mean, it is MF Doom whose projects are always impressive and I really liked Danger Mouse's remixes of Jay-Z Black Album with The Beatles White Album were innovative and creative. Anyway, it took some convincing by others for me to finally check it out, but I am really glad I did as it is one of the most enjoyable hip hop/rap albums I've come across in a while, but as an added note, just to give the other side, there are many that say it is not on par with last year's Doom effort 'Madvillany'.

I know plenty of other bloggers have covered it, but I'm just letting you know, I dig it. Some notable guest appearances are Cee-Lo, Ghostface Killa and Talib Kweli.

DangerDoom - 01 - El Chupa Nibre (Savefile - Follow Link)
DangerDoom - 02 - Sofa King (Savefile - Follow Link)
DangerDoom - 05 - Benzi Box (ft_Cee-Lo) (Savefile - Follow Link)
DangerDoom - 11 - Mince Meat (Savefile - Follow Link)

Read the whole post...

Coldplay : Tonight : Verizon Wireless Music Center (Deer Creek Amph.)

So, I'm stoked...VIP Box seats and parking for the Coldplay show tonight. Best of all: FREE. The company box. I'm not bragging, just lucky, I wish you were all going to be there with me. Really! I do! BUT, since you're not, here:

Coldplay - Fix You
Coldplay - Fix You (Video) (follow link)
Coldplay - Yellow
Coldplay - The Scientist
Coldplay - God Put A Smile On Your Face
Coldplay - Low
Coldplay - Talk
Coldplay - What If
Coldplay - Speed Of Sound
Coldplay - Clocks (Acoustic)

On the crappier side of life, I woke today with a flat tire. Jeeps have a theft deterant lugnut lock on the spare and I didn't have the lug unlock, so I had to have MJ drive me up to the dealership where they raped me for the lug unlock and now I'm finally at work after walking over from the dealership. I'll have to change it out tomorrow.

Read the whole post...

.Morning Theft.

The band, .Morning Theft., is named after a Jeff Buckley song, so that's a good start, but I gotta say I'm partial to his second choice, The International Gang of Bastards. I might name my Fall softball team after that notion. Anyway, lead singer, Rob Holmes, hails from Boston, but now lives in NYC where he met the rest of the band. Mallie has all ready posted on this band (I'm 0-2 on originality today), and she sums their sound up beautifly...Holmes' voice conveys so much raw emotion...the angst yanks the listener right into that emotional whirlpool. It really is the cornerstone of the band.

.Morning Theft. lists bands like The Pixies, Radiohead, The Cure, Nirvana, U2, Phish, Muse, Ween, Nine Inch Nails, Coldplay, Nada Surf, Interpol and Sunny Day Real Estate as influences in their music.

What others have said:
"OK, all kidding aside, this, ladies and gentleman is a band among bands. Led by Rob Holmes, they bring the rock and bring the roll in as spirited, confident, and quite incendiary way that I've seen in a long time. It's your basic quartet of 2 guitars, bass, and drums, and with such a simple formula they concoct a sound that to put it quite simply just gets it. Their songs eschew the standard soft loud soft loud loud trajectory of the majority of lost in post-emo translation bands - instead opting for an immediate and constant swirling soaring driving melodious cacophony of rock music." - from jenyk.com

"Morning Theft, fresh off the bus from Boston in 2003, have been described as Pearl Jam meets Travis, Nirvana meets the Cure, the Pixies meets Radiohead...you get the point. But these guys have their own sound. And it sounds good. They're the band who has been (not so) silently brooding in the corner of the indie rock scene. They're loud. They're catchy. They're pensive mood rock. Gothamist (and pretty much everyone below 14th St) loves Morning Theft, you should too." - from gothamist.com

"Rob's voice is so great and I am really starting to get worried that I'll be fucked waiting out in the rain to see them play in a couple months. They're like the Psychedelic Furs meets the Pixies -- which might sound really odd, but it works amazingly." - from ultragrrrl.com

.Morning Theft. - Living With Your Ghost
.Morning Theft. - Thirty Helens Agree
.Morning Theft. - Weakness

Read the whole post...

Lesbians on Ecstasy

What better way to follow up my two favorite lesbians than with another group of rocking lesbians. Lesbians on Ecstasy, who I believe Matt has all ready posted on, hijack the back catalogue of popular lesbian anthems, referencing artists like kd lang and the Indigo Girls, dragging them kicking and screaming out of the folk festivals and onto the drugged-up revelry of the dance floor. They are from Montreal and play a mixture of hardcore breakbeat and house inspired music. While Tegan & Sara's music is not focused on the lesbian culture so much, and appeals to a wider range of listeners gay and straight, Lezzies On X is a little more focused towards their target audience. Regardless, their beats are strong and good to shake your ass to.

Their own description: The Lesbians on Ecstasy are making electronic music of the lesbian variety. It's kd lang, but it's different somehow... Lesbo folk songs, rebel songs and beats for the modern lesbian. Straights and dudes love it too.

Lesbians On Ecstasy - Pleasure Principal
Lesbians On Ecstasy - Summer Luv
Lesbians On Ecstasy - Tell Me Does She Love The Bass (jealous mix)

Read the whole post...

Tegan & Sara

You know, I just found this song and wanted to share it because if there is one thing MJ and I can always agree on, it's that Tegan & Sara are farking gouda cheese yo...as in goooood shiz. We'll be seeing them again at ACL especially since 'Palooza's set was cut short.



Tegan & Sara - Monday Monday Monday (Savefile - follow link)

Read the whole post...

Rademacher

Alan always beats me to the punch, like he did with this cool band from Fresno, CA. I think, however, I might have been first with Pet Politics yesterday! No matter, it's not important. What is important is that you, my gentle audience, check these bands out!



Rademacher is a four piece indie rock band, heavily influenced, by their own admission, by Grandaddy and Earlimart. The band was formed in 2004 and has seen a number of lineup changes in the bands brief history. They have been compared to the likes of Modest Mouse and Fugazi even. The sound is heavy keyboard/synth-driven melodies mixed with both acoustic and electric guitars.

Rademacher has just finished their latest EP, Ice Age. To be released on Greytank Records this fall. "Playing For Fun" is one of the tracks that will be featured on the EP.

I don't how many of you watch the 'L-Word', but this song reminds me of one of Jenny's dream sequences from her childhood...it's probably because Alan related it to a 'acoustic carnival'. But he's right, it's almost as if Mike M, the lead singer is a carnival director/swindler yelling over the crashing and dancing music in the background. There seems to be a certain enjoyable sinisterness to it even. It works and it works very well.

Rademacher- Playing For Fun
Rademacher- They Are Always Into That
Rademacher- Courtesy Call

Read the whole post...

Arctic Monkeys

The 3rd or 4th or 5th or whichever British Invasion this is continues...Arctic Monkeys are from Sheffield, England. Arctic Monkeys were already massive in England, apparently, way before they inked a deal with Domino in June 2005. People obsessing over the songs? Sold-out gigs full of stage-diving nutcases? Hardcore fans pressed up against venue windows, just hoping to catch a glimpse? All these things can all ready be checked off the list for this young band.



It was guitars that started it all: two of them, given to Alex and Jamie Cook as Christmas presents just three years ago. The pair began practicing furiously – some might say competitively - before Andy Nicholson (bass) and Matt Helders (drums) joined the throng.

The boys may share a love of The Smiths, The Clash and The Jam (and sure, Jamie may boast a healthy passion for Oasis, System Of A Down and Queens Of The Stone Age) but in no way were The Monkeys ready to simply regurgitate the well-trodden Brit-rock path. Rather, they spent their school days listening to Roots Manuva, Braintax and other stuff on [UK hip hop label] Low-Life, not to mention Lyricist Lounge compilations and Rawkus Records cuts like Pharaoh Monch. Another unique influence was Mancunian poet John Cooper Clarke, who Alex is a huge recent fan of.

Early on: “Lyrics were a dark patch,” admits Alex. “Nobody wanted to admit they wrote them so we kept trying other singers so they’d do it for us. But I'd secretly been writing since school and I enjoyed it. I just never told anyone because I didn’t want to have piss took out of me!”

Arctic Monkeys - I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Download Arctic Monkey's 'Scummy' at ANABlog
Read a review of an Arctic Monkeys show here.

Read the whole post...

Doubleheader: King Wilke & The Giraffes

Two very different bands, but both will be playing the Voodoo Music Fest this year in New Orleans. I wish I was going, but two biggies out of state is enough for me this year. Anybody plan on going? It's got a very impressive lineup and tickets are only $60 for the whole weekend.



King Wilke gets back to my Kentucky roots with banjos plucking and a fiddle wailing along in the background and sometimes the forefront. This mountain string band sings the Appalachian blues and tales of folklore well even if they don't look like they fit that bill. They played Bonneroo this past year.

"The playing is superb and the harmonies are both high and lonesome, but King Wilkie's most winning trait is their ability to inject a contemporary aesthetic on par with Allison Krauss into old-time style."
- THE NASHVILLE RAGE

King Wilkie - Brokedown & Lonesome



The Giraffes live by the philosophy that they are here to play music as loud, as nasty and unapologetically rock as they can. See them live and feel free to throw things at them while they play for their just as apt to throw it back at you and make you deaf in the bargain. They were formed at some point in the late-90's and their current lineup came together in about 2002. The Giraffes are another Brooklyn based group and singer Aaron Lazar, with the voice of a dirty ashtray, leads this gritty band of rabble-rousing misfits. The group played SXSW this past year as well.

The Giraffes - Having Fun
The Giraffes - Haunted Heaven

Read the whole post...

Michael Tolcher

Kind of a cross between Jack Johnson and G-Love, Michael Tolcher blends melodic and organic pop sensibilities with a deep understanding of pop, soul and urban grooves drawn from his Southern upbringing. A former track star at Georgia Tech, Michael was forced to refocus his energies after a serious injury.



Michael Tolcher - No One Above
Michael Tolcher- Bad Habits
Michael Tolcher- Mission Responsible

The bad news? Well, he's toured with Maroon 5, Everclear and Michelle Branch...sooo, I don't know, we'll see which direction he goes. The good news, the album includes harmonic, melodic and rhythmic contributions from ?uestlove (The Roots, Common), Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule), Gavin DeGraw, Pete Levin (Spin Doctors, Fun Lovin' Criminals), Eddie Martinez (Joe Cocker, Run-DMC), Paul Frazier (David Byrne, Shawn Colvin) and Carl Carter (Maxwell)...all pretty solid contributors in my book.

Read the whole post...

Pet Politics

Pet Politics is the alias of Magnus Larsson. Hailing from Gotheburg, Sweden. He's got that David Byrne-esque sound down, but he also has a little blues/soul/alt-country sounds and influences in there too. I don't know a lot about him, but he's definitely worth a listen.

Pet Politics - In My Head
Pet Politics - The Cold Wind Blows

Pet Politics' Website

Read the whole post...

X-Games : Big Air

So, after Paradise VI, MJ and I went across the river to visit Mama & Papa Dodge. It was a nice stay, mostly we spent time just talking and resting. Later the Padres took us back to the river for a nice dinner. During our recouperation time, MJ, Papa Dodge and I watched the X-Games Big Air competition. Has anyone else seen this?! It's insane. Danny Way is my new hero. This guy has jumped the Great Wall Of China on a friggin' skateboard! Nuts. What was even more nuts was the amount of injuries he's sustained. He's tore his ACL 4 times! I tore my ACL in a sports related injury in college and let me tell you, that surgery and rehab is no fun. I can't imagine going through it 3 more times. He's shattered his elbow and had numerous noggin and shoulder injuries. He was limping like an old man at the X-Games, but he still nailed his jumps. Seriously, look at these photos of the ramp. You have to go down it, make the big jump while doing a trick, LAND (which is hard as hell), go up the half pipe and pull huge air and do another trick and then LAND again! Seriously, I want to do this, if I was 10 years younger and knew how the hell to ride a skateboard. Right now, I'd poop my pants just looking down the ramp!




EMF - Unbelievable - Courtesy of Jenny Miller

Anyway, I don't know if he ended up winning, we went out to dinner before it was over and sports related sites are blocked by the IT Nazis here at my work. Does anyone know? He was in first after his 4th out of 5 jumps.

I haven't done this in a while, but most of my themes today are non-music related, so I'm going to give you a couple mixed indexes out there and let you decide what you'd like to listen to...

Mixed Dex #1
Mixed Dex #2

A few more Big Air photos:

The Ramp: Alt View

Danny Way jumping

Danny Way jumping

Read the whole post...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Paradise VI (2005)

So, I am starting to like "Photo Recaps" and this one just doesn't do the weekend justice, basically because we were having too much fun to worry about taking loads of pictures. Every 1st Saturday in August, my boy Fish invites us all down to the Ohio River to eat, drink, boat and be merry with all my college buddies. The River House is called Paradise and it's perfection. Sleeps 15 or so comfortably, but we've slept far more than 30 in it I'm sure. Anyway, MJ and I headed down this weekend to see everyone and have a good time.

Paradise consists of quite a few traditions: The Annual Cornhole (or Bags depending on where you are from) Tournament, Poker, lots of boating, Bocci Ball, Speed Quarters, Keg Drinking (and hangovers), Pizza eating and Karaoke.


Dodge & Brooks locked in a cornhole match to the death

J-bobo working the crowd on Karaoke night

J-bo working the grill

J-bo knows burgers are better mixed with a little beer

Lindegy thinks he's a master of the cornhole

The ladies were solid cornhole partners this year

MJ is always a cornhole tourney darkhorse

T-Dizzle braves The Ohio River

The gents try their best to discuss nonsense all weekend

Beer and friends are good

Well, obviously I didn't get any pictures of boating, speed quarters or poker, but they all happened and were loads of fun, along with all sorts of other insanity.

The only letdown of the weekend: I will say, on a personal note, when a friend lets you down and can't face up to his or her mistakes, it's a very sad thing. Attacking someone's personal life to which you have no knowledge, especially another's marriage is just unacceptable. I had someone say something to me this weekend about MJ and I's marriage that really set me off. I only see some of these guys once and year and last year at this time MJ and I weren't in such a good place, but to attack that fact...whether you are drunk or not, out of spite...that's low class and even lower character...then to further lie about it speaks even moreso to the individual's character. Anyway, I let them know how I felt about them...and as they said if they CAN sleep well at night as the kind of person they are, well, that just speaks volumes to level of hypocrisy and sadness they live their life by and in. Hey, as they say 'shake them hatas off'...that's what I do.

Anyway, on a happy note, I just want to thank Fish and Em for hosting Paradise 6 and being such incredible friends. Also, thanks to all the peeps that came in for a great time!!!

Read the whole post...

The Juan Maclean

The debut from John Maclean, former lead of Sub Pop's Six Finger Satellite, mixes 'Brooklyn-style' indie disco, Kraftwerk-esque pop and dashes of Aphex Twin into a fun and dancable package.

When Maclean first met DFA / LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, it was a chance meeting that would lead to MacLean becoming LCD’s full-time live sound engineer...where I'm going with this is all about influences: On the first 12" the original album version of 'Tito’s Way' offers an infectious slice of disco-infused punk-funk, with a fat distorted synth bassline powering its way alongside propulsive snares, retro analogue keyboard bleeps and cavernous drum crashes as an odd distorted female vocal reminiscent of Out Hud’s Molly Schnick playfully dances between the handclaps – and yes, the trademark DFA cowbell solo is firmly in place here.

The Juan Maclean - Shining Skinned Friend

Added Bonus: Chromeo - Needy Girl & Smashed Robot's Chromeo Post w/ remixes
Chromeo's website

Read the whole post...

Brendan Benson & ROHS at Birdy's: Show Photo Recap

Benson was great last night, the crowd was solid and excited and you could tell he and the band really appreciated it. They played a great set with a nice mix of old and new, and encored with 3 great songs including an excellent cover of Gram Parson's 'Strong Boy'. As J-Bobo pointed out, the band was tight, I mean really together, all the stops and starts were perfect, the flow was exciting and constant. They established a great rhythm and feel with the crowd and their music.



J-Bo spotted Benson just hanging around outside with the band, so we went over to say hi. He was overly gracious, polite and friendly. We chatted a little bit and I took like 4 photos of Annie and Benson, all which were kinda crap unfortunately. Sorry A! She loves Benson...she's a "I've loved him for years! Way before he was ever cool!" kinda chick...that's why we love her. Anyway, he kept posing for pictures even though I couldn't get a good one to take. We thanked him and went back inside to check out Robbers On High Street.

ROHS were pretty solid, played all their good songs from Tree City, an album I own and enjoy - plus they'd played some of their older songs from their first EP. They were a little off instrumentally at times. Out of tune, just a little unorganized, but they seemed to pull it together towards the middle of the set. I mean, $5.50 for both bands, I was willing to let them ease into it. I would say for that price you have to be relaxed and just enjoy that they are there. MJ had class last night and had to miss ROHS, but she rolled in with plenty of time before Benson went on...she was glad she did. In her words, "Man, Benson is the shiz! He should be way bigger than he is. He's the best thing since Raisin Bran! Which is kinda an analogy for something you know cause Raisin Bran cleans you out and makes you shiz." Dodge: "Huh?" Yeah, she might not have been completely in a sober state of mind. Don't ask me, I just love her regardless. Anyway! Here are the photo, starting with ROHS:

ROHS photos are kinda meehhh:






Benson Photos:










Here Are two photos of Annie with Benson, unfortunately I couldn't get it to take a clean shot:

Read the whole post...

Brendan Benson & ROHS at Birdy's tonight...

So tonight MJ and I with J-bobo and Annie are going to Brendan Benson at Birdy's. Robbers On High Street are opening and the whole thing only costs $5.50!! Shveeeeps!! Excitement!



On the rockier end of the power pop spectrum, Michigan-born, Berkeley, CA-based singer/songwriter Brendan Benson debuted at the age of 26 with a sterling first album, 1996's 'One Mississippi'. Unfortunately, record company troubles both before and after the fact damaged the momentum of the record. Benson spent the next several years extricating himself from his Virgin contract while producing and appearing on other artists' records. 'Lapalco' marked his independent debut, and it's critical success spurred his return to the majors in 2005 with 'The Alternative to Love'.

Brendan Benson - The Pledge
Brendan Benson - Alternative To Love
Brendan Benson - Spit It Out (Live on KEXP)
Brendan Benson - What I'm Looking For



ROHS is a NYC quartet and their latest album is thirteen tracks of brash, aggressive song craft blending youthful swagger and boundless energy with an insightful, introspective undercurrent. It was produced by Peter Katis who has produced for Interpol, Mercury Rev and The Get Up Kids.

Robbers On High Street - Spanish Teeth
Robbers On High Street - Japanese Girls

Read the whole post...

The Dandy Warhols: Odditorum or Warlords of Mars

Sept. 13 is the release date of The Dandy Warhols' new record, Odditorum or Warlords of Mars, but here is a few tracks that slipped out into this great big internet of ours. Maybe you've heard them, maybe not. I hadn't and I only got to see a little bit of their set at Lolla, but it was the cool part when Anton from BJM came out and sang with them, so there.

The Dandy Warhols - Everyone Is Totally Insane (Savefile - follow link)
The Dandy Warhols - Smoke It (Savefile - follow link)
The Dandy Warhols - Down Like Disco (Savefile - follow link)

Other shiz you should care about...
Alan at Sixeyes interviews Alec Ounsworth, lead singer of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Check out Chris. He's through with white girls. Me too. You can't trust a white girl, fo' real.

Added Bonus:
BenLeonard.com for lots of free music: Grandaddy, M. Ward, Deerhoof and more.

Read the whole post...

Devendra Banhart and more...

Due for release this September 13th, 'Cripple Crow' is Devendra Banhart's fourth full studio album and his third album on XL Recordings. 'Cripple Crow' was recorded at Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, NY.



A release for the album says: This new album finds Devendra continuing his extraordinary growth as a writer, vocalist and musician. Songs like 'Now That I Know' and 'I Do Dig a Certain Girl' among others provide more of the hushed, mysterious acoustic alchemy that delighted listeners on preceding set though the new tunes show still greater artistic depth and delicacy. All in all 'Cripple Crow' witnesses Banhart furthering his mastery of the acoustic/experimental idiom he helped pioneer as well providing himself with fresh challenges an artist.

Some older works:
Devendra Banhart - At The Hop
Devendra Banhart - Bluebird
Devendra Banhart - Little Yellow Spider
Devendra Banhart - This Is The Way
Devendra Banhart - The Body Breaks

Devendra has lent a song to Fat Tire Beer for a commercial, which is a-ok in my book, because that beer is good shiz.

Other good shiz...
Zero 7 - Spinning
Nouvelle Vague - A Forest (The Cure Cover)
Metric - Grow Up And Blow Away

A completely different direction...
I grew up with Public Enemy. I mean, I had no idea, but I knew I loved Chuck D's voice and passion. Anyway, here are two of my favorites: Public Enemy - Can't Truss It
Public Enemy - Shut 'Em Down

Read the whole post...

Bloc Party @ ACL

A band I will be very excited to see at ACL is Bloc Party. I thought I had a cool cover of them doing 'Pulp Song' by Stellastar, but then I listened to it and it just turned out to be Stellastar. Bummer. Anyway, it's still a great song and you can find it below. BUT...courtesy of your Uncle Grambo: Bloc Party to release 'Silent Alarm' remix album. Nick Zinner and Four Tet will do remixes.

Bloc Party - Like Eating Glass
Bloc Party - Banquet

Oh yeah, you can check out Mischa Barton and Liz Hurley's bare jubblies at whatevs too. Hurley's are worth a glance or 17.

Added Notes:
NPR will be streaming a live concert of several artists on NPR.org, from the setting of the 9:30 Club, apparently the premier music club in Washington, D.C. The webcast continues NPR’s Live Concert Series with webcasting the audio for David Gray on Saturday, Aug. 6, Lucinda Williams on Sunday, Aug. 7, and Kings of Leon and Secret Machines on Thursday, Aug. 11. To hear the concert go to http://www.npr.org/liveconcerts for schedules and archived live shows as well.

Random Goodness:
Stellastar - Pulp Song

Read the whole post...

HARD-Fi

HARD-Fi was one of the bands at Lolla that I didn't get to check out, they played the Planet Stage, and everything I've been reading lately makes me regret that. I'm sure ACL will be the same way. You just have to pick and choose sometimes...sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. Interestingly enough, like another band I loved at Lolla, Hard-Fi have been called by many as ska-revivalists, Clash wannabes. In July they announced their biggest ever UK tour to start in October and since their recent success, singer Richard Archer says it's really time they got some help:

"We've always been loading our own gear in and out of the van, which is alright because it keeps you trim, but it's a real pain in the ass! Hopefully we can get someone in to come and do that - that would be a perk. It would save my back! We are all young guys but we're like old men after lifting that gear around."

Here is a review of their latest album, 'Stars Of CCTV'

HARD-Fi - Living For The Weekend (Savefile - follow link) (Highly Rec'd!)
HARD-Fi - Stronger (Savefile - follow link) (Highly Rec'd!)
HARD-Fi - Hard To Beat (Savefile - follow link)

Discovered some great new blogs out, new to me I mean. Web Vomit has a great Lolla report for you to read. Out The Other is counting down all the bands that will be at ACL. South Of Mainstream is still not in my blogroll, and I will rectify that asap, but it is one of my favorite blogs to check everyday.

There are a lot of blogs out there that have emailed me requesting links and I'm sorry, I'm not ignoring you, honestly I'm lazy and just forget to update my template. I want to get you all in there, I remember what it was like just 7 months ago when I was trying to get people to check MOKB out. I will link you, just send me another email and another if that's what it takes. There are blogs out there I have asked to link up MOKB and they even said they would and haven't and that's ok, you can't let that bother you. Just keep putting up great content and people will notice you! Weblog inspirational speech of the day right? Man, someone kick my ass. By the way, Robert Earl Keen is someone you should really check out if you never have. Scroll down to my ACL post and download 'The Road Goes On Forever', you won't be sorry.

Read the whole post...

Austin City Limits Festival : Sept 23rd - 25th

Awww yeah! I just bought my tickets to Austin City Limits Festival today. Well, for Day Two and Day Three. I bought tickets to see Arcade Fire w/ The Black Keys at Stubb's for the first day of ACL. MJ and I are flying down and will meet up with Chris and Kevin and their pals and enjoy three days of outstanding bands in the great city of Austin, TX. Rachel said she might be there too. Anybody else?

I'm all ready giddy. Three Day passes have all ready sold out, which is fine other than it costs as much to see the final two days as it would have to see all three, but Day one is kind of a warm up day anyway although I will miss Spoon for the second straight festival.

Here is the lineup and schedule.

Here are some of the bands I'll be missing on Day One:
Aqualung - Strange & Beautiful
Aqualung - Brighter Than Sunshine
Mates Of State - Ha Ha
Mates Of State - Goods
Robert Earl Keen - The Road Goes On Forever
Theivery Corporation - Lebonese Blonde
Asleep At The Wheel - Get Your Kicks On Route 66
Gov't Mule - Soulshine
The Allman Brothers - Hot 'Lanta

EDIT: Spin Mag reviews Lolla. I don't agree with their take on The Dead 60s. Thanks to The Rock 'N' Roll Star for pointing me to the article...

...and what's with the silent treatment today ya'll?

Read the whole post...

Centro-Matic & Weekend Wrap-Up

You could call Centro-Matic the Texas indie rock equivalent of Neil Young, meaning the band does hard driving, balls-out rock numbers and soft acoustic folk ballads with equal proficiency. Denton, TX's prolific, eclectic Centro-Matic began in 1995 as a side-project for singer/songwriter/guitarist Will Johnson. Centro-Matic is able to capture the best qualities of indie rock, pop, and country-rock and put them all together in a single, satisfying sound.

Centro-matic's rock-solid rhythm section (anchored by virtuosic drummer and producer Matt Pence and overlaid by bassist Mark Hedman) and cascading piano and throaty violin lines (provided by multi-instrumentalist Scott Danborn) provide Johnson's vocals and guitar with a foundation that can alternately lift him to the stars or burn away beneath his feet. When the latter happens and Johnson's songs are stripped bare and trembling (as on gently psych-tinged ballads like "All the Lightning Rods") the effect can be as comfy as Meddle-era Pink Floyd or as harrowing as Sewn to the Sky-era Smog, sometimes both at once. When it's the former (as on winning pop numbers like "Biology Tricks" and the unquestionable "Flashes and Cables"), the band pulls off a kind of alchemy, effortlessly fusing indie crash and power-pop crackle into what feels, for all the world, like the new classic rock.

If you like Guided By Voices, Archers Of Loaf, Crooked Fingers, Superchunk, Sebadoh, Steve Earle and Tom Waits.

Centro-Matic - Numbers One & Three
Centro-Matic - Flashes & Cables
Centro-Matic - Argonne Limit Co.

Like It? - A lot more here.

Added Monday Notes & Tunes:
So, I'm pretty stoked today. The company gave me the box seats to Coldplay. They're coming August 12th. I guess our box this year is better than last year, but I don't know as these are the first set I've received this year, I got lots last year, but I guess a lot more of the shows this year appealed to the older higher-ups. That's cool though, I'm pretty happy about this. A lot of my favs went to the smaller venues this year too, so it didn't really matter.

MJ and I had a garage sale this weekend and got rid of all our excess shiz. Well, most, anything that didn't sell went straight to Goodwill. You know, it's not about owning stuff because when you do, your stuff eventually owns you and that is no fun. I have been in the process of simplifying my life for the last year or so. Getting rid of everything I don't "need". We as Americans think or are mesmerized by the media or our culture into believing we need all sorts of shiz that we really don't.

I threw out so much junk too, the garbage man today is gonna be pissed. He's gonna spend like 30 minutes in front of my house alone.

I have discovered that all I need is my wife, my family, my friends, my jeep, my mp3 player and my dogs. I guess I have to have a job (sort of), but I don't really care if I do...I've been out of work quite a few times in my life (not for the last 4 years, but a lot during the dot com bust) and everything was just fine. All the other shiz is just stuff that keeps me from doing the things I want to do in some form or another. Buy stuff, have debt, and then you can't spend money to travel or go where and do what you want when you want. All I know, if you have a credit card, cancel it, cut it up, pay it off and your life will be so much better. Get out of debt and be happy...then stay that way.

Saw Wedding Crashers finally. I had heard a lot of hype surrounding this movie by now, so it was going to be tough to be as funny as everyone said it was. In the end, after asking myself, "If no one had told me anything about this movie would I have laughed even more?", the answer was yes. I laughed a ton anyway. It's a must see.

Let's see, what else? Went out with MJ, her boss and some of her co-workers Friday after work, they were good people and we had a lot of fun.

I still have a hallway to paint this week, but after that we will be in great shape for house showings. I gotta bury a statue of Saint Joseph in the garden though. Anyone else hear of this? Mama Dodge told me to do it, says the house will sell faster. Thoughts?

One of my favorite artists (Nina Simone) crossed with one of some of you guy's favorite artists (Muse): Muse - Feeling Good (Savefile - follow link)

Tim Fite - BitchISaid (One of MY favorite artists)

The Cribs have opened for The Kaiser Chiefs
The Cribs - Baby, Don't Sweat
The Cribs - Another Number

Controller Controller has been touring with Louisville's own VHS or Beta: Controller Controller - Silent Seven

Shiz & Giggle Tunes:
Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - Trumpets & Violins
Cursive - The Radiator Hums

More on Money and Life and Simplification of Life:

Get Rich Slowly
In April, foldedspace published ultra-condensed summaries of several books on becoming financially independent. This is a good idea. Most of these kinds of books can be condensed to a couple of hundred words. Of course, that doesn't do any good to the authors, because you can't make a book out of 200 words.

7 Money Mantras for a Richer Life by Michelle Singletary is a recent all-purpose financial book. I was ready to dismiss it for the absolute stupidity of mantra number one (stupidity in its phrasing, not in its advice), but after reading the book, I have to admit its advice is solid. It features:

Mantra #1: "If it's on your ass, it's not an asset." If you can wear it, it's not an investment. Also, something is riding your ass (such as a high house payment), it's not an asset.
Mantra #2: "Is this a need or a want?"
Mantra #3: "Sweat the small stuff." Do worry about the small expenses; they add up.
Mantra #4: "Cash is better than credit." There is almost no reason to carry a credit card.
Mantra #5: "Keep it simple." With money, avoid anything that seems complicated. If you don't understand it, avoid it. You'll probably lose money.
Mantra #6: "Priorities lead to prosperity." Determine what's important to you, and pursue that with your time and money.
Mantra #7: "Enough is enough." Don't overconsume. Recognize when you have fulfilled your needs and your wants.

word.

Read the whole post...