Abel Raises Cain (2004)

In the odd world of media hoaxers and merry pranksters, Alan Abel ranks as an unappreciated superstar. He spent his life under the radar, mocking conservative mores and putting on the media. Abel’s daughter, filmmaker Jenny Abel, offers an unflinchingly intimate portrait of her eccentric father (codirected with Jeff Hockett). Following her 80-year-old dad around with a video camera as he embarks on his latest prank (a campaign to ban breast-feeding), Jenny explores the loving and unique relationship he has shared with his wife Jeanne for the last 42 years, while also chronicling the highlights of his mad career: the Society for Indecency to Animals (“A nude horse is a rude horse”); not to mention Euthanasia Cruises, the KKK Symphony Orchestra and Omar’s School for Panhandling. Wonderful archival footage reveals a deadpan con man who took particular delight in infuriating television talk-show icons like Phil Donahue. While some have questioned Abel’s true motivation (revolutionary anarchist or media menace?), Jenny Abel focuses on the humor behind the scams, as well as the underlying message: Don’t believe everything the media tells you.
(2005 SF International Film Festival)

We don’t know what you’re going as, but shall suggest “someone who isn’t on the guest list”.

The Girls : Daved Hild, Robin Amos, George Condo, Mark Dagley, circa 1978, long before Boston was Titletown and even longer before people like us figured out how to commodify stuff like this. YouTube link courtesy Jane, Pat.

Clearly, we’re living in puritanical times when a man can be placed on the sex offenders registry for merely attempting to have sex with a bicycle.

After all, who amongst us has not gazed longingly at an old Frejus catalog and thought, “I’d hit that”?

(Brian and Nathan, photo by Joel Didriksen for kingpinphoto)
As heard at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club last Tuesday, The Ponys-in-concert-specialness, courtesy of NPR’s All Songs Considered. 

Who amongst us hasn’t dreamed of tooling around town in a chariot previously owned by one of history’s most infamous despots?

But enough about Matt Dillon, apparently Pol Pot had something to do with this Mercedes, too.

Sounds kinda glamorous, but surely the Hanson Brothers can do better?

The Cave Singers – “Dancing On Our Graves”, directed by Mike Ott, from the album ‘Invitation Songs’

OK, not Thor himself, but the percussionist extraordinaire’s 1999 solo album ‘Fields Of Innards’ has been re-released by I Eat Records.  In commemoration, Thor and friends are playing tonight at Austin’s Club DeVille along with Yellow Fevor, the Shaky Hands and the excellent Denton, TX trio Tre Orsi, who feature Shearwater’s Howard Draper.

Call it getting in bed together or whatever you like but we’ve been cooking up a little promotion with our friends over at Paste Magazine. They helped us put together this terrific contest to win a custom designed New Pornographers’ guitar.

More details are available here.

If you win, we’d very much appreciate seeing you rock it a bit like this fella (cigarette not included)

While Yo La Tengo’s alleged peers tackle such unambitious tasks as playing-an-album-from-start-to-finish or the time tested, “pretend we actually enjoy playing acoustic guitars” schtick, The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour is barrier-busting leap into the unknown with no precedent we can find (online).  Whether you’ve seen Yo La Tengo multiple times or you’ve found their charms elusive until now (impossible, I know), chances are very slim you will emerge from one of the shows below as the same person.  For one thing,  you’ll be a couple of hours older.  For another, you’ll have all sorts of new questions.  For instance, is there such thing as “stylistic range muscles” and when will you get another to chance to hear Yo La Tengo flex ‘em in such unique settings?

(Filmore, San Francisco, October 19. from Gaelenh’s Flickr page, used without permission)

There’s some non-Freewheeling activity listed after the first batch of shows below, but we if you’re able to catch one of the final Freewheeling shows, we wholeheartedly encourage you to do so.  No two will be the same — and that’s not just ’cause the ticket prices vary.

10/29 – Aladdin Theatre, Portland OR
10/30 – Town Hall, Seattle, WA (with Sir Richard Bishop)
11/1 – Palace Of Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA (with Jonathan Richman)
11/2 – Ivar Theatre, Hollywood, CA
11/3 – Ivar Theatre, Hollywood, CA
11/4 – Museum Of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
11/10 – Massachusetts Museum Of Contemporary Art, North Adams, MA
11/15 – Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston, MA (two shows, 6:30 and 9:30pm)
11/16 – Music Hall Of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

other shows :

10/27 – Manifest Festival, Mexico City
11/7 – “I’m Not There : In Concert”, Beacon Theatre, NY  (with the Roots, Calexico, the Terry Adams Rock & Roll Quartet, J Mascis, John Doe, My Morning Jacket and many more)
11/11 – Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (with Broken Social Scene & Kevin Drew).

As mentioned previously, tickets for Yo La Tengo’s 8 Hanukkah shows at Maxwell’s are now on sale.

Taking time out from preperations for a pair of Webster Hall shows, The New Pornographers will be performing live on WNYC’s “Soundcheck”, Wednesday afternoon (tomorrow) at 2pm EST.

Mission Of Burma have confirmed the following autumn dates ;

November 16 – Abbey Pub, Chicago IL (tickets)
November 17 – WIDR’s Barking Tuna Festival, Kalamzaoo, MI (tickets)

Extensive details regarding Matador’s 2008 reissues of Burma’s Ace Of Hearts catalog will be made available able very soon.

Marty, Pete and Derek, as seen about an hour ago at Austin’s End Of An Ear, entertaining a Friday afternoon crowd prior to their show tonight support Black Mountain at Emo’s.

From Yo La Tengo.com :

Dateline: Hoboken. It’s official. For the fifth time in the last seven years, Yo La Tengo will lift their collective voices in song to commemorate the eight days of Hanukkah. The concerts will once again take place at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, beginning December 4 and concluding on December 11.

– Georgia, Ira and James

from Early Man’s most recent myspace bulletin :

Did you know that aside from enjoying wine, women and bong, Early Man are huge hockey fans? It’s true! In fact, Early Man drummer Adam Bennati used to play hockey when he was a young lad. And Early Mike frequently likes to beat on people. So needless to say, we LOVE hockey! Which is why we teamed up with 2KSports NHL 2K8 for this once in a lifetime offer. But before we explain this contest, let’s start by getting you pumped up. Watch this:

Are you stoked? Psyched? Amped? Doesn’t that video game trailer look almost half as awesome as the song playing in the background? Well, here’s the deal. We are going to give away PS3 and XBOX copies of the 2KSports NHL 2K8 video game for free!! All you have to do is draw a picture of Early Man playing hockey. It’s so easy! We’re going to give you until next Wednesday, October 24th to complete the task. So we suggest that you stop stalking your ex-girlfriend on Myspace immediately ( it’s SOOO over…you’re not even in her top 8, dude) and use your time wisely by breaking out the markers/pencils/crayons and getting to work. We will announce and post the winning pictures on our page when it’s all said and done. Theres no age limit. Theres no IQ limit (unfortunately). Just like life itself, you can make this as complicated or as simple as you’d like. The choice is yours. Good luck!

Send your pictures to: earlymanarmy@hotmail.com, Keep the files small PLEASE!

CD/LP – January 22, 2008

(The names below indicate the best known performer of the original songs, who are not necessarily the songwriters) :

1. New York (Frank Sinatra)
2. Ramblin’ (Wo)man (Hank Williams)
3. Metal Heart (Cat Power *)
4. Silver Stallion (The Highwaymen)
5. Aretha, Sing One For Me (George Jackson)
6. Lost Someone (James Brown)
7. Lord, Help The Poor And Needy (Jessie Mae Hemphill)
8. I Believe In You (Bob Dylan)
9. Song To Bobby (written by Chan Marshall and Matt Sweeney)
10. Don’t Explain (Billie Holiday)
11. Woman Left Lonely (Janis Joplin)
12. Blue (Joni Mitchell)

* original version on the ‘Moon Pix’ album
** first appearance of this song

In addition, there will be a limited-edition silver foil deluxe package with a bonus disc containing the following 5 songs:

1. I Feel (Hot Boys)
2. Naked, If I Want To (Moby Grape)
3. Breathless (Nick Cave)
4. Angelitos Negros (Roberta Flack)
5. She’s Got You (Patsy Cline)

Recorded in New York, Dallas and Miami, 2007, with the Dirty Delta Blues and Stuart Sikes. Full credits and details to follow. Much like real life, everything’s subject to change.

The New Pornographers perform live on KCMP The Current in Minneapolis this afternoon, at 3 PM CDT.

You can tune in here:

From the album ‘Mosaic’, directed by Krozm.

As mentioned a few days ago, Lavender Diamond, Entrance and others are getting together to raise dough for artist pal Kime Buzzelli (there’s some info on her Show Pony boutique here). Kime’s recently had a tumor removed and as you might guess, the medical bills are crazy. Her health insurance isn’t covering most of it, and as such, the bands mentioned above, along with Animal Magick and The Long Winters, are addressing the matter this Thursday night. If you’re in the L.A. area, we hope you can make it.

directed by Darren Pasemko, as seen on MTV2 last night. Hosting via Subterranean.

(photograph culled from Metro Blogging LA, used sans permission)

Lavender Diamond are taking part in the American Shorts Reading Series ;

DAVE EGGERS AND VALENTINO ACHAK DENG IN CONVERSATION

Tickets are $15; $10 for students and are available by calling 412.622.8866. Doors open at 7, reading begins at 7:30. One ticket is good for both events

Following the above throwdown, Lavender Diamond return to the slightly less swanky climes of the East Coast’s rock clubs for the following shows, along with an October 18 benefit for friend/artist Kime Buzzelli.

Oct 18 – Los Angeles @ Echo, with Entrance, Long Winters and more, $10 donation
Oct 30-Phily @ Johnny Brenda’s
Oct 31-NYC @ Knitting Factory
Nov 1-Washington DC @ The Black Cat

I don’t know what you were doing at 3am last night, but I’m sure it was more fun than what I was up to.

The stretch Hummer was out of action last week so we had to settle for Carl and Kathryn performing ‘All The Old Showstoppers’ in one of London’s finest black cabs, courtesy of those nice folk behind Black Cab Sessions. I think you’ll agree it’s a much better alternative.