Yo La Tengo just completed their annual Hanukkah residency at Maxwell’s ; for the full scoop on the amazing cavalcade of stars & surprises unveiled during this year’s edition, Ira’s daily diary of said event will make you feel like, well, a very unlucky person if you didn’t attend one or more of the performances.
Much as I hate to poke fun at the brave men and women who constitute our nation’s armed forces, Max Impact — a self-described combination of “today’s hip-hop, pop and urban sounds-and everything in between” — might be the first entry in a genre I like to call, “Bands That Can Form The Basis For A Future Earles & Jensen Phone Call”. From the M.I. bio (link swiped from Wired)
Max Impact answers the call to motivate and inspire the newest generation of professional Airmen. To achieve maximum results Max Impact stays on the leading edge of the ever-changing pop music scene while projecting the highest standards of Air Force professionalism. Optimal delivery is the name of Max Impact’s game when it comes to serving its audience. With innovative style and boundless energy, Max Impact commands the stage encouraging every Airman to embrace the spirit and join the fun.
Chan and the DDB will be hitting the stage of Harlem’s historic Apollo Theatre on February 6 and 7, and tickets go on sale today. In addition, Ms. Marshall and friends will visit Washington DC’s 930 Club on February 8 (tickets) .
The promotional video for The Unsane’s “Body Bomb” from the album ‘Total Destruction’ seemed, at the time, like a rather pricey (ie. more than $10) way of making a clip guaranteed to receive zero MTV play, the fine efforts of Chris, Pete, Vinnie and director Richard Kern aside.
History, however, has a funny way of sorting things out. Thanks to the patronage of Mike Judge’s Beavis & Butthead, the “Body Bomb” video ended up being seen by a wider audience than the occasionally “120 Minutes” spin might’ve garnered. And more importantly, the clip’s explosive subject matter guaranteed the star turn from Cop Shoot Cop’s Jack Natz would forever place Kern’s former Black Snakes bandmate on a Do Not Fly list.
At this time of year we often get sentimental and review the contents of old archive folders. I found this letter in there from an Edna Johnson. Back in the pre-internet days, stuff like this got circulated from office to office via photocopier and fax. Miss u, pre-internet.
I can’t stop thinking about the goose daube I made last spring, especially ’cause I have several calves’ legs left in the freezer. Since Jonah from Fucked Up asked me to scan the “recipe” so he could use it to impress some girl, I decided I should let all of you have the benefit of the scan as well. It’s not so much a recipe as a way of life, like most of Richard Olney’s food writing. This is from the volume ‘Poultry’ in the Time/Life ‘The Good Cook’ series. Click on the images for readable versions.
Kinda scared/confused… wondering what 2k9 will bring… h8 u Carles for writing the most perceptive metablog on “alt” culture on the internets. Worth reading for his views on TV On The Radio alone. Take that, P4K!
This has got to be the easiest recipe ever – if you have a good Italian butcher nearby. Ottomanelli’s in the West Village sells braciole at $5.99 a pound. It’s flank steak (or other cheap cuts) pounded, stuffed, rolled and tied with string. The stuffing is up to you or your butcher. Ottomanelli uses tiny chunks of garlic, flat parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper. No breadcrumbs or cheese in this braciole! Brown it in a hot pan with olive oil, then braise it. We used San Marzano tomatoes, chopped up in their juice, and extended with water, plus some freshly grated nutmeg, and a mixture of freshly cracked black peppercorns and allspice berries, and some 2006 Rully. This particular mixture was maybe a bit too much on the sweet side – next time we will go heavier on the tomatoes.
Important – remove the braciole when they are done! You want them just moist in the center. Then cook down the tomato sauce, now flavored by the meat, to about half, and drizzle over the braciole. Chris Lombardi serves spaghetti as well. Fantastic with more of the Rully (‘En Guesnes’ 2006 from Vincent Dureiul-Janthial).
(Note: this is an Italian-American dish, pronounced “brazh-ol” from Sicilian dialect. Singular is braciola. In Italy this would be called involtini and probably prepared differently.)
Remember the glory days of summer? Sitting in front of your computer, patiently refreshing your browser, praying aloud for privilege of shelling out your lawn mowing money for every 7″ in the Jay Reatard singles series. You dreamt of righteous music (or ebay gold).
We know a lot of you weren’t able to successfully assemble the full set, but now you have one more chance. Enter our Jay Reatard 7″ contest to get the whole series AND a signed copy of the Jay Reatard/Beck split 7″. This time, no infuriating checkout debacles or delayed shipping. Just click on the banner below and enter your email. We will randomly select one winner on Monday, January 5th.
Yet another shining example of bringing together fine music and comedy.
A.C. Newman joined (far left) Dave Hill, host of the Dave Hill Explosion, Carl Arnheiter (in elf hat), and Brett Gelman (as many New Yorkers know as “Little Bit o’Luck” which can’t be easy when he’s at the deli) as special musical guest at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade theater last night. Carl sang “Get Guilty” and “Drink to Me, Babe, Then” and then gets interviewed about his Canadianness, the burning question being Triumph or Rush, and which of Carl’s two bands brings him most pleasure. This is all after the audience gets assaulted by party poppers, flying chocolates, a midget wrestling Dave with nunchucks, and a song and dance by Mr. Hill. It was certainly a night of holiday cheer and man love.
Matter of fact, the whole show was so good, Rhapsody is making it available to own.
Starting on December 23rd, those people who purchase MS’08 from the Rhapsody MP3 store will also get an audio download of the ENTIRE SHOW FOR FREE. And I’m telling you, it sounds unbelievable.
Stop by Rhapsody Rock’s video page (http://rhapsodyextras.com/rrnyc/) now to see more videos from the show (including performances from Mission of Burma, King Khan & BBQ and the Duchess & the Duke), and download the album and the live jams on the 23rd because you have to have it, just for you, just forever. I’m not kidding, it’s that good.
I’m sorry about the above headline but it scanned better (barely) than “Don’t Call Her Countess Grishnackh”. From 3news.co.nz (thanks to Mark Ohe for the link) :
Italian news reports say the singer of a heavy metal band and her brother stabbed the band’s guitarist dozens of times, apparently because he wasn’t playing well.
The Genoa-based newspaper Il Secolo XIX is reporting that the 19-year-old Soul Cry singer, Cristina Balzano, and her 16-year-old brother have been arrested on charges of attempted murder.
The newspaper is quoting the victim, identified only as A.D., as saying from hospital that he was attacked late Saturday after a rehearsal with the band “Soul Cry.” He said band members had been criticizing his playing but that he never expected to be physically hurt.
Not to make light of what sounds like a near-tragedy, but how many past or present bandmates of C.C. DeVille read the above item and nodded their heads in empathy?
From the first time your cool older sister brought home a copy of If You’re Feeling Sinister during Winter break from Haverford, you have wanted to design artwork for a Belle And Sebastian album.
You’ve worked hard at it… Aping that monochromatic vibe for mixtapes…. Copped the twee girl clutching some Kafka on flyers for your weekly DJ night…. you work hard. You’re never lazy about it.
And now is not the time to let the laziness set in.
We are giving you the once in a lifetime chance to design the front cover image for a limited edition of The BBC Sessions that will be sold in stores nationwide. That’s right, an actual commercial edition of a Belle album (in nostalgic compact disc format) will feature your creative work if the band so deems it worthy.
Photo by PAOLO PROSERPIO at the Milan show last week.
In what feels like their 400th show of the year, Fucked Up will once again be hitting London tonight with the final show of 2008 for the band, and for Matador UK.
Here’s the details :
WED DEC 17
UNDERWORLD LONDON
8PM ALL AGES (14+)
FUCKED UP
THE KING BLUES
LETS WRESTLE
Tonight will be a Christmas Party of sorts, with tinsel and party hats. There’ll also be a charity give away tonight of some of the remaining Royal Swan 7″s from the 12hr show. Money donated for a copy will be going to selected London-based charities.
And we didn’t tell you, but if you happen to be in the Shoreditch area of town at around 12.30am tonight, there’s a distinct chance you might catch an additional FU show at the Old Blue Last. But you didn’t hear it from me.
(work crews feverishly prepare for the announcement of just what we’ve been watching and eating in 2008)
Every December I send out a rambling, somewhat desperate electronic message to the Matador artist roster (well, most of ‘em) along w/ label staff and our Beggars’ colleagues, begging for their favorite people/places/things/records/memories from the year about to conclude. We’ve got our longest list of best-of’s so far, though keep in mind, if Gabe and Dave’s submissions were edited, we’d be back to our mid ’90′s brevity all over again. Read ‘em and weep, after the jump – G.C.
I consider myself a pretty hardcore Syd Barrett fan, but I was astounded to find that high-quality demos of pre-Piper at the Gates of Dawn material exist — from 1965, no less. The above slideshow is more or less irrelevant but the song, “Lucy Leave,” is fantastic. It features fifth Floyd member Bob Klose, who is responsible for the twangy guitar bits. It’s no Dog Police, but it’s still worth your time.
Lunch is the unjustly neglected meal. (Not so in Denmark.) It’s my favorite meal of the day, and here I am posting endlessly about dinners I’ve made.
The best lunches are simple and cold. This one is composed of Mestemacher whole rye bread, Boars Head swiss from the deli, and Irish mustard from our own Fiona. Other choice cold items could be added to it from the fridge: pickles, anchovies, salami etc. But basically it’s perfect, especially if washed down with beer or cider.
With all due respect to the likes of Darling Cruel, Joey Welz and whoever directed Mick Jagger’s “Let’s Work”, there are music videos that commit themselves to memory so profoundly, nothing sort of joining the Moonies (or a frontal lobotomy) is required to banish their dubious charms from one’s headspace. Today, we have two such contenders for the crown of Sickest Music Video Of All Time.
Challenger A, submitted by Mr. J. Reatard of Memphis, TN is The Dog Police.
Challenger B, offered by Megan Metzger of NY, NY, is the semi-legendary Complete. Feel free to make your own suggestions, but it’s gonna take some doing to top either of these.
The first time we put out “Brighten the Corners”, we paid some up-and-comers to make music videos for the album’s first two cuts. Here’s what Spike Jonze (“Shady Lane”) and Jon Kelsey (“Stereo”) did with our money:
Hey listening parties are great and everything, but Carl & friends will be hitting the road in support of the forthcoming ‘Get Guilty’ (LP/CD/download), with the following dates just announced :
February
20-Vancouver @ Biltmore Cabaret
21-Seattle @ Neumo’s
22-Portland @ Doug Fir
23-Sacramento @ Harlow’s
24-San Diego @ Casbah
26-LA @ Troubador
27-Santa Barbara @ SOhO Restaurant and Music Club
28-SF @ The Independent (Noisepop)
March
1-Eugene, OR @ John Henry’s
10-Ithaca, NY @ Castaways
11-Toronto @ Lee’s Palace
13-Providence @ Club Hell
14-Boston @ Paradise
15-NY @ Bowery Ballroom
17-Philadelphia @ Johnny Brenda’s
18-Washington DC @ Black Cat
20-Atlanta @ The Earl
21-Nashville @ Mercy Lounge
24-Minneapolis @ 400 Bar
25-Chicago @ Logan Square Auditorium
26-Pontiac @ The Pike Room at The Crofoot
28-Pittsburgh @ Andy Warhol Museum
29-Brooklyn @ The Bell House
We’ll have a major announcement in the next day or so regarding the new A.C. Newman LP/CD ‘Get Guilty’. Oh fuck it, I hate suspense, too. Dates and a new MP3 forthcoming.
Entertained last night and made a whole leg of lamb, pretty much completely according to this recipe. I marinated in a tightly sealed plastic bag containing a mixture of orange juice, Riesling, rosemary from the garden, thyme from the supermarket, garlic, olive oil and black pepper. This sat in the fridge for 5 hours before slowly coming back to room temperature and getting rubbed all over with kosher salt and pepper. The cooking process departed from Simply Recipes’ recommendation, however – 20 minutes at 425 and an hour at 300 only got the thermometer to 105, even with the leg roasting directly on the oven rack. I raised the heat back to 425 and did another 30 minutes and only just got it out in time. Different parts of the leg measure quite differently on the instant-read thermometer. Most of the leg was on the verge of going from medium rare to medium. I’d have preferred some parts more rare, but it tasted exquisite, juicy and fully shot through with all the flavors of the marinade. My first leg of lamb, and a success.
The leg came from Ottomanelli. The butcher took out the front part of the bone to aid the carving, leaving the back part in, for the flavor. He also left a good amount of fat on top to melt into the meat. Below is a picture of marinated leg prior to going in the oven.
In addition, Lou can be seen being interviewed and performing alongside Elvis Costello on the latter’s new Sundance Channel chat program, “Spectacle“. The episode in question premies Wednesday, December 10 at 9pm eastern.
This coming Tuesday, the limited-edition double vinyl gatefold 10″ EP from Cat Power hits the stores. Entitled Dark End Of The Street, it includes six bewitching cover songs from the Jukebox sessions and not included on that album. This would make a wonderful Christmas or Hannukah present for someone who likes gatefold covers, or cover songs, and it’s available for preorder now.
We have a lot of other deluxe packages from this year appropriate for stocking-stuffers or under-the-tree action. The deluxe 44-song, 48-page book, die-cut slipcase edition of Pavement’s Brighten The Corners, for example (and if you preorder now, you can still – just – get the ultra-limited live vinyl bonus LP, exclusive to this release). Two weeks ago we released Belle and Sebastian’s justly acclaimed BBC Sessions, with essential radio performances from their early 1996-2001 period. The deluxe version of the CD comes with a second disc containing a complete concert in Belfast from December 2001. The set includes covers of I’m Waiting For The Man, The Boys Are Back In Town and Here Comes The Sun. This is strictly limited and once it goes, it’s gone.
There’s also the deluxe version of the Mogwai’s latest, The Hawk Is Howling, which comes with a bonus DVD containing two videos for “Batcat” (including one nightmarish one directed by Dominic Hailstone of Chris Cunningham / Aphex Twin video fame), and a short documentary about the band by Vincent Moon.
And of course, last March, we released to-die-for versions of the three original Mission Of Burma albums on Ace of Hearts. We’ve banged on enough about the real all-analog mastering from the original tapes, the precious live footage from the late ’70s and early ’80s, the gatefold sleeves on the vinyl, and the books with interviews and photos and more. We’re prouder of these packages than any other reissue we’ve ever done. All three are available for a very short time longer in a vinyl bundle deal for 50 bucks.
There are also a few deluxe copies of Cat Power’s Jukebox left with the gatefold foil digipak and second CD. Then there’s just about every vinyl release from this year, nearly all printed at Stoughton and pressed on RTI HQ180 vinyl. Single LPs here and double LPs here.
Further support details available locally. Or here, if we bother to look it up later on.
Fri-Jan-16 Ottawa, ON Maverick’s
Sat-Jan-17 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa (with Aids Wolf)
Sun-Jan-18 Portland, ME Space Gallery
Mon-Jan-19 Boston, MA Middle East Upstairs
Tue-Jan-20 Brooklyn, NY Market Hotel (with Vivian Girls, Pissed Jeans, 80′s Hardcore and Gibby Haynes spinning records)
Wed-Jan-21 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
Thu-Jan-22 Baltimore, MD Talking Head (with Vincent Black Shadow)
Fri-Jan-23 Charlottesville, VA Outback Lodge
Sat-Jan-24 Charlotte, NC Milestone
Sun-Jan-25 Atlanta, GA The Earl (with the Carbonas, Bukkake Boys)
Tue-Jan-27 Gainesvile, FL Sluggo’s (with Iron Livers)
Wed-Jan-28 Tallahasse, FL Engine Room (with Iron Livers)
Thu-Jan-29 New Orleans, LA Ducbo (with Iron Age)
Fri-Jan-30 Houston, TX Walter’s on Washington (with Iron Age)
Sat-Jan-31 Austin, TX Emo’s (with Iron Age and Annihilation Time)
Mon-Feb-02 Albuquerque, NM The Launchpad
Tue-Feb-03 Phoenix, AZ Phix Gallery
Wed-Feb-04 San Diego, CA Casbah (with Mika Miko)
Fri-Feb-06 Los Angeles, CA The Echo (with Mika Miko)
Sun-Feb-08 San Francisco, CA The Independent (with Mika Miko)
Wed-Feb-11 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
Thu-Feb-12 Omaha, NE Waiting Room
Fri-Feb-13 Grinnell, IA Grinnell College – Gardner Lounge
Sat-Feb-14 Chicago, IL High Concepts Laboratory (early ALL AGES)
Sat-Feb-14 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle (late 21+)
Sun-Feb-15 Detroit, MI Crofoot – Pike Room
In what likely constitutes the sexiest meeting of the minds in recent memory, Portland’s Baghdad Theater will host Stephen Malkmus and Ian Svenonius for a taping of Soft Focus on December 4th.
Soft Focus, for those of you stuck in 1991, is a long-form interview program hosted by Svenonius and featuring interviews with some of the elite minds in independent culture.
If you’d like to attend the taping, please RSVP here. Svenonius will also pick the brain damage of PDX rock legends Pierced Arrows.
