Maybe you just thought The Ponys were returning to the club circuit to rehash old glories and use some old drink tickets. If so, you were WRONG WRONG WRONG. Coming on April 20 (digital) and May 25 (12″ vinyl) is the first new Ponys’ release since 2007′s ‘Turn The Lights Out’, the menacingly awesome ‘Deathbed + 4′ EP. Here’s a sneak preview in the form of “Check The Door” .
April
Saturday 27 Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern w/Disappears
Wednesday 28 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge w/Disappears, Meth Teeth
Friday 30San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill w/Disappears, Spencey Dude and the Doodles
May
Saturday 01 Silver Lake, CA Spaceland w/Disappears, Static Static
Sunday 02 San Diego, CA Casbah w/Disappears, Christmas Island
Friday 28 Austin, TX Mohawk (Chaos In Tejas fest, with A-Frames, Jeff The Brotherhood, Woven Bones)
June
Friday 18 New York, NY Mercury Lounge w/ Disappears, Woven Bones
Saturday 19 Brooklyn, NY Union Pool w/ Disappears, Woven Bones
Depending on which side of the St Lawrence River you live, Ted Leo and The Pharmacists will be hitting up the Northeast or Southeast section of your country this June. It won’t be hockey season so hopefully we all can get along?!?!
And just a reminder for all of you in Austin, Ted swings by End of an Ear today for a solo in-store performance and then meets up with The Pharmacists at Emo’s (outside stage) later tonight for a proper show with Screaming Females and Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves supporting (tickets purchased for The Parish will be honored)
Fri, 6/18 – Milford CT – Daniel Street Club
Sat, 6/19 – Portland ME – SPACE
Sun, 6/20 – Burlington VT – Higher Ground
Mon, 6/21 – Quebec City QC – Le Cercle
Tue, 6/22 – Montreal QC – Il Motore
Thu, 6/24 – Ottawa ON – Zaphod Beeblebrox
Sat, 6/26 – Toronto ON – Lee’s Palace
Sun, 6/27 – Buffalo NY – Mohawk Place
Sun, 7/11 – Louisville KY – Forecastle Festival Buy Tickets
A week from today, Harlem will release their second album and debut for Matador, Hippies. You should order Hippies to own.
If you need convincing, the band is streaming the album in its entirety over at MySpace. A listen or two should do the trick.
Catch Harlem on the road in April and May:
April
Thursday 01 – Austin, TX – Mohawk (with the Golden Boys, Cowabunga Babez)
Tuesday 13 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks
Wednesday 14 – Birmingham, AL – Bottletree
Thursday 15 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Friday 16 – Chattanooga, TN – JJ’s Bohemia
Saturday 17 – Chapel Hill, NC – Nightlight
Monday 19 – Washington, DC – DC9
Tuesday 20 – Baltimore, MD – Golden West Cafe
Wednesday 21 – Philadelphia, PA – King Fu Necktie
Thursday 22 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Friday 23 – Brooklyn, NY – Market Hotel
Saturday 24 – Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s w/Titus Andronicus
Sunday 25 – Allston, MA – Great Scott
Wednesday 28 – Toronto, ON – The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
Thursday 29 – Cleveland, OH – Now Thats Class
Friday 30 - Detroit, MI – Majestic Cafe
May
Saturday 01 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Sunday 02 – Milwaukee, WI – Mad Planet
Tuesday 04 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry
Wednesday 05 - Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews
Thursday 06 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room
Friday 07 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room
Saturday 08 – St. Louis, MO – The Firebird
Monday 10 – Columbus, OH – The Summit
Tuesday 11 – Newport, KY – Southgate House Parlour
Wednesday 12 – Lousville, KY – Zanzabar
Thursday 13 – Nashville, TN – The End
Friday 14 – Memphis, TN Hi -Tone Cafe
Saturday 15 – Dallas, TX – City Tavern
Friday 29 – Barcelona, Spain – Parc Del Forum (Primavera Sound)
I’m sure there’s a great explanation for how we neglected to mention this earlier — perhaps the controversy over the “Marmaduke” trailer left me incapable of fulfilling normal business duties (trust me, that’s not the worst excuse I’ve used) — but Pavement are playing Pomona, CA’s lovely Fox Theatre on Saturday, April 15. Tickets are available here.
Also, if you’re the sort of person who feels the need to comment with something along the lines of “why aren’t Pavement playing _____?” rest assured, more dates are being confirmed and NO AMOUNT OF BEGGING & PLEADING WILL COMPEL THE BAND TO VISIT YOUR TWO-BIT “CITY” and we’ll reveal ‘em when we’re asked to do so.
Fresh off the announcement of their signing to True Panther Sounds, Barcelona’s Delorean are in New York for a string of shows, and while they’re here, Igor and Ekhi will be stopping by the Fader’s radio show, The Let Out, on East Village Radio for a live guest DJ set. It happens at 6:00PM Eastern time on eastvillageradio.com. Tune in!
By truepanthersounds on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010
The best part about visiting Barcelona for Primavera Sound last year was entering the fantastic and magical world of Delorean. What we had thought was primarily a remix project turned out to be an enthralling and adventurous full-on band. We were surprised by what a massive and rabid Spanish fan base they had from two previous full-lengths while retaining a relatively low profile in the rest of the world. As it happens, Delorean are at the forefront of a burgeoning community of musicians, producers and dj’s who are mining the collective Spanish dance-music heritage of Balearic house and combining it with contemporary independent pop, European techno, shades of the ecstatic Madchester sound and hip hop – a perfect soundtrack to romantic nights along the white Mediterranean sands of Barcelona. Last summer’s Ayrton Senna EP soundtracked our lives upon return to the states. Ayrton Senna and their two full-length albums however, only hint at the journey that is Delorean’s infectious and innovative synthesis of dance musics and sounds.
It’s with all this in mind that we are so proud to announce the release of Delorean’s latest album Subiza available April 20th (digital) and June 8th (physical) on True Panther Sounds, available in Spain/Portugal/Mexico on the excellent Mushroom Pillow. Named after the bucolic Basque town in which the album was recorded, Subiza is the realization of a longtime ambition and marks a clear evolution for the band. The dance-club rhythms and airy melodies they’ve toyed with in the past are fused and textured, making for a deeply obsessive, hypnotic album that retains the easy appeal of great pop music. Looking at 30+ years of club music history with fresh eyes, Delorean have made an album that is dense and soulful. Our first listen to Subiza was exhilarating, every subsequent listen is a revelation.
Jump into Subiza below, with a hi-quality mp3 and video for the album’s first single, “Stay Close”. Video directed by Weird Days. The band is currently on tour with Miike Snow. Those of you that caught them in Austin can vouch for their live set, those of you who haven’t, here’s your chance!!! They’re coming back this summer for a round of headlining dates. Delorean-Stay Close (mp3) Delorean-Stay Close (FLAC)
Pre-order the CD/LP and get an INSTANT DOWNLOAD of the entire album
Tue 3/23 @ THE MASQUERADE, Atlanta, GA *
Wed 3/24 @ 9:30 CLUB Washington, Washington, D.C. *
Thu 3/25 @THEATER OF LIVING ARTS Philadelphia, PA *
Fri 3/26 @MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG Brooklyn, NY *
Sat 3/27 @WEBSTER HALL New York, NY *
Sun 3/28 @BOWERY BALLROOM New York, NY *
Mon 3/29 @Mercury Lounge New York, NY w/Lemonade & Brahms
Tiger Woods recently allowed ESPN and the Golf Channel to interrogate him for a grand total of 5 minutes. Harlem, however, are far more giving of their time, submitting to 8+ minutes of up-close-and-personal sharing. Two important questions remain unanswered, however ; what is up with those insane chairs Jose and Curtis are sitting in and how can we get some?
Today Pitchfork debuts the first video from The Brutalist Bricks (buy it here). The video was directed by Jack Ferry.
Ted Leo And The Pharmacists continue their American tour over the next few weeks:
March
Wednesday 24 – Santa Barbara, CA – Soho Restaurant & Music Club w/ Titus Andronicus, Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves
Friday 26 – Pomona, CA – The Glass House w/Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves
Saturday 27 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour w/Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves
Sunday 28 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress w/Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves
Tuesday 30 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues w/Screaming Females, Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves
Wednesday 31 – Austin, TX – The Parish Room w/Screaming Females, Sally Crewe & The Sudden Moves
April
Friday 02 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks w/Screaming Females
Saturday 03 – Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder w/Screaming Females
Sunday 04 – Atlanta, GA The Masquerade w/Screaming Females
Monday 05 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle w/Screaming Females
Wednesday 07 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
Thursday 08 – Washington, DC – 930 Club
Friday 09 - New York, NY – Irving Plaza w/Obits, Screaming Females
Saturday 10 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club w/Obits, Screaming Females
Fucked Up‘s latest entry in their Zodiac series of EPs (see “Year of the Dog”, “…Pig” and “…Rat”) is the majestic orchestral piece, “Year of the Ox”.
On CBC3′s Bande à Part series, the group unleashed an early preview of the track, featuring guest vocals from Annie-Claude Deschênes of Duchess Says, a string section and an arsenal of guitars. Fucked Up also performed “David’s Plan”, the title-track from their recently-released charity single.
A recorded version of the track is forthcoming with a different set of special guests. Be on the lookout for an announcement on Looking For Gold.
Fucked Up on tour:
May
Sun 02 Newport, KY Southgate House Parlour
Mon 03 Lawrence, KS Jackpot Music Hall
Tue 04 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
Fri 07 Las Vegas, NV Sunset Station Ampitheatre
Sat 08 Pomona, CA TBD
Wed 12 Victoria, BC CA Sugar Nightclub
Thu 13 Vancouver, BC CA The Biltmore Cabaret
Fri 14 Edmonton, AB CA Avenue Theatre
Sat 15 Saskatoon, SK CA Amigo’s
Sun 16 Regina, SK CA The Exchange
Mon 17 Winnepeg, MB WECC
September
Sun 05 Monticello, NY All Tomorrow’s Parties
Friday, 5/28 – Parc Del Forum, Barcelona, Primavera Sound
Mon, 5/31 – George WA – Sasquatch Music Festival
Mon, 6/7 – Calgary AB – MacEwan Hall*
Tue, 6/8 – Edmonton AB – Edmonton Event Centre*
Wed, 6/9 – Saskatoon SK – The Odeon Events Centre*
Thu, 6/10 – Winnipeg MB – The Garrick Centre*
Fri, 6/11 – Minneapolis MN – First Avenue
Sat, 6/12 – Milwaukee WI – Pabst Theater^#
Sun, 6/13 – Columbus OH – Newport Music Hall^#
Tue, 6/15 – Toronto ON – The Sound Academy^#
Thu, 6/17 – Montreal QC – Le National^#
Fri, 6/18 – Boston MA – House of Blues^#
Sat, 6/19 – New York NY – Terminal 5^#
Mon, 6/21 – Philadelphia PA – Trocadero Theatre^#
Tue, 6/22 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club^#
Wed, 6/23 – Washington DC – 9:30 Club^#
Fri, 6/25 – Chapel Hill NC – Memorial Hall at UNC^#
Sat, 6/26 – Atlanta GA – Variety Playhouse^#
Sun, 6/27 – Nashville TN – Cannery Ballroom^#
Sun, 6/28 – St Louis MO – The Pagaent^
Thu, 7/15 – Vancouver BC – The Vogue Theatre^”
Fri, 7/16 – Portland OR – Crystal Ballroom^”
Sun, 7/18 – Oakland CA – Fox Theater^”
Mon, 7/19 – Los Angeles CA – The Music Box^”
Tue, 7/20 – Los Angeles CA – The Music Box^”
Wed, 7/21 – Tucson AZ – Rialto Theatre^”
Fri, 7/23 – Austin TX – Stubb’s BBQ^”
Sat, 7/24 – Dallas TX – The Showroom at Palladium^”
Sun, 7/25 – Tulsa OK – Cain’s Ballroom^”
Mon, 7/26 – Lawrence KS – Liberty Hall^”
Wed, 7/28 – Denver CO – Ogden Theatre^”
Fri, 7/30 – Boise ID – Egyptian Theatre^”
Wed, 8/4 – Madison WI – Orpheum Theatre^
with support from :
* = The Mountain Goats
^ = The Dodos
# = The Dutchess & The Duke
” = Imaad Wasif
(preorder ‘Together’ from The Matador Store on LP or CD before May 4 and you’ll receive a free poster plus a 7″, “The New Pornographers Play Outrageous Cherry”, featuring 3 Outrageous Cherry covers)
You know, not everyone in the music industry descends upon Austin for the SXSW Music Conference. Somebody’s got to hold the fort down. After all, these records ain’t gonna sell themselves. This is my minute-by-minute account of March 18, 2010.
9:30 am: I’m here 30 minutes early because I had to be up and at the DMV by 8 am. Wondering who in Austin is still up drinking from last night. Office is eerily quiet.
10:30 am: Still the only one here… I think.
11:18 am: Chase a dog around the office in an attempt to remove a mail order package from his mouth. Sorry J. Roger from Phoenix… let me know if your corners are bent.
11:43 am: IMing with my cousin about who it would be creepier to get hit on by (if we were girls): The Fonz or Alex P. Keaton.
12:12 pm: Make a list of fake band names. Entries include: The Shittybutts, Sweet Love, Mike Watt’s Sweaty Socks, The Super Falcons, The Burnin’ Blazin’ Mississippi Madmen (feat. Dennis DeYoung), Tugboat Crash, Doucheslayer, Cocks-A-Fire, Wicked Neptune.
12:32 pm: Get a call from Kris Chen who is either drunk or psyched. Or both.
12:35 pm: Mentally count all the people I know who are at SXSW.
12:42 pm: Get a phone call from mom to tell me that Red River is “off the fuckin’ hook.”
12:45-1:40 pm: Stared at a paperclip.
1:45 pm: Ride the elevator a couple of times.
2:00 pm: Download a program that makes my digital photos look like Polaroids. Psyched.
2:03 pm: Realize that 99% of the fun of Polaroids is waiting for the pictures to develop. Bummed.
2:12 pm: Debate telling coworkers about my plans to time-travel.
2:45 pm: Watch #2 seed Villanova squeak out an embarrassing overtime win over #15 seed Robert Morris. Almost call the university to demand a refund of my tuition.
2:50pm: Sit in Patrick’s chair. Try to sign a bunch of cover bands. No one buys it.
3:01pm: Check the Bro’d Trip twitter account to see if Adam is going on without me.
3:05: Decide to take my own Bro’d Trip… to the deli.
3:25-3:55 pm: I think I just took a nap.
4:05 pm: Think about taking up cigarettes again.
4:06 pm: Think about taking up grass again.
5:00 pm: Look up Facebook profiles of girls who dumped me in high school.
5:10 pm: Look up Facebook profiles of kids I beat up in high school.
5:30 pm: Use a Google application to determine the distance of my nightly jogging route. Feel great that it’s 1.2 miles. Immediately feel awful that I felt great over 1.2 miles.
6:15 pm: Count the emails I’ve received today: 16. New all-time low.
6:25 pm: Laugh out loud at email #17 from one of our SXSWers that simply reads “Fuck you.”
Chances are you’re either tired of hearing about SXSW, or you’re too drunk to be reading this. What I have here, though, is worth pushing through your SXSW fatigue and putting down that margarita (it’s 9 in the morning, for chrissake). The fine folks at Radio K made the trip to SXSW again this year, and as in years past they have an illustrious list of bands recording sessions for them. One of those bands is our own Shearwater, whose session will be airing today at noon Central time. Minneapolitans can tune in to Radio K at 104.5 FM (Minneapolis-St. Paul), 100.7 FM (St. Paul), 106.5 FM (Minneapolis) & 770 AM (Metro area), while the rest of us can listen online.
Shearwater’s amazing new album, The Golden Archipelago, can be purchased in all the usual formats by going right here.
This Thursday (March 18) in Austin, TX a fantastic collection of bands from near and far will be performing at Beerland in loving memory of Jimmy Lee Lindsey, Jr aka Jay Reatard
Thursday, March 18
1pm – 6pm
Beerland, Austin
21+, FREE
It may not be possible for readers of this blog not to be aware of the annual Bobby Soxx Memorial Festival that’s taking place in Austin this week (known to insiders as SOXXXSW), and it is likely just as impossible that you’re unaware of the many shows that Austin’s Harlem will be playing during said festival. On the off chance that you missed it, a complete list of Harlem’s shows (along with the shows of Matador labelmates Fucked Up, The Cave Singers & Shearwater) can be found right here.
Prior to all that, though, you can get warmed up by tuning in to Austin’s friendly neighborhood public radio station, KUT, and checking out an instudio from Harlem tonight at 9:00PM Central. Those of you who live within driving distance of Emo’s can find KUT at 90.5 on your FM dial, while the rest of the Internet-enabled universe can listen at kut.org.
(an airplane full of musical tourists, overcome with emotion knowing they’ll soon be greeted with just-raised-drink prices, t-shirts reading “don’t move here” and multiple opportunites to see Love Collector)
Y’know, if I had a quarter for every person who has asked me, “Gerard, we’re so thoroughly enjoying Matador’s ‘Casual Victim Pile‘ compilation, where and when can we see those ridiculously talented bands in Austin this week?”….i’d be a very, very poor person. BECAUSE NO ONE HAS ASKED ME. That’s ok, however, I’m more than happy to supply a long, though possibly incomplete list.
Heading to the annual Musical Trade Fair That Also Features Unaffiliated Gigs thing in Austin TX this week?
Well, do yourself the favor and check out The Cave Singers, Harlem, Fucked Up and Shearwater playing multiple times through the weekend. Here’s a useful breakdown by time and place for your calendars.
Tues, March 16th
-11:30 PM, Harlem
House of Guys Party
@1907 Rio Grande Street
Weds, March 17th
- 5:00 PM, Fucked Up
@ Emo’s
603 Red River
Brooklyn Vegan Day Party
- 8:00 PM, Harlem
@ Charlie’s
1301 Lavaca Street
Victims of Sonic Attack Day Party
Thurs, March 18th
-1:00 PM, Cave Singers
@ The Mohawk
Billions/Ticketfly Party
-1:00 PM, Shearwater
@ Galaxy Room
507 E. 6th Street
Paste Party
-7:30 PM, Fucked Up
@ FADER Fort
1101 E. 5th Street
between San Marcos and Waller
-9:00 PM, Harlem
@ Red 7 Patio
611 East 7th St
SXSW Showcase
-11:30 PM, Cave Singers
@ Club Deville
900 Red River Street
Billions SXSW Showcase
Sat. May 1st, Camden Crawl, London (UK)
Sun. May 2nd, La Maroquinerie, Paris (France)
Mon. May 3rd, L’Epicerie Moderne, Lyon (France)
Wed. May 5th, Tetris, Trieste (Italy)
Thur. May 6th, Spazio 211, Torino (Italy)
Fri. May 7th, Init, Rome (Italy)
Sat. May 8th, Vinile 45, Brescia (Italy)
Sun. May 9th, Le Romandie, Lausanne (Swiss)
Tues. May 11th, Fluc, Vienna (Austria)
Thur. May 13th, Aktovy Zal, Moscow (Russia)
Fri. May 14th, SKIF festival @ sergey kuryokhin modern art center, St. Petersburg (Russia)
Sat. May 15th, Debaser Slussen, (club Frit’z Corner), Stockholm (Sweden)
Tues. May 18th, Loppen, Copenhagen (Denmark)
Wed. May 19th, SO36, Berlin (Germany)
Thur. May 20th, Astrastube, Hamburg (Germany)
Fri. May 21st, Perron 55, Venlo (NL)
Sat. May 22nd, Patronaat, Haarlem (NL)
Sun. May 23rd, Rotown, Rotterdam (NL)
Mon. May 24th, The Freebutt, Brighton (UK)
Tues. May 25th, Barfly, Cardiff (UK)
Wed. May 26th, Bush Hall, London (UK)
Thur. May 27th, Academy, Manchester (UK)
Fri. May 28th, Captains Rest, Glasgow (UK)
Sat. May 29th, Electric Circus, Edinburgh (UK)
Sun. May 30th, The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds (UK)
Mon. May 31st, Hare & Hounds, Birmingham (UK)
Tues. June 1st, Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester (UK)
You guys say we never listen to you… well we listened. All 5 Pavement LPs plus Watery, Domestic are now available as special low-price vinyl reissues. (Premium-price audiophile versions of the first three LPs also remain in print.)
(Click on the image for a closer view.)
List prices are 11.98 for the single LPs, 9.98 for the Watery, Domestic 12″ EP, and 15.98 for the Wowee Zowee double. All LPs come with download coupons.
(Click on the L(ow) P(rice) logo for a more detailed view.)
Look for the new “L(ow) P(rice)” sticker on the LPs. There will be more in this series.
(Click on the image for a closer view.)
Buy the Pavement L(ow) P(rice) Pavement Vinyl Reissues at your favorite local store, or directly from us:
SPECIAL BUNDLE DEAL FOR A LIMITED TIME: GET ALL 5 LPs PLUS WATERY EP FOR $50. HEREBUNDLE DEAL ENDED BUT WE FORGOT TO UPDATE THIS POST. So for all of you who missed it, here’s a second chance. We’re going to make the bundle available again for 3 more days only, starting Monday morning, April 12 and extending through midnight EDT on Wednesday, April 14. ACT NOW!
Matador’s ever cynical Patrick Amory describes the above honor as “a scam” but I prefer to accept the award in a gracious manner. You think someone’s calling up Mexican Summer trying to sell them a plexiglass plaque with a faux-presidential seal? What’s Downtown’s trophy case looking like? EAT OUR DUST, entertainment business, if some aspiring con men w/ a certificate in rudimentary photoshop think we’re rich and self-obsessive enough to pay for this kind of bullshit, we’re gonna take it as a compliment. You love us, you really love us!
Above : TL & RX doing “The Mighty Sparrow” from the just-released ‘The Brutalist Bricks’. Not shown : bumped guest Mark Linn-Baker being restrained by NBC security.
The New Pornographers and Matador Records are pleased announce the very first opportunity to hear the band’s brand-new fifth album Together (out May 4th) – the South By Southwest “Together Shuttle“:
On Wednesday March 17th in Austin, TX – to mark the start of SXSW (or, our arrival, anyway) – the Together Shuttle will be making several runs to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, gathering travel-weary music fans and providing door-to-door service to the Austin Convention Center and several downtown hotels. Fans who sign up to ride the Together Shuttle will be treated to complimentary cocktails and, of course, the first ever album-playback of the New Pornographers’ Together.
Sign-up for the Together Shuttle is as easy as it is limited. If any of the below pickup times meet your Austin arrival-and-pickup needs (and aren’t yet full), simply fill out your information, press “submit” and confirmation of your airport-pickup will be sent via email:
SIGN UP FOR THE SHUTTLE IS NOW CLOSED. IF YOU ARE A GAMBLER, JUST LOOK OUT FOR A BIG SCHOOL BUS AND TRY TO SNAKE YOUR WAY ON. WE WILL BE DRUNK BY THE END OF THE DAY AND PLIABLE.
For those of you lucky enough to secure a spot on the Together Shuttle – and a first-listen to Together – more details will follow with your confirmation.
Just a reminder, Ted Leo And The Pharmacists will perform tonight on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. By the time they hit the screen we’ll be celebrating the release of the excellent new album The Brutalist Bricks, available to buy here.
The band also recently taped an Interface for Spinner, and with all due respect to NBC, it’s must-see:
“The Mighty Sparrow”
Click here to see the Interface performance in its entirety.
All my life I’ve wanted to make fried chicken, and I have been accumulating recipes and tools for it for years. Finally I ran into a recipe that made me want to take the plunge. It is from Laurie Colwin’s Home Cooking, a book very much in the style of John Thorne’s discursive essays on unpretentious food. She absolutely lays down the law, which I like. I realize that there are many other ways to make great fried chicken, but this one works.
Colwin’s rules are:
- Use a chicken fryer, a cast-iron pot with steep sides and a domed lid
- Chicken must be at room temperature before you start cooking
- Dredge with seasoned flour only – no shaking in bag, no breadcrumbs, no crushed cornflakes
- Pan-fry, do not deep-fry (though see below) in a COVERED chicken fryer
- Serve WARM, not hot (or cold): “It should never be eaten straight from the fryer – it needs time to cool down and set”
OK, so far so good. Totally into the hardcore rules. Rather than the version above, though I got the 3-quart chicken fryer from Lodge, which may have led to some complications.
Colwin recommends using vegetable oil (or more specifically Wesson oil with a little light sesame), but this is a hardcore unhealthy household, so we used Crisco topped up with some safflower oil. There was a debate about whether to use leftover Mexican lard (manteca), but it was felt that might add an unwelcome porkiness to the chicken.
The recipe – really a method, not a recipe, is straightforward. Mix flour with seasoning of your choice. I used salt, pepper and paprika. Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk, then roll them in flour, really packing them in there “as if you were a child making sand pies.” There should be thick layers of flour between the pieces.
Fill your fryer to halfway with oil. Heat until a piece of bread fries instantly when it hits the oil. I attached a deep frying thermometer and found this to be about 375 degrees – HOT.
Gently slip into the hot oil as many pieces will fit. “The rule is to crowd a little.” Turn the heat down at once and cover. (Italics are Colwin’s.) You then cook until just done – “juicy and crisp” – about 5-6 minutes a side. Then remove cover, turn heat back up, and quickly fry to the “color of Colonial pine stain – a dark honey color.” Remove the pieces and let them sit in a barely warm oven – be warned that this will be difficult for you and your guests to do. When the pieces are warm, no longer hot, dig in.
So here’s the complication I experienced – the oil was maybe slightly over halfway, and what Colwin doesn’t mention is that when you slip in those pieces into 375-degree oil, it goes crazy. Insane angry sizzling and spattering. And then I put the top on and turned the heat down. Result was the Towering Inferno. It sounded like Battle of the Marne was taking place under the lid. Then the oil actually managed to lift up the heavy cast-iron cover and spatter down onto the burner resulting in foot-high flames.
Much putting out of fire and fussing with the temperature resulted, and I think the lesson is that you absolutely must not go more than halfway on the oil, especially with the little 3-quart chicken fryer. I was essentially deep-frying rather than pan-frying – I think the distinction becomes academic when you have chicken pieces in more than 2 inches of oil. The second batch resulted in no fire. I will say… that first batch was tastier, though I’m not sure I want to go through that experience again.
Apologies for the crappy photo. The chicken was amazing – juicy and flavorful within, crispy and nutty on the outside.
Cold Cave, with new line up in tow, will be hitting a number of international markets in the coming months. They kick off a tour supporting the Editors in Lincoln, England tomorrow night and hit QUITE A FEW markets following.
Mar Saturday 06 London, UK – Engine Shed %
Mar Sunday 07 Preston, UK – Guildhall %
Mar Monday 08 Bradford, UK – St. George Hall %
Mar Wednesday 10 Glasgow, UK – The Academy %
Mar Thursday 11 Dundee, UK – Fat Sams %
Mar Friday 12 Iverness, UK – Ironworks %
Mar Saturday 13 Aberdeen, UK – Music Hall %
Mar Monday 15 Newcastle, UK – The Academy %
Mar Tuesday 16 Marchester, UK – The Apollo %
Mar Wednesday 17 Cambridge, UK – Corn Exchange %
Mar Thursday 19 Bournemouth, UK – The Academy %
Mar Friday 20 Brighton, UK – The Dome %
Mar Saturday 21 Cardiff, UK – Cardiff University %
Mar Sunday 23 Folkestone, UK – Leas Cliff Hall %
Mar Monday 24 London UK – Brixton Academy %
Apr 25 Sunday WBAR-B-Q Barnard College, NY
Apr 29 (Le) Poisson Rouge New York, NY
May Friday 07 Minehead, AD – All Tomorrow’s Parties
May Saturday 08 Leeds, UK – Nation of Shopkeepers
May Sunday 09 Glasgow, UK – Captain’s Rest
May Monday 10 Manchester, UK – Deaf Institute
May Wednesday 12 London, UK – Cargo
May Thursday 13 Brighton, UK – Great Escape Festival
May Friday 14 Amsterdan – Paradiso
May Saturday 15 Brussells, BE – Rotonde
May Sunday 16 Hamburg, DE – Ubel & Gefarlich
May Tuesday 18 Stockholm, CH – Svenska
May Wednesday 19 Copenhagen, DK – Rust
May Thursday 20 Berlin, DE – Bang Bang Club
May Friday 21 Berlin, DE – Offenbach
May Saturday 22 St. Gallen, CH – Theater Palace
May Sunday 23 Fribourg, CH FRI-SON
May Monday 24 Bologna, IT – Rocker Festival
May Tuesday 25 Turin, IT – Spazio 211
May Thursday 27 Paris, FR – Point Emphere
May Saturday 29 Barcelona, ES – Primavera Club
% w/ The Editors
In other news, those paying close attention may have noticed some truly negligible “NSFW”-content in Cold Cave’s recent video for “Life Magazine”. YouTube did too — fortunately the folks at Focus Creeps saved the day with a brand new edit of the video. Check it here:
