The Ponys' Assault On Your Consciousness Continues
(Melissa and Jered, Doornroosje, May 25, photos taken from dennisthemper's flickr page)
June
20 - Metro, Chicago, IL (with Superchunk, Mountain Goats, Eff Cancer Benefit)
July
06-Winnipeg, Manitoba - Winnipeg Folk Festival
15-Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Festival
17-Detroit, MI - Magic Stick *
18-Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace *
19-Montreal, QC- Club Lambi *
20-Cambridge, MA - Middle East (upstairs) **
21-New York, MY - Bowery Ballroom **
22-Asbury Park, NJ - Asbury Lanes**
23-Washington DC - Black Cat **
24-Columbus, OH - Skully's **
25-Newport, KY - The Southgate House**
*with Deerhunter/Jay Reatard
**Jay Reatard
The New Pornographers - Whirled Premiere!
My Rights Versus Yours (mp3), from the forthcoming CD/LP 'Challengers', in stores August 21. However, if you're not into waiting around, said full-length masterpiece is the 4th installment in Matador's Buy Early, Get Now campaign. Full details to follow, but rest assured, you'll be amply rewarded for your participation.
Kicked In The Head : Doc Martens' Cavalcade Of Dead Rockers
I have but two thoughts regarding Doc Martens' ill-advised new campaign (link swiped from Boing Boing) ;
1) Who'd have thought the executors of the GG Allin estate would exercise such restraint?
2) At least DM didn't select Shannon Hoon.
Advertorial Announcement : The (Re)Creation of Shearwater's 'Palo Santo'
At the risk of some serious self horn-tooting, whether you're already down with the hordes who've learned that Shearwater's 'Palo Santo' might be the album of 2006 and 2007, or just begining to sift your way thru the story, The Ascent of Palo Santo should prove elucidating to the max.
Jennifer O'Connor's Living Room Residency, Continued
(pic taken from The Wrongway's Flickr page)
Wednesday night, May 23rd, part four of the Living Room Rez will be in full effect. As usual, I go on at 11pm. Tonight will be a duo show with Mr. Jon Langmead on drums. We got new jamz, old jamz, fast jamz, and slow jamz. At 10pm, The Naysayer will be making a RARE appearance. You must see Ms. Padgett and co while you can. I'm not sure who else is in her band this night but I know Mr. Matt Sutton (who plays with me sometimes) will be featured on guitar. He's sick. Love, JO'C The Living Room is at 154 Ludlow Street between Stanton & Rivington.
PS. If you are free on Tuesday night, make your way over to Mo Pitkins to see Amy Bezunartea & Larry Krone at 9pm and Clint, Michigan at 10pm. Amy and Clint are great artists who will (sometime in the nearish future) be putting out records on my KIAM label
Lavender Diamond - An Official Report
(Becky Stark, live at San Diego's M-Theory Records, pic taken from Javan's Flickr collection, used sans permission)
Hello world of all you gentle people!
As i write to you I am in the fair city of Seattle! Home of all the best new revolutions and i'd like to report that there's another good one coming. Although, I have to say, it's kind of mean to say that some revolutions are better than others- in fact- it might be downright false so I'll just say- here's to all the revolutions- each and every one of them- except i guess that some revolutions are sort of terrible- well - maybe we can have a discussion about the nature of revolutions and which ones are the "best"! i mean, when i say "best" what i really mean is that those are the ones that make me excited! and also - i will say briefly- although seriously we could talk forever about this- that the revolutions i like best are the ones that create new feelings and experiences of equality- freedom- celebration-- inifinite possibilites- respect for all people-- respect for the earth-- open communication--- and kindness! ok- i'm rambling a little bit! this is supposed to be an official report !
but so-
actually- speaking of revolution i have two good ideas for new revolutions-
ok - call me corny( you won't be the first) but i think it would be great to have a friendship revolution. ok i will briefly describe the friendship revolution:
it's simple- the friendship revolution is a new way of being where everyone is friendly to each other. it's simple but just think of it! it's makes me excited! say for instance, that you heard ( not necessarily from me) that there was a revolution of friendliness afoot! that people all over the world were indiscriminately expressing love and friendliness to each other! wouldn't you be psyched and want to join in on the fun? wouldn't you want to feel the weight lifted off your heart as you were given free license to love? well- here at lavender diamond we'd like to announce that anyone who wants one will be issued an official license to express love and appreciation. we'll send it to you in the mail, or the email- or you can download it from our website. (um.. i'll have to work on that) that way- anytime you are feeling sad or disconnected, you can remember that you are part of the revolution and you have license to be friendly, express love, see the beauty in the world, etc., etc., ok so pretend you didn't hear it from me but it's true that kindness and gentleness are spreading like wildfire! can't be contained! the population's gone wild! friendliness for no reason! people loving each other! inexplicable! uncontrollable! the winds of change blowing the raging blaze of kindness!
ok- that is the first revolution-
and the second one-
well- maybe i'll leave the second one for next time that's probably enough for now-
but oh! hey! our record came out! hooray! one million thanks to matador and also to rough trade records, our other home! we are really proud of this record- i think it sounds just like us! we put all our love into it- we hope you enjoy listening to it and it makes you feel good and gives you strength!
last week we went on a little tour of the west coast and played in record stores! it was really fun! blake from matador came with us. no one told us that he is a mystical spiritual healer! in a nutshell - blake healed is all! we had a blast! two especially funny things happened:
1) ron fell off the stage at sonic boom records in seattle! it would have been tragic if he had hurt himself but he landed on someone's desk on their files and his feet only were left on the stage. it was hilarious! the stage is very small, by the way- and steve warned him- but ron is a very passionate drummer! this maybe wasn't as bad as when i slipped on a drum stick and fell down onstage in berlin- ok fell down is not the right description- i flew into the air after flailing my arms around trying to catch my balance and then my legs went up vertical to ground and i landed flat on my back like a cartoon prat fall- oh my god- ! good thing we are all safe.
2) when we played at music millenium in portland i was a few minutes late and the rest of the best was already there and as i walked in they were playing the record and i got confused and i thought they had started without me- except that my voice was playing over the stereo. i guess this is testament to the fact that a) the record sounds just like us! and b) i am a tiny bit crazy.
oh god, there is so much more to report! i really have to start writing in more often! our dear beloved guitarist jeff rosenberg had to leave our band. we are so sad. but we've found someone to play with us and his name is devon williams. we call him devon williams the great. i'll have to tell the full story later about how we found him but i'll tell you now that it was mysterious! in any event, devon was with us last week for the instore tour and we made a little video in the van. it's ridiculous. if anyone wants to see it- um .. let me know. it's a psychedelic experimental comedy. we are going to make lots of comedy videos on our tour!
oh! and we had a great time at both amoeba records stores in sf and la. there's nothing like amoeba records! i guess we'll have to make more records so that we can play more in-stores! or - um- play at other record stores. oh! and also we had a wonderful time at m-theory records in san diego! san diego is like a little paradise. the people were listening so close! we ate at a place called jimmy carter's restaurant - with no apparent relationship to jimmy carter at all except for the name. it was weird! then we saw the silver daggers play at a punk house downtown. oh my god! the silver daggers are incredible! everyone should listen to their new record! in general my report about the instore tour is that the world is a beautiful place! seriously, every place we went it was exquisite. and i'm not exaggerating! ok it is spring and i was told that we were experiencing particularly beautiful days, but still my report, based on our recent experience, is that the world is a beautiful place.
ok- oh! and i'm doing some solo shows with my friend miranda july! in seattle, portland and nyc. the one in new york is with miranda and david byrne! i'm so excited. the theme of the night is belonging and i'm going to see if everyone will sing a song together - the audience and everyone! singing together with a lot of people feels amazing! it's true!
ok- well- now i'm off to see the wizard- just kidding - off to to a concert tonight with miranda! she's going to read from her new book which is beautiful! everyone should read it. it's called "no one belongs here more than you." i love her so much ! and i love you, too- whoever you are-
peace all you wild people!
love, becky
Konvicted : Akon Dumped Over Ill-Advised Hump
As you've probably heard, Akon's run afoul of moralists and cell phone companies alike after being captured on video engaged in a vaguely lewd act with a 14 year old. Salon's David Marchese says "I think I'm going to go bang my head against a wall."
Akon's antics were definitely on the gross side, but what did Verizon expect? Did anyone at the company even listen to his album ("Konvicted," which has sold more than 2 million copies) before signing the guy? If they had, they'd have heard hit singles like "Smack That" ("Smack that all on the floor/ smack that till you get sore") and "I Wanna Love You," which, in its unedited version substitutes "love" with a different four-letter word. But the problem isn't that Akon is objectionable -- he isn't really, and people who complain about him are the same kind of people who would have tied themselves in knots over Elvis -- the problem is that Verizon fired Akon for doing the kind of thing it hired him for. The dude is a star because he has a sexy, streetwise image and an album full of sexy, streetwise songs. Verizon was only too happy to bask in Akon's popularity until he took one sideways step from what he always does (which he's since apologized for) and then it drops him like a hot potato. To suddenly treat him as some sort of moral degenerate is ridiculous. Especially considering the fact that, at this very moment, R. Kelly walks the streets as a free man. Would somebody please think about the children?!
There's also a double standard in play that makes Verizon's foolishness even more annoying. Verizon has maintained its associations with both Keith Urban and Fall Out Boy mainman Pete Wentz -- even though the former has a well-documented addiction problem and the latter had pictures of his wee wee (inadvertently) plastered all over the Internet last year. Hmm. Cute white stars have more leeway with their indiscretions than does one born with the name Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thaim.
Yo La Tengo In The Great Outdoors
(from KEXP's Flickr page, used without permission)
well, on some of these occasions, anyway.
May 18 - All Tomorrow's Parties, Somerset UK
June 2-3 - Bang On A Can Marathon, Wintergarden, World Financial Center, New York City
July 7 - Comerica Fest, Detroit, MI
July 27 - Fujirock Festival, Naeba, Japan
July 29 - Formoz Festival, Taiwan
August 5 - Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago, IL
September 14-16, Austin City Limits Festival, Zilker Park, Austin, TX
We're not allowed to tell you which day Yo La Tengo are playing ACL. However, this morning's Austin American-Statesman reports that Bob Dylan is headlining Sunday, September 16. That's not meant to be a hint or anything. You just might find it interesting, that's all.
Let's Get Into Trouble, Baby : Plundering The Video Vault With Hal Hartley
Since many of the staff, management and ownership of your 2nd or 3rd fave rock'n'roll imprint are big fans of the Hal Hartley oeuvre, now would be an opportune moment to plug the forthcoming release of the writer/director's "Fay Grim". 
Starring Parker Posey, Jeff Goldblum, Leo "Surviving Bubbles" Fitzpatrick, and Hartley vets Elina Löwensohn, James Urbaniak, James Montgomery and D.J. Mendel, "Fay Grim" has been described as a continuation of 1997's "Henry Fool". While we've not seen it ourselves, you can check out the trailer here.
"Fay Grim" premieres on the Mavs-tastic HDNet Movies channel May 18, and will be available on the popular DVD format, May 22.
Aside from our being just-plain-nuts about Hal's films ("The Unbelievable Truth", "Trust", "Simple Men" and the aforementioned "Henry Fool" most prominently), there's also an ever-so-slight Matador connection here. Not only did we have the good fortune to release the soundtrack album to "Amateur" in 1994 (a project that did not quite meet the approval of the Zip Code Rapists), but Hal lent his directorial talents to Yo La Tengo's "From A Motel 6" video the same year.
As luck would have it, our close pals at Atlantic Records threw a minor shit fit when they saw what Hal came up with. In desperation, we turned to esteemed "video doctor" and noted musician David Kleiler to come up with a more commercially acceptable substitute. And while version 2 met with no small acclaim (and with all due respect to David), many of us still prefer Hal's meditation on the song.
Love Of Diagrams - Australian Tour Dates
10th may: Adelaide, Jive, w/ Panel of Judges and Hit the Jackpot
11th may: Brisbane, The Troubadour, w/ Panel of Judges and Look!Pond
18th may: Melbourne, Northcote Social Club, w/ Crayon Fields and Spider Vomit
19th may: Sydney, Spectrum, w/ Crayon Fields and Pikelet
1st june: Bunbury, WA, Prince of Wales, w/ tbc
2nd june: Perth, The Bakery, w/ Pikelet
3rd june: Fremantle, Mojos, w/ Pikelet
A Place For Friends(tm), Just Got A Whole Lot Friendlier
In what must seem like Lavender Diamond Day on the Internet, LD's MySpace profile is previewing "Imagine Our Love". The stream comes down on Saturday morning, so skate on over, have a listen and add 'em as a friend, you just might get called upon as an extra for a future video.
Blackie : Fuck Like A (Heart)Beast
On the 3rd of May, much like every other day, I thank gawd for Blabbermouth.net.
W.A.S.P. frontman frontman Blackie Lawless (above, left) has shot down as false reports that the group cut short its April 28, 2007 gig in Karlskrona, Sweden after he complained of pain in his chest. Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet reported in yesterday's edition (Wednesday, May 2) that W.A.S.P. played a shortened set in Karlskrona, Sweden so that Lawless could be rushed to a local hospital for observation.
However, according to a posting on W.A.S.P.'s official web site, Blackie "is perfectly fine and this is just a sick rumor."
In a statement released exclusively to BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Blackie said, "Once again someone is trying to kill me off before my time! Whatever happened to the idea of reporters checking their sources before writing their stories? God willing I am going to be around a long time!!"
I think we can all agree that a terrible tragedy has been averted. I'm very confident that Sir Lawless' finest work is still ahead of him.
Lavender Diamond Vid: "Open Your Heart"
The folks over at AOL's Spinner.com have taken brief reprieve from breaking important news on Courtney Love's firesale, to premierize Lavender Diamond's brand-spanking new video for "Open Your Heart". As promised, the revolution will involve roller skates.
She's Not Worth It
("uh oh. My upwardly mobile, throughly mature lady friend is on the warpath due to my excesive vinyl consumption. I'd better haul ass to Radio Hut.")
("hey, converting analog sound to low bit rate mp3's is easy and painless with the help of Radio Hut....even though it would take weeks, not hours to convert even a modest record collection, as shown in this bogus advertisement.")
("check it out, intolerant, easily frustrated would-be spouse! A lifetime love affair with one of the coolest mediums invented has been reduced to a tiny black box...and speakers that sound like shit!")
Or to quote Britt Daniel, "Don't Buy The Realistic." On the unveiling of Radio Shack's latest (sexist) commercial, I've got three words for the former Tandy company on behalf of record collector scum everywhere. FUCK. OFF. NOW.