WTF Dept.
This sign appeared on the outside of the handicapped bathroom door in our building. (The extra additions came later.) It's been up for a few weeks now and building management have mysteriously not removed it.
Wanted : Singers For A Musical Film
Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch is looking for vocalists for the musical film, 'God Help The Girl' which he has been developing over the last year or so. To do this, he has teamed up with iMeem to conduct a search for female vocalists who are interested in taking part. At the God Help The Girl profile you can read much more about the project and, if you are interested, submit a version of one of two songs for his consideration.
You can read Stuart's introduction to "God Help The Girl" here and even if you are not considering entering - drop by and join up with iMeem to keep up with the project and hear the songs - 'The Psychiatrist Is In' and a new version of 'Funny Little Frog' as sung by Catherine Ireton.
Good luck!
Hilly Kristal, RIP
For every Television, there was an Inflatable Boy Clams. For every Ramones, there was a Rude Buddha. For every Agnostic Front there was Envelope...there was Agnostic Front. You get the idea. 
(left to right : Hily, Paul Simon. Not shown : Jimmy Gestapo, Donny The Punk)
An inconsistent booking aesthetic and life threatening chili aside, we'll choose to remember the late Hilly Kristal fondly, and for all the "it's not as good as it used to be" grumblings about CBGB's (some of which, to be fair, started in 1978) there's no disputing that some of the greatest shows we ever witnessed took place on the Bowery between 1st and 2nd.
Heck, some of 'em even took place inside the club.
A Tribute To A Web Site Time Forgot
What in blazes does soul legend George McRae have to do with Matador Records and Filmworks? Well, unless you count Yo La Tengo's inspired cover of "You Can Have It All", of the Frogs' paen to George's longtime muse, "Gwedolyn McRae", absolutely nothing.
That disclaimer aside, the official George McRae website is a terrifying blast from the past. The past in this case being the heady interweb design days of 1994.
Former Panty Line Fever editor Rick Hall was moved to write, "check out his rather primitive WEBPAGE that makes my browser crash. Read his grandiose BIO that, with its superstar hyperbole, deserves an audiobook reading by the guy from J&H PRODUCTIONS". And Hall's right on the money, it's a doozy. Were you aware, for instance, that McRae was the recipient of the Luxembourg Golden Lion Award for Outstanding Achievement By A Foreign Artist in Germany ? ("Frank Sinatra is the only other U.S.A. Recipient of this award" - huh, eat shit and die Hasselhoff!)
Anyhow, read it at your own risk. And if there's anything about the site's layout that seems a tad familiar, just remember that George isn't merely "The Disco Pioneer", he's also an HMTL innovator to boot.
Limited Edition Matador Tees - Now On Sale
(while t-shirt sales may or may not prove lucrative, we cannot argue with the results of the controversial "Clone Miwa Okumura Project". 4 product managers, one paycheck!)
As mentioned previously, to commemorate Matador's barely legal status (ie. we're celebrating our 18th this year), we have commissioned a series of t-shirts. Created by artists, musicians, friends, and friends of friends (including Mogollon, Yo La Tengo's James McNew, Blair Kelly, and others) these shirts are limited to runs of 200 per design, and once they're gone, they're gone. The first batch are available now, and, as inevitably as sequels to
We're selling them through the Matador Store, as well as through select retailers. As they become available more designs will be added here where you'll also find the spiel on the individual designers.
The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo
10/9 - Pittsburgh at the Warhol Museum
10/10 - Bloomington at Buskirk Chumley
10/11 - Chicago at the Lakeshore Theatre
10/13 - Grand Rapids at Calvin College
10/18 - Bennington, VT at Bennington Center for the Arts
10/19 - Long Island at Jeanne Rimsky
10/20 - Woodstock at Colony Cafe
10/22 - Philadelphia at First Unitarian Church Sanctuary
10/23 - Alexandria, VA at the Birchmere
11/10 - North Adams, MA at MassMoca
The Freewheeling Yo La Tengo Tour is a rare opportunity to see this ever-surprising band in a setting more intimate and interactive than any tour in their 23-year career. A little bit Storytellers, a little bit Unplugged, with a soupcon of their famously varied Hanukkah shows, it will feature the band playing an almost-acoustic set of songs from their entire catalog, with stories about their life as a band, and an encouraged back-and-forth with the audience. Already famous for never playing the same show twice, this fresh look at Yo La Tengo offers rare insight into one of the most important, unique, and beloved bands in American rock.
Further dates will be announced soon.
Yo La Tengo's covers of Bob Dylan's "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Fourth Time Around" will appear on the forthcoming 2XCD soundtrack album (Columbia) to Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There". Cat Power and Stephen Malkmus are amongst the album's other contributors.
"The Summer" - October 15, 2006 KEXP session (mp3)
"I Feel Like Going Home" -October 7, 2006: KCMP (mp3)
A Poorly Lit Look Into Our Founder's Rich Leisure Time
Not actually a photograph of Chris Lombardi's personal rumpus room. However, now that the idea's been successfully planted in the mind of 304 Hudson's most devoted Phil Lynott fan, check back in a few months.
Cat Power & The Dirty Delta Blues - More US Confirmations
(due to circumstances beyond our control, Karl Lagerfeld will not be appearing on any of the dates below)
10/14 Norfolk VA The NorVa
10/15 Washington DC 9:30 Club
10/16 Carrboro NC Cat's Cradle
10/18 Tallahassee FL Club Downunder / FSU
10/19 Savannah GA Savannah Coll. of Art & Design Trustees Theater
10/20 Orlando FL Club Firestone
10/21 St. Petersburg FL State Theatre
10/22 Miami FL Studio A
11/4 Austin TX Fun Fun Fun Fest
Up Close & Personal With Blaine Thurier
Since CBS refused to sell us 4 minutes + of uninterrupted commercial time during Letterman last night (something about a check bouncing), once again, we've had to ask the musicians to go the DIY route.Inquiring Minds Wanna Know : What's Up With The Blank Discs In The Pretty Box?
Q: Why are the extra discs in my 'Challengers' Executive Edition box set blank?
A : Don't worry, they're not defective. They're supposed to be blank.
Here's how the Executive Edition works : the box set you've bought is packaging for 3 screen printed CD-Rs. The content for the box set will be made available to download a track at a time from www.buyearlygetnow.com. When all the tracks and files have been made available, you can burn them to the appropriate CD-R.
Q: What file formats will this stuff be in?
A: Audio files will be provided as 256kbps MP3, as well as in FLAC format. Most people are familiar with mp3s, they're the download format of choice and play in virtually any portable audio file device like the iPod.FLAC is a lossless, open source format that provides audio at the same quality as factory pressed CDs. The file size is significantly larger than mp3, and the files don't play in iTunes. For more info on FLAC, go to http://flac.sourceforge.net/.
Q: How will I know when to burn the CDs?
A: At www.buyearlygetnow.com there's a burn meter that shows you how much Executive material we've released, and how much more is left to go until you can burn each disc. We've got material lined up for the next couple months, so expect not to burn the discs until then.
Q: I'd like to watch late night television tonight but haven't done so since Ted Koppel left "Nightline". Do you have any recommendations?
A: Absolutely. The New Pornographers will be performing tonight on CBS's "The Late Show With David Letterman." Dave's other guests will be Hayden Panettiere and Jeff Goldblum. Hopefully the latter will have some good stories to share from his days playing opposite Ben Vereen on "Tenspeed & Brown Shoe", though perhaps he's done something since, too.
Let's Get Into Trouble, Baby (2007 Style)
For the second time this summer, I have to ask, what's with all the hidden cameras at 304 Hudson Street? ("Great World Of Sound" opens in New York on September 14)
Love Of Diagrams - Autumn US Dates With Enon
(Antonia Sellbach, pic swiped from pixistixs' Flickr page)
If you're amongst those who either failed to catch Love Of Diagrams during their Spring tour with Ted Leo or you've avoided the considerable charms of their staggeringly great Mosaic CD/LP, you'll have a proper opportunity to become reacquainted with the Melbourne trio when they return to American for the following shows supporting Enon :
October 30 - Nectar Lounge, Seattle, WA
October 31 - Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
November 1 - Bottom of The Hill, SF, CA
November 2 - Glass House, Pomona, CA
November 3 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
November 4 - Casbah, San Diego, CA
November 6 - Emo's Jr., Austin, TX
November 7 - The Proletariat, Houston, TX
November 8 - Chelsea's Cafe, Baton Rogue, LA
November 9 - Club Downunder, Tallahassee, FL
November 13 - Drunken Unicorn, Atlanta, GA
November 14 - Duke Coffeehouse, Durham, NC
November 15 - Rock And Roll Hotel, Washington DC
November 16 - Johnny Brenda, Philadelphia, PA
November 17 - Knitting Factory, NY, NY
November 24 - Hideout, Chicago, IL
More Eastern dates will be announced soon. In the meantime, here's some biographical info in video form from December of last year.
First Person To Ask "Where's The Beef?" Has Their Entire Slash Records Collection Confiscated
From the AP's Larry Neumeister :
Violent Femmes Bassist Brian Ritchie sued lead vocalist Gordon Gano (above) on Wednesday, saying he was deprived of credit for some of the group's songs and a proper accounting of its earnings.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, also accuses Gano of trashing the band's reputation by allowing its signature hit, "Blister in the Sun," to be used in a Wendy's commercial.
Gano, reached by telephone at his Manhattan home, called the lawsuit "a complete surprise" — especially since the band still regularly performs and just returned from a tour in South Africa.
"This action is the unfortunate culmination of an ongoing intra-band dispute between Ritchie and Gano over Gano's misappropriation and misadministration of Ritchie's interests in the jointly owned songs and assets of the band, misappropriation of assets solely owned by Ritchie, improper accounting and nonpayment of royalties," the lawsuit said.
The Wendy's deal was a buzz-kill for the band's fan base, the suit says, causing one fan to comment in an online blog that after hearing "Blister in the Sun" in a commercial, "My ears perked up. Then my jaw dropped. Then my heart sank."
If there's any consolation for Ritchie, he should know the earlier version of the Wendy's spot featuring the Dead Kennedys' "Holiday In Cambodia" has done nothing to besmirch that band's reputation.
Cat Power & The Dirty Delta Blues - Supporting Interpol At MSG
How do you get to Madison Square Garden?
Tickets are on sale now. And if you think they're expensive, you won't believe what Lombardi and I paid to see the Riddick Bowe/Andrew Golota riot.
Mission Of Burma - Five New England Shows In September
(due to circumstances beyond our control, The Click Five will not be supporting Burma on the dates below)
Tickets go on sale tomorrow, folks. If Randy Moss chooses to skip the ICA gigs, that's his fuckin' loss.
Sept. 20 - Toad's Place, New Haven, CT
Sept. 21 - Pearl Street, Northampton, MA
Sept. 22 - Decibel, Providence, RI
Sept. 23 - Institute Of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA (4pm and 8pm)
Cat Power & The Dirty Delta Blues - New US and Brazil Dates
Of the confirmed variety, folks. Though none of the below take place in the World's Most Dolan-riffic Arena, it's a pretty exciting list, just the same.
Wednesday 09/19 San Francisco, CA- The Fillmore
Friday 09/21 Los Angeles, CA- Avalon
Saturday 10/13 Atlanta, GA- Echo Project Festival
Sunday 10/14 Norfolk, VA- The Norva
Monday 10/15 Washington, DC- 930 Club
Tuesday 10/16 Carrboro, NC- Cats Cradle
Thursday 10/18 Tallahassee, FL- The Moon @ FSU
Friday 10/19 Savannah, GA- Trustee's Theatre
Saturday 10/20 Orlando, FL- The Club at Firestone
Sunday 10/21 St Petersburg, FL- State Theatre
Thursday 10/25 Sao Paulo, Brazil - Auditório Ibirapuera (TIM Fest)
Friday 10/26 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - Marina da Glória (TIM Fest)
Calling Blind Item Boo-shit
Fox News' Susan Estrich is fed-the-fuck-up with the Interweb's "unbridled ugliness", and in addition to obscene threats she receives daily, " I don’t even have to read my own mail to be exposed to such garbage. It’s on plenty of websites as well." (thanks. we're trying)
Curiously, however, Estrich segues from a rant about online harassment to a personal brush with greatness turned unpleasant :
Some years ago, I was in a ladies room, straightening out my skirt, when a famous celebrity I had long admired began berating me mercilessly for working for FOX News. How can you do such a thing, she asked, rhetorically, because of course she had no interest in my answer.
It was clear that she didn’t want to hear my arguments about reaching an audience that could prove decisive, as opposed to the pleasure of singing for the choir– much less the fact that some of the people I work with at FOX are actually decent people who value dialogue and reward personal loyalty. She was right because she was sufficiently famous that clearly no one had ever told her otherwise.
As she slammed the door in my face, though, I got in the last word: If you don’t like FOX, start your own network. Put your money where your mouth is. Now, whenever I see her, I smile, and she looks away.
Professor Kingsley, how can you in good conscience be such a tease? WHO was it? Jane Fonda? Karen O? Susan Muldowney? Valuable leisure time that might have otherwise been used to write threatening letters to you and your colleagues will now be wasted in a futile attempt to figure out precisely who you're referring to.
Pony on the loose!!
The Ponys have been rocking it worldwide since the release of their excellent "Turn Out The Lights" last March and they are taking some well deserved time off before they hit the road again this fall with Spoon, well at least some of them are. Jered is hitting the West coast as a member of White Savage. Don't miss it.
From The Ponys myspace bulletin:
Hey my other band White Savage will be on the west coast next week. Come visit me. Jered
Aug 14 2007 Bunkhouse Saloon w/ Static Static Las Vegas
Aug 15 2007 Spaceland W/Static Static Los Angeles
Aug 16 2007 Tribal Cafe W/ Static Static Los Angeles
Aug 17 2007 Bottom of the Hill W/ The Go, Bellavista, Thee Makeout Party San Francisco
Aug 18 2007 The Hemlock Tavern W/ The Terrible Twos San Francisco
Aug 20 2007 Slabtown w/ Bouquet, The Limbs Portland
Aug 21 2007 Comet Tavern W/ Intelligence, Pyramids Seattle
Check out White Savage this past Spring at SXSW
White Savage on myspace: www.myspace.com/destroyyrstyle
Jennifer O'Connor This Thursday At Sound Fix Records
Jennifer O'Connor will be playing a free in-store this Thursday, August 16th at the newly renovated Lounge at Sound Fix Records in Brooklyn. She is set to play at 9:15 that evening.
Thursday, 8/16 @ 9:15pm
110 Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn, NY