Costello : My New Box Set's A Rip Off
The former Declan McManus was once famously dubbed "Elvis Cosdildo" in a piece of Crypt Records propaganda some years ago, but I suspect there's a particular point that even Tim Warren and the ever prolific Costello might see eye to eye on, to wit, the suggested list price of Costello & The Imposters' 'The Return Of The Spectacular Spinning Songbook' being obscenely high (ie. $262.00). Calling the sum, "either a misprint or a satire", Elvis weighs in with the following ;
All our attempts to have this number revised have been fruitless but rather than detain you with tedious arguments about morality, panache and book-keeping - when there are really bigger fish to filet these days - we are taking the following unusual step.
If you should really want to buy something special for your loved one at this time of seasonal giving, we can whole-heartedly recommend, “Ambassador Of Jazz” - a cute little imitation suitcase, covered in travel stickers and embossed with the name “Satchmo” but more importantly containing TEN re-mastered albums by one of the most beautiful and loving revolutionaries who ever lived – Louis Armstrong.
The box should be available for under one hundred and fifty American dollars and includes a number of other tricks and treats. Frankly, the music is vastly superior.
If on the other hand you should still want to hear and view the component parts of the above mentioned elaborate hoax, then those items will be available separately at a more affordable price in the New Year, assuming that you have not already obtained them by more unconventional means.
To which I'll only add that while we've had no talks with Yo La Tengo about any sort of commercially available document of their own attempts to (ahem) reinvent The Wheel, I can pledge to you, the music-loving public that if such a thing ever comes to pass, you'll PAY NO MORE THAN $250.00.
Fucked Up will tour with the Foo Fighters, headlining the Bruise Cruise in February
In under a week, Fucked Up will be touring with the Foo Fighters in Australia. They return our hemisphere in February (2/10-13) to headline the second annual Bruise Cruise (for which Damian will also act as the Cruise Director)
Check out all the dates and details below.
Fri, Dec 2 , 2011 , Melbourne , AU , AAMI Park (with Foo Fighters)
Sat, Dec 3 , 2011 , Melbourne , AU , AAMI Park (with Foo Fighters)
Mon, Dec 5 , 2011 , Adelaide , AU , Cricket Ground (with Foo Fighters)
Thu, Dec 8 , 2011 , Sydney , AU , Football Stadium (with Foo Fighters)
Fri, Dec 9, 2011, Brisbane, AU, Alhambra Lounge (FU headlining)
Sat, Dec 10 , 2011 , Gold Coast , AU , Metricon Stadium (with Foo Fighters)
Tue, Dec 13 , 2011 , Auckland , AU , Western Springs (with Foo Fighters)
Tue, Dec 20, 2011, Toronto, CA, The Great Hall (performing 'David Comes To Life')
Fri, Feb 10 - 13 2012 , Miami FL - Nassau Bahamas Bruise Cruise Festival (with King Khan & The Shrines, The Soft Pack, The Dirtbombs, Thee Oh Sees, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Mikal Cronin, The Togas and more)
Girls - For No One session debuts
Today For No One, along with Refinery 29, brings us a lovely rendition of "Love Like A River" from Father, Son, Holy Ghost. The album is on sale for $6.99 at Amazon (the sale ends tomorrow, so hurry!). The session:As announced, Girls will release an insane new 7" on December 6th, and you can pre-order it now.
Finally, Girls have two of their biggest ever US shows coming up soon: Tuesday December 6th at the Fonda in LA (tickets) and Saturday Jan 14th at Terminal 5 in NYC (buy tickets or win them from Refinery 29). If you live in Santa Ana, you aren't left out, either.
Sopa de lima
Sopa de lima, or lime soup, is a Yucatecan dish. This version is from Wednesday's New York Times article by David Tanis, a welcom reprieve from a rather sad front page piece focusing on gluttony... did you know it takes a 42-mile walk to burn off the calories from a typical Thanksgiving feaast, blahhhhhh I don't care.
Obviously you can use the leavings from any poultry feast. However as Tanis points out, turkeys were domesticated in Mexico centuries earlier than they were here, and even exported to Europe before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Still, the hard part is the first part: roast a large bird and have sufficient leavings. In this case, I had roasted a 14-pound turkey using a combination of the Russ Parsons dry brine and Elmer Grossman's Hungarian-American steam-foil-bag technique from Saveur, and had a hefty, meaty carcass, an unused neck (long story) and quite a few meaty bones.
I simmered these into a broth as per Tanis's recommendation last night. I also left some tortillas from one of the vendors at Essex Street Market out to stale. That was the limit of my prep - most of the rest of the stuff was here around the house.
The recipe calls for roasting and grinding cumin, coriander seed and black pepper, which go into a mirepoix of (white) onion, celery and carrot, along with a cinnamon stick, garlic and salt. (Sidenote: when did Mexican and Caribbean cuisines pick up these spices? Presumably from the India trade, because cumin, coriander seed, black pepper and cinnamon are so clearly subcontinental in origin? Or?) You add the broth to that and simmer 15 minutes - an intoxicating 15 minutes, I might add. A man explained to me on Thanksgiving Day that smelling food is one-half the way to eating it, and he is absolutely right.
The rest is completely straightforward and as per Tanis's article. I put in a pinch of Mexican oregano because I had some and because Diana Kennedy calls for it in her recipe which is, however, entirely different. The one thing I'd add is that you should not stint on the salt, even if you started with a well-brined turkey and despite the fact that the recipe calls for unsalted broth. Whatever salt is in the turkey is well diluted by the 12 cups of water, and you will need plenty more.
I love how green the garnishes are in certain Mexican dishes. I completely spaced on the avocado - it would have been nice, I'm sure, but I didn't miss it. This dish is just fantastic.
Operation Matador
From the Paris Desk:
Thanksgiving in Paris with Cat Power at Le Studio....
What amazing tunes will be revealed ?
Stay tuned, vibes are strong
CL
Get To Know Your Local Indie Retailer Vol. 1 - Origami Vinyl
A few weeks back we posted a little piece about how - contrary to the general perception - there are plenty of independent record stores out there who are doing just fine. That post was met with such excited fervor that we've decided to go one step further and profile some of those stores who are out there in your town, slinging rock and taking names. For our first installment we caught up with Neil Schield, owner of one of our favorite new record shops, Origami Vinyl in Los Angeles; a small store who pack a ton of punch and are really beginning to cultivate their own community in the Echo Park area.1. Tell us briefly about your store.
Origami Vinyl is a new and used vinyl shop located in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. We opened on April 3rd, 2009 and feature a ton of amazing in-stores, a robust selection of local music, and are very active in our local community. Our shop is only 400 square feet but packs in a very diverse curated collection of independent music from a wide range of genres.
2. What got you into the independent record store business?
It started as a dream in high school that became more of a fantasy once I started my career in the music industry out of college. After being in the industry for 10 years, I was laid off twice within a matter of 2 years. I was pretty over the whole corporate landscape. Down and out and not sure where to take my career, I had a yard sale to purge some things I didn’t need, including a bunch of LPs that my parents had given me that I didn’t really listen to. That yard sale changed my life. Within hours I had sold nearly 40 records and was amazed by how many people were interested in the records I didn’t want. An old man who lived across the street came over in amazement that I had records. He had a little building in front of his house that used to be a store front. I made some joke to him that he should let me rent that front building out and turn it into a record store. He laughed and said no.
But something in me started to think that maybe it wasn’t such a far fetched idea. A couple weeks later I really started to give the dream much more thought and approached the old man again. He politely declined, but I was determined to figure this thing out. I went down the street to my friend Jeff’s bar, El Prado in Echo Park. He asked me what I had been up to and I told him about my subsequent layoffs. He asked what my next plans were, and I said I was having this crazy idea about opening a record store. His eyes lit up and he told me that him and Mitchell Frank, who also co-own The Echo, had just purchased the building next door to The Echo and were looking for a tenant. The record store would be perfect there. The next morning we met at the space and shook hands on it. Within 9 months, on April 3rd, 2009, the shop opened it’s doors.
3. Who are some of your favorite contemporary stores?
Mississippi Records in Portland is by far my favorite. I love the personality of that shop. It's so small and quaint, yet has such a tremendous amount of amazing music. I really respect Aquarius Records in San Francisco. They are one of the best shops to turn you on to unknown/obscure music. I've always enjoyed their level of knowledge and recommendations.
4. How have things been going from a business perspective?
It's pretty crazy. I never was sure what to expect. I didn't lay out a business plan or anything, but we have been blown away by the amount of support, press, and foot traffic that come through our shop. It's been the most fulfilling decision I have ever made in my life. I'm constantly learning all the nuances of owning a retail shop and the unpredicatbility of sales trends, but the challenge makes it that much more fun.
5. What do you think spells the survival for an independent record store today?
Community. It's our mission to be as active with our local community as possible. As a record store I believe you have to have some sort of responsibility to support your local music scene. We pride ourselves on that. Any band that wants to take the time to release something on vinyl, our doors are open for them to sell it here, promote it here, play an in-store here. Without local independent bands we wouldn't exist.
In addition to this its extremely important to get involved with local non-profit organizations, support local education institutions, work with other local retailers and the chambers of commerce, and DJ at local venues and bars.
I also believe the future of independent record stores must be based on smaller, more curated, neighborhood shops, than big, huge warehouses of music. There's been a major movement over the course of the last few years to support small local retailers, and we feel that. People really appreciate customer service. Having an approachable, knowledgeable staff, that get excited that they share the same interests as the customer is extremely important.
6. What are some of the coolest thing labels have done with you? Instores? Promotions? Sales?
The most memorable and maybe the most infamous, was our in-store with Jonsi. Not only was it the most amazing performance we've ever hosted, but the fact that it will never happen again was pretty special. I feel bad that he was so uncomfortable being so close to his fans, but at the same time, I hope he realizes in retrospect how magical that night was for everyone that witnessed it. If you haven't seen it, check it out.
Another rad thing is 2 months after the store opened, we had one of my favorite bands of all time, Sonic Youth, completely take over the shop to celebrate their album, The Eternal. SY came up with a new store name and sign, hand selected their favorite records to sell and had 2 bands they curated to play the shop. It was insane!
Other than, we have hosted numerous epic in-stores with bands like Florence and the Machine, Superchunk, Ben Harper, Holy Fuck, Lou Barlow, Entrance Band, Dengue Fever, Youth Lagoon, Yuck, Male Bonding, The Strange Boys, Eleanor Friedberger, J Tillman, The Growlers, and so many more.
7. Why do we need record stores?
Because we're fun people to loiter with.
8. What kind of taco is your favorite?
Al Pastor from Taco Zone in Echo Park.
9. Who are your top 3 favorite bands right now?
I'd say the top 3 albums of the year for me are from Bill Callahan, PJ Harvey, and Tune-Yards.
10. What is your favorite thing about your store? And you can't say the customers. That's like saying Einstein or Ghandi when asked "If you could meet one person, living or dead..."
Knowing that my dream came true.
11.Tell us about the used and collectible action you have going on over there?
We are pretty selective about what we bring in but we have some gems right now from Can, dEUS, Tom Waits, The Germs, Chuck Berry, Felt, Amon Duul, Kraut, Galaxie 500, Godflesh, Sun Ra, Mogwai, Lydia Lunch and more!
12. What are your goals for the future of your store? Long term and short.
Short term: Open an online store that focuses on LA based bands and artists. Long term: Origami East...hello Brooklyn!?
Bringing you some black friday deals, without fear of being trampled
Head over to Amazon MP3 to grab the following for a new low price of $6.99 from 11/21-29, as part of their Black Friday Hits promotion.
Thurston Moore 'Demolished Thoughts'
Kurt Vile 'Smoke Ring For My Halo'
Girls 'Father, Son, Holy Ghost' (on True Panther)
You can also find these titles on the popular CD & vinyl formats at the Matador webstore, or your favorite local indie retailer.
BUST OUT THE BLANK CHECK : America Is Going Bonkers For Bonkers Waddington
You might think we're a pretty arrogant bunch at Matador Records and Filmworks. We used to be, at least until everything we knew about showbiz was piledriven into the pavement (GET IT?) by a group of young men from Minneapolis who I'm pretty sure will go down as the biggest thing to hit that town since
"Please get in touch with me at the address above or contact my male secretary via electronic mail." wrote Mr. Bickerton, though a few weeks later, he opted to send the following message rather than send a second package to my home address (thanks for that, by the way).
Dear Mr. Cosloy,
I take it the COZY promo materials I dispatched to you on the 19th of October have made their way into your hands by now. While you are doubtlessly in the process of drafting a contract worthy of a band with COZY's limitless promise, I must urge you not to stand on ceremony any longer. Our offices here at Razzle Dazzle Ltd. have been flooded with requests from major record labels across the globe in recent weeks, including such heavy hitters as RAK, BELL, DECCA, CUBE, STATE, POLYDOR GERMANY, and RCA JAPAN. However, we would still like to give you first crack at releasing these recordings due to Matador's reputation as a label on the cutting edge of trends in popular music. As I'm sure you are aware, the sky is truly the limit when marketing a band like COZY. Hit records are a matter of course with these boys, but the sales of merchandise aimed at their teenage fanbase (lunchboxes, dolls, posters, backpacks, trading cards, board games, chapter books. etc.) will open up a myriad of potential revenue streams for the record label lucky enough to sign them. This is to say nothing of the Cozy Variety Hour program that is being shopped around to networks at this very moment! It's no exaggeration to say that COZY have the potential to be bigger than the Osmonds and the Defranco's COMBINED!!!!!
Again, I implore you to act soon before this once in a lifetime opportunity slips away forever. Fortune favors the bold and dreams only come true if we have the courage to make them into reality. Let's make some magic together.
Sincerely,
Edwin Bickerton
President, Razzle Dazzle Ltd.
Red-braised pork
Red-braised pork, or hong shao rou, is a popular dish in Sichuan province (there's also a Hunan version that was allegedly Mao's favorite dish). It's also known as wu hua rou, or "five-flower pork," because of the layers of skin, fat and lean in each piece of the meat.
It took me two tries to get this dish right. I initially used pork belly from Chinatown and the recipe from Fuchsia Dunlop's Land of Plenty (known in the UK as Sichuan Cookery). I found the meat too fatty and the sauce underflavored.
After some research I learned that I'd probably not reduced sauce down sufficiently. I got a second piece of pork belly from Mario Batali's incredible Eataly, which was significantly less fatty (although still with plenty of fat). I also took on some of the recommendations of eGullet user Prawncrackers, whose recipe for Dong Po pork on that site is served in UK Sichuan restaurants - he or she describes it as a "more 'glamorous' version of the dish."
Below is the recipe that I used on my second try, which is a hybrid of the two approaches, and turned out fabulously unctuous & explosively flavorful. Served with white rice, roasted ground Thai chile powder and sriracha sauce on the side.
Some notes:
- the blanching is to rid the pork of any off flavors and make it easier to cut
- the deep frying makes the skin significantly more soft and delicate
- after 2 hours, the meat still had some chew, which I liked - you could take it to 3-4 hours to have it really melting
- like most braises and stews, it will taste even better after a night in the fridge! but is wonderful the day of as well
enough vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 1/2 lb boneless pork belly, skin still on
2-3 inch piece unpeeled ginger, smashed with a cleaver or heavy pestle
3 scallions, cut into 3 pieces each (white and green parts)
1 whole star anise
2 dried red chiles (I used Thai chiles)
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tbs palm sugar
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup Shaoxing rice wine
1 1/4 cup good brown chicken stock (ours was homemade from an old Gourmet recipe)
Bring a pot of water to the boil, blanch pork in boiling/simmering water for 10 minutes total.
Fill wok with enough oil to half submerge pork belly. Over highest possible heat bring to 325-350 F. Put pork belly carefully in oil, and deep-fry top for 1 1/2 - 2 mins, then carefully turn over and deep-fry the bottom for about the same time, keeping temp in that range as best as you can, also maybe 30 seconds on the sides and the thicker end of the belly if necessary. Remove pork to a plate with paper towel and allow to cool. (Prawncrackers said to pat meat dry at this point but I forgot.)
Cut belly into 2-3-inch chunks, leaving each piece with a layer of skin and a mixture of lean and fat.
Heat 2-3 tbs oil in a Le Creuset dutch oven or similar over very high heat, add ginger and scallions, and stirfry for 1-2 mins or so; add pork chunks, continue to stirfry for 1 min or so, add the rest of ingredients (the liquid should just barely cover the meat - adjust quantities for your pot, keeping proportions - do not dilute the mixture too much with the stock), bring to a boil, then let simmer gently over a low flame half-covered or uncovered for at least 2 hours.
Perfume Genius Heading On The Road
Photo Credit: Alan Bee's Flickr
As previously reported, Perfume Genius is gearing up to head on the road with Beirut in just about a week's time. Get your tickets & be sure to keep it here for further information about the brand new Perfume Genius album coming out in 2012....
Saturday 11/26 - Providence, RI - Lupo's (with Beirut) tickets
Monday 11/28 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues (with Beirut) tickets
Wednesday 11/30 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall (with Beirut) tickets
Friday 12/02 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue (with Beirut) SOLD OUT
Sunday 12/04 - Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre (with Beirut) tickets
Monday 12/05 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel (with Beirut) tickets
Wednesday 12/07 - Athens, GA - The Georgia Theatre (with Beirut) tickets
Thursday 12/08 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle (with Beirut) SOLD OUT
Saturday 12/10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar (with Beirut) SOLD OUT
Sunday 12/11 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar (with Beirut) tickets
Tuesday 12/13 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (with Beirut) SOLD OUT
Wednesday 12/14 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club (with Beirut) SOLD OUT
Fucked Up comes alive on WNYC Soundcheck today
Fucked Up's whirlwind two days in New York commenced last night with a jaw-dropping performance of David Comes To Life at Le Poisson Rouge, and concludes with a reenactment of the very same album tonight at Warsaw. Sandwiched in-between is today's live radio session on WNYC Soundcheck, which is sure to be required listening for both the unfortunates who didn't get tickets for one of the shows AND the lucky ones who did. The show starts at 2:00PM EST and can be heard in NYC at 93.9FM or online at wnyc.org.
Kurt Vile - new live dates, video, interview and Rough Trade's albums of the year
Posted yesterday on the La Blogothèque website was the 'Take Away Show' they filmed with Kurt and the Violators back in May. They take to the streets of Paris to run through stripped-back version "Baby's Arms" to a sparse crowd consisting of passing locals and business men. Watch more from the Take Away shows here.
As 2011 comes to a close we're starting to see the
Whilst the east coast had all the Violators live action recently, I'm happy to share the news Kurt has more shows lined up, starting 2012 by joining Thurston Moore for some dates, followed by another full-band European tour, including an NME awards show in London. Kurt and the Violators also play the previously mentioned Australia and New Zealand shows, starting in a few weeks time. All dates below.
Lastly, Pitchfork yesterday ran a feature on the artwork for the newly released So Outta Reach EP as they quizzed Kurt on the series of photos that adorn the EP's cover. Questions such as 'were the photos staged?', 'how much tequila does it take to knock Kurt Vile out?' and 'how many times did you really get fired from your last job?' are all answered here.
Upcoming shows:
DECEMBER:
1st: Kings Arms Tavern, Aukland, NZ
3rd: The Bakery, Perth, AUS tickets – tickets
4th: Corner Hotel, Melbourne, AUS
5th: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, AUS — newly added
6th: Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, AUS – tickets
8th: Woodland, Brisbane, AUS
9th: Meredith Music Festival, Meredith, AUS
2012
Kurt Vile with Thurston Moore:
Tue-Jan-31 - Somerville, MA @ Somerville Theatre
Sun-Feb-05 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Kurt Vile and The Violators in Europe:
Feb 19th - Whelan's - Dublin, Ireland (newly added)
Feb 20th - The Haunt – Brighton, UK
Feb 21st - NME awards @ Koko – London, UK
Feb 22nd - Le Nouveau Casino – Paris, France
Feb 23rd - Botanique – Brussels, Belgium
Thurston Moore's early 2012 live dates
In other Sonic Youth solo project news, we're excited to share with you the news of several new dates from Thurston Moore & his Demolished Thoughts ensemble (Keith Wood, Mary Lattimore, John Moloney, Samara Lubelski).
Kurt Vile opens in Somerville & DC.
Sat-Jan-28 Hartford, CT Aetna Theatre @ Wadsworth Museum of Art
Sun-Jan-29 Burlington, VT First Unitarian Church
Mon-Jan-30 Portland, ME SPACE Gallery
Tue-Jan-31 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre (with KURT VILE)
Thu-Feb-02 New York, NY Lincoln Center's American Songbook
Fri-Feb-03 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
Sat-Feb-04 New Hope, PA New Hope Winery
Sun-Feb-06 Washington, DC Black Cat (with KURT VILE)
Tue-Feb-07 Durham, NC Duke Performances @ Reynolds Industries Theater
Wed-Feb-08 Atlanta, GA The Goat Farm
Fri-Feb-10 Dallas, TX Texas Theatre
Sat-Feb-11 Austin, TX St. Davids Church
photo from davidemery's flickr
Snap, Crackle, Pop : The Condo Fucks (with The Great Gaylord) at Norton 25
Norton Records is celebrating their 25th anniversary this weekend with a star-studded, 4-night bill at Brooklyn's Bell House. We'd like to congratulate Billy Miller and Miriam Linna on their stewardship of one of the planet's finest labels ; if anyone has done more to document real rock'n'roll, old & new, please don't tell us about it because we're running out of room in the record library. The Condo Fucks and longtime associate The Great Gaylord (Fields) were just one of the Friday highlights ; Gaylord wearing earplugs is kind of Rocky Marciano donning a protective headgear. He might be safe, but the rest of us won't be the same for days.
Green Chili Frittata
A new take on the classic frittata which warms both the kitchen and the cockles is the green chili frittata. Contrary to popular belief the frittata is no longer your mother's go-to for a pot luck and over the years has taken on myraid variations. The reality is that these days it's acceptable to make anything into a frittata which is fantastic because of the dish's versatility. Is it breakfast? Is it lunch? Is it a late-night snack? The simple answer: Yes.
Personally, I like to quench my sweet tooth with a nice banana frittata or if I'm feeling crazy the completely off the wall "Christmas Frittata" (even when it's not XMas... hehe!!) but I recently tried something a bit more middle of the road and agreeable to everyone. The green chili frittata was great because it retains the familiarity of your standard frittata while adding a hefty kick. It's like an old friend with a wild new haircut!
And do I even need to mention the frittata's staying power? It's just as good after a quick nuke as it is straight from the oven.
10 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 7-oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 16-oz. container low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix the eggs, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in the green chili peppers, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese and melted butter. Pour into prepared baking dish. Bake 15 minutes in preheated over. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into small squares. Enjoy!
Kurt Vile in NYC & Philly this weekend & live stream from Benefit Braddock TONIGHT
Direct from Matador's Friendly-Reminder Department: don't forget that if you're going to see Kurt Vile & The Violators this weekend in New York City and Philadelphia -- we'll be there celebrating the release of Kurt's 'So Outta Reach EP' & the awesome repackage of 'Smoke Ring For My Halo'....
But really, I'm writing is to IMPLORE YOU TO GET THERE EARLY. The first reason being: as we mentioned last night, the newest inductees into the Matador cult, The Young will be opening the show in NYC (they go on at 7pm sharp!) Second: on a first-come-first-served basis, we'll be giving away exclusive 7"'s, limited to the Webster Hall (tomorrow, 11/11) and Union Transfer (11/12) shows for FREE. There's some pretty cool stuff on these records, but only those of you who get to the shows will be know whats on it, and later be able to brag to your friends who missed out.
Saving the most immediate news for last: TONIGHT's Benefit Braddock Show in Pensylvania with Andrew Bird will be broadcast LIVE... so TUNE IN to catch the KV + Violator set later this evening, at around 8PM EST
KV & The Violators On Tour::
NOVEMBER:
10th: Braddock Carnegie Library, (Levi’s Presents Benefit Braddock) – WITH ANDREW BIRD -- WATCH IT LIVE at around 8pm EST
11th: Webster Hall, New York, NY (headline) tickets – WITH WIDOWSPEAK AND THE YOUNG – tickets **
12th: Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA (headline) tickets – WITH BLUES CONTROL AND FAR-OUT FANGTOOTH – tickets **
DECEMBER:
1st: Kings Arms Tavern, Aukland, NZ
3rd: The Bakery, Perth, AUS tickets – tickets
4th: Corner Hotel, Melbourne, AUS
5th: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne, AUS -- newly added
6th: Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, AUS – tickets
8th: Woodland, Brisbane, AUS
9th: Meredith Music Festival, Meredith, AUS
**: free 7” with show entry (only while supplies last / first come first served)
Listen to “The Creature” and “Life’s A Beach”
Order the So Outta Reach 12” or digital EP here
Order Smoke Ring For My Halo deluxe 2-CD set here
photo grabbed from Andre Eggens flickr
Coming March 20, Lee Ranaldo's 'Between The Times & The Tides'
"Songs can go a million different ways," declares Lee Ranaldo in the liner notes for his forthcoming Matador solo album, 'Between The Times & The Tides', and let me be the first to accuse the Sonic Youth guitarist / not-often-enough vocalist of severe hyperbole. The kinetic, crafted results on 'Between...' are more in the several thousand territory, but it's most certainly a record that will amaze even the most ardent followers of Ranaldo's work. Joined by an all-star cast including Nels Cline, Alan Licht, John Medeski, bassist Irwin Menken and longtime associate Steve Shelley (and featuring cameos from old friends Jim O'Rourke and Bob Bert), the album is equal parts smart, confident and loose in a manner that recalls some of our favorite rock'n'roll projects...yet sounds like a fantastic new band that was apparently being assembled right under our noses.
Fresh off a Bell House date last month supporting Wild Flag, Lee and a lineup featuring Alan Licht, Irwin Menken and Steve Shelley will be playing Glasslands, Friday December 16. 2012 tour dates will announced when we have 'em, and look forward to preorder info from the Matador Store and other outlets shortly as well.
Lee Ranaldo - official site.
It's a GIRLS World
[caption id="attachment_4652" align="aligncenter" width="520" caption="Photo By Pooneh Ghana"]
[/caption]This weekend, Girls bowled over a massive crowd at Austin's Fun, Fun, Fun fest. In a way it was the culmination of the last few months which saw their album Father, Son, Holy Ghost draw pretty universal praise, and the completion of a US tour that really established them as one of the strongest live rock bands going these days. SPIN said the Fun, Fun, Fun fest fest was the "Best Breakout Set" of the festival. We have to agree.
To celebrate we'd like to share a couple of things with you.
First, our friends at iTunes have made Father, Son, Holy Ghost available for a very limited time for only $5.99. If you haven't copped the record yet, now is the time.
Buy from iTunes HERE
Second, when Girls were here in NYC last time they spent a day with the folks at Pitchfork filming an absolutely beautiful session in an abandoned church in Greenpoint. The band, along with Makeda Francisco, Skyler Lucas and Tracy Nelson, the lovely and talented singers who you may have seen accompany the band on select dates, TORE THROUGH a few of the newer songs. Crushing and awesome.
To view the full session click here.
Luckily for those of you in Europe, the band start a tour there today. As for the States, southern California will play host to two very special nights with Girls in Los Angeles and Santa Ana, in early December. New York in January. For more details about their upcoming US/Euroepan dates and their newly announced single "Lawrence" click HERE
Thank you for reading and for the continued support.