Listen to Ceremony 'Zoo' in its entirety + NYC date with Refused announced
[edit: In other awesome Ceremony news, we're happy to announce that they'll be playing at NYC's Terminal 5 on April 23 with Refused! All dates below]
Spin Magazine's recently facelifted online presence is presenting you with the ability to listen to Ceremony's forthcoming rager 'Zoo', in it's entirety -- a week before it's in stores. They call it "feral", we agree. Check it out over at SPIN and be sure to grab it on March 6 when it hits all the world's digital & physical retailers.
Reminder to vinyl fans, if you pick the album up at a indie retailer, your LP might be in limited edition green, while if you grab it at one of Ceremony's upcoming shows (after the jump), it'll be blue. It's also not too late to grab one of the t-shirt + "Adult" 7? bundles.
Tuesday, March 6 – Amoeba San Francisco release date in-store (6PM/Free/All Ages)
Thursday, March 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Center For The Arts, Eagle Rock (Nails and Chelsea Wolfe (All Ages) Tickets)
Friday, March 9 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction (with Joyce Manor, Cold War, Skin Like Iron, Rank/Xerox (All Ages) Tickets)
Saturday, March 10 – Berkeley, CA – 924 Gilman Street (with Cold World, The Nubs, Old Firm Casuals, No Sir (All Ages) Tickets)
Friday, March 16 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn (with High On Fire, Off, DNF and more)
Saturday, March 17 – Austin, TX – Red 7 (Flowerbooking SXSW Showcase)
Monday, March 19 – Kingston, UK – Fighting Cocks
Tuesday, March 20 – London, UK – XOYO
Wednesday, March 21 – Bristol, UK – Fleece
Thursday, March 22 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City Basement
Friday, March 23 – Manchester, UK – Moho
Saturday, March 24 – Leeds, UK – The Well
Friday, April 6 – Portland, OR – Branx (All Ages) – On Sale February 10 – Tickets
Saturday, April 7 – Seattle, WA – The Vera Project (All Ages) – On Sale February 10 – Tickets
Friday, April 13 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean (All Ages) – On Sale February 11 – Tickets
Friday, April 20 – Cambridge, MA – The Democracy Center (All Ages)
Saturday, April 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Barbary (All Ages)
Sunday, April 22 – Washington, DC – RAS Hall (All Ages) – On Sale February 6 – Tickets
Monday, April 23 - New York, NY - Terminal 5 (with Refused)
Sunday, June 3 – Austin, TX (Chaos In Tejas) — The Mohawk (w/ Moss Icon, Iceage, Give, Thou)
Tanlines "All of Me" Mp3
We're nearing the March 20th release of Mixed Emotions on True Panther Sounds. You've already spent some time wrapping your head around the album opener Brothers (and the progressive house rave r die, thizz yr brains out remix) so now here's something new.
"All of Me" is the kind of spirited and soaring track Tanlines have somehow gotten really really really good at making. An intimate song about love and fear busted out into a digital stadium. It's a SPRING song more than a summer song, maybe even a springtime in New York song...which is convenient because this spring is going to have some Tanlines tour dates that you can find below. Hope you enjoy the track and pre-order the record, which you can get on mailorder exclusive color vinyl for the time being.
Tanlines- All Of Me (Mp3)
Pre-order Mixed Emotions HERE (and get a limited edition tan-color vinyl version)
MAR 23RD - MANCHESTER, NIGHT AND DAY - TICKETS
MAR 24TH - DEATH DISCO @ THE ART SCHOOL, GLASGOW (WITH LONE, BLONDES + RESIDENTS) - TICKETS
MAR 27TH - LONDON, CARGO - TICKETS
WED, APR 11 - WASHINGTON, DC - DC9 TICKETS
THU, APR 12 - NEW YORK, NY - BOWERY BALLROOM TICKETS
FRI, APR 13 - PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAKING TIME @ VOYEUR TICKETS
SAT, APR 14 - MIDDLETON, CT - WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
MON, APR 16 - MONTREAL, QC - IL MOTORE TICKETS
TUE, APR 17 - TORONTO, ON - WRONG BAR TICKETS
WED, APR 18 - CLEVELAND, OH - GROG SHOP TICKETS
THU, APR 19 - CHICAGO, IL - EMPTY BOTTLE TICKETS
FRI, APR 20 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN - 7TH STREET ENTRY TICKETS
MON, APR 23 - VANCOUVER, BC - FORTUNE SOUND CLUB
TUE, APR 24 - SEATTLE, WA - BARBOZA TICKETS
WED, APR 25 - PORTLAND, OR - DOUG FIR LOUNGE TICKETS
FRI, APR 27 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - RICKSHAW STOP TICKETS
SUN, APR 29 - SAN DIEGO, CA - CASBAH TICKETS
MON, APR 30 - LOS ANGELES, CA - ECHO TICKETS
MAY 10TH – BRIGHTON, GREAT ESCAPE - TICKETS
Get To Know Your Local Indie Retailer International Edition - Kristina Records
Since we've started this bi-weekly blog installment, the phone lines have been ringing off the hook with accolades and requests to be featured and even though we have so many American stores left to cover, we had to face the reality that this blog is internationally renowned. Thus we found ourselves thinking, "Hell, why don't we ask some stores what's shaking on the overseas scene?"So rather than go the extra mile, I simply did my normal C-Average work and passed the job on to someone else. That someone was Britain's own "Judge," whom you may recognize as a frequent poster on this here blog. So here goes. God save the Queen, and all that. Take it away, Judge.
We may be in the middle of a recession over here on British soil, but thankfully there are still some folks willing to part with their hard earned cash, keep us in a job and the stores alive. Kristina Records opened less than a year ago and is having a positive start. Located on Stoke Newington Road in Dalston, London, Jack Rollo and Co. took the brave move to set up shop and fulfill a lifelong dream; a curated store that specializes in new and old vinyl across all genres.
1. Tell us briefly about your store.
We started Kristina 8 months ago, after a year or so of planning. We felt that Dalston needed a record shop and had a really clear idea of how we wanted it to be: friendly, vinyl only, and totally curated (IE: not full of the same bargain records you see everywhere). We sell both new and secondhand records. We're pretty much across the board in terms of genre, but there's some things we concentrate on more: Deep house and techno, indie-pop, post-punk, industrial and experimental stuff, psych, world music etc because that's where our interest and knowledge lies. We also do the occasional in-store gig and try to as much as possible to promote independent DIY labels and artists.
2. What got you into the independent record store business?
All three of us had worked for other shops for years and wanted to do something for ourselves. Speaking personally, I've been buying records and going to gigs since I was 12, so working in a record shop thinking and talking about music all day long was always the dream!
3. Who are some of your favorite contemporary stores?
I really love Monorail and Volcanic Tongue in Glasgow, Academy in Brooklyn, and Soul Jazz, Phonica, Flashback and Second Layer in London.
4. How have things been going from a business perspective?
So far so good. We've had a really good response and already seem to have built up a solid customer base that keeps growing. At the moment the whole thing feels really positive. We all come form a secondhand background so the new records have been a steep learning curve but i feel like we're getting there!
5. What do you think spells the survival for an independent record store today?
I feel like all the shops that are thriving are ones that have a really strong identity, a really strong sense of what they're stocking and why they're stocking it.
6. What are some of the coolest thing labels have done with you? Instores? Promotions? Sales?
Being situated where we are its been really easy to deal direct with some of the great DIY labels that are based locally and meet the people who are making and putting out the new music we love. As far a instores go, we've had some great ones so far: Veronica Falls, Raime, Golden Grrls, Proper Ornaments, Comet Gain, Ital, Beautiful Swimmers, Novella and loads more.
7. Why do we need record stores?
Because shopping online is lonely.
8. What kind of taco is your favourite?
I once had an amazing one in Queens with steak and loads of radishes. I still think about it.
9. Who are your top 3 favorite bands right now?
I've been listening to loads of Television Personalities and Robyn Hitchcock again recently, and I dearly love Comet Gain, having them play in our shop was totally excellent.
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…”
I guess its when someone finds something they've always hoped to but never expected to, that's always great.
11. What are your goals for the future of your store? Long term and short.
In the short term we need to build on what we've got, we're going online properly in the next few weeks so it'll be good to step things up as far as mail order is concerned. Long term we've got lots of ideas. It would be great to put some records out, maybe reissue some of the stuff we love, doing instores has given me a taste for putting bands on so maybe we might start doing that somewhere locally.
Watch the Perfume Genius +1 Session on Pitchfork
Got to Pitchfork to watch Mike Hadreas of Perfume Genius perform "Take Me Home," "Hood" and "Dark Parts" from his new album Put Your Back N2 It:
Perfume Genius: Pitchfork +1 Session
Mike also talks about how people see him as more fragile than he is, the way being gay affects and does not affect his music, the Hood video, and more.
Buy the new album on:
iTunes
Amazon
Insound
Matador
Or find the closest Matador-friendly store:
Matador-friendly stores
Perfume Genius on Facebook
matadorrecords.com/perfume_genius
Girls - "My Ma" video debuts with Team Coco, band to perform on Conan March 22, 7" upcoming
Today, our friends at Team Coco have premiered the video for "My Ma", in advance of Girls' March 22 performance on Conan on TBS."My Ma" is the third video from Father, Son, Holy Ghost (still available to purchase), following the "Vomit" and "Honey Bunny" videos.
"My Ma" was directed and edited by Aaron Brown (Focus Creeps) and shot by Grant Singer and Aaron Brown:
Also, as a thank you to the stores that participated in Girls Across America (the first ever nationwide instore that took place in September 2011) Girls are pleased to announce the May 22 release of a "My Ma b/w Love Life" 7" single.
This 7” will be a one-time pressing of 1000, available only at the 159 participating stores (more info to come on when and where you can find the 7"). A small gesture of appreciation to all those great stores that have supported the band.
Girls are on tour starting March 1 finishing up at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival:
Mar 01 Santa Cruz CA - Coconut Grove
Mar 02 San Diego CA - Birch North Park Theatre
Mar 03 Phoenix AZ - Crescent Ballroom
Mar 05 Albuquerque NM - Launchpad
Mar 07 San Antonio TX - White Rabbit
Mar 08 Austin TX - La Zona Rosa
Mar 09 Dallas TX - Granada Theatre
Mar 12 New Orleans LA - One Eyed Jacks
Mar 13 Houston TX - Fitzgerald’s Upstairs
Mar 16 Englewood CO - Gothic Theatre
Mar 17 Salt Lake City UT - In The Venue
Mar 18 Reno NV - Cargo At CommRow
Apr 13 & Apr 20 Indio CA - Coachella
Intended Play 2012 - For The Vinyl-Phobic Amongst, The Price Just Dropped From $2 To Free
(I really don't see the resemblance)
Back in early January WE SHOCKED THE MUSIC WORLD with news of a $1.98 Matador/True Panther Sounds sampler LP including (mostly) new songs from The Young, Ceremony, Lee Ranaldo Tanlines, Perfume Genius, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Fucked Up, Girls, Cold Cave, Esben and The Witch and Kurt Vile. It's come to our attention that a) there's a few stragglers out there who've yet to order this limited edition LP, and b) some of you either trashed your record players or simply prefer music in digital form.
So here's the deal ---
V/A - Intended Play (zip)
Never Mind The Oscars, CHAIN GANG ARE BACK...
...on the big screen, anyway. Chain Gang's centuries in the making "Mondo Manhattan" receives a screening Saturday, March 3 at 1pm as part of NYC's Demented Film Festival . You really don't want to know what kind of VIP gift bag opportunities there are at this event.
This monumental occasion comes very quickly on the heels of Chain Gang's Ricky Luanda releasing a limited edition 7" to accompany the deluxe paperback of Boo-Hooray's "Ed Wood's Sleaze Paperbacks". WIth all due respect to Lana Del Rey, Jeremy Lin and Rick Santorum with this flurry of activity, 2012 is quickly shaping up to be The Year Of Chain Gang.
Lemonade to tour with Neon Indian..new album soon...
Very pleased introduce you to Lemonade, who have previously released an album and EP on True Panther Sounds. Callan, Ben and Alex will be hitting the road with Neon Indian this Spring- sharing some brand new tracks from what will be their follow-up album to 2008's s/t debut. ...more news on that very very soon...
March 4 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY w/ Korallreven Buy Tickets
March 8 - Snacks @ Voyeur - Philadelphia, PA
March 14 - Brooklyn Bowl - Brooklyn, NY Buy Tickets
April 20 - Echo - Los Angeles, CA Buy Tickets w/Bachelorette
April 24 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA * Buy Tickets
April 26 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR * Buy Tickets
April 27 - Neumos - Seattle, WA * Buy Tickets
April 28 - Venue - Vancouver, CAN * Buy Tickets
April 30 - The Starlite Room - Edmonton, CAN * Buy Tickets
May 1 - The Republik - Calgary, CAN * Buy Tickets
May 3 - Pyramid Cabaret - Winnipeg, CAN * Buy Tickets
May 4 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN * Buy Tickets
May 5 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI * Buy Tickets
May 6 - Magic Stick - Detroit, MI * Buy Tickets
May 8 - Phoenix Concert Theatre - Toronto, CAN * Buy Tickets
May 10 - Cabaret Mile End - Montreal, CAN * Buy Tickets
May 11 - Paradise - Boston, MA * Buy Tickets
* = w/Neon Indian
More info HERE
Lemonade on the internets:
http://lemonadeband.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/lemonadetheband
http://www.facebook.com/lemonadetheband
Lee Ranaldo in London
The above poster does a pretty good job in transmitting the message that Lee Ranaldo will in fact be making an appearance in London this June (shortly after his Primavera performance), though it fails to mention he'll also be joined by Steve Shelley, Alan Licht and Irwin Menken to play many of the highlights from Between The Times and The Tides.
ATP have all the ticket links you could ever want right here and if you haven't already seen Lee's latest video for 'Off The Wall', then take a look at that below:
Singles Going Home Along Update pt. V : Jesu 7" coming in September
At the risk of beating you over the head with details about our 'Singles Going Home Alone' 7" subscription series (surely you've got a spare head?), we're pleased to announce that along with a just-released Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks/LA Guns battle-of-the-avatars, following upcoming SGHA singles from OBN III's, The Men and Wounded Lion, 7" #5 will be a new one from JESU.
Godflesh founder J.K. Broadrick had a paw or two in a number of skull-crushing projects over the last generation, including but not limited to Final, Napalm Death, Head Of David, J2 and Greymachine, along with a cup of coffee on the Matador label with his collaboration with Kevin Martin, Techno Animal. All of that said, the Jesu titles to date from Hydra Head, Broadrick's own Avalanche and Calo Verde have been some of the most thrilling electric guitar records of the last decade. If Justin's got to blow that winning streak anywhere, why not here?
To reiterate an earlier point, if you don't sign up for SGHA soon, you run the considerable risk of being left at the mercy of the avaricious.
Perfume Genius - Put Your Back N 2 It - new album out today
It's a Tuesday, which means it's new release day in the US, and this Tuesday sees the first Matador full-length release of the year: the new album from Seattle's Perfume Genius, entitled "Put Your Back N 2 It." It's been called "One of of the best records in recent memory" and "achingly soft and bruisingly powerful" by The Line of Best Fit, "simply exquisite" by Chromewaves, and "deeply personal, accessible and quietly anthemic" by Interview.
Listen to "All Waters" and "Hood" here:
All Waters (192k mp3)
Hood (192k mp3)
and watch the "Hood" video here:
Hood video on YouTube
Buy the album from:
- Matador
- Your local indie store
- Insound
- iTunes
- Amazon
Perfume Genius will be touring the US starting in three weeks, followed by a month in Europe.
March
Wed 21 San Francisco CA Cafe du Nord
Thu 22 Los Angeles CA Bootleg Theater
Fri 23 San Diego CA Casbah
Sat 24 Tucson AZ Solar Culture
Mon 26 Denton TX Dan's Silverleaf
Tue 27 Austin TX Lambert's
Thu 29 Atlanta GA The Earl
Fri 30 Durham NC The Garage at Motorco
Sat 31 Arlington VA IOTA Club & Cafe
April
Mon 02 Philadelphia PA Johnny Brenda's
Tue 03 New York NY Mercury Lounge
Thu 05 Brooklyn NY Glasslands Gallery
Fri 06 Northampton MA Iron Horse Music Hall
Sat 07 Montreal QC Le Divan Orange
Sun 08 Toronto ON The Drake Hotel
Tue 10 Chicago IL Schubas
Wed 11 Minneapolis MN Cedar Cultural Center
Fri 13 Denver CO Hi Dive
Sat 14 Salt Lake City UT Kilby Court
Tue 17 Portland OR Mississippi Studios
Wed 18 Vancouver BC The Biltmore Cabaret
Thu 19 Seattle WA The Crocodile
May
Tuesday 08 Glasgow, UK Captain's Rest
Wednesday 09 Manchester, GB The Deaf Institute
Thursday 10 London, UK St Pancras Old Church
Saturday 12 Brighton, UK Unitarian Churh @ The Great Escape
Sunday 13 Bath, UK Chapel Arts
Monday 14 London, UK St Pancras Old Church
Wednesday 16 Brussels, BE Les Nuits Botanique
Thursday 17 Amsterdam, NL Amstekkek
Saturday 19 Rotterdam, NL Paradijs Church
Sunday 20 Cologne, DE Gebaude 9
Monday 21 Hamburg, DE Prinzebar
Tuesday 22 Berlin, DE Privat Club
Thursday 24 Paris, FR Divan Du Monde
Perfume Genius on Facebook
Listen to "Adult", a new track from Ceremony
"Somewhere I saw faces and hands fighting for space on a clock / It didn’t show time being precious as silver and gold / Proving us we’re wrong all of us move on / We go for a ride we slow down and die / We have to give up the things we love sometimes"
"Adult" is the third track we're sharing with you from Ceremony new album 'Zoo', out March 6. You'll find it opening the b-side to Zoo, as well as on its very own 7" (backed with non-album track, "Start Over"), available bundled with the album if you pre-order now.
Ceremony - "Adult" (192kbps mp3)
'Zoo' is out March 6 at your favorite brick-and-mortar record stores and digital retailers. As an added bonus, if you pick up the album at an independent record shop, you might find it on limited green vinyl (500 pressed), whereas if you pick up a copy from the band on tour (dates below), your LP might be blue (300 pressed) Pre-order copies on red vinyl (300 pressed) are long gone -- but we're still offering these t-shirt + 7" bundles.
Tuesday, March 6 – Amoeba San Francisco release date in-store (6PM/Free/All Ages)
Thursday, March 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Center For The Arts, Eagle Rock (Nails and Chelsea Wolfe (All Ages) Tickets)
Friday, March 9 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction (with Joyce Manor, Cold War, Skin Like Iron, Rank/Xerox (All Ages) Tickets)
Saturday, March 10 – Berkeley, CA – 924 Gilman Street (with Cold World, The Nubs, Old Firm Casuals, No Sir (All Ages) Tickets)
Friday, March 16 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn (with High On Fire, Off, DNF and more)
Saturday, March 17 – Austin, TX – Red 7 (Flowerbooking SXSW Showcase)
Monday, March 19 – Kingston, UK – Fighting Cocks
Tuesday, March 20 – London, UK – XOYO
Wednesday, March 21 – Bristol, UK – Fleece
Thursday, March 22 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City Basement
Friday, March 23 – Manchester, UK – Moho
Saturday, March 24 – Leeds, UK – The Well
Friday, April 6 – Portland, OR – Branx (All Ages) – On Sale February 10 – Tickets
Saturday, April 7 – Seattle, WA – The Vera Project (All Ages) – On Sale February 10 – Tickets
Friday, April 13 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean (All Ages) – On Sale February 11 – Tickets
Friday, April 20 – Cambridge, MA – The Democracy Center (All Ages)
Saturday, April 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Barbary (All Ages)
Sunday, April 22 – Washington, DC – RAS Hall (All Ages) – On Sale February 6 – Tickets
Sunday, June 3 – Austin, TX (Chaos In Tejas) — The Mohawk (w/ Moss Icon, Iceage, Give, Thou)
Dried heirloom beans
I've posted about heirloom beans briefly in an earlier post, and I've plugged the great Californian company Rancho Gordo in my post about pozole, for their great dried corn.What Rancho Gordo does best though is beans - specifically Amerindian heirloom varieties, which they've championed and are bringing back to the mainstream. What they are doing and selling is truly extraordinary, and has accidentally got me into making occasional vegetarian and even vegan dishes.
One strain in particular has me totally addicted: Good Mother Stallard, a reddish-brown speckled bean. These are so earthy, deep and delicious they resemble a heritage pork chop in a bean. Rancho Gordo writes, "Just this bean, some onion, some garlic and a splash of olive oil are all you need for cooking and the result is a luscious bean fiesta," and they are pretty much on it.
I usually make the Stallards using the no-soak method developed by Russ Parsons (I tried them with soaking once and definitely prefer the no-soak). It's quicker and preserves more of the flavor, though the Stallards require closer to 2 hours rather than the 90 minutes prescribed by Parsons. Just keep tasting toward the end.
I add aromatics halfway through the cooking process - tonight, it was carrots, shallots, some of Rancho Gordo's intense, lemon-y oregano indio, chopped parsley and smashed garlic cloves. I also had a bunch of Jamaican scotch bonnets, a fresh jalapeno and some more fresh parsley to scatter over the top once it came out, along with a lime wedge. Served on white rice.
But really, I could have done without any of the toppings. The Stallards have everything they need inside them. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Bo kho
Bo kho is a Vietnamese beef stew. A friend's roommate was preparing it the other night and when I smelled it cooking I knew I just had to make it the next day. Bo kho will fill your house with appetizing aromas!
This is my first attempt at Vietnamese cooking. It happens to be a particularly straightforward dish - so long as you have accesss to the right ingredients (oxtails in particular), and several hours to let it braise, I suspect it's very difficult to mess it up.
The recipe comes from Wandering Chopsticks, and I didn't alter it in any way, except that I couldn't find Vietnamese Madras curry powder, so I used an Indian one. I usually avoid prepared curry powders, but they are common in Southeast Asian cooking (including Thai cuisine). I suspect the dish would be even better, although perhaps less authentic, if made using curry powder (and 5-spice powder) made from scratch.
Oxtails are merely recommended in the recipe, but I suspect they are essential. They have more bone and gelatin than any other beef cut, and the level of unctuousness they give to the braise has to be tasted to be believed. I gather that oxtails are used frequently in Vietnamese cooking, for example in beef pho.
The rest of the beef was simply supermarket "stew beef" - chuck in this case. It could have been fattier to my taste. Braised long enough, however, it still falls apart meltingly.
You start by heating anatto seeds (achiote) in olive oil - mainly for the color, although there is a definite and perceptible smell to them, a bit nutmeggy. Once the oil is colored red, you remove the seeds.
Meanwhile, you have floured the beef. I really wonder whether a half cup of flour is necessary - and I was using more than the recommended 2 lbs of meat. I had to add more oil because the flour was soaking it up as I browned in batches.
Not shown: once the beef is browned, you add any remaining flour as well as a bay leaf, 2 stalks of bruised lemongrass, chunks of ginger, a cinnamon stick, three star anise, 2 teaspoons of five-spice powder, 2 teaspoons of Madras curry powder (I put a little less - very suspicious of this stuff), a 6-oz. can of tomato paste, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce (after reading this article I used Squid brand, also recommended by friends of Vietnamese extraction, rather than the saltier Thai Golden Boy brand I usually use).
Now add cold water to the pot to the 3/4 level, bring to a boil, and simmer for an hour. Then add the vegetables - three peeled potatoes (I used Yukon Gold) cut into chunks, one large onion cut into chunks, and two peeled carrots, likewise chunked, and simmer for another hour:
Taste the meat for doneness - it will most likely need more cooking time (or at least benefit from it). I ended up simmering the stew for 3 hours and the meat was starting to fall off the bone.
Serve with Vietnamese baguettes, noodles, rice, or all of the above. It's supposed to taste better the next day - I'm looking forward to finding out.
Tanlines "Brothers" Video and Tour Dates
Tanlines made a really amazing video for Mixed Emotions' first track Brothers. We've all spent a lot of time talking about what it is to make MUSIC VIDEOS in this day and age, and as they do, Tanlines found a way to do something a little different- to make an intimate, simple story take on a few extra layers....to be able to tell a simple story that can be retold in an infinite number of ways. The video is shot using a 360-degree GoPano lens and has enough easter eggs to justify a few repeated views. Maybe it's the "You can call me al" of the 360 generation. We want to thank EyeSee360 (specifically Amey) for lending us this equipment thus allowing us the privilege of actually being able to AFFORD doing something a little different.
Mixed Emotions is out 3.20.12 on True Panther sounds. Pre-order it HERE
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE AN IPHONE USER DOWNLOAD THE APP HERE. CAN'T EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW MUCH BETTER IT MAKES THIS WHOLE THING. SERIOUSLY!!!! DOWNLOAD HERE
View on the GOPANO SITE
PRE-ORDER MIXED EMOTIONS HERE(AND GET EXCLUSIVE TO MAILORDER COLOR VINYL)
Also, Tanlines are going ON TOUR! Dates in the UK + United States. A special opener will be announced soon in the meantime here are the dates and ticket links...
MAR 23RD - MANCHESTER, NIGHT AND DAY - TICKETS
MAR 24TH - DEATH DISCO @ THE ART SCHOOL, GLASGOW (WITH LONE, BLONDES + RESIDENTS) - TICKETS
MAR 27TH - LONDON, CARGO - TICKETS
WED, APR 11 - WASHINGTON, DC - DC9 TICKETS
THU, APR 12 - NEW YORK, NY - BOWERY BALLROOM TICKETS
FRI, APR 13 - PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAKING TIME @ VOYEUR TICKETS
SAT, APR 14 - MIDDLETON, CT - WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY
MON, APR 16 - MONTREAL, QC - IL MOTORE TICKETS
TUE, APR 17 - TORONTO, ON - WRONG BAR TICKETS
WED, APR 18 - CLEVELAND, OH - GROG SHOP TICKETS
THU, APR 19 - CHICAGO, IL - EMPTY BOTTLE TICKETS
FRI, APR 20 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN - 7TH STREET ENTRY TICKETS
MON, APR 23 - VANCOUVER, BC - FORTUNE SOUND CLUB
TUE, APR 24 - SEATTLE, WA - BARBOZA TICKETS
WED, APR 25 - PORTLAND, OR - DOUG FIR LOUNGE TICKETS
FRI, APR 27 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - RICKSHAW STOP TICKETS
SUN, APR 29 - SAN DIEGO, CA - CASBAH TICKETS
MON, APR 30 - LOS ANGELES, CA - ECHO TICKETS
MAY 10TH – BRIGHTON, GREAT ESCAPE - TICKETS
A.C. Newman covers "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye"
In case you were wondering what A.C. Newman's been up to during the slight lull the New Pornographers' heavy road-warrioring behind 2010's excellent 'Together'... well, what we can tell you is he's just recorded this great cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye". Watch it below, and knowing Carl, we can be sure there's probably a lot more in the pipeline.watch Ceremony's "World Blue" video
Less than a month out from the release date for CEREMONY's next longplayer, 'Zoo', we're excited to show you the band's video for "World Blue". Directed by Robert Semmer and filmed at that awesome show in Manhattan a few weeks back, the video'll give you a glimpse of the band's electrifying live show and a listen to Zoo's fourth track.
'Zoo' is out March 5 (UK)/ 6 (US). Be sure to get your pre-orders in now and maybe pick up one of the cool 7" + t-shirt bundles if you're the full-immersion-package kinda folks we hope you are.
Finally, here's where you can catch the band in person over the next few months -- some new dates in bold
Tuesday, March 6 – Amoeba San Francisco release date in-store (6PM/Free/All Ages)
Thursday, March 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Center For The Arts, Eagle Rock (Nails and Chelsea Wolfe (All Ages) Tickets)
Friday, March 9 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction (with Joyce Manor, Cold War, Skin Like Iron, Rank/Xerox (All Ages) Tickets)
Saturday, March 10 – Berkeley, CA – 924 Gilman Street (with Cold World, The Nubs, Old Firm Casuals, No Sir (All Ages) Tickets)
Friday, March 16 - Austin, TX - Scoot Inn (with High On Fire, Off, DNF and more)
Saturday, March 17 – Austin, TX – Red 7 (Flowerbooking SXSW Showcase)
Monday, March 19 – Kingston, UK – Fighting Cocks
Tuesday, March 20 – London, UK – XOYO
Wednesday, March 21 – Bristol, UK – Fleece
Thursday, March 22 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City Basement
Friday, March 23 – Manchester, UK – Moho
Saturday, March 24 – Leeds, UK – The Well
Friday, April 6 – Portland, OR – Branx (All Ages) – On Sale February 10 – Tickets
Saturday, April 7 – Seattle, WA – The Vera Project (All Ages) – On Sale February 10 – Tickets
Friday, April 13 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean (All Ages) – On Sale February 11 – Tickets
Friday, April 20 – Cambridge, MA – The Democracy Center (All Ages)
Saturday, April 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Barbary (All Ages)
Sunday, April 22 – Washington, DC – RAS Hall (All Ages) – On Sale February 6 – Tickets
Sunday, June 3 - Austin, TX (Chaos In Tejas) -- The Mohawk (w/ Moss Icon, Iceage Give, Thou)
photo grabbed from Eardrum NYC 's flickr
Coming May 8 : The Young - 'Dub Egg' LP/CD/digital album
As mentioned in this space almost 8 months ago, Austin-based quartet The Young were signed to Matador last June hot on the heels of a startling debut album for Mexican Summer and a prior appearance on this label's 'Casual Victim Pile' compilation. At the time, a somewhat arrogant label functionary claimed that existing works by The Young were "only skimming the surface" of what they were capable of, and while that's a bold prediction, I'm happy to report I WAS ONE THOUSAND PERCENT CORRECT.
On May 8, we'll be releasing The Young's 2nd full-length album, 'Dub Egg', and if 'Voyagers Of Legend' was a major stylistic shift from the band's earliest singles for Criminal IQ and Super Secret, the new record bears little relation to album #1. Guitarist/vocalist Hans Zimmerman, bassist Jason Costanszo, guitarist Kyle Edwards and drummer Ryan Maloney adjourned to an actual cabin-in-the-woods (see Hans' notes below) and the resulting, self-produced effort is the sort of expansive, guitar masterclass (never at the expense of terrific songs, mind you) they've only hinted at previously. Having yet to visit major portions of this continent since the release of 'Voyagers' (record industry gun-to-the-head junkets aside), we're pretty conscious of the fact many of you reading this have neither seen nor heard The Young ; placing 'Dub Egg's 'Don't Hustle For Love" at the start of the recently released 'Intended Play' $2 sampler LP was one way of addressing that. Another is the strategic leak of the album's first song, "Livin' Free".
The Young - Livin' Free (192k MP3)
(l-r : Ryan, Hans, Jason, Kyle. photo by Ben Aqua)
We did the main tracking at the isolated Creekside Cabin in Vanderpool Texas (western Bandera County).
We took a mountain of amps and guitars, 1” 16 track tape machine, loads of beer and holed up for 5 days in August. When we weren’t rolling tape we were fishing, bbqing, and playing horseshoes.
Additional recording/overdub/mixing happened at our east Austin rehearsal space/studio ‘blood and guts’ where an Otari 8 track was employed for several cuts (purchased off an old cruise ship with casual victim pile money, btw). The album was mixed and cut to tape by me, and was the first time I’ve ever done that.
The title comes from a bizarre dream Kyle had involving the master tapes, an improvised King Tubby technique, and a soft-boiled egg.
We'll be posting pre-order info for 'Dub Egg' shortly, along with information about The Young's activities in Austin next month (those sanctioned by SXSW and otherwise). Post release North American touring is being booked as of this writing, and we'll be sharing those dates as well.
The Young
The Young - Facebook
The Young - Twitter
Get To Know Your Local Indie Retailer Vol. 7 - The Business
Interests piqued by that infamous question, "What's The Buisness, yea?!" we searched far and wide, holding court with the guy who runs Gray's Papaya, Mitch Modell and even Mr. Todd Google himself to find out exactly what is The Business. It wasn't until our expedition brought us to one of the extreme corners of these United States that we discovered what The Business actually is.Well, friend, turns out The Business is an excellent record store near the heart of the legendary Pacific Northwest scene - Anacortes, to be more precise. For this installment of the Matablog series your kids will surely be talking about some day, we spoke with the shop's current owner Nick Rennis.
1. Tell us briefly about your store.
The Business has been a cultural landmark in Anacortes, WA since 1978. Some of the Pacific Northwest's finest have either worked here or owned the place, including Bret Lunsford (Beat Happening), Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie), and Karl Blau (Karl Blau). From 1995-2004 it was home to KNW-YR-OWN, a DIY label that boasts early releases from bands like D+, Khaela Maricich (The Blow) and more. The Business is now located in the heart of "downtown" and recently became the retail distribution home for K Records, KNW-YR-OWN, Marriage Records, Modern Documents, and P.W. Elverum & Sun.
2. What got you into the independent record store business?
Until I took over the shop, I had been part of the independent music community in almost every other facet: as musician, booking agent, radio dj, promotion, and part of the last wave of folks who were running the iconic Department Of Safety all-ages music/art space here in town. When we decided to close the D.O.S., I needed something to keep me in Anacortes, and The Business was it.
3. Who are some of your favorite contemporary stores?
Being from Chicago, I loved going to Reckless Records and Record Breakers. Recently, I've been falling in love with all of these boutiquey shops who aren't afraid to try new things. It's a weird time for retail, and I think that these stores who are breaking the mold are going to be the ones who succeed.
4. How have things been going from a business perspective?
Shifting the focus in the store to local, new vinyl has been a really positive step since I took over. We're a tourist town, and the gateway to the San Juan Islands, so summers are our busy times. We have to get creative in the darker months, but we have such a great community that rallies around all things local. Our free in-stores are really important to us, and the new distribution work is a great supplement.
5. What do you think spells the survival for an independent record store today?
Again, I think that there's a strong tendency for stores to want to do things the way that they've been doing them for the last 10-15 years. That's a no-go. I think that gradually, stores and their owners will have to devote more time to working with individual labels rather than giant one-stops. It's more cost-effective and builds relationships that are really important to the independent music community. I run the shop with my girlfriend and we have zero employees. We're here 7 days a week working on store and distro- stuff, but you'll never hear us complain. It's really important that customers have a face they can associate with the shop.
Oh, and vinyl. Stores who are selling strictly CDs are going to go out of business. Sorry.
6. What are some of the coolest thing labels have done with you? Instores? Promotions? Sales?
Obviously, our relationship and involvement in our "scene" helps a lot. What The Heck Fest is always a huge deal in the PNW and I think that the upcoming Unknown series of events will do a great job in evolving those ideas. We only work label-direct, so we do have a close relationship with everything that comes through the store. The labels we work with are passionate about their artists and are always up for in-store opportunities, or getting us display materials for a great promotional window.
7. Why do we need record stores?
There is value in physical media and human interaction.
8. What kind of taco is your favorite?
I WILL EAT ALL TACOS.
9. Who are your top 3 favorite bands right now?
Jim O'Rourke is always up there on my list, and continues to be my favorite. Joan Of Arc is another standby, and I miss these Chicago dudes dearly. Anxious to see what 2012 brings in the Kinsella realm. The newest Fennesz 10" Seven Stars was great and made me excited about a possible return to Plays or Endless Summer-type sounds. We'll see what happens!
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…”
I truly love the history of this place. It's tangible. The move into the oldest brick building on Fidalgo Island intensifies that. Ghosts of the past live here and there's a lot of unwritten stuff that is so so so exciting.
11. What are your goals for the future of your store? Long term and short.
In the short term, we're looking to get more kids in town interested in what we're doing. We don't sell iPads. Sorry. But we are cool. Seriously.
In the long term, I think we'll continually grow and get more and more folks inspired to buy music from local artists on new vinyl. We're also obviously interested in fostering the new, upcoming stuff that comes from our environs. The store has had a motto for a long time which goes something like, "you name it, we'll promote it".
'Singles Going Home Alone' Update : Wounded Lion 7" Coming In July
Devoted/obsessive/desperate readers of this blog will recall back in mid December when we announced the launch of the Matador subscription 7" series, aka 'Singles Going Home Alone' (Matador’s Singles Going Home Alone ; A Concept Of Staggering Unoriginality (But You’ll Still Wanna Sign Up) . Earlier this month, we released the first edition in the 2012 series, a split between Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks and peers/pals LA Guns.
(photo by Joseph O'Neil)
The purpose of this note is to remind you this is a limited edition series and if you don't sign up soon, subsequent editions will be lost to the mysterious world of eBay, lopsided trades and brutal price gouging. And that's just the shit I'll be putting you through with my extra copies. If you sign up now, you'll still get the Jicks/LA Guns
SGHA participants #5 and #6 will be revealed soon. But by then, it might be WAY TOO LATE for you. So stop fucking around and give us your money. (thanks)