1. “When Your Mind’s Made Up” and “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova – I chose these tracks for my two free song credits I received when I got The Swell Season tickets online. Even though these are both great, I favor “When Your Mind’s Made Up” more. When Hansard holds out those notes live and on film, you turn numb it’s so good. I haven’t heard someone get into their music that much in a while. “Falling Slowly” has that spark as well knowing they’re together in real life.
2. The Cycles – EP by AutoVaughn – “Inertia” and “The Cycles” take the cake on Atlanta-friendly’s first major label EP (snaps for AutoVaughn!). Even though I yearned for more tracks on this six-song EP, its energy thrives for this Nashville band. You can catch them live May 31 when they come to town at the Star Bar. FYI, they’re even hotter live.
3. “Grace Kelly” by MIKA – I’ve loved Grace Kelly the actress for over a decade and almost floored when I heard this song way back when. I bought it while it was on my mind. “Grace Kelly” is pure fun and you can’t help but do a little jig.
4. Ghosts – EP by Ladytron – One sweet EP. At first, I wasn’t a fan of this song and was surprised they didn’t release another track as their first single (“The Lovers” anyone?). Being the faithful supporter I am to this Liverpudlian band, I got the EP and fell fast for the track and the three remixes that went along with it. It’s also a great warm-up to their upcoming album, Velocifero, due June 3. You can also hear it live June 13 at Variety Playhouse.
5. “Dear Prudence” by Siouxie and the Banshees – Coming from Beatles lover, this is a decent cover and it’s up there with the I Am Sam soundtrack. They definitely preserved the ominous vibe when they get to the “look around” sequence. It’s worth checking out…
6. “Try A Little Tenderness” by Otis Redding – One of the best R&B/Soul songs ever. I think the Pretty in Pink scene where Duckie lip syncs to it – classic. A friend of mine told me to check out Michael Buble’s cover of it, and it’s very nice indeed.
7. “Chelsea Dagger” by The Fratellis – I said this before and I’ll say it again. This song is so much fun and I love it! This is yet another track like “Grace Kelly” where you can’t help but do a jig and smile.
8 The Slip by Nine Inch Nails – This FREE album is available on their website. According to their website, a hard copy will be available to own sometime in July. It has what Ghosts I-IVlacked – the libido, the essence, the life force, the right stuff, what the French call a certain I don’t know what. “1,000,000” will have you rockin’ in your space boots.
Seeing The Gutter Twins (i.e. Greg Dulli) on a beautiful spring night couldn't have been better for me, fellow confessor Claire and her beau. Entering the last show the Roxy would hold before the venue is closed for renovation or whatever they have in mind, we heard the last song or two from the opening band, Great Northern. After they left, we anxiously waited ten feet from the stage for the cheesy music to stop and our boy to get up there. Finally, the silence before the "yaws!" and whistles greeted the Twilight Singers and Mark Lanegan (background info: The Gutter Twins is Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. The touring band is Dulli's Twilight Singers. Put 'em together and you get The Twilight Singers and Mark Lanegan).
The funny thing about the whole show was it there were really big Dulli fans and really big Lanegan fans and rooted for their homeboy, no in-betweens. At the glorious encore, a battle for who got the loudest applause happened when they'd switch off on selections from their old stuff. But before the encore, "Front Street" closed their set and it was mind blowing. Dulli introduces it by saying, "Let me tell you a story." After that, I can't honestly tell you what happened because he took over that place left us in awe. What else can I say other than it was glorious.
If you find yourself saying, 'nothing's on' for the next few Monday's, tune into ABC Family's Kyle XY and have a listen to Atlanta's own Red Letter Agent. It all starts tomorrow when their song "Under Starlight" will be heard (remember "Under Starlight" when I post another blog later this week - *hint hint*). This is the first of many 'appearances' RLA with have on this show. They're also in the works to play at SXSW - you know, the music festival Leah's been super excited about going to and drops those magical initials as much as possible. :-)
A "by the way" on RLA: This is a really good band and should be heard by all Atlantans and beyond. I've been a supporter of these chaps for quite some time now and maybe, just maybe, I might get to have a chat with these guys after the dust settles for them a bit. :-) You can hear them on their MySpace page (link above) and check them out on iTunes.
PS: If anyone can YouTube when they come on and let the band know, you will be RLA's best friend!
I had the chance to do a phone interview with the bassist of Rilo Kiley, Pierre de Reeder, so that's what I spent a small portion of time doing Friday afternoon. I suck at asking people stuff, so here's the best I could do (besides fall in loooooove...man, Christopher Cross is a bad ass!).
I didn't know this, but Pierre designed a t-shirt for this charity called the Yellowbird Project that makes money specifically through t-shirts (which, by the way, are really cute...and the artists are hands-on in what they look like, so that's also very cool). The charity Rilo Kiley supports is the Elliott Smith Memorial Fund in order to help out Free Arts for Abused Children. Go check that out...
I also had to dig into Pierre about the kind of music that influences him and then what he's currently into at the moment since I'm curious like that.
Influences: Considering Rilo Kiley is one of those bands that's awesome together, but also does side projects that are different in sound (Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins and the Postal Service, Blake Sennett with the Elected, and de Reeder with a solo project), de Reeder said that this was a hard question to answer. But, he was able to give me an answer I could definitely understand...everything from the stuff he listened to as a kid to anything he's heard now. Notably, he said Tom Jones and reggae.
What does he listen to for leisure now? "I've started to buy a lot of records. I've recently picked up bands like Queen and the Talking Heads on vinyl." I did have to comment on that because I've been in a retro mood here, too.
I didn't think about how hard this last question might be on a whim, but I got a good answer...if you could see three bands play under one roof in one night, who would it be (and of course, whether they're actually living makes no difference)? "Ah man, that's a really tough one!" (Sorry! I know it is...) "I can think of so many, but if I had to narrow it down, probably Bob Marley, the Beatles, of course, and Neil Young. But then I would also love to see someone like Mozart or Paganini."
Pierre is busy with Rilo Kiley touring around for their new album (refer to an earlier post), but he's planning on having his solo record out sometime early next year. I linked his MySpace above if you want to check out the songs, they're very light and airy, and above all, refreshing.
Naturally, I couldn't leave him without asking for confessions, right? He got my email and sent me these, and I think the Star Wars one is a hoot...you can tell by talking to the guy that he has an adorable relationship with his daughter.
"- For an occasional midnight snack, I've been known to eat a whole head of iceberg lettuce.
- I can be caught singing standards, songs of yesteryear, just about anywhere.
- I tell a made up Star Wars story to my daughter every night, at her request, that has both me and her as two of the characters.
- I've always wanted to sing the national anthem at a baseball game."
I'm excited to see them when they're here next month.
And now for the ecetera part of the post...
I will be at Smith's Olde Bar tonight judging Open Mic Madness and just hanging out in general, so come say hello. Or "I hate you." Or "you suck." Or "did you get dressed in the dark?" You know, whatever. It will be a fun time, I promise.
"We have lit fireworks on the road. From the top of a hotel, from the window of a bus, from the smoking area of a club outside. Let's say the police have noticed, but we have yet to get in trouble. And...we might have entered Canada illegally one time, but you didn't hear it here." - Jim from the Rondo Brothers
So, I got this trippy kind of music in my inbox that rubbed me the right way, probably because the female vocals are soothing and full of power...and creepy. Almost to the point where I feel like I should be crawling around on the floor or something to get the full effect of how my body feels. This track, "Crazed," is pretty insane, and I mean that in the best way possible. I like it. A lot. Enough to listen to it more than once, and that's a huge deal.
The next song I listened to took me back to childhood a little, because it's got a sound that's reminiscent of something you might hear little girls singing on the playground. If I had chalk, I would draw a hopscotch board right now, and force all these other people at the bar to play, too. I like how the drumbeats are constant and simple and how the electronic butter is smeared all over everything I've heard from these guys. Yes! Definitely a great duo to help you get in the mood to boogie.
The other thing I really dig about these guys is that they ride around in a golf cart. Seriously, this is probably one of the best ideas ever. It's cheap, and it's efficient, and hell, who doesn't love driving those things? I know I do. This video is a nice portrayal into the lives of the Rondo Brothers...
"broken strings can't rebuild anything, just start over like each calendar day..."
“maxwell walked out on his bill at cracker barrel this morning.” -paul of the cobbs
>>i got the chance to sit down with ryan and paul cobb from the cobbs before the show on thursday. the band is currently out on tour supporting their third album, sing the deathcapades. needless to say, when you're touring with black rebel motorcycle club you must be doing something right...
q: there’s not much info floating around on you guys. for starters, who plays what in the band?
ryan: well, paul and myself both sing and play guitar. the other ryan, or r2, plays guitar, keys, and the tamborine. chris is on drums and maxwell plays the bass.
q: who produced your latest release, sing the deathcapades?
paul: we actually produced it ourselves.
ryan: yeah, paul and i have cobb studio where we produce everything. we’ve put out all of our albums, even before we were the cobbs, and we’ve also produced several other artists.
q: is producing something you’re interested in pursuing?
ryan: definitely. i mean, i consider it my career. it’s how i pay the bills! we just got back from london where we were worked with hugo chakra bong and the getaway team.
q: that's exciting. what have you guys got going on over the summer?
paul: we'll finish up the tour with black rebel motorcycle club and then we'll play some shows around the philly area. other than that we'll just be writing and working in the studio.
ryan: we'll also have an official release at some point.
q: lastly, what are you listening to right now?
ryan: Cass McCombs
paul: arcade fire, of course.
>>we all know i dig a good garage band. especially when that band incorporates psychedelic elements. which the cobbs do... on the album. but live they are all rock. it's funny how these guys from philadelphia managed to sound somewhat southern on a few songs during the show. come to think of it, they actually remind me a lot of another pennsylvania band, illinois. the song "broken strings" stood out for me. maybe it was because they looked like they had fun playing it or maybe because the girl beside me freaked out. who knows, but the vox were spot-on. after a quick re-start, "deathcapades" turned out to be one killer song (ha, no pun intended). probably my favorite. the guitars were particularly ridiculous. let me put it this way- once the set was over, i turned to leah and said, "they can play their instruments, that's for damn sure."
"your words so dry, your face so wet. say i broke your heart, but it hasn't happened yet..."
confession #11:
"i have webbed feet. seriously. some people find this normal, others recoil in horror..." mikel from the airborne toxic event
it's been a minute since i last checked in with the airborne toxic event, so it was good to hear from them this week. they just got back from their uk tour and scored a gig opening for the kaiser chiefs this week. they also managed to shoot a video for their song "does this mean you're moving on". it looks like things are certainly going in the right direction for them.
>>don't forget, second shift will be playing at the loft on saturday. it's their last show ever and it will definitely be a party. the futurists, leslie, and cary ann hearst are also playing. this line-up is pretty spectacular in my opinion so be there. $10 and doors @ 8.
"We originally considered naming our band Sweat Pants Boner." -- Blackberry Smoke
In a time when so many young hipsters are faking Southern rock left and right, the guys in Blackberry Smoke are doing it up right. If you're a fan of The Black Crowes and Gram Parsons, give these guys a spin. They just finished recording with Dann Huff (Rascall Flats, Bon Jovi, Faith Hill), were recently joined on stage by Slash in Austin, Texas and have a track on Guitar Hero 3. Pretty rock, eh?
Decatur Georgia's Warm In The Wake have a new album coming out on Livewire Recordings on August 28th and rumor has it that it's pretty good. They're featured in this month's Paste Magazine as an artist to watch. I'm totally in love with the track "Tame Thoughts" off their recent disc Gold Dust Trail, which you can check out on their Myspace. If you haven't seen them live you have every opportunity, as they're saturating Georgia in June and July.
Yeah, I'm biased, so if you have a problem with that then read no further. The teenagers in Youngstown, Ohio-based pop-punk outfit, Ten Count Fall, just confirmed multiple dates on The Vans Warped Tour. If my calculations are correct, that makes them one of the only independent acts to score multiple dates. Holla! They're digitally releasing a new EP in August and touring in support of it.
Confession #9: "Our drummer, Jason Nackers, is absolutely obsessed with Taco Bell. I mean, Nackers literally craves this stuff (not regular mexican food or god-forbid Del Taco . . . it HAS to be The Bell) like coke addicts crave the magic eightball. On the road, it's basically the only option. We've even looked into trying to get them to sponsor a tour for us. Ask Mr. Nackers about this. He gets very fired up and speaks more passionately about new menu items than he does his own band." -- Baker from Second Shift
I just found out that Second Shift bassist Craig Nast seems to be moving on, causing the group to rethink their game-plan.
Lead vocalist Baker says, "I wouldn't say we are breaking up, but really just sort of re-inventing ourselves. After being a band for six years then losing a member, we feel like we can't continue calling ourselves Second Shift. We're working on new material and will hopefully re-launch the project in the fall."
The guys have tracked a few new tunes as of late with bassist Jake Sinclar (from the Brooklyn-based band, The Films) that sound grittier and a little more 60s-throwback.
If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing Stars of Track and Field in concert it's your own damned fault. These guys have been pounding the pavement all year to give you every opportunity to catch what I believe is one of the most enjoyable performances I have seen lately.
"I'm sitting at an airport hotel in Atlanta right now, about to fly to Vancouver, BC for the Virgin Music Festival. It will be the first time we've ever played a stadium! (Thunderbird Stadium)," said Kevin Calaba [vocals/guitar/keyboards].
The Portland, OR natives are also slated to appear at Sasquatch (George, WA), Bumbershoot (Seattle WA), Riverfest (Albany NY), and D-Fest (Tulsa Ok).
If You Play This Record Backwards You Won't Hear A Message From Satan
Confession #7
"Cameron and I entered a talent contest at his elementary school when we were in the 1st grade. We played the Pink Panther theme song and our version of the Magnum P.I. theme song. Somehow, we lost to a baton twirling cheerleader who dropped the batons every time she threw them into the air. Clearly, I'm still bitter about the loss." -- Gabe Archer from The Pale Pacific [SideCho Records]
You might remember Bellingham, WA artists The Pale (now The Pale Pacific due to a legal battle over their former moniker), from their single "Gravity Gets Things Done" that tore up West Coast radio a few years back. You might also know them from their Split Picture Disc with Copeland that was released some time ago on SideCho Records. Either way, they're a really talented group and they have been hibernating for the past year. I caught up with lead vocalist Gabe Archer last week and found out that not only will they be back on the local Washington scene this summer . . . they're writing and starting recording plans for a new release slated for fall. Until then, you can keep yourself occupied by checking out some of Gabe's solo work and some tracks he collaborated on with Finder. If you need a refresher course, here's a little music treat for you courtesy of The Pale Pacific.
The Burden Brothers (who evolved from The Toadies) are playing a secret show in Chicago on May 21st. You have to be 21+ to attend but if you're in the area and you want to go, email Kirtland Records and include your mailing address and they'll hook you up. Email: tami@kirtlandrecords.com
MYTH: Punk, metal, and rock always have a bad influence on kids.
TRUTH: You don't always have to hear Satan when you play your records backwards ;)
The Vans Warped Tour is one of the most influential channels in which both music and information are passed to teens and they're proving this year that music can actually have a positive influence. Warped has teamed up with Music Saves Lives to show their appreciation for kiddos who donate blood by rewarding them with backstage passes to see their favorite artists during the tour. I'd say that's a pretty good use of their platform! Click here for a list of blood drive locations.
As I said back in April, I dig Nerdkween and plan to hit her next show in Atlanta at The Drunken Unicorn on May 24th. She's supporting Strezo for their CD release. If you aren't familiar with them, here's a track:
"I admit to having a massive man-crush on Justin Timberlake. I like James Morrison…and I’m not into soccer mom rock. I have an irrational hatred for most contemporary hip hop. It sucks, it’s retarded and I don’t ironically listen to it to seem hip and street. I also feel the same way about emo. It’s as bland as 80s hair metal was. But with a different haircut and belt (I’m allowed to say this because I was in a shitty hair metal band when I was little). I pee before going onstage…5 or 6 times. Then I do a shot of whiskey. Then I scream as loud and as high as I can for 1 minute. I tape my boot zippers up. Every time I hit certain notes onstage, I pee a little in my pants. Not much, just a drop or two. I’m a red wine aficionado and snob. I hate bad breath. I love puppy breath. This is feeling so 'MySpace profile…'" – Butch Walker
If you weren’t at the Tabernacle Friday night, then you missed Ally falling down the stairs. You also missed a really super animated show given by Butch Walker. Honestly, the guy is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Ally and I stood back by the bar and made sure to sing the ballads to each other as loud as we could without people hearing us butcher them. Looking around at the teenage show-goers made me reminisce back to my high school days when I would follow this kind of poppy rock stuff religiously. So much, in fact, that I decided to get in character for a minute to ask my man friend if he wanted to come hang out in my hot tub after the show since my parents were out of town (wink, wink).
Seriously, though, I’ve always said Mr. Walker is much underappreciated by the music community, and I’m hoping that after this tour (which just ended), people will wake up and realize he’s a performer to be reckoned with. He rules the stage, which is evident when you see him and he just demands your attention. No one else up there with him can do that.
On the local front, I managed to catch James Hall Saturday night, and this was my first time witnessing him. I’ve always heard great things, and now I know why. The sound is very in-your-face and captivating. I’ll be going to see him again when he plays a full show. Although, he will be playing during the 500 Songs for Kids shindig on May 11 at Smith’s Olde Bar if you happen to be there for that.
Don't forget that this Thursday, CoaMA will be sponsoring an unplugged show in the Atlanta Room at Smith's Olde Bar with Jonathan Eller, Dreaden, Harrison Hudson, and Elevation. You should probably scrape together $6 and come see them and say hey to us. Word.
"when your name breaks on my lips, will you know the sound?"
confession #5:
"speaking of ugly celebrities... i always get told i look like some dude from the used, encino man, or charles manson. not so great." -josh tillman
i don't really know too much about j. tillman. what i do know, is that according to my itunes i have listened to his song "when i light your darkened door" 34 times over the past 3 days. i tend to be a bit of a sucker for folk singers, but believe me when i say that it's one of the most beautiful songs i've heard in a very long time. for me, j. tillman falls somewhere in between ryan adams and nick drake. his latest release, cancer and delirium, is intimate in a way that makes you want to curl up in a blanket with bottle of whiskey and just watch the rain. or maybe that was just me.
>>in other news, the past two days have been pure heaven for me. watching manchester orchestra and brand new perform two days in a row was almost more than i could bare. overall, they all played great sets and you could tell that the guys all really get along with one another. it seemed like on every other song jesse would play with andy or vice versa. even kevin devine danced around with them. i just wish that brand new would have played some stuff from your favorite weapon. but i was still completely in awe.
>>i don't really care one way or the other, but this could prove to be interesting.
>>lastly, the futurists will be playing a "secret" show tonight at under the couch. i don't really know any details but i would assume that the show will start somewhere around 8.
"somebody get my phone so i can throw it in a public pool and watch it float..."
confession #4:
"i always get told i look like ugly celebrities." -adam of the academy is...
the academy is... have given me another reason to love boy bands with their newest release, santi. maybe i'm biased, but i can't quit listening to this album.
2005's almost here will always be one of my favorite albums. that's just how it is. period. but santi is pretty damn awesome, too. so i sat out on my balcony for a long time yesterday dissecting each song and comparing how the two albums differ as a whole. i concluded that the guys have ditched pop for what i'm calling after-sex rock. bill's vocals sound like he's just had an amazing shag session (leah quit drooling). the only exception to this would be on "everything we had". i don't know what happened on that song. it's the only one i skip. maybe i just can't take him seriously, who knows... in my opinion, "seed" is their strongest track and also my favorite. i love the "yeahhhh...haha" part. then there's "sleeping with giants" which starts a little slow, but then turns into one hell of a ballad with some killer guitar riffs. the track "neighbors" is another favorite thanks to siska's bass lines and butcher's drumming. choosing to work with producer butch walker was the right move because santi is a solid album. i'm just thankful they didn't succumb to the whole hip-hop thing that is so popular with other fueled by ramen bands right now.
"common sense won't pay the rent and doesn't grow on trees..."
confession #3:
"i once had a glow in the dark skeleton named lynyrd no-skynyrd. i found him at a crash site." -darroh of fair to midland
while prog rock is not exactly the type of music i listen to these days, there's no denying that fair to midland have a powerful sound that 105.3 the buzz lovers will soon worship.
aside from the obvious influence of tool and the mars volta, i now understand why i was reminded of system of a down when i listened to these guys. turns out system's lead singer, serj tankian, personally selected the band for his label, serjical strike records. the thing that catches me about this band is their awesome creativity that they've integrated throughout their music, lyrics, and even song titles. their name even comes from an old texan saying "fair to middling". their forthcoming LP, fables from a mayfly, hits stores june 12. in the meantime, they've been busy touring with flyleaf, as i lay dying, poison the well, and fear before the march of flames. they also are scheduled to play both coachella and bamboozle (which i'm still contemplating this year).
fair to midland is the type of band that you need to see live in order to fully "get it". be sure to catch them tomorrow night, 4/2, at the masquerade with flyleaf. doors @ 7. word.
"from the moment i could walk, you made me want to run..."
confession #2:
"Every time I'm about to go onstage i get that diarrhea feeling." -arch of illinois
the latest wave of ace fu awesomeness has brought us what the hell do i know? the newest EP from illinois. a band from pennsylvania... obviously.
the 7 song EP opens with "alone again" which draws you in with a dreamy story about a girl who finds herself alone on the weekend and just stares and stares at the ceiling. the next track, "nosebleed", feels like a perfect campfire song. it's filled with plenty of banjo and makes you want to clap your hands and stomp your feet. the band explores their psychedelic side in the song "one on one" and then brings the banjo back out again for "screendoor". the EP wraps with "bad day" which i can only compare to something by cake, but with more bass drum. illinois has it all. they're quirky, they're catchy, and they just might be my new favorite band. the EP comes out tomorrow and you can buy it here. also, the guys will be all over the place for sxsw so be sure to catch them at some point. visit here for the details.
>>>Pick of the Week. I know it's been a while since I've done one, but better late than never is what I always say...
Since they're playing tonight and I've had this song, "Behold the Wolf," playing on constant repeat because of how well the harmonies are intertwined throughout, I'm picking Summerbirds in the Cellar. They'll be playing somewhere in the time frame of 8:30 at Smith's Olde Bar. Upstairs. I will be leaving there with a copy of the full recorded material, I promise you that. Oh, the show is a mere $6, and the line-up tonight is phenomenal. Do yourself a favor and GO. You can point and laugh at me and my intoxication.
>>>Dick of the Week. Also haven't done one of these in a while. But I have one this week. A certain singer with a very non-gay haircut had the audacity to email me and inform me that despite the fact that I have been good to him, that will not, (and I'm going to quote this because it was so good) "help my chances with the nookie." Nookie? First of all, I'm sorry you think I'm that desperate for "nookie." Second of all, you might want to remember what my iPhoto Library holds before you get so, ahem, "cocky."
>>>Last night I went up to Smith's for the BMI showcase. I give props to all involved in putting that together, because I thought it was a success. I caught a few things to speak of, I suppose.
---->I saw a couple of songs of Andy Zipf. It wasn't bad, although I make it no secret that I'm not fond of that whole singer/songwriter thing, as it tends to bore me after about 2 songs. The guy has a super voice.
---->I also caught half of a song from the Less. It's not that they weren't good, it was that they were so loud, I couldn't stand and listen to it. The small snippet I did hear sounded a little bit like that pop-punk stuff. More pop rock than punk, though.
--->And then I saw about three songs of Nathan Angelo. So, I couldn't place what it reminded me of. Although, finally, while showering this morning, a comparison to the sound of "Sunday Morning" by Maroon 5 came to mind. This is in addition to the pool of artists like Teddy Geiger, Michael McDonald, and a few others that my escort and I came up with. Piano rock. My escort liked it so much that he actually cried a little when he learned he was a dollar short of being able to purchase the CD. Poor guy. Maybe next time...
>>>Finally for today, Ally mentioned this to me last week, and the funny thing is that I thought about doing it, but never really got proactive about it. Since this blog is "Confessions," we're going to ask local rockstars to confess something to us that we can use. We managed to collect one at the Devil Stole the Beat launch party, and I managed to collect one last night. The juicier the better, but baby steps, people, baby steps. Andy Lee, the drummer for a superb act called Estates, who we have spoken highly of here, told us that sometimes when he's in the car, and Three Days Grace comes on the radio, he doesn't change the station. I think he may have even said he sings along. I'll save the other confession for another time.
q: there’s not much info floating around on you guys. for starters, who plays what in the band?
