Last month I made my first ever art purchase (surely thats a sign of finally becoming a grown up). It was a print, not a painting, because I'm still too poor to be a real art connoisseur. And being that I'm a huge music geek, of course it had to be music related. So here's the story...
In August, I saw The Church in Atlanta. At their merch table, they were selling a bunch of limited edition prints of singer/songwriter/bassist Steve Kilbey's art work. I really wanted to get Self Portrait - Absinthe, but I decided that my meager merchandise budget would be better spent on the couple of CD's they'd releasaed in their "Jammed" series that I didn't have yet. But as much as I enjoyed listening to Back With Two Beasts on the drive back to Nashville, not buying that print was haunting me. So when I got an email from their mailing list a month later that Steve's art website was having a sale in honor of his birthday, I knew that fate was smiling on me. I am now the proud owner of a signed limited edition (12/25) print of the painting seen above.
Kilbey's label Karmic Hit recently released their catalog on iTunes, which means you can get your hands on his solo material without ordering imports from Australia. These particular tracks are from his late 80's albums, which I love. There is a certain feeling that I get from them that is hard to describe. I'm sure part of it is nostalgia from listening to them incesantly in my dorm in college. As the run out groove on his first solo album Unearthed declared, "SHOULD BE LISTENED TO IN THE BEDROOM+OUT OF IT." I think that about sums it up.
Steve Kilbey - "Something That Means Something" (mp3) from The Slow Crack
Steve Kilbey - "Trilemma" (mp3) from Previews & Rareties
Steve Kilbey - "Life's Little Luxuries" (mp3) from Remindlessness
Steve Kilbey - "Nonapology" (mp3) from Unearthed
post title by Genesis
I won't be home to give out candy tonight, so here are a few treats for your Halloween enjoyment.The Supersuckers - "Born With A Tail" (mp3)
Rock and Roll simply does not get more fun than this. You probably won't hear this song at your next church function. From 1995's The Sacrilicious Sounds Of The Supersuckers.
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - "My Wife And My Dead Wife" (mp3)
This was the first song I thought about when I decided to do a Halloween post. Robyn Hitchcock is one of my all time favorite artists, and he's written some of the most underappreciated pop gems ever. Mix John Lennon's melodic gifts with Syd Barrett's lyrical genius and this is the result. From 1985's Fegmania.Shane MacGowan & The Popes - "Haunted" (mp3)
After he was kicked out of The Pogues, MacGowan went and formed a new band with a strikingly similar name. You could accuse him of trying to rip off his former band's legacy, but 1995's The Snake is too good to dismiss. It's very much in the same vein as his work with The Pogues, but a slightly more rock oriented affair. "Haunted" is a duet with Sinead O'Connor.
Adam & The Ants - "Killer In The Home" (mp3)
Was there ever a more perfect act for the early days of MTV? Sure, Duran Duran gets all the glory, but Antmusic was a lot more fun. From the 1990 best of collection Antics In The Forbidden Zone.
Kristin Hersh - "Your Ghost" (mp3)
On her first break from Throwing Muses, Kristin Hersh set her stream of consciousness lyrics to largely acoustic accompaniment. To be honest, I actually like her solo work better than her Muses material. This duet with Michael Stipe is from her 1994 solo album Hips And Makers.
post title by Otis Redding
Last weekend I saw The Departed. It's an absolutely fantastic movie, probably Martin Scorsese's best since Goodfellas. My only beef with it regards the soundtrack. There is no doubt that Scorsese is a big Rolling Stones fan. He's used their music a lot over the years. But The Departed makes the third time that he has used "Gimme Shelter" in a mob flick (the first two being Goodfellas and Casino). Sure, the opening guitar riff suggests a kind of menace that is perfectly suited for overall atmosphere of the film. But it's been done. Repeatedly. By Scorsese himself. He even admits that he's repeating himself. At a certain point, you've gotta stop going to the same well. Imagine if Quentin Tarantino used "Stuck In The Middle With You" in every movie he ever did. It would kind of ruin the impact of its use in Resevoir Dogs. So I propose that "Gimme Shelter" should be forever off limits to any further use in films, especially films by Martin Scorsese. It's not like Mick and Keith need the royalty checks.I guess I'm kind of nitpicking, but that's what music geeks are supposed to do. And it did inspire today's monday morning b-side...
The Sisters Of Mercy - "Gimme Shelter" (mp3)The Sisters released their cover of the Stones classic on their 1983 "Temple Of Love" single. It was the final single on their own Merciful Release label before they signed with Warner Brothers, and its probably the best cover they've ever done. The song is perfectly suited for Andrew Eldritch's booming baritone. It's currently available on the import singles collection Some Girls Wander By Mistake.
When I moved to Nashville in 1983, there was a family in our neighborhood that had outdoor speakers in their backyard pool area. Every Halloween, they would play sound effects records through them, loud enough that you could hear them throughout the neighborhood. It was kind of awesome, and it really added to the trick or treating atmosphere every year.
Yesterday I got an email from a friend with a link to Dave's Forbidden Crypts of Haunted Music. He has MP3 files of many of the old sound effects records from the 70's, along with a few other Halloween related LPs. I've been listening to it all morning, and it's a total trip down memory lane. I highly recommend checking out Spike Jones in Hi-Fi: A Spectacular in Screaming Sound to hear Count Dracula and Vampira's duet of "I Only Have Eyes For You," and Frankenstein's unique take of "Everything Happens To Me."
Photo courtesy of The Harveyville Fun Times
post title by New Order
For as long as I can remember, this ghost has lived under my stereo furniture. Every October it was displayed under the stereo cabinet in my parent's house, and then in my own apartment after I inherited said stereo cabinet. It has lived under these particular stereo shelves since I made them the home to my stereo equipment in 1999. Why do I mention this? Well, because it has heard every song I've played during October for at least the past 25 years. Also, by posting this picture, I'm baiting my mom to leave a comment.
The Cure - "Fear Of Ghosts" (mp3)
Today's monday morning (err, evening) b-side was originally on The Cure's 1989 single "Lovesong." It is now available on the box set Join The Dots: B-Sides & Rarities, 1978-2001. It suffers from the same fate a lot of the band's Disintegration era songs do in that it's about two minutes too long. But it's still a good tune, and has sufficiently creepy lyrics for the Halloween season.
The Pogues, with Against Me
House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV
Sunday, October 15, 2006
The House of Blues is one of my all time favorite concert venues. When I lived in Vegas, it was hands down the best place to catch a show. Its big enough to attract good touring bands, but still feels intimate. The sounds is always great, and the sightlines are fantastic. That said, they totally dropped the ball for this show. How do you book The Pogues, one of the most popular Irish bands ever, and run out of Guinness before the headliners even take the stage?
When the house lights dimmed, the opening strains of The Clash's "Straight To Hell" came flowing from the speakers, and you couldn't have asked for better intro music. After a couple of minutes, the band walked out and opened with "Streams Of Whiskey." Twenty minutes into the show, after a 1,800 person strong sing along on "Boys From County Hell," I felt like the concert could have ended right then and I'd still have got my money's worth. The fact that there was another hour and half of music after that was a bonus. I'm not sure I've ever smiled though an entire show the way I did Sunday night. After two encores, they closed with a rousing version of "Fiesta" that featured Shane MacGowan and Spider Stacy banging cookie tin lids against their heads in time with the song. It was truly an amazing show, and well worth flying half way across the country to see.
The second question anyone asks when you're talking about a Pogues show is "How was Shane?" The answer Sunday night was "fantastic." His vocals were impeccable (relatively speaking, of course), and he didn't miss a beat throughout the show. I got the impression that he was pulling Dean Martin's old routine of acting more drunk than he really was to live up to the crowd's expectations. Although Dean used to drink apple juice on stage in place of scotch, and I'm pretty sure those were real gin and tonics Shane kept walking onstage with.
The Pogues - "Lorelei" (mp3)
This is hands down my favorite Pogues song, from their 1989 album Peace And Love . The female singer who duets with Philip Chevron on this track is Kristy MacColl, who also sang on my second favorite Pogues song, "Fairytale Of New York" (the version of it Sunday night almost brought me to tears). All five of the albums recorded while Shane MacGowan was in the band were reissued last month by Rhino, and all include the bonus tracks that were previously only available on the import versions.
Against Me opened the show with an ultra tight set of politically charged punk. I'm not usually a fan of political music, but these guys were so good they overcame my prejudices. I remember thinking that you've got to be pretty confident as a headliner to have an act this good playing before you go on. They've got several mp3s on their website, but this one seemed most appropriate to post under the circumstances.
Against Me - "Pints Of Guiness Make You Strong" (mp3)
Photo courtesy of mordac.org.post title by Bing Crosby
For the third of our Halloween themed monday morning b-sides, we turn to Superchunk and their take on the David Bowie classic "Scary Monsters." Do I really need to say anything about Superchunk? If you haven't heard of them already, you need to get out more. Or at least read their bio at the All Music Guide.
Superchunk - "Scary Monsters" (mp3)
The song is one of three b-sides on their 2000 single 1,000 Pounds, which is still in print. Bowie's original version is the title track on 1980's Scary Monsters.Picture courtesy of Scary Monsters Magazine.
Robert Pollard - Normal Happiness
Robert Pollard - Moon
After getting his prog on earlier this year with a sprawling double album (From A Compound Eye), Robert Pollard's second post-GBV solo album finds him focusing on the tightly crafted pop gems that made him an indie rock icon. Only three of the sixteen songs on Normal Happiness clock in at over 2 1/2 minutes, and the longest track on the album only exceeds that mark by 62 seconds. Aided by producer/multi-instrumentalist Todd Tobias, Normal Happiness sounds like "best of" collection culled from the poppiest songs from Guided By Voices final three albums. The highlight of the album, "Rhoda Rhoda," is probably the best pure pop tune Pollard has written since 2001's "Glad Girls." If his solo albums and side projects have been a little to out there for you lately, this is a great opportunity to jump back on board.
Robert Pollard - "Supernatural Car Lover" (mp3)
Full album stream from Merge
This is a demo version of another song from the album. If you're a fan of Guided By Voices' old school lo-fi aesthetic, you might prefer it to the finished version.
Robert Pollard - "Top Of My Game (Demo)" (mp3)
Moon is a full length live album available as a free bonus when you buy Normal Happiness from independent record stores, or via mail order from Merge. Recorded at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati on June 24, 2006, the album captures the complete set that Robert Pollard and the Ascended Masters played during their two date stint opening for Pearl Jam this summer. The setlist pulls heavily Pollard's first post-GBV solo album, with nine of its fourteen songs found on From A Compound Eye. Since Bob and company usually play at least two hours during their headling shows, its interesting to hear them playing within the confines of a streamlined forty minute set. Its possibly the most tightly focused set Pollard has played in years. And probably his most sober set too.
Robert Pollard - "The Right Thing (Live)" (mp3)
post title by The Smithereens
If you look to your right on this blog, you'll find a new section called "Music City." I was wanting to do something to spruce up the sidebar, but I didn't want to start pimping myself out by playing the "I'll link to you if you link to me" game. So I decided to provide links to other music blogs in the Nashville area. You know, a "love thy neighbor" kinda thing. If you've got any suggestions for a Middle Tennessee based blog that a) focuses primarily on music, and b) is updated regularly (at least once a week or so), let me know and I'll add it to the list.
And while we're talking about music blogs, congratulations to Janet at Out The Other, who was the Nashville Scene's pick for Best Music Blog in the 2006 Best of Nashville issue. The recognition is well deserved. She is a zealot about tracking down new music. Between her blog and her radio show on WRVU, she makes it easy for people like me who want to hear the latest buzz bands in indie rock, but are too lazy to seek them all out on our own.
And on a totally non-indie rock note...
Dean Martin - "On The Street Where You Live" (mp3) from This Time I'm Swingin'!
post title from My Fair Lady
Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out
Fans of The Police have been excited about Stewart Copeland's new documentary every since word got out about it's premiere at Sundance in January. Complied from Super 8 footage shot by Copeland during the band's rise to fame, it chronicles The Police from its first American tour promoting Outlandos D'Amour in 1978 through their appearance at the 1982 US Festival.The film begins a little slowly, with Copeland narrating still shots from the bands days on the London punk scene, and finally takes off once Stewart buys his camera on the eve of their American tour. Live footage of the band alternates with various antics shot at in store appearances, backstage dressing rooms, press conferences, hotel rooms, and wherever else the band's travels brought them. The soundtrack is a mix of live and studio tracks, and what Copeland calls "derangements," clever reconstructions of Police songs that fall somewhere between a remix and a mashup.It's interesting to see the live footage of the band shot from the side and back of the stage by roadies, and for what it was the audio quality is often surprisingly good. The bonus commentary track featuring Copeland and Andy Summers is enlighting, and on it Stewart explains some of the movies shortcomings. The film does suffer from having most of the performances focusing on songs from the band's first album, so there isnt a whole lot of variety. While hardcore fans will no doubt enjoy this DVD, it pales in comparison to The Police: Around The World, an excellent 1982 film with a similar vibe shot on the band's 1980-1981 world tours.The Police - "Fall Out" (mp3)
"Fall Out" was The Police's first single, predating the arrival of Andy Summers. Released in 1977, when they were still pretending to be part of the punk scene, it features Henri Padovani on guitar. It, along with almost every other recording the Police ever released, is available on Message In A Box: The Complete Recordings (there are a couple of live b-sides and a remix of "Don't Stand So Close To Me '86" that were not included).
post title by Peter Murphy
Your Black Star - Sound From The Ground
For Louisville three-piece Your Black Star, today has been a long time coming. After a two year wait, their new album Sound From The Ground is finally available in their own country. It was released in the summer of 2005 to great reviews in Japan, Australia and the UK. After spending the past year touring the far east, then hitting the British Isles with The New Pornographers, they're finally letting fans in the States hear what all the fuss was about. Good things come to those who wait.The album kicks off with a pounding drum intro reminiscent of The Cure's "The Hanging Garden." For 42 minutes, heavily chorused bass and rock solid drums lay the foundation for their delay soaked guitar assault. Throughout the album I couldn't help thinking that this is what Robert Smith and company might have sounded like if The Edge had joined them in the late-eighties. Former Elliott drummer Kevin Ratterman produced the album (and also played bass), and they definitely mine some of the same sonic territory that Elliott did in on their last two albums.Your Black Star - "Oh Jesus..." (mp3)
Sound From The Ground is in stores today, and will be available at iTunes on Monday, October 16. Listen to two more songs from the album ("Why Do I Wait" and "The Silent Me"), on their myspace page.post title by U2
For round two of our Halloween related monday morning b-sides, we're staying local and featuring Nashville's finest purveyors of quirky chamber pop, Lylas.
Last October they released What Is Undead Anyway, a 3 song EP celebrating Halloween. It was the second in a promised series of EPs celebrating various holidays. They've been busy this year promoting their full length Lessons For Lovers, and they've already done a Christmas EP, so unless they've got a set of Thanksgiving or Chanukah songs up their sleeves, it'll be 2007 before we get the third in the series.
Lylas - "Miss Halloween 1953" (mp3)
Unfortunately, they don't have any shows scheduled in Nashville until November 27 at Springwater, but folks in Knoxville can catch them at Sassy Ann's on October 15, where they're sure to spread some spooky holiday spirit.
Lindsey Buckingham
Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Saturday, October 7, 2006
What if Fleetwood Mac's guitarist played a show at the Ryman and a Backstreet Boys concert broke out?
I never thought I'd be pondering a question like that, but I certainly was last night. It doesn't surprise me that Lindsey Buckingham has rabid fans. The guy is an masterful guitarist and songwriter, and a member of one of the most popular bands of the last 30 years. But I was totally unprepared for the estrogen fueled mania that took place last night. By midway through the concert, a huge mass of mainly middle-aged women had rushed the stage, and the 80 year old ushers at the Ryman were powerless to get them to return to their seats. Lindsey seemed genuinely excited and apprectiative of the raucous reception he received from the crowd, finishing several songs by literally jumping up and down like an excited school boy.
The show was definitely worthy of the response. The evening started with a three solo songs, including an sublime version of his 1981 solo hit "Trouble." His band then came out and played a 90 minute set that pulled heavily from his new album Under The Skin. Of course there were several songs from his Fleetwood Mac catalog, the highlights including a stripped down take on "Tusk," an amazing version of "I'm So Afraid," and the surprise of the evening, "World Turning," a song that had its genesis way back in the days when Peter Green was still leading Fleetwood Mac. After an encore that began with "Holiday Road," Lindsey came up front to sign a few autographs for the throng of people that had gathered in front of the stage. When it quickly became obvious that he was only encouraging more people to rush up front, he wisely returned to the microphone and asked the crowd if they wanted to hear another song, treating the crowd to a bonus encore of "Bleed To Love Her" before leaving the stage.
For your listening pleasure, here are two rare tracks burned from the 1992 promo CD Words And Music.
Lindsey Buckingham - "Holiday Road" (mp3)
Buckingham Nicks - "Stephanie" (mp3)
"Holiday Road" is of course the theme song from National Lampoon's Vacation. "Stephanie" is an instrumental from the 1973 Buckingham Nicks album. If you were going to make a list of the most sought after albums that have never been released on CD, this one would surely make the list. But I'm sure you could find a digital copy of it if you looked hard enough... Photo by flyfirelry.
post title by Peggy Lee
Frank Black
Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN
Wednesday October 4, 2006
Anyone who's been listening to Frank Black's solo albums for the last ten years shouldn't have been surprised by his show at the Mercy Lounge last Wednesday. For the past ten years, his albums have been exploring a rootsier side of his songwriting. Unfortunately many of those in attendence Wednesday night apparently didn't get the memo. Though the evening started with a packed house, by midway though the his set, the crowd seemed to have thinned by at least a third. Those who expected a Pixies greatest hits show might have been disappointed, but anyone who stuck around for the entirety of his show would be hard pressed to say the same.
He began the night by walking on stage alone with an acoustic guitar and apologizing for going all "singer-songwriter on you guys." Considering he followed with solo versions of the the Pixies' "Cactus" and Teenager Of The Year's "Abstract Plain," the apology was definitely not necessary. The three song solo set was followed up with a five song mini-set featuring several of the Nashville session musicians that have been featured on his last two albums, beginning with an acoustic take on "Wave Of Mutilation" and ending with an outstanding guitar and piano version of "Los Angeles." The rest of his hour and forty-five minute set saw his regular touring outfit running through a variety of selections from his solo albums. Frank Black - "John Barleycorn" (mp3) from Fast Man Raider Man
Frank actually had quite a busy night in Nashville last Wednesday. To kick it off, he played a 40 minute solo in-store set at Grimey's. Unfortunately work kept me from getting back to Nashville in time for that. To cap off the evening, he sat in with former Catholics guitarist Rich Gilbert and the Travis Mann Band at Robert's Western World on Lower Broad. I didn't make that either, but you can see pictures of it (and the Mercy Lounge show) at thefanoftheman's Flickr page.post title by Jimmy Forrest
Cracker, with The Elms
Exit/In, Nashville, TN
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Cracker has had a busy year. After learning that their former label Virgin was going to release a pointless second "Best of" CD (Get On With It) in February, they went into the studio to re-record their best known songs and released their own Greatest Hits Redux the exact same day, and at a lower price. Many of the new versions sound so much like the originals that only the most hardcore fan would be able to tell the difference. I didnt realize this version of "Low" was different until the new accordian solo kicked in.
Cracker - "Low" (mp3)
In June they released their first album of new material in four years, Greenland. The album has been widely received as more serious and mature than their previous work, and the tour to promote it seemed to reflect that as well. The set worked a healthy mix of their best past work in with the new material, but sandwiched between the more reflective numbers from the new album, it gave the concert a heavier emotional weight than you might have expected. Thats not to say it wasn't a good show; Cracker is a great band, and their mix of rock, country, blues and psychedelia is always entertaining. But it certainly didn't feel like a party.
Openers The Elms delivered a set of solid bluesy midwestern rock. Hailing from Seymour, IN (the same town that gave us Johnny Cougar), they sound like what I imagine Mellencamp might have if he had grown up listening to AC/DC instead of sixties pop radio. They made several references to small town life throughout their set, and the influence is definitely visible. Frontman Owen Thomas obviously spent his childhood in front of the mirror practicing rock star moves that he still hasn't quite perfected yet. Overall they come off kind of like an American-ized Oasis, and though there are a thousand other bands across the country playing this kind of blues based hard pop, there aren't very many who do it this well.
Their website seems to be devoid of any audio samples, but you can check out three tracks from their new album The Chess Hotel on their myspace page.post title by The Gentle Waves
I love a good theme, so in honor of every child's favorite holiday, all of this month's monday morning b-sides will be loosely related to Halloween.Marty Willson-Piper is a guy who really doesn't enjoy free time very much. As if being guitarist for The Church hasn't kept him busy enough for the past 25 years, he's also been a full time member of All About Eve, The Saints and Nocturum, recorded with Cinerama, Tom Verlaine, Jules Shear, and Rob Dickinson, and written songs with Aimee Mann and Linda Perry. And on top of all that, he's released eight solo albums.Marty Willson-Piper - "Luscious Ghost (Unfinished Version)" (mp3)"Luscious Ghost" was the first single from Marty's 1992 solo album Spirit Level. This "unfinished" version lacks the harmonica-sounding lead guitar parts that are heard on the album version, allowing the underlying guitar parts to be better heard.Photo by Brian Smith, webmaster/curator of the long time Church fansite Shadow Cabinet.
