Turkey break
November 24, 2010
It’s that time of year again where everyone eats way too much and visits their families. That’s what I’m doing today so don’t expect to see anything on this blog for a few days at least. I do have a review of the new And The Relatives record coming down the pipe, so stay tuned for that.
In the meantime, go have an eyegasm while looking at these selected photos from National Geographic’s photography contest.
If Harry Underwood’s art came to life…
November 8, 2010
This is probably what it would look like:
(Via Yewknee’d)
If you don’t know who Harry Underwood is, you need to learn. Thank me later.
In other news, the latest We Own This Town podcast is out and it contains some tasty new treats from Nashville artists both new and old such as Jasmin Kaset, Fly Golden Eagle, Tristen, and Relax With Fiction.
Pains of Being Pure at Heart sophomore album produced by Flood
November 4, 2010
Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ SXSW 2009
I’ve been a solid fan of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart ever since they burst onto the scene in late 2008/early 2009. I was pretty amazed when I read this article on Stereogum reporting that they’ve finished up their 2nd full-length with none other than Flood behind the faders. Knowing that a producer who was behind such huge massive sounds as U2, Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins, etc… was working with POBPAH initially scared the hell out of me. Adam Gold of the Nashville Scene/Cream once told me “they rock about as hard as a cupcake” referring to POBPAH. And honestly that’s a pretty accurate statement, but I’m actually fond of several “cupcake” bands, so that is (in some ways) a very good thing in my mind. Such a “big sound” production style would certainly spell doom for the tenderness and teenage awkwardness that is part of the reason I loved their debut album so much. At least that was my initial reaction. The quotes in the article, however, quelled most of my pessimism about this second album. Quotes like “the loud parts are louder and the quieter parts are quieter — with a lot more variation between the two” really make me feel like Flood didn’t just come crashing through the walls and lay down the law while POBPAH cowered in the corner. The band actually developed a “good push-and-pull with him” and believes that he actually learned as much from them as they did from him. To me, a big part of what made their debut so good was the way it was mixed, and most specifically the guitar sounds. Honestly there were a few moments where I found myself wanting the guitar parts to come through a little clearer; that they were a little too awash in fuzz and re-verb. So when I read that they were going for “a guitar sound that hit you in the chest.” I’m all about that. So with slight hesitation, I look forward to hearing this new album. As I’ve said all along, I really think this band has some staying power.
A few random other notes:
Congrats to everyone involved with Make-Out With Violence, the locally shot and produced feature film is now officially out on DVD and On Demand. I mentioned before they’d finally found a distribution home with Factory 25, but now you can actually go order a copy for yourself. Go forth and buy! These dudes sunk a lot of their own cash into this movie and worked tirelessly for years- they deserve it! (Via Nashville Cream)
Just watch this amazing feat of choreography and lighting that happened in NYC for the Target 2010 fall fashion spectacular. Mind=blown. (Via Vitalic Noise)
Makeup and Vanity Set releases Charles Park II today
October 26, 2010
“Forged with the blood of druid magic.” That’s how Makeup & Vanity Set describes the creation of his latest album, Charles Park II. This album is unabashedly intended for Halloween, just as Charles Park was 2 or 3 years ago (my memory fails me). Because I’m not a professional writer, and I lack the ability to string these thoughts into a coherent paragraph, I’m simply going to list some things that come to mind while listening to Charles Park II.
- A synthesizer turns into a robot monster, transformer-style, the keys becoming its fangs. It then crashes out of its owner’s room in Tokyo, Japan, killing everyone and turning it into a vast wasteland.
- Tom Selleck
- MacGyver
Basically, this record sounds a lot like the music during the chase/attack scenes of any 80’s futuristic b-movie horror flick. This what the soundtrack to Tron might’ve sounded like if it were re-imagined as a horror film. Buy it, then throw it in a boombox and carry it around on your shoulder blasting as you trick or treat this weekend. You will automatically be 10x cooler and you will get laid.
Makeup & Vanity Set-One Last Stand
Buy it at the MAVS bandcamp for just $5. He’s also included a special bonus- buy the original Charles Park for only $2.
Weekend shows/Vandy announcement/I’m hipper than Rivers Cuomo
October 22, 2010
According to the Nashville Cream, I’m hipper than Rivers Cuomo. They also agreed with NME’s sentiments about Caitlin Rose being cooler than Cuomo. Caitlin is way cooler than me, though.
Tune In Music City tweeted the following yesterday: “Press conference at Vandy this Monday to announce a huge music event. ‘It’s been over 29 years’ they say. We’d like 2 know what. Wouldn’t U?” Well, that’s not obvious at all… just read Adam Gold’s Cream post about it if you’re still in the dark. I do know the answer to this question, but as an employee of Vanderbilt, I can neither officially confirm nor deny these rumors.
Now for some stuff to get into this weekend:
FRIDAY:
The 5. 6. 7. 8’s are at Third Man Records. 9pm, $5 (Yeah, it’s that band from Kill Bill and the Vonage commercials.)
Passion Pit, Snoop Dogg, and B.o.B. at Vanderbilt Memorial Gym. It’s the annual Commodore Quake. Doors at 6:30pm, tix $20-$50 for non-students.
SATURDAY:
I’ll be at Mercy Lounge snapping pics of Kurt Vile, who has support from The Soft Pack and Purling Hiss. 9pm, $10 adv. $12 dos.
The 1st annual Circuit Bender’s Ball at Open Lot. This is more than just a show. There are workshops for all ages from 2-6pm, where you can learn about circuit bending and how to make various electronic musical devices. Performances start at 6:30 and run till midnight. If you have no idea what circuit bending is, click here. Trust me, this will be an interesting and fun event.
One more thing- early voting is in full swing in TN! That means you can drop by and vote at any of the 9 early voting stations at your convenience (within the scheduled hours) up until next Thursday, Oct. 28th. If you were worried about long line at the polls on election day, worry no more because with early voting the lines are always much shorter. There’s simply no excuse- be a worthy citizen and do your part- VOTE.
Have a great weekend!
New And The Relatives/Big Pics from Chile
October 14, 2010
File this one in the “what could have been” folder. Local classic indie rock (yes I’m using “classic” with “indie rock”) trio And The Relatives have sadly reached the end of their career… for the forseeable future, at least. I hate to say that, but it’s true. I won’t go into explicit details but a member of the band rather unexpectedly made the decision to move to California. That being said, they ARE releasing the debut album Green Machinery which they’ve been working on for the past few years; it will be out very soon on vinyl via a joint effort between Michael Eades’ YK Records and Theory 8. It will also be available digitally via their Bandcamp. You can actually go there now and preview a couple of the tracks. I’ve watched this band develop over the past few years, and it’s rather amazing how far they’ve come. I also must mention the eye candy that is the artwork and new website, designed by Eades and Kyle Scudder. I’d like to hope they will eventually reunite at least to play a show here and there, or even just to work on new recorded material… similar to the Hotpipes’ situation.
Some more random links/tidbits of interest:
The Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog has a series of beautiful and moving photographs from the Chilean mine rescue. I can’t imagine being trapped underground for 2 months with 32 other men, and no doubt the full psychological effects have yet to be seen. Regardless, these photographs are incredible.
T.I. apparently talked a guy out of committing suicide Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta, just a few days before he’s scheduled to go to trial on a probation violation. Good job, T.I.! Maybe the judge will go a little easier on you?
The Village Voice did a pretty cool interview with Duck Sauce (a.k.a. A-Trak and Armand Van Helden). Just go read it, and be sure to check out their new single “Barbara Streisand” for which they did this awesome came0-packed video:
Pixies/Next Big Nashville tix deadline/other weekend stuff
September 10, 2010
Let’s all face it, the big news show-wise this weekend is The Pixies playing two consecutive shows at the Ryman. This undeniably awesome, but I haven’t the money nor the means to go. I halfway missed the Pixies train in high school/middle school, so they will never have the significance to me that they do to some. The bands that cemented themselves firmly into my formative years were Nirvana, Weezer, and Green Day… amongst many others. But those were the main ones. So, yay Pixies?
Some other good stuff going down this weekend (besides the AMA’s):
FRIDAY:
There are a shitload of bands at the 5 Spot- Fly Golden Eagle, The Early Evening, Slow Claw, Chrome Pony and By Lightning are all playing as part of “Family Tree Vol. 2.” 9pm $5
Dozen Dimes, Frank The Fuck Out, and Diarrhea Planet @ The End. 9pm $5 (This is the Dozen Dimes’ album release show… I’m not up to speed on these things but I thought DD’s album came out a couple months ago… but whatevs, this is an awesome lineup regardless!)
SATURDAY:
Well, the 2nd Pixies show (tix still available!) is about it.
SUNDAY:
Whoa, sunday rocks…
Gentleman Jesse & His Men, Strange Boys, Cy Barkley, Natural Child @ Glen Danzig’s House. $5 7pm. I’ll be there.
Best Coast, Cults @ Mercy Lounge. $12, 8pm
The Love Language, Bows and Arrows @ Exit/In. $10, 8pm
MONDAY:
(Because I’ll be gone and not blogging for a week probably)
Keep On Movin’ celebrates their 2-year birthday. The weekly 5 Spot dance party/boogie-fest has been going strong for 2 years, so show ’em some love!
I must also mention that today is the LAST DAY to get early bird discounts on Next BIG Nashville tickets! Wristbands are $40 and VIP badges are $215, and after today the prices go up to $45 and $250, respectively. Act now or pay more later.
Before I leave for a week-long hiatus due to my road stint with Those Darlins, I must share one of the most ridiculously design-nerdy things I’ve ever seen. Apparently some super nerdy graphic designers had waaaay too much time on their hands and decided to figure out how many iterations of the word “helvetica” in 100 point un-kerned type would fit between the earth and the moon. Then they had some more time and decided to see how big, in points, the word helvetica would have to be to fit once between the earth and the moon. As ridiculous as this is, it makes me very happy. Click through to find out the results at kottke.org.
Have a great weekend and week, because it’ll probably be that long before you hear from me again on here.
Seth Graves’ THE CRUCICHIX
August 4, 2010
My bandmate and friend Seth Graves has entered the 48 Hour Film Project for several years in a row. This year was no different, but unfortunately he was unable to get it in before the 48 hour deadline. He did turn it in though, and it will still be screened and is eligible for the crowd popularity vote. It just can’t win the festival officially. Behold THE CRUCICHIX:
Higgs Boson rumor/awesomeness
July 13, 2010
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about possible evidence of the elusive Higgs Boson, the so-called “God particle” being discovered at Fermilab’s Tevatron collider. Apparently some of the physicists have entertained the idea that an unexpected result from a recent particle collision experiment might possibly be evidence of the Higgs Boson, while others dismiss the idea. So, don’t go thinking that we’ve finally found the Higgs Boson (and not even at the LHC nonetheless) just yet. An official statement on the matter has not been released yet, and we have no clue what they found until that happens. So everyone just chill out for a minute until some official findings are released. All we know for sure now is there was an “unexpected result.” (Via Discovery News)
Now I must simply share a few things I’ve run across the past couple of days that are simply awesome:
–What the Fuck Should I Make for Dinner? Perfect for those “I don’t know what I want, what do you want?” times.
-Yazoo Brewing Co. may be switching to cans, but they want your input first. Weigh all the options before making your choice.
-Sam Kean of Slate is blogging the entire periodic table of elements. Nerd-out!
-And if this doesn’t make your day (and even week) infinitely better, then you are beyond help:
Burgers Summer 2010 Mixxxx
June 21, 2010
It’s here, it’s hotttt. The official Burgers Summer 2010 Mixxxx. I’ve started using soundcloud, so just use the widget below to listen and/or download! (If the widget isn’t working click here to go to the soundcloud page.)
Summer2010Mixxxx by IamBurgers
Here’s the tracklisting:
Kamei-Computer Malfunction
Uffie Ft. Pharrel-ADD SUV (Armand Van Helden RMX)
Aston Shuffle-Don’t Wanna See You (DCUP RMX)
Treasure Fingers-What Am I Supposed To Do
Florrie-Panic Attack (Bit Funk RMX)
Ocelot-Beating Hearts (Blende Extended Mix)
Light Year-Motor Booty
Donna Summer-Bad Girls (Sonicc RMX)
Hazel & Entyce-In Da Club (Fukkk Offf RMX)
Bag Raiders Ft. Donnis-All The Girls
Holy Ghost!-Say My Name (U Tern RMX)
Hussle Club-Loose Tights (HS or Beat RMX)
steve cross loves music and science 