New Treasure Fingers/De Novo Dahl artwork
April 12, 2010
I’m a little behind in blog-time on posting about this new Treasure Fingers track, but I have to mention it because it’s AWESOME and right up my alley style-wise. The track is called “What am I supposed to do?” and is stuffed with funky disco bass lines, cut up soulful vocals, and everything else that satisfies my appetite for disco-house. It originally popped up at the Fader blog on Friday afternoon, after I had already gone into my weekend mode of basically ignoring the internet, thus why I’m posting now. Joseph at Nashville Nights tweeted Mr. Fingers directly and got permission to post as well, so be sure to point your browser his way too, cuz he kinda needs the traffic more than those Fader folks do.
Also, be sure to check out Fool’s Gold’s recap of all their SXSW shenanigans (at least one of which Treasure Fingers was involved), most of which I unfortunately missed.
De Novo Dahl have been on the move again recently with an almost completely new lineup. The only original members are the husband/wife frontman/frontwoman duo of Joel J. Dahl and Serai Zaffiro. They are back on their old label Theory 8, and Mr. Hartley has done a fine job of leaking selected tracks and creating some hype about their next release Tigerlion. The artwork is now out, and the album hits shelves May 25th. You can stream the track “Love Is the Healer” at Hartley’s Tumblr. What’s ridiculous is that until recently, I went on thinking the album was called “Tigerloin” not “Tigerlion.” I have no idea…
Dozen Dimes album/Jane Dupree
April 6, 2010
Wow, that was fast. Seems like just a few months ago former Pink Spiders frontman Matt Friction was putting his solo project with the Cheap Shots on hiatus to make room for his new doo-wop project the Dozen Dimes. Last night at midnight marked the official release of their debut album, Get Real Gone with the Dozen Dimes. You can download it now on Bandcamp for $10. I remember asking Matt about the new project when I first heard about it and he said something like, “those are the kind of songs I’m good at, so that’s what I’m doing.” (FYI- that was very paraphrased.) I have to agree- I’m enjoying this material more than the few Cheap Shots songs I heard. They do put on an entertaining live show as well, complete with a blinding “DD” light sign and flashy 50’s style suits. I suggest both the album and live show. And for the record, Bandcamp is basically the greatest thing to happen to music in a long time.
A Nashville DJ that deserves some respect is DJ Jane Dupree. She has a pretty rad blog called Disco Terror Squad, full of mixtapes and individual tracks as well, mostly focusing on twitchy/housey material. She also gave my last mix a blog plug. Be sure to check out any of her “Smoke Break” mixes.
Now enjoy this smooth jazz version of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica:
(Via Kottke)
Miike Snow/SXSW
March 24, 2010
After a few days of recovery from SXSW, I finally have a) the mental energy and b) a spare minute to blog again. In a nutshell it was pretty much just as awesome as last year. For two years in a row, however, the saturday of SXSW has been somewhat jinxed for me- last year it was me coming down with some sort of horrid cold/flu, this year it was the frigid arctic front that moved through sat. morning resulting a bone-chilling Saturday/night. Whatevs. I had a fucking blast AND I had a badge this year, so maybe this year was a little better overall.
I didn’t expect to come back having “discovered” a new band, but indeed that’s what happened. Miike Snow has been on the scene for quite some time, and I’m sure I’m VERY late in becoming a fan, but it still makes me happy that SXSW did exactly what it was supposed to in at least 1 respect: showcasing a new artist and generating new fans for them. I saw them Friday night at the Mohawk Patio and loved every minute of their performance. I’d heard the many remixes of “Animal” (and the original, of course), as well as “Burial,” but I was still a bit on the fence as to whether I’d fully be a “fan.” After seeing them live in Austin I got their full album last night and I’m officially sold. While “Animal,” “Black & Blue,” and “Burial” may be considered the main singles of the record, the track that stands out to me the most is “Sans Soleil.” It’s a very melancholy, slow song that revolves around 3 astonishingly simple piano chords, and it’s absolutely beautiful. Just get the album. It’s well worth your money or google/mediafire search efforts. Look for my pics of them and many others in this week’s Scene.
In other news, NPR is streaming the new MGMT album. I haven’t listened to it all yet, but a few tracks seem promising. Meh.
If Bill Murray were to go chillwave/glo-fi:
Via Hipster Runoff
Freakin’ Weekend/Free Coathangers
March 12, 2010
Currently listening: the Coathangers album Scramble. I’m only a few songs into it upon posting, but it’s interesting to say the least. A bit bizarre at times, but decidedly lo-fi and sassy. You can get the whole album for free at Suicide Squeeze records until March 14th. I saw them at the Basement a year or two ago, and their live show is an essential component to their overall appeal. Thus, go see them live next time you get a chance. They’re from Atlanta, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t be hitting up Nashville within the next year or so. (Via Largehearted Boy)
There are several bigger shows happening this weekend, and you can read all about them at the Cream, but I’m going to focus on The Freakin’ Weekend, a mini-festival of house-shows (except for Sunday which is at Betty’s) put on by Nashville’s Dead.
Friday: Kickoff party at The Jungle (aka Sweetbriar House) feat. Ben Steine’s Money, Larry David & The Hipsters, special guests. FREE, all ages, 8pm.
Saturday: Night two at Glen Danzig’s House feat. The Beets, Ex Humans, Terrible Twos, Beach Fossils, Peacekillers, Natural Child, The Looking Glass. All for a mere $5. All ages, starts at 7pm.
Sunday: Night three at Betty’s Bar & Grill feat. Sisters, Grooms, Coasting, Videohippos, Lesser Alvarez Gonzalez, Daniel Pujol, So Jazzy. 21+, starts at 8pm. (I assume there’s a cover, but ND doesn’t say)
Here’s to the parties not getting busted up by the cops!
Kings of Leon NOT opening for The Features/New Morning Benders
January 11, 2010
I don’t know where these rumors get started, but don’t get your hopes about Kings of Leon opening for The Features at Exit/In Feb. 5th. My inside sources say the rumor isn’t true, and that the probable openers will be Majestico and Cortney Tidwell. So chill out, people! It would be rather hilarious if it were true, as most Nashville rock scene purists have said for years that the roles of The Features and Kings of Leon should be swapped. Also if it were true, Elliston Place would be a total clusterfuck that night. Who knows, though, maybe a Followill or two will be hanging out backstage? Oddly enough, Hipster Runoff mentioned KOL in a weekend post about the future of Bro music and Bro fashion. He has a point.
Update: apparently the Nashville Cream did some digging at the exact same time I did, because just as I was about to hit “publish” they posted an update saying the same thing.
One of my favorite recent/new-ish bands for the past year or so has been The Morning Benders. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend their full-length Talking Through Tin Cans from last year, and am happy to see them prepping a new LP for release this spring. It will be called Big Echo and will hit the market on March 9th. They were kind enough to release a new track from it called Promises and you can grab it for the price of your email address at their website, or just go grab it at You Ain’t No Picasso.
Burgers winter 09 mixxxx/Morning Benders album due in 2010
December 16, 2009
The official DJ Burgers Winter 09 Mixxxx is here! Download it now and get ready to party down with Fan Fiction & Me this Friday at the 4th installment of BFF at Mad Donna’s! (Mad Donna’s is at 1313 Woodland St. in East Nashville, just a block past 5 points and across from Lipstick Lounge.) There will FOG MACHINES. There will be CRAZY LIGHTS. And most importantly, there will be BEER SPECIALS UNTIL MIDNIGHT! (More on the beer specials soon…)
Tracklisting:
Bag Raiders- Shooting Stars (Shazam Dub mix)
Lindstrom & Christabelle- Baby Can’t Stop (Aeroplane RMX)
Yolanda Be Cool- Afro Nuts (DCUP RMX)
Little Boots- Earthquake (Treasure Fingers RMX)
Ke$ha- Tik Tok (Fred Falke Radio RMX)
A-Trak & Arman Van Helden present Duck Sauce- Anyway
Busta Rhymes Ft. T-Pain- Hustler’s Anthem (Bit Funk RMX)
Fukkk Offf- More Than Friends (Markus Lange & Stereofunk RMX)
The Cataracs- Club Love (Nick Catchdubs & Proper Villains RMX)
Dan the Automator-Rapper’s Delight (TEPR Remix)
Golden Bug- Assassin
Bloody Beetroots ft. Cool Kids- Awesome
Some other random tidbits for today:
Ridley Scott directed a remake of Robin Hood that’s due to hit theaters sometime next year. It stars Russel Crowe and Cate Blanchett…. and judging from the trailer I think I’ll end up preferring the Kevin Costner version… See it at Apple movie trailers. (Via Kottke)
One of the few “new” bands that I’ve been head-over-heels for is the Morning Benders. I LOVED their 2008 album Talking Through Tin Cans, and I just found via You Ain’t No Picasso that they’re prepping their next LP Big Echo for release on March 9, 2010 through Rough Trade. Next year is going to be FULL of good releases….
New She & Him due in 2010/photo exhibit update
December 1, 2009
I totally drank the She & Him koolaid in 2008 and I don’t regret it for a minute. I love everything about that album, and not just because Zooey Deschanel… AHEM… Gibbard… is the singer. Good news came today via Stereogum and TwentyFourBit that S&H have a new record done and ready for release in early 2010. Kinda surprising that Stereogum didn’t mention S&H in their most anticipated albums of 2010. Seriously though… new shit from MGMT? The Avalanches? LCD Soundsystem? Spoon? HELL YES 2010 is gonna kick 2009’s ass.
Just a quick note: just confirmed last night that I’ll be guest DJing at La Paz‘s new location this friday night with DJ Potamus. The new location is where Ombi Bar used to be. (2214 Elliston Pl.) Please do come out and have blast with us. I’m bringin’ some hot new jamz, and Potamus always kills it.
Also, my photography exhibit at Vanderbilt is coming down soon (Dec. 11th), so if you want to see it, I’d suggest coming one night this week or next. Night is best because Vanderbilt parking is slightly less of a nightmare then. It’s in the Sarratt Student Center. Google map here. Rather than wandering around trying to find the Rand Promenade, just ask the front desk attendant for directions. If you’ve ever been to WRVU, it’s in the same building.
I have a batch of winter ale in the bottles now. It’ll be ready in a couple of weeks… I’m pretty sure it’s going to be my best batch yet because it smells really good. I basically took a pre-made Porter recipe and added some winter spices to it.
WRVU benefit tonight/Gwar artwork
November 19, 2009
In case you’ve been under a rock lately, or are just utterly unfamiliar with Vanderbilt’s student radio station WRVU, there’s been a bit of a shitstorm recently regarding a new rule put in place by their governing body. In short, the board of directors for Vanderbilt Student Communications (which is a separate corporate entity from Vanderbilt) voted to cap the number of community DJs. Community DJs are ones who are not Vanderbilt students, faculty, staff, or alumni. Simply read some of the comments at the Nashville Cream post if you’re unfamiliar. I simply do not have enough knowledge of the situation to form a firm opinion, but I am pretty disgusted at how nasty some of the comments on that post were. It’s horrible that members of our local music scene resorted to name-calling and personal attacks, though I do understand where their anger comes from. Personally, the most I can opine on the matter is to say that the number limit should not be on the overall number of community DJs, but rather the number of shows/time slots given to community DJs. Also, as a former DJ at 88.3 WMTS (MTSU’s student station) which had no community DJs at all, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to limit the amount of community DJ involvement. I’ve always thought that our local music scene/community was lucky to have college radio station that allowed non Vanderbilt-affiliated people to host shows. However, given the very different student demographic and level of interest in the two stations, it’s difficult to make a comparison. But, it’s also obvious that WRVU wouldn’t be half as good as it is without the community DJs. They really add a lot to the programming, especially the diversity. But I happen to know many DJs who are current or former students and they have great taste in music, and also come out to support the local music scene, contrary to what many Cream commenters seem to think. I must digress before this post turns into a novel… the main purpose here is to make sure that you know about tonight’s WRVU benefit show at the End, featuring my new band POWERBRRRD, Vermicious K’nids, Westfolk, and Cheer Up Charlie Daniels. The show also serves as CUCD’s vinyl release show. Please do come out for the sheer sake of supporting the bands, if nothing else. Boycotting the show as some have suggested is childish and disrespectful to the bands. And honestly, the people behind the community DJ cap decision could probably care less if you boycott the benefit show. Furthermore, it will only deepen the divide that has developed between the local rock community and WRVU. So please do come out and support the bands at the very least.
And now to lighten your mood, go read Hipster Runoff’s musings about what it would be like working for Twitter. Then look at this stunningly beautiful and inspiring artwork for the new Gwar album Lust in Space. (Via Brooklyn Vegan)
Geez, where did this day go? Since it’s already so late in the day, I’m just going to sum everything up into tidbit format:
Wanda Jackson at the 5 Spot
Jack White apparently got bored between his 3 bands and is producing a new album for recent RNR Hall of Fame inductee Wanda Jackson. I can’t see how this could be anything but awesome, and maybe better than his album with Loretta Lynn. I had the distinct pleasure of photographing her show at the 5 Spot back in Feb. of this year. Amazing show…. (Via Nashville Cream and Pitchfork)
The Who are strongly rumored to be the halftime entertainment at Super Bowl XLIV. No official confirmation from the NFL yet, though. (Via A.V. Club via Sports Illustrated)
Finally, please do go feast your eyes on this amazing bird photography project by Andrew Zuckerman. Call it bird portraiture maybe? Regardless, you won’t be able to pull your eyes away from it until you’ve seen them all. (Via Kottke)
Them Crooked Vultures album stream/Penguin Parade mix
November 10, 2009
It seems like there’s been a ridiculous onslaught of supergroups coming out in the last 2 years (most of which somehow involve Jack White). Amazingly, supergroup Them Crooked Vultures (Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, Josh Homme, and Alain Johannes) decided they had the sheer starpower to pull off a small US tour before even releasing a single recording to the masses. It seems crazy until you realize that a lineup like that could sell out a medium-sized venue even if they were doing nothing more than farting into mics on stage. They’ve finally released details of their album, and you can stream the whole thing on their youtube. (Odd place to stream your album?) (Via Stereogum)
Sam Patton of the WRVU radio show Penguin Parade, and founding member of the now-defunct (or at least on-hiatus) Left Can Dance, did the November mix for Blogging Is Serious Business. I haven’t had a chance to listen yet, but I have no doubt of its quality. Go grab it now. And if you haven’t grabbed my October mix for BISB, go grab that, too. This is somewhat old news now, but Justin Kase (who runs BISB) has a new remix/original music project called Fitout, and you can sample part of his remix of Little Boots’ Earthquake on the Fitout bandcamp page.
Next month I should have some tasty new beer ready for consumption. This is the first batch where I’ve toyed around with the recipe a bit. Basically I used a Brewer’s Best pre-packaged kit for a Robust Porter, but I added some ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon. I’m gonna call it a “Holiday Porter.” The wort smelled exactly like gingerbread cookies, so I’m thinking maybe this will come out tasting something like them as well… but who knows? It’s an experiment for sure. Look for this batch to be ready sometime around Dec. 12th.
steve cross loves music and science 