DJ A-Trak’s Dirty South Dance 2 mixtape is officially available for free download today via his Bandcamp. This mix follows up his 2007 release Dirty South Dance, and continues his style of blending popular hip hop vocal lines with more electro/dance beats. Personally I’m a fan just about everything he does, but then again who isn’t? Dude is one of the most well-respected DJs in the world right now. Just go grab the mix and enjoy. (Via A-Trak’s blog)
Speaking of DJs and dancing, Justin Kase is apparently planning a revival of the post-Buddytown/pre-Happy Valley era Youth Group parties at a yet-to-be-disclosed new location. Kase is planning to move to L.A. this September, thus the emphasis on making the most of this summer. More info will posted here as soon as I know it, but I’m sure it’ll be well-publicized.
Tonight is the final Road to Bonnaroo 8 off 8th at Mercy Lounge. Come early and stay late, and cast your vote not based on who you’re friends with, but who fucking rocks your face off. I’ll be there shooting pics as usual. Lineup is: Heartbeater, My Tyger, Pico Vs. Island Trees, Delta Saints, Space Capone, Cheer Up Charlie Daniels, And The Relatives, and Deep Fried Five.
On a side note- if you’re in Nashville, please check your property for standing/stagnant water. The recent floods combined with the typical hot/humid summer weather will make the mosquito population explode this year, so if we don’t take measures to prevent them from breeding, we may be in for one very itchy, West-Nile virus-ridden summer. Mosquitoes breed in even the smallest areas of standing water- empty flower pots, buckets, old tires, etc… All you have to do is simply empty them out after it rains, or put them in a place where they won’t collect rainwater. If you (like Megan and me) use a rain barrel to water your lawn/garden/flowers, you can get tablets at any gardening store that when dissolved in said rain barrel, will prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the water. I like summer for the most part, but I absolutely dread dealing with mosquitoes every year. I’m cursed with a pretty significant reaction to their bites, and they usually leave me with a quarter-size whelp that lasts a couple of weeks. So, for your own sanity and the sake of everyone else’s, PLEASE take measures to minimize the mosquito population this summer! For more info read this article from WKRN.
Kelly Kerr is what most would call a “veteran” of the Murfreesboro music scene. This guy has been around for years, played in tons of bands, was involved with the now-defunct Vacant Cage Records, and had a steady stream of solo projects. He even started a small brewing company called Bucket City Brew (which is part of the reason I started brewing). His latest project is called Kelly Kerr & The Distractions, and it’s easily his most notable endeavor. They are about to release their 2nd album, titled Chronological Disorder: How to Pass History in 13 Easy Steps, next week on May 11th. The album is comprised of songs all about various topics in US history, and is his best work to date. The recording quality is better than anything I’ve heard from him before, and the songs are all well-produced. Snag the track “Eli Whitney” below, and go to their Bandcamp page to get two other free tracks. Also check out their official website for some clever video commercials, show listings, etc… The album release show is May 22nd at Foobar, and will feature supporting acts Superstar Machine (Seth Graves’ official new chillwave project), and Streetlight Allstars.
Kelly Kerr & The Distractions- Eli Whitney
This weekend has a lot of good shows, most of which are benefits for victims of the recent flood disaste:
First of all, I have to plug my own band’s show this Saturday at the End. It’s Powerbrrrd’s first show in many months and while I’d like to say that we’ve been holed-up recording all this time, that is not the case. We’ve just been lazy, and getting a new drummer (I moved to bass and guitar), Jesse Baker. This show also serves as Diarrhea Planet’s EP release. Also playing- Frank the Fuck Out, Spanish Candles, and Bad Cop. Seriously, this one y’all don’t want to miss! Of course, it IS a flood benefit, so that $5 you pay at the door all goes to Hands on Nashville.
Tonight: The art space/zine shop/venue collective known as Little Hamilton is having some money woes, and are thus having a benefit show tonight to help raise $$$ so they can pay their rent. It’s a dance party featuring DJ Jade Payne and others, and starts at 9pm. 1318 Little Hamilton St.
Also tonight- Space Capone’s CD release party w/ Mikky Ekko @ Mercy Lounge.
Sunday there’s another great flood benefit show happening at Rocketown. This one will feature a shitload of bands, including Heavy Cream, Daniel Pujol, So Jazzy, Ben Steine’s Money, Big Surr, and many more. Important: this one is at Rocketown’s NEW LOCATION of 522 5th Ave South.
If you missed the awesome flood benefit show this past Wed. night at Mercy Lounge as I did, check out Nashville Cream’s Spin review of it. They also have some nice footage of it there, too.
Have a great weekend!
Nashville Flood photos/volunteer info
May 4, 2010
The flood waters that have turned Nashville into “Nashlantis” came close to our house but thankfully spared us. There are many, MANY who were not so lucky, so first and foremost I want to direct you to this post on Nashvillest, where they are continuously and tirelessly updating info about where volunteers are needeed, where they’re not, where supplies are needed, where they’re not, and just about anything else about how to help. Seriously, those girls deserve a medal of honor for their awesome work aggregating information and putting it all in one easy place. Morgan/Christy- I’m buying you both a drink next time I see you out. If manual labor is not your thing, the best thing you can do right now is CONSERVE WATER. As of now the water supply is perfectly fine and safe to drink, however officials are concerned that with one water treatment plant flooded and another threatened, Nashville may end up with a clean water shortage. LIMIT YOUR WATER USAGE TO ONLY THE ABSOLUTE NECESSITIES. WHEN YOU TAKE SHOWERS, LIMIT THEM TO 3 MINUTES OR LESS, AND DON’T USE DISHWASHERS OR LAUNDRY WASHING MACHINES. DON’T EVEN WADE THROUGH FLOOD WATER UNLESS YOU HAVE TO, BECAUSE IT IS LIKELY CONTAMINATED WITH RAW SEWAGE.
Relating this to the local music scene: there will be many benefit shows in the next few weeks, the first of which is happening at Mercy Lounge tomorrow (Wed.) night. They have turned their Cinco De Mayo party into a benefit show, and it will feature Paper Route, How I Became the Bomb, the Dozen Dimes, Hillbilly Casino, and possibly more. Please come out and donate some $$$ to help out. Also, my band Powerbrrrd had our first show in many months booked this Sat. May 8th at the End, and we’ve all decided to turn it into a benefit show as well. Other bands are Diarrhea Planet, Frank the Fuck Out, and Bad Cop, and Spanish Candles. We’re gonna try to start right at 9 since we’ve got 5 bands. It’s Diarrhea Planet’s EP release show as well.
If you’re interested in some of the statistics on this event, check out this public information statement from the National Weather Service containing most of the records that were set/broken this past weekend.
In dire times like these, it’s good to lighten the load on your mind for a minute and just laugh at something. So in case you haven’t already seen it, I give you the Great Nashville Weather Penis.
Here are a few select photos I took Sunday and Monday at the Farmer’s Market and in my neighborhood in north Nashville. The full set is on my flickr.
New Silver Seas/weekend shows
April 30, 2010
First of all, I apologize for a lack of posts this week. The first half of the week I was just being lazy, and the latter half I’ve been stricken with a wicked cold. But I’m doing much better today.
A few years ago when I had a radio show on 88.3 WMTS Murfreesboro, I did an interview with Daniel Tashian of The Silver Seas (who were then known as The Bees U.S.). They had just released a wonderful album called High Society, but since the release of that album they’ve kept a somewhat low profile. Now they’re finally gearing up the release of their next album Chateau Revenge, and you can actually order the album now in digital version only. The CD version will release July 6th. Though I haven’t heard the full album yet, you can stream snippets of the songs on their official website for the release. They’ve also released one track, called The Best Things In Life, for free. This song is simply pop perfection… I don’t know what else to say. In my humble opinion, it’s a perfectly executed, perfectly produced pop song. It was stuck in my head literally after the very first time I listened to it. The polished production fits perfectly with the songwriting style, and never crosses into “over-produced” territory. A full review of this record may come in a later post, but for now snag the mp3 below and put it on repeat. (Via We Own This Town)
The Silver Seas-The Best Things In Life
There are lots of good shows happening in Nashville this weekend, here are a few that stuck out to me:
Friday: Local Natives and Sucker @ The Basement; Treasure Fingers w/ Coach, Hands Off Sam, and Potamus @ Mai. (Treasure Fingers is effing amazing, if you into electronic/dance music at all, don’t miss this show!)
Saturday: Pretty Lights @ Limelight
Sunday: Avid Gardener, How Cozy!, Day Kids, Pharmacy Spirits, Conestyle, and Deluxin’ @ Little Hamilton.
Have great weekend!
Weekend shows & weather
April 23, 2010
This weekend is actually pretty good in terms of live music in Nashville. Here’s what’s on my radar:
The biggest story tonight and tomorrow is probably Rites of Spring at Vanderbilt, featuring the awesome one-two punch of Phoenix and Passion Pit. The full lineup is at the RoS website, but the only bands I’m even remotely interested in seeing are those two, and maybe Two Door Cinema Club. I will be there taking pics for the Scene as usual.
Friday: If outdoors festivals aren’t your thing, Chicken Ranch Records out of Austin, TX is doing a badass showcase at the Basement featuring The Clutters, We Were The States, Tiger Tiger, and Jimmy Duke & the Riot.
Saturday: If outdoor festivals aren’t your thing and afterparties are, you’ll want to head to 12th & Porter where the weekly Y2K DJs Coach and Hands off Sam will be joined by none other than members of Passion Pit, who will have (or not, depending on the weather) played Rites of Spring earlier that evening. DJ Potamus is also on the bill. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Passion Pit’s DJ sets- they did at least a few of them at SXSW this year.
Sunday: Peelander-Z w/ Tim Chad and Sherry & The Man Power at Exit/In. I saw Peelander-Z there a couple years ago and it was a blast. The bass player was literally hanging upside-down from the balcony. Just be prepared for some major crowd participation if you go.
Another big story this weekend is the weather. As you can see from the NWS severe weather outlook to the right, we’re in the “moderate risk” category for severe storms on saturday. The current thinking is that some storms will beigin to roll in very late tonight, sometime between 11pm and 3am, and hopefully not drenching tonight’s Rites of Spring festivities. Then the real action will start up saturday morning and basically be a threat all day long, into the evening. This is not just a few storms with a little hail and some wind, there is also a good possibility of tornadoes, and that’s why I have a strong feeling much of saturday’s Rites activities will end up getting canceled altogether. I can only hope for their sake that the threat passes by the evening AND that no damage is done to the stage/equipment so that the headliners can at least still play.
Important weather things to remember for saturday: The Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma issues severe weather watches. A watch is for a large area of land and means that conditions are favorable for severe weather to occur, but it is not an immediate threat. Our local National Weather Service office issues severe weather warnings. A warning is usually for a county or even just a city area and means that severe weather is actually occurring and will hit your area soon, so take cover. There’s always confusion on Vanderbilt’s campus regarding the on-campus vs. the downtown Nashville tornado sirens as well. Here’s how it works: the downtown Nashville siren goes off if there is a tornado warning issued for anywhere in Davidson County. The Vandy campus siren only goes off if a tornado warning is issued that specifically includes downtown Nashville. Thus, sometimes the downtown siren will go off and the Vandy campus one won’t (example: a warning issued for SE Davidson Co./LaVergne), and frankly it confuses the hell out of people on the Vandy campus. But that’s how it works.
Please be safe and heed all warnings this weekend!
Record Store Day/other Nashville music tidbits
April 16, 2010
Some other random tidbits I’ve come across:
Caitlin Rose was just confirmed for the End of the Road festival this Sept. in the UK. She also has a small UK tour scheduled for the spring/summer, and will be competing in the Road to Bonnaroo 8 off 8th this coming Monday at Mercy Lounge. (Via Hartley)
Natural Child got some blog love from Brooklyn Vegan. They’re playing a few shows in NYC this weekend, which is part of a bigger tour they’re currently on. They’ll also be hitting the road in June with labelmates JEFF the Brotherhood. You can also snag their track “Dogbite” from the post.
Makeup & Vanity Set released a new track called “Night Visions” to the masses via Bandcamp earlier this week. All you gotta do is give him your email address. I promise he won’t do anything bad with it.
I’ll leave you with this very…. homo-erotic… cover art from the new Scissor Sisters album Night Work, which comes out 6/29. Seriously though, would expect anything less from the Scissor Sisters?
Have a great weekend!
POWERBRRRD signs to Merge/tours with Superchunk
April 1, 2010
I’m happy to announce that my band POWERBRRRD has signed a deal with Merge Records. We will be releasing our debut album sometime this fall, followed by a tour of the US opening for Superchunk.
In other news:
1. Pithchfork gave MGMT’s new album Congratulations a perfect 10.0, as reported by Hipster Runoff.
2. The Rolling Stones played a secret show last night at the End, as reported by Nashville Cream.
Bekah Cope: photographer/iPhone rumors
March 31, 2010
The blog Nashville’s Dead has been kicking ass overall lately, as chronicled by the Scene in their People Issue from a few weeks back. I want to take a moment, however, to specifically point out the photography work of their main shuttergirl Bekah Cope. The photo to the left is of Turbo Fruits on Saturday night of SXSW at the Mohawk Patio. Not only was it an insane performance, as evidenced by the fact that Jonas is hanging upside-down from the rafters, but it’s the perfect shot to capture the essence of that particular show. Bekah shoots all shows with film and a simple on-camera flash in a way that most professionals try to avoid at all costs. But she fearlessly challenges the norm and as a result, her work has an entirely different aesthetic than what the more seasoned professionals go for. It’s good in a completely different way. Her perspective and style is refreshing and fits perfectly with DIY feel of Nashville’s Dead and the music they cover (a good majority of it is house shows). At times some of her photos almost hit the same spot on my visual palate as William Eggleston’s work does. Check out her SXSW photos at Nashville’s Dead and more of her stuff on her flickr.
I’ll take just a moment to express my opinions about the recent rumors of a Verizon/Sprint/T-Mobile iPhone coming soon. A Wall Street Journal article earlier this week mentioned that the iPhone will likely be opened up to other carriers as early as this summer. While has long been a matter of “when,” not “if,” I’m certainly excited that this is finally happening. I’m very skeptical, however, that a Verizon version of the phone will be on the market before 2011 or even later. Currently there are two main protocols for 3G (3rd generation) wireless networks: GSM and CDMA. I won’t get into the technical details, but basically T-Mobile and AT&T both use the GSM standard, while Sprint and Verizon use the CDMA standard. Obviously the iPhone is a GSM device since it’s currently only on AT&T, thus it would be relatively easy to make one for T-Mobile since they’re GSM as well. Building an iPhone for Verizon and Sprint, however, is a different ballgame because many of the components have to be different. This is why I think it may be a little longer before we see a CDMA iPhone. Though the report did mention that some companies are already building the components for CDMA iPhone, there’s a lot more to it than just building the device. Verizon is known to be cranky about the content delivered through their network, and while I have no idea what they have up their sleeve in regards to iPhone content, I have to say it’ll probably be different than it is on the AT&T network. I hope I’m wrong about that though. Furthermore, Verizon is supposedly going to unveil their new 4G network sometime next year, which will use the new LTE standard, which will supposedly become the universal standard for all wireless networks. So why are they building a CDMA phone in the first place when it’ll just be replaced in a couple of years? The reason this matters to me is that I’m one of the people who would love to have an iPhone, but refuse to switch to AT&T. This is because I constantly see people on AT&T having signal coverage issues. Case in point: the entire floor on which I work which is just slightly below street level is a total dead zone for ALL other carriers except Verizon. If I didn’t have Verizon, I would have no phone service ALL DAY LONG. I’ve seen the same thing happen in other buildings as well. Not to mention Verizon is way ahead of the rest of the pack in customer service ratings. Sorry for the rant.
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
steve cross loves music and science 