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.
First of all, I was very happy to hear that Nashville’s own Arnold Myint, head chef and owner of P.M., Cha Cha, and Suzy Wong’s House of Yum, has made it to the next season of Top Chef, which will begin airing on Bravo on June 16th. More info on that at the Tennessean. (Via Nashvillest twitter)
Now for what to do this weekend:
Friday there’s a helluva one-two punch at the Cannery/Mercy Lounge. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings will be soulin’ it up downstairs while My So-Called Band will be igniting your 90’s nostalgia upstairs. I’ll be shooting the Sharon Jones show, then DJing some 90’s jock jams after MSCB. So please do head over to Mercy and keep on dancin’ after the show.
Saturday is all about the rockabilly as Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, Pine Hill Haints, and The Clutters invade Mercy Lounge.
This Nashvillest post also has several flood benefits going on this weekend. Be sure to check one of those out.
I’ll go ahead and mention that this coming Monday is the final installment of the Road to Bonnaroo series, featuring Space Capone, My Tyger, Heartbeater, Deep Fried Five, And The Relatives, Delta Saints, Pico Vs. Island Trees, and Cheer Up Charlie Daniels. This one should be interesting.
Also worthy of mention, the Nashville’s Dead kids did a pretty cool video interview segment with Pujol and friends, complete with guitar amps in the middle of the road… and lots of luv. Check it below:
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.
Many congrats to Ms. Caitlin Rose on her victory at last night’s Road to Bonnaroo: part 3 at Mercy Lounge. She will join the Non-Commissioned Officers, How I Became the Bomb, and the winner of round 4 at Bonnaroo this summer. I was honestly a little bit surprised by the outcome, because anyone who’s attended these events before knows that flashy stage shows and crazy outfits often win the night, and both Dozen Dimes and Majestico had their fair share of stage flair. Mikky Ekko had some face paint but I call bullshit on that one- because it looks almost exactly like that of Man Man. However, Caitlin’s sheer talent and musicianship carried her to the top. Even more surprising was that she won the crowd vote, but came in 2nd in the judge vote. Usually the crowd is more easily swayed by the stage flair. It just goes to show the virtue of pure talent and musicianship. My pics from the event are on the Nashville Cream.
The main music tidbit today comes from De Novo Dahl. They spontaneously have decided to offer their new album Tigerlion for free download on their bandcamp today only. Get it while it’s hot!
Non-Comms win Road to Bonnaroo/WRATH OF THE HIPPIES soon to come
February 23, 2010
The Non-Commissioned Officers will be playing at Bonnaroo this summer as they are the winners of the first Road to Bonnaroo series. The twitter-verse was abuzz this morning with retweets galore about the news. Look for my photos on the Nashville Cream later this morning. I have to say I had a hard time choosing between the Non-Comms and The Privates, and my ballot choice shall remain a mystery.
It must be pointed out that Nashville’s own jam-band superstars Moon Taxi were on this bill. It must also be pointed out that they probably put more effort into preparing for this show than any other band on the bill. They had their own special moving lights, as well as some really cool glowstick outfits. While that kind of effort and showmanship is great, it has to be backed up by GOOD SONGS. There has never been a jam-band that could write good songs. There will never be a jam-band that can write good songs because that’s part of what makes them a jam-band. Their songs all sound the fucking same because they pointlessly noodle around on guitar solos for hours on end. Ultimately that’s why the judges vote counts 50% of the score at this event- because the judges can see through the flashy lights and understand that there’s a major core component that’s missing in Moon Taxi’s music- the SONG. I heard someone say “well, they’re the perfect band to play Bonnaroo…” NO THEY’RE NOT. THERE ARE ENOUGH FUCKING JAM-BANDS AT BONNAROO ALREADY.
It was quite clear that they did the best job of crowd-recruiting, however, and I’m fairly sure they won the crowd vote for that reason. (That’s also another reason judges count for 50% of the vote.) It was evident that they have an army of hippies ready and willing to execute their every command, and for that reason I recommend that the Scene and Mercy Lounge hire round-the-clock security, because the WRATH OF THE HIPPIES is soon to come. Specifically be on the lookout for patchouli smoke grenades and dreadlock-wax napalm.
Oh, and Born Empty probably still thinks Incubus is cool.
Road to Bonnaroo tonight/new New Porn
February 22, 2010
Tonight is the first Road to Bonnaroo 8 off 8th at Mercy Lounge. It’s the first of 4, and the competition is already hot. The lineup is as follows:
Born Empty
Kyle Andrews
Moon Taxi
Mona
The Non-Commissioned Officers
Parachute Musical
Ponderosa
The Privates
One of these bands will be going to Bonnaroo, and you can help decide by showing up and casting your vote. I can attest to the fact that these bands go ALL OUT for this, so even if you’ve seen one of these bands recently, come on out because they’ll pull out every last trick and gimmick they can think of to give them that extra edge. I also urge you to keep an open mind, and don’t come into it already “knowing” which band you’re gonna vote for. For more info, including song samples and videos from each band, visit the Mercy Lounge calendar.
I’m always surprised at how busy the New Pornographers can stay, given that most of their members already have fairly big solo careers. But amazingly, they have another studio album called Together due out on Matador on May 4th. Head over to You Ain’t No Picasso to grab the first free track, called “Your Hands (Together).” I enjoyed the track more than anything from their last album, so I’m hoping the rest of Together is along the same lines. I don’t know if they’ll ever top Twin Cinema, however. That record will probably always stay the top of the NP catalog in my humble opinion.
We Own This Town did a fun little interview with Jessi Darlin, of Those Darlins. She talks about how insanely busy they’ve been, and shares a few road stories. Check it out.
Surfer Blood/some tidbits/weekend
February 19, 2010
As I’ve said before, I’m often skeptical of “blog buzz” bands that get over-hyped and often fall far short of the expectations bestowed upon them. But sometimes my tastes and interest phases perfectly with one of those bands. Last year the best example of that was The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Phenomenal band, amazing record, good live, etc… and they completely deserved all the media love. I honestly think they’ll be back on the radar soon with a new album that’s every bit as good as their debut. This year I’m joining the chorus of bloggers who are hyping Floridians Surfer Blood. I recently picked up their debut Astro Coast and loved almost every minute of it. It’s filled with some fine guitar work backed by great songwriting. It’s well-produced and I highly recommend not only getting the album, but also coming to see them this Saturday night at The End, along with Turbo Fruits, CY, and Holiday Shores. If you don’t feel like paying and/or staying up late, you can also catch them at an in-store at Grimey’s earlier in the day. But I’d get there early because this one will probably fill up fast. I’ll be at the End photographing, and possibly at the Grimey’s show too. For a much more adroit write-up, read Matt Sullivan’s Critic’s Pick for the Scene. He’s, you know, a real writer.
Some other goodness happening this weekend:
Local Honey overstock sale tonight 6-9pm. Come snatch up some new threads as Shea gets rid of some overstock to make room for new spring stuff. There will also be free spiked punch.
Also tonight- Hammertorch, Heartbeater, and the Gills at the 5 Spot.
Saturday- If Surfer Blood isn’t your thing, and beards are, then check out the official FINAL Whiskerino throwdown at Mercy Lounge. I really wish this hadn’t clashed with Surfer Blood, because this will be a sight to behold. Playing: Codaphonic, Roy Ira, and Kidstatic.
I should also mention that Monday is the 1st installment of Mercy Lounge’s Road to Bonnarroo series. This one features Born Empty, Mona, Ponderosa, Moon Taxi, The Private, The Non-Commissioned Officers, Kyle Andrews, and Parachute Musical. The competition is fierce!
A couple of newsy tidbits:
This is old news now, but worth a mention nonetheless: My So-Called Band officially launched their website… on Angelfire. Complete with animated GIFs, auto-play MIDI version of “Dreams” by the Cranberries, and hit counter.
Makeup & Vanity Set started a Facebook fan page. Become a fan if you love him. If you don’t, then you should. Oh, and he has a new record coming out in March. Look for an interview with him to be posted here soon.
Caitlin Rose got a nice blurb in Grazia Daily in the UK. Check it out at Aaron Hartley’s tumblr.
Have a great weekend!
Weekend craziness/Meemaw/meteorites
January 22, 2010
Combined science/music post today. Not much time….
A meteorite about the size of a fist crashed through the roof of a doctor’s office in Virginia on monday. Reports say that it was traveling about 220 MPH when it hit the roof. There’s a common misconception that all meteorites hit the ground as a fireball and cause a crater. The truth is only the really big ones, about car-size and up, actually have enough inertia to keep up those kinds of speeds all the way to the ground. The smaller ones that reach the ground have long since been slowed by the friction of the atmosphere, and usually hit at speeds anywhere from 100 to 300 mph, depending on the size and weight. I don’t want to spend much time on this so go here or here for more info.
Now for the music.
I mentioned a while back that beloved Nashville scrap-punkers Meemaw decided to end their hiatus. Well, the time has come! It all goes down tonight at The End, along with Marj!, So Jazzy, and JEFF the Brotherhood. I don’t really know if you can quite call it an interview, but please do check out this gem of a video segment of them talking/playing a new song/goofing off over at Nashville’s Dead. Good times.
Unfortunately this had to happen the same night as a ton of other good stuff in town.
One of the aforementioned other things is the special edition of Happy Valley at the Cannery Ballroom, where I will be running the Generation Domination photobooth. It’s part of Mercy Lounge’s 7-year anniversary party, but unlike the other show upstairs, it will cost a meager $5 to get into. The FREE show upstairs will consist of The Non-commissioned Officers, The Ettes, De Novo Dahl, Apollo Up, and the two secret guests have now been revealed- The Features and Turbo Fruits. That has to be the most amazing lineup of local rock I’ve seen in a long time.
On Saturday Mercy is once again the place to be, as the last day of their week of free shows consists of Space Capone, How I Became the Bomb, Heypenny, Madi Diaz, Tallest Trees, and Armed Forces. This amazing lineup will be followed by the return of BFF, featuring yours truly and Fan Fiction of Nashville Nights on the decks, and we promise to keep your butt on the dancefloor till the wee hours.
In case you missed the memo, BFF was a weekly dance party held by me (Burgers) and Joseph (Fan Fiction) at Mad Donna’s in east Nashville. That location turned out to be not quite right for what we were trying to do, so instead of keeping BFF as a monthly staple, we decided to just let it be the branding we use whenever/wherever we spin together. There are two upcoming BFF-related events, the first of which I just mentioned, and the other is Feb. 5th at La Paz. More details are in the pipeline about that, but I’ll say now that it’s probably going to be the official afterparty for the Features’/Cortney Tidwell/Majestico show which just a block away at Exit/In. It’s gonna be a blast y’all.
Have a great weekend!
Lineup announcements
January 19, 2010
Today is a day of announcements.
If you’re a Nashvillian surely you know that Mercy Lounge is hosting a series of free shows this week featuring the best of Nashville’s local rock. It’s their 7-year anniversary bash. You may have seen that they had two “special secret guests” in addition to Friday’s already awesome lineup of the Non-Commissioned Officers, How I Became the Bomb, De Novo Dahl, and the Ettes. Today they announced the 1st of those two special guests: The Features. Apparently you’ll have to wait until friday to see the other one. I smell another Kings of Leon rumor mill/controversy on the horizon… keep checking their calendar for updates, or follow them on Twitter.
Rumors abound about possible Bonnaroo lineups/headliners. Here’s one blog that attempts to predict some of the artists. (Via Nashville Cream)
And of course, today was the official announcement of the 2010 Coachella lineup. This should allow you to hone your Bonnaroo predictions a bit, if you’re into that sort of thing. Here’s the lineup:
Wes Anderson/weekend stuff
January 15, 2010
First, you must watch this delightful stop-motion award acceptance speech from Wes Anderson. It will improve your day drastically:
(Via Clusterflock)
Now, for what’s going down this weekend….
TONIGHT: I will be at the End taking pics of Jemina Pearl/The Ettes/Daniel Pujol. Also of interest- FREE Glam Rock cover night at Mercy Lounge, featuring members of Superdrag, the Shazam, Matt Friction, Dave Paulson, and more. Also- Natural Child cassette release show @ Springwater, with Diarrhea Planet, Daniel Pujol (guess he’s playing 2 shows tonight?), State Champion, and Giving Up.
SATURDAY: My So-Called Band, Guilty Pleasures, Long Players, Weekend Jimmy & the Easy Party @ Mercy Lounge, FREE. It’s the kickoff to Mercy’s 7-year anniversary bash, featuring 7 FREE shows. (But since the Glam rock night is free too… I guess they’re technically having 8 free shows in a row.) More on that in future posts.
Last but not least, two awesome local independent businesses, Halcyon Bike Shop and Grimey’s New & Preloved Music, have been nominated for the “To Love a Local Business” competition at Intuit, the company that markets QuickBooks. It’s a competition for a series of $5,000 grants and one $35,000 grant. I’d be more than happy to see either of these businesses get the grant(s). Vote for Halcyon or vote for Grimey’s. I don’t care which you vote for, just VOTE.
steve cross loves music and science 