Slow weekend/Caitlin Rose’s album gets U.S. release date
November 12, 2010
Before we get to the sparse show listings for this weekend, here’s some long-awaited local music news:
Caitlin Rose’s debut album Own Side Now will finally see a US release on March 15 of next year. People state-side have been wondering and waiting for news as to the US release, since it’s been out in the UK and Europe for several months now. The release will be followed-up by what should be a pretty extensive US tour in the spring/summer months. Good news indeed, for a truly great album.
Wow. It’s a slow weekend in Nashville, rock show-wise. I honestly have nothing for you tonight. Nada.
TONIGHT:
I almost forgot about Black Mountain/Black Angels tonight at Mercy Lounge. But personally they are too jammy for my taste. So… meh.
Wooops. That show was actually last (Thursday) night.
SATURDAY:
Mashville ft. DJs Wick-It, Bitch Please, Mike Vulcan, and Bateman @ The End. 9pm $5
SUNDAY:
Codaphonic, Listen Like Thieves, Kat Jones, and StereoPhidelics @ the 5 Spot, 9pm $5
I must also mention that my band POWERBRRRD will be playing a Rock the Block at the Exit/In on Tuesday, along with Nite Nite, The Grayces, Frank the Fuck Out, and Little Viking. POWERBRRRD will be debuting our new 4-piece lineup, so make of that what you will.
Yeah! Have a good weekend!
Lots of good things happen tonight
October 6, 2010
Before I talk about the nerdy television shows which will be on tonight, I must mention that Nashville rockers Heartbeater released their debut album Slow Waves yesterday. I totally forgot to mention it. Hell I’ve only heard a couple of the songs, but I know it’s an awesome record because I’ve seen them live many times, and they are just that good. The main strongpoint is the amazing chemistry between the two guitar players whose parts are almost always playing off each other and harmonizing. Check them out at heartbeater.net or their label’s bandcamp.
Now for some serious nerding-out.
- Obama finally got a clue and is having solar panels installed on the White House. It’s about fucking time!
- Tonight is the season premier of Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel. The myths their testing tonight both involve dogs, so this will surely be an adorable episode.
- Of course, directly following Mythbusters will be the 2nd episode of Phil Plait’s Bad Universe. This time he will be studying the realities of alien attacks and the overall existence of extraterrestrials, as well as the grim realities of interstellar travel. Two of my favorite things back to back=me having a nerd-out. Here’s a sneak peak at tonight’s episode:
First, I must point you to the official Next BIG Nashville schedule. It’s up, and it will probably change, but it’s there so start planning which sacrifices to make. Planning your schedule at these types of music festivals is always a delicate balance between seeing people you know and like, and branching out to see some new acts you might not get to see otherwise.
Secondly, I have some exciting news that some people know about, but others don’t. I will be doing a photo documentary project with Those Darlins next week; joining them on a week-long leg of their tour with Strange Boys and Gentleman Jesse & His Men. I got the idea after the death of famous rock photographer Jim Marshall last year. News of his death got me thinking about his photographs, and how a lot of the truly iconic shots are very casual, candid, off-beat images taken off the stage. I thought about how I could do more of that type of behind-the-scenes work (not that my images will ever be as iconic as Marshall’s shots of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and the like), and I thought of Those Darlins. I’ve known them for years, they’re some of the best people I know, they have room in their van, and after some discussions with their awesome manager John “JT” Turner, this idea is now becoming a reality. They’re what most would consider a mid-level act, but they’re headed for higher places and I think it’s the right time to do this type of project with a band like them. Those Darlins know how to party, and I think the results of this little experiment will be interesting. So, if you’re in Chapel Hill, D.C., New York, Cambridge, or Brooklyn, I hope to see you at one of the shows! Obviously, I may not be posting much next week…
My other news is simply that Miami Horror is awesome and you should go buy their album now. Seriously, I’ve been seeing mp3’s from these guys popping up in the blogosphere for a few months and I kept thinking “oh, this is an awesome track… nice…” But just yesterday I saw my friend Joseph’s review of their debut album on his blog Nashville Nights and it finally clicked in my head that these guys were different than your average “3 or 4 singles a year” DJs/producers. I urge you to checkout the quality interview Joseph did with them as well… I totally agree with his sentiment that it’s hard to find a good, quality dance floor album these days. There really are no sleepers or filler on this album- pure quality all the way through. Honestly this material is exactly what I personally want out of electronic/dance music: it’s got a great disco-ey, funky groove to it, smooth bass lines, and most of all the songs are songs, not just a bunch of loops layered together that build and fade (via trancewave). If you like Cut Copy, AIR, or Neon Indian, you will love this record. This is the best thing to come out of Australia since Silverchair. J/K J/K J/K
Miami Horror-I Look To You (Ft. Kimbra)
Oh, and the link to buy the album goes to Amazon. Fuck iTunes and their non-mp3/non-DJable formats. And while I’m at it, fuck their new ugly skin/layout for iTunes 10, too.
Heavy Cream LP release tonight/New Cee-Lo
August 24, 2010
Local lady-punks (and one dude) Heavy Cream have been tearing up the eastern US the past few months touring, including some NYC shows and Brooklyn Vegan love. They’ve had their new LP Danny on sale at their shows, but tonight is the official release party right here in Nashville. They’ve gathered some very awesome guests to join them, too: Those Darlins, and a “70’s dance party hosted by Jeff the Brotherhood,” along with a DJ set by Nashville’s Dead. It all goes down at Billup’s Art (1008-C Woodland St.) in East Nashville. $10 gets you in but apparently there’s free beer. Can’t complain there. Here’s the smashingly catchy track “Watusi.”
If you have been on the internet the past couple of days I’d be surprised if you hadn’t heard about the new Cee-Lo single “FU.” It’s the shit. It’s amazingly awesome. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and post a remix from Chromemusic (not a full remix, just a little extra drums and vocals added).
Cee-Lo Green-Fuck You (bitch blonde xbox nadja says hi rmx)
Happy Tuesday.
I’m swamped by a large project at work and dealing with a burglary of our house which occurred friday, so this will be short and sweet:
Nashville’s And The Relatives are gearing up for the release of their full-length debut album Green Machinery. I’ve known these dudes and been a fan for a good 2 years or more, and in that time they’ve really developed their own sound. You can stream the unmastered track “Hammer Down” at Future Sounds. You can also download 3 free tracks, 2 of which feature ATR Theory 8 labelmate Caitlin Rose on guest vocals, at their bandcamp. Needless to say, after hear “Hammer Down,” I’m eager to hear the rest of this album. I have a feeling it’s going to be my favorite material by them yet. Yes, they’re “good old indie rock” as FS describes, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t some of the best “good old indie rock” I’ve heard in quite a while.
Also, I would just like to comment that Arcade Fire and their management are pretty clever to offer the new album The Suburbs for sale on Amazon.com the very first day of its release. You can get it for a mere $3.99. That’s one hella good way to score higher album sales in week 1, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they end up charting in the top 5.
Make-out With Violence gets DVD release/weekend shows
July 30, 2010
Locally made/produced indie film Make-out With Violence will finally get a DVD release this fall via the distributor Factory 25. Order your copy now at their website, or at the very least put it in your netflix queue. I took some on-set still photos on one of their underwater shoot days waaaay back in 2005 and have been friends with the filmmakers ever since. This is a truly remarkable film, given the budgetary circumstances and relative inexperience of the cast. The directors were able to draw some impressive performances out of them, and the editing, lighting, and cinematography are all top-notch. Most impressive, however, is the soundtrack. Written and performed mostly by Jordan and Eric Lehning (a few songs were by a band called the Glib), the songs fit the story perfectly. The soundtrack is great just as an album by itself. If you haven’t seen the Non-Commissioned Officers (the band created to perform the songs live to raise money for the movie) yet, you are really missing out and should remedy that problem as soon as possible. Congrats on getting the DVD release, guys! PS: You can catch a special screening of the movie TONIGHT at the Belcourt Theater as part of the Halloween in July Film Festival!
Now for some stuff to do this weekend.
FRIDAY:
Max & the Wild Things CD release party @ The End, with The Roses, The Grayces, and The Pipeline. 9pm, $5
The Ettes @ 12th & Porter, with Kink Ador and Mother Father. 9pm $??
SATURDAY:
I’ll be at the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp showcase at Siegel High School. (This year they had to move it out of MTSU’s Tucker Theater due to renovations.) Seriously, come support this awesome youth music camp, and also enter the always-awesome raffle they’ll have going at the door (this year they have a vintage Gretch guitar valued at $750). Doors open at 6 and the show starts at 7, so get there early!
SUNDAY:
Deer Tick w/ Dead Confederate and Pujol @ Exit/In. This will be a good one! 9pm, $10
Have a great weekend!
The Comfies Present: Benjamin A. Harper’s Fantôme
June 2, 2010
After a long, liver-abusing Memorial Day weekend, I’m back.
Last year Benjamin A. Harper (not that Ben Harper) of the Comfies released The Comfies Present: Benjamin A. Harper in This Ship Is Going Down. It was the first of a planned 3-EP series, and he’s just released the second of that series, The Comfies Present: Benjamin A. Harper’s Fantôme. As all smart artists do, he’s using Bandcamp to distribute his music, so go grab the new EP there. It’s on the name-your-own-price plan, so it can be free if you want it to be. The EP has a full range of song tempo and mood. From the toe-tapping straightforward power pop of “Shake It Like You Mean It” to the soft instrumental melancholy of “Christmas Eve Eve,” this EP covers a lot of ground in 6 short tracks. Harper is at his best in the higher-energy tracks of the collection, but one that is quickly growing on me is “Chemicals,” which features some very nice string arrangements. Ben actually played almost every instrument on these recordings, which is probably the main reason for the 10-month lag between releases. Or maybe I just had it my head that the releases were all set for a quick-succession release schedule for some reason… either way, I hope the next and final one comes soon!
The official EP release show is July 2nd at the End with Tristen. Be there.
Before I list this weekend’s Nashville show offerings, there are a few newsy-bits that need to be shared:
Caitlin Rose stopped by the Daytrotter studio recently to record a lovely live session. Go grab the mp3’s here… the free ones are an ugly 128 kb/s in quality, but for a measly $4 you can get the high quality version. I still haven’t heard an official release date for her album (which was recently completed), but it should be this coming fall/winter. (Via Yewknee via Hartley)
Some other big news from the Hartley camp- De Novo Dahl’s new album Tigerlion is officially out, and you can get it at their bandcamp for whatever price you wish to pay. They celebrate the release tonight at Mercy Lounge. (More on that below.)
Brooklynvegan is a bit behind on their coverage of Nikkin Darlin’s injury, but I mention the post because they included a pretty cool short documentary video about them that was shot during this year’s SXSW. Check it:
Now for this weekend’s plethora of show offerings…
FRIDAY
As I mentioned above, tonight is the release party for De Novo Dahl’s new album Tigerlion. It’s at Mercy Lounge, they’ve enlisted the help of How Cozy!, Tallest Trees, and Fly Golden Eagle. The show’s proceeds will benefit Ms. Candice Burnside, who you’ll know if you ever frequented Grimey’s New & Preloved Music over the past few years. She’s currently battling breast cancer (which as I understand, she’s all but won).
There’s a pretty kickass house show happening tonight in east Nashville- the Non-Commissioned Officers, Tristen, and the Whole Fantastic World. More info on the facebook event.
I must also mention that tonight is the 2-year birthday of Happy Valley, taking place at the Cannery Ballroom. Jim O’Shea and the staff of Cannery Ballroom have put their heads together to create a light show/atmosphere that will surely blow your mind. DJ’s are Coach, Mindub, Sanchez & the Shockers, Ducko, and Hands off Sam. I also hear that a certain hat wearin’, trash talkin’, Dime managin’, former oil tycoon will be there….
SATURDAY
There’s yet another benefit for Candice Burnside happening on Saturday, this time at the Exit/In, with none other than the Features, Cortney Tidwell, and a re-united (with a slightly different lineup) Hotpipes. There will also be DJs between bands: Sean Maloney (as LWWS LRRRGNT), Curse of the Drinking Class, and yours truly (Burgers). Facebook event here.
The other big show for Saturday is the Moustache May closing party at Mercy Lounge. Michael Eades has put together a great lineup for this one: The Whole New Usuals, Tristen, Shaboi, Roy Ira, and Uncle Skeleton. The big story here is Uncle Skeleton, the (formerly) side project of Ross Wariner of Kindercastle fame. Ross put out his debut album Pancho Chumley last year under the Uncle Skeleton moniker, and now the follow-up Warm Under the Covers will be unofficially released at this show. I say unofficially because Mr. Eades (whose label YK Records is handling the album) said “Sadly, the vinyl version will not be available in time for the release so I’m not making it official official until that time.”
I must also mention now, since it’s Memorial Day weekend, that this coming Monday, May 31st is my next 8 off 8th. It’s actually 7 off 8th, but that’s because it’s the official afterparty of the Rock & Roll Trivia 1-year anniversary, which is happening earlier that night and may run a little later than usual due to the festivities. The lineup is (in no particular order): The Whole Fantastic World, Bad Cop, Powerbrrrd, How Cozy!, Evan P. Donohue, Zut Alors, and Kingston Springs. As always, it’s FREE and is 21+. They also have $2.50 Yuenglings. Flyer (links to facebook event):
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)
steve cross loves music and science 