something less than intended

Yeah, I know.

2008-05-06T12:31:00.005-04:00

Yes, it's been a long time (over a year).

Yes, I've missed you too.

However, you and I aren't what's important right now. Pattern Is Movement is.

One of the reasons I haven't written in a while is because those two thugs pictured above steal all of my time these days. Why? Because they are the hardest working lumberjacks in showbiz since Monty Python.

And then there's the music...I've been listening to their new album, All Together (released today) for soooo long that it's hard for me to explain it. I can give some descriptors, but they are so all over the place that it won't really matter. I could compare them to other bands, but I really don't think that's going to help you understand it. It's Chris, and it's Andrew. And they make music unlike any other two piece on the planet. They are a force both live and recorded. Go see them. Go listen to them.

Two songs below...

Pattern Is Movement - Right Away

Pattern Is Movement - Bird

BUY IT HERE

Upcoming shows alongside Helio Sequence:

Tuesday, May 20th @ Black Cat, Washington DC

Wednesday, May 21st @ Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia (record release show)

Thursday, May 22nd @ Great Scott, Alston, MA

Friday, May 23rd @ Iron Horse, Northampton, MA

p.s. I'm probably starting a new blog soon...stay tuned.

Tops of 2006...a little late, I know.

2007-04-30T12:15:00.000-04:00

This naturally goes into the better-late-than-never category. While just looking for an old text file on my computer, I came across this. And I'm pretty surprised at how much my picks have held up. I'm still pretty much listening to all of these a good amount.

So here goes....
I put things into little categories so it's easier to digest, and these are in no real order.

The return of the 70's:
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
Comets on Fire - Avatar (how this hasn't been on any lists disturbs the hell out of me)

Great heavy metal:
Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Boris - Pink
Light This City - Facing the Thousand

Rune Grammofon's sweet 2006:
Huntsville, Susanna and the Magical Orchestra, Humcrush and Thomas Strønen's albums

Jim O'Rourke's sweet 2006:
Loose Fur - Born Again in the USA
Beth Orton - Comfort of Strangers

Music that just feels plain ol' American:
Califone - Roots & Crowns
American Princes - Less and Less

Favorite meandering fuzzy guitar song records:
TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Function - The Secret Miracle Fountain
Mono with World's End Girlfriend

Electronic music for being in my car alone:
Junior Boys - So This is Goodbye
Jan Jelinek - Tierbeobachtungen

A completely amazing year for percussion records:
the aformentioned Thomas Strønen record
Glenn Kotche's Mobile
So Percussions' Amid the Noise

A great year for deconstructing other genres and making it your own:
Ekkehard Ehlers - A Life Without Fear
Mats Gustafsson & David Stackenäs - Blues (late 2005)
Rafael Toral - Space

Not new, but new to me:
Captain Beyond - s/t (so unbelievably good) (UPDATE: found it on vinyl recently!)
Franco Battiato - everything
Egg - everything
The Action - Rolled Gold (instantly on my all-time top 10)
Mighty Baby - s/t
Arthur Russell - First Thought Best Thought

Close calls:
Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
Parts and Labor - Stay Afraid

I've got something to say...

2007-04-29T22:15:00.000-04:00

I don't know if there's anything better than having a friend get married to the one person in the world that is absolutely perfect for them. I love these kids. Congrats Mike and Maia!
Here's a song for you: The Action - Something to Say

----

In other news, I've been traveling for-ev-er...Went to Vegas, LA, stopped in Boulder for a day and then went back out to Miami...I've got a couple more days here and I can't wait to get home. It's been fantastic seeing the old friends, but I just can't believe that I lived here for two whole years. The city is growing faster than one would imagine is possible. I've been gone just under one year and the skyline has DOUBLED. That is no exaggeration. There are dozens of cranes in the sky. The traffic is worse, the people are as rude as ever, and man, is it hot. Whatever...I'm gunna go walk and get a slice from the friendly neighborhood pizza stand.

----
BTW: that Mayweather/DeLaHoya 24 show on HBO is bonkers. Mayweather is a bonafide lunatic. There's some fantastic family dynamic stuff going on, the cash counting is hilarious, the show is shot and edited better than The Hills, and the nature-style documentary voiceover is hilarious (see: Fishing With John). Cinco de Mayweather should be a pretty great fight of Rocky IV-like proportions.

KV: Up on Tralfamadore

2007-04-12T18:55:00.000-04:00

Kurt Vonnegut: A real big deal to me for a long time (even now). I learned how to deal with death after reading his book Timequake. So, if you haven't read it, go do it. As with most of his work it's pretty nutty, but he talks a lot about the passing of his first wife. It was his ability to mix really poignant subject matter with absolute absurdity that drew me to his work. I've always functioned along those same lines, and it's nice to see it in written form.

Here's a song for Kurt called "Excessive Exposure" something I'm sure he'd feel a victim of today. Well, him and Imus. (Who kinda look alike, no?)

The Lapse - Excessive Exposure

Take care, Kurt.

SXSW is for champions.

2007-04-09T19:05:00.000-04:00

So, I showed you some video footage before of Pattern Is Movement, but now I'm going to show you something even better: a dang old Flickr page with all of our awesome activities in Texas.

Performances by: Michael Kentoff (of The Caribbean), The Weird Weeds (from Austin), Nick Butcher, Shedding, Paul Duncan, Burning Star Core, Slaraffenland, The Zincs, Brad Laner, Pattern Is Movement, and Arbouretum. I don't know if I could pick a favorite...but probably the craziest thing I've ever seen live was by Burning Star Core. He absolutely slayed. He started with some amazing effected electric violin improv and then did a solo vocal piece that shook me to my [burning star] core. I'm pretty sure one of the dudes in Slaraffenland got video footage of it on his phone. INCREDIBLE. Go and check out his live show if he comes to a town near you.

As a bonus, here's two live tracks from our showcase at Mohawk recorded by a nice dood that runs the blog on the other end of this link...
The first is The Caribbean - The Beverly Boys (The Caribbean being the band, The Beverly Boys being the song).

The second is Slaraffenland - Show Me The Way
-As usual, Danish dynamite in full effect.

Solter = the Allen Iverson of remixes.

2007-04-05T15:40:00.000-04:00

Wanted to holler at the less than 2 people who read this blog and let them know about a FREE (as in beer) album by none other than the man of infinite genius: Scott Solter (pictured above/left at our SXSW showcase playing alongside Pattern Is Movement).

You may remember the last time you heard about Scott Solter was when he did his majestic all-analog remix of Pattern Is Movement's 2nd album, Stowaway...It's fantastic, and you should totally buy it, not just because we put it out, but because Scott is amazing. Here's a couple of tracks if you don't believe: One and Two.

The new FREE album is another full length all analog remix of John Vanderslice's Pixel Revolt. Go and get it, and call it a night.

Photo stolen from here. Thanks.

Btw, hanging out with Scott for the first time at SXSW was fantastic. Seeing him almost spit his beer out with pure excitement the moment that a discussion began about Cluster made me realize that we were going to be good friends for a long, long time.

Pattern Is Movement at SXSW

2007-03-20T12:48:00.000-04:00

Is there anything better than these guys? If you beg I'll post a soundboard recording of one of their new songs. BELIEVE IT!

Been a long time...shouldn't have left you...

2007-03-06T23:43:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody...how time flies..if anyone still reads this: cool.
What you see above is the flyer for our upcoming shows in Austin during SXSW. It's pretty self-explanatory, but here's some music of two of the artists playing...Enjoy!

Paul Duncan - Red Eagle

&

Slaraffenland - Polaroids

I'm posting this as hard as I can...

2007-02-01T12:13:00.000-05:00

It's not too late to make one kid very happy this Christmas season...
buy me this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130075321405

Table of the Adam David and Joe

2006-09-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

I want to give monster propers to my good friends Adam Wills, David Daniell, and Joe Stickney for the lavish praise they all received today on Pitchfork for the parts they played in Table of the Elements recent Bohrium Festival at Eyedrum in Atlanta. I wish I could've been there to see them shred so magically. Like I said, it's great to see these super talented dudes finally getting some big ups, and I'm honored to say that they are among my best of friends. Keep on keepin' on, thugs. Good luck with the recordings...and I'll see you November 1st in NY!

It's official...

2006-09-13T18:13:00.000-04:00

http://www.intermedia.net/about-us/news/2006/IT-people-are-different.asp ...as I sit at my desk wearing a Mastodon t-shirt.

it's my birthday and i'll turn 27 if i want to...

2006-08-03T12:45:00.000-04:00

So: I turned 27 today...believe it.
Sorry I've been AWOL for so long...

I'm now officially in Boulder, Colorado. It's great. I love it. My new bike is super sweet.

Here's a song for you...from Mighty Baby, the band that came after The Action. I'm picking this song for a couple of reasons: 1. The sweet sax sound. 2. The first line is "I was born in a world that can easily bring you down." 3. It's about Egyptian Tombs...and how sweet is that?

Plus, the cover art is bonkers.

Mighty Baby - Egyptian Tomb

Get in touch, peoples.

Party time.

2006-05-05T12:01:00.000-04:00

And a song, because you've all been so patient with me lately:
Lucio Battisti - Un'avventura

He sings of the adventure which is my life lately (at least I hope that's what he's singing about...translation, Maxwell?) Also, those horns signify this as being a party song. Neil Diamond can suck it.

new flavor

2006-04-26T01:16:00.000-04:00

yo! who would've thought bin laden AND zarqawi would drop new tapes in the same week!

but seriously folks, i'm in las vegas this week at the NAB conference (awesome). this weekend I'm in Boulder...buying my new house (sweet).

Sara gets in to Vegas any minute...time for dinner (yummers). we'll get back to normal posts and music and stupid ramblings some time soon....however, i'll let you know that my crazy sunday this past week was my best ever, even though i was alone in the middle of the Mojave desert. Seriously. See ya soon, suckers.

Sunday pt. 2

2006-04-12T15:26:00.000-04:00

Although this weekend will still focus on Sunday, I'm also going to give you a snippet of Friday and Saturday, too.

First on Friday, we assembled a posse, loaded up and went to Dave & Buster's up in Ft. Lauderdale for a night of fried foods, alcoholic beverages, games of varying levels of skill, ticket collection, prize redemption, and all around foolishness. After the food and drinks we charged up our game cards and played skeeball, pop-a-ball poker (in preparation for my Vegas trip), various shooting games, Dance Dance Revolution, and then I totally owned Dan at three straight games of basketball shoot out. For the record Sara is really, really good at the game where you throw balls up an incline trying to get them in a hole labeled run, trot, and walk which then causes a mechanical horse to run across a racetrack. Near closing time, we headed to the ticket redemption center and got a bunch of crap...they actually have coffee makers and stuff in there...pretty strange. Most importantly we picked up some extra large Pixy Styx which you may remember from your childhood. Matt decided to shotgun one of these....check the video, with a delightful Crispin Glover soundtrack:

Saturday went pretty normal. Our new sink finally got installed in our kitchen, so we were able to properly cook again. We went to the grocery store and got a bunch of meat and vegetables for a traditional Tex-Mex meal...our dinner guests were unable to make it, but we forged ahead anyway...creating one of the best things I think we've ever done: The Smallest Taco in History.

So, Sunday...another open house, another reason to disappear for a few hours. This time, we decided to go on a classic Sara and Adam picture hunt. We packed up the camera bag, the iPod, and the dog and hit the streets. I'll keep this short, and just caption the pictures, cuz it's easier. If we're lucky Sara will start her blog and we can see the nice medium format film versions of my crappy digital pictures...enjoy!

OR DIE!

NO COMMENT.

Apparently, this Santa has been chained up for months and forced to accept Christmas wishes WELL beyond the traditional season.

Someone attempting to recreate PowerPoint's functionality with rugs and a store front.

"I don't mean nothin' by it, I'm just saying that ginger ale is HUGE!"

Way to follow directions, Sara.

What is this...Russia?

Family picture time...starting with Sara.

Family picture time...now with Terminator 2!

Family picture time...Castle sez: I'm so sad.

Castle sez: Just kidding! HAPPY!

We gots terracotta for daaaaays.

Snack time:

"When in Hialeah...eat as the Hialeahans do."

Abandoned speedway pt. 1

Abandoned speedway pt. 2

I think this has something to do with that movie Bad Boys.

I like this tree.

Classic Sara taking a picture moment.

Our new friend, Lil' Looploop from the Everglades doing push ups on the dashboard.

Mmmmm...plastics. Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma were none-to-friendly to all of my favorite giant plastic letter signs.

There is really no way to explain this except to say that this is the kind of thing you see when you go out taking pictures with Sara. Crazy stuff like this just wills itself into existence. It's really quite unbelievable.

This is one of my favorite things I have found on my own while down in Miami. This thing looks awesome from every angle. Why don't more people paint crazy stuff on their buildings?

The front of this house is great. What would you even call that treatment?

Thanks for looking...come back soon for a post with the soundtrack to our Sunday.

Blogworld, USA

2006-04-07T17:49:00.000-04:00

I've got a new post on one of my favoritest songs evar over at Moka's. CHECK IT OUT!

-Naut On My Watch!

2006-04-07T10:16:00.000-04:00

So, there's this weird, short, little history of some songs that end with the word -naut. I definitely think the songs are related, and see it sort of like a Grandfather, Father, Son kind of deal....Black Sabbath, Sleep, and Black Mountain respectively. There's not a lot to say except there is a legacy of riffage traveling through these songs that is mystical, fiercely important and needs to be documented. If I had to pick a favorite...well, I don't think I could. Although, Black Mountain's probably has the best name and backing vocals.

Black Sabbath - Supernaut
Sleep - Dragonaut
Black Mountain - Druganaut

----

As a bonus, I've assembled three other -naut songs for you.

At the Drive In - Cosmonaut
First, because, Cosmonauts were first in space, completely smoking the United States and John Glenn by almost a full month in 1961. Listening to At the Drive In these days just reminds me of how Mars Volta will probably never approach the same level of intensity and power that their previous band had as long as they are hiding behind tons of noise, completely ridonkulous lyrics, and 18 minute Santana-esque freak outs. Sure, I like Rush and Omar is an incredible guitarist, but on the whole Mars Volta wins my "trim the fat" lifetime achievement award. I'm not giving up hope on them yet, but I can still go back and listen to ATDI and hope for brighter days.

Smog - Astronaut
Second, in space...We'll just pretend that Bill Callahan was writing a sweet little prayer for John Glenn.

The Fucking Champs - Policenauts
Who and what are Policenauts? I would assume that this is Tim Green and Co.'s attempt to write a theme song for a failed cartoon pilot about police in space. I'm thinking voices of Danny Glover, Cloris Leachman, Jordan Catalano, Kim Fields, and let's throw in Mischa Barton and Elijah Wood for the hell of it. I'm thinking a light hearted drama soap somewhere between NYPD Blue and 90210. Tagline: "In space the sun never sets on crime. Or love."

Sunday #1

2006-04-04T21:10:00.000-04:00

In a poor attempt to outdo Adam Wills' infamous Saturdays, I will be writing about my last Sundays before I move away from God's own personal wonderland, Miami. In the past, our Sundays consisted mainly of waking up and eating pancakes together, taking the dog for a walk, catching up on email, watching football, maybe pizza for dinner...nothing fancy. As we've only got a little time left in our sentence down here, we decided we should try to make something of the time we've got. As a bonus, frequent Sunday "open houses" pretty much determine that we have to be out and about. So here comes Installment #1...
Weekend before last, Sara and I decided to drive across the peninsula to visit her mom in Naples, Florida. She had just the week before moved down there and started a new job. We had been informed a couple days earlier to take Tamiami Trail / 8th Street all the way across the Everglades. Tamiami is a good bit further south, is a smaller road, and in general is more remote and animal-filled. There's about 60 or more miles with no gas stations. This is where you go if you want to go on an airboat ride through the 'glades. You pass the Miccosukee Reservation/Resort and head through Coopertown straight into the middle of fucking nowhere. Here's some Miccosukee highlights:

(Population 0008!)

About 45 minutes in, out of the blue, I saw a big ass alligator near the sporadic waterways that run parallel along the north side of the road. Then 10 seconds later, "Another one! Another! Another!" Those fucking things are EVERYWHERE. I probably saw no less than 200. The entire way there are old ones, young ones, little ones, big ones...fucking retardo huge ones...all of that shit. We pulled over and saw regurgitated/recycled/excreted animal fur flesh...Good luck figuring out what this is:

Then we saw about 15 feet away from us in the water a big one, just hanging out...keep in mind, these dudes can run 30 mph on land...(I have heard that if you run in a zig-zag pattern, you are safe):

Up the road a piece we finally got to a rest area that had a "gator viewing pit." There were twenty or so lazy-looking gators of varying sizes mugging it up for the amazing white people who stared in awe. Overheard: "That's at least a 15-footer." Sara made the comment that there is always that guy who feels the need to quantify things for everyone in his party. (Example: "Man, look at that pizza! There's gotta be 200 pepperonis on there!") Perhaps it's just a math fixation that was never properly attended to in school.....

Moving on...here's a sign we liked:

Then: BAM we're in Naples....We met Sara's mom at her new crib/workplace, and she's got a really great thing going on there. Super nice neighborhood. Killer living space. We're hoping everything works out for her. We then went and had some delicious seafood platters at a Crab Shack followed by a drive around Naples, a walk on the beach and then started to head home.

This is where the magic happens...halfway home on Tamiami Trail, the same area that was completely lined with alligators earlier (and did I mention the PANTHER CROSSING signs all over the place..yeah....seriously), all traffic stops. There is NO light out here, we haven't been in "civilization" for a good 45 minutes at least. There really wasn't much traffic prior to this so for it to be backed up a few miles means that it's been stopped for a while...There are ZERO cars coming from the other direction for 20-30 minutes. Everyone gets out of the car in the dark and starts walking around. Where I'm from, this is how people die (serial killers, gators, panthers, aliens, etc. etc.). So we stay put in the car awaiting the ensuing bloodbath. After much discussion we decide we're going to turn around and try out this little bitty tiny road that's on the map that we think is behind us. (There are no road signs, so we are just guessing). About 3 miles behind us, we find the road, take a pee and point our car down it. There's no cell phone signal out here, but we try to call our friend Seb anyway, because we think he's been down it before. No luck. It's a dirt fucking road. Trees wrap over the top of it. It's Sleepy Hollow, Florida. So we have two choices, go back into the line of cars and wait to die, or drive to down the sketchy road and try to outrun the Aliens/Panthers/Gators/various swamp monsters/serial killers/etc. About this time a truck comes flying up behind us and we just barely get out of the way in time...he slams on his brakes, we pull up next to him and he says in some glorious broken English, "You going to Miami? The road is bumpy and long but you can make it." Then he peels out, barreling down the road. We tear out after him. Fuck it, right? Watch the video:

Right. It took about an hour. It was dark, dusty as fuck, and we were bouncing all over the road. It was a scene straight out of Adaptation. Who knows how many evil creatures surrounded us on all sides. It may have been the dumbest thing I've ever done in my life BUT it was fun as shit, and we still got back to Miami in good time. We have no idea what happened back on Tamiami Trail, but I would imagine all of those people are dead now. Too bad, they should've taken ol' Loop Road.

Here's some of the music we listened to on that fateful day:
Them Two - Am I A Good Man --- BUY
Dengue Fever - One Thousand Tears Of A Tarantula --- BUY
Matinee Orchestra - Run for Cover (It's Going to Rain) --- BUY
Rhythm and Sound with Love Joy - Best Friend --- BUY

Coming soon: last weekend's Saturday/Sunday adventure in a big fancy, schmancy hotel.

so for real

2006-04-04T09:20:00.000-04:00

Came across this Seth Dickerman fellow's photography last night...it's quite nice. Check it out...In lieu of finally posting what went on weekend before last, I'll drop two bits of adrenaline for your morning time:

Imitation Electric Piano - King's Evil
One of the better uses of harpsichord in the past million years...this was on a drag city sampler a few years back and it sat on repeat in my car for some time. The sneaky faux Asian (anyone remember Macha?) melody intro doesn't really let you in on how pummeled you are about to get by modern British motorik of the highest caliber. Go get it here.

The Pretty Things - Balloon Burning
I want to cover this song so bad...it will happen. It definitely has that chanting, long melody vocal line thing that makes me fall in love with This Heat and The Camberwell Now over and over again. And the repetition...ah, the repetition. When the chorus finally breaks you can't help but get completely crushed by the vocal harmonies. If anyone is aware of anyone making music this good in 2006 let me know. Cuz I'll sign em up. If I made a buddy action drama tv show with a high profile actor (Chris Elliot) and a lesser known up-and-comer (Bobby Brown) this would inevitably be the theme song. Buy the shit out of this incredible album here.

Weekend before last post coming up hopefully by end of day...an excerpt:
The alligator overpopulation is so thick in the Everglades that it would only take each alligator eating 16 humans to completely wipe out the entire population of Florida (not necessarily a bad idea in my opinion).

I couldn't resist...

2006-03-30T14:58:00.000-05:00

also: Is anyone going to NAB in Las Vegas this year? I am. Holler back.

SCANDAL!

2006-03-24T12:50:00.000-05:00

(UPDATED with mp3 at bottom)(UPDATED pt. 2 - now with video file!)
So yeah, the new remastered with bonus tracks version of Byrne & Eno's famed collaboration, My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts came out. And guess what? They changed the cover artwork. This is a bummer for two reasons:

1. I have always been a big fan of the original cover. Kaleidoscopic, hazy, and with a simple typeface, evoking a sort of ECM Records with trippy feel.

2. This new one looks almost identical to that Stereophonics record. WTF. LAME!

The new Byrne/Eno:

So, I don't want to diss too hard...there are some fun jams on this classic, but oh-so-dated-sounding record. For example:
David Byrne & Brian Eno - Help Me Somebody with it's upbeat, fun times tempo and preacher samples....kind of like a G-Rated !!!-lite. Get the new one with some Stereophonic-licious artwork here.

But more importantly...some music.

2006-03-24T11:16:00.000-05:00

There's this band Parts and Labor that are from Brooklyn...I was tipped off to them by Can You See The Sunset From The Southside? (click for more tracks) . They've got a new album coming out on Jagjaguwar on April 11th.

It's really enjoyable stuff from the songs I've heard...It reminds me quite a bit of some of the stuff happening in Virginia/North Carolina in the mid 90's; they share a mutual appreciation for energy, melody, noise, and exuberance that bands like Cornelius (not the Japanese one), Resol, Eagle Bravo, Rights Reserved, Action Patrol and others were brimming with back when I was in high school. They have a clear understanding of melodic noise and from the pictures I saw, they use some sort of keyboard set up live. I would imagine it's pretty exciting to watch. The vocals rule...I'll just leave it at that...

Also, it's worth noting they've had some great posters for their shows...go check em out at their site and buy their album when it comes out!

Here's a jammer from Stay Afraid: Parts & Labor - A Great Divide

"people will do anything for a pot of gold."

2006-03-24T10:58:00.000-05:00

Thought I would pass this along and further the internet sensation. Mobile, Alabama is a beautiful place.

A message from Castle

2006-03-22T16:04:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone who checked up on me. I think that's what made me better.

Thanks to a realtor's open house in the middle of the day I got to go on a walk and look at the water today...it was fun. See above.

Technopolis

2006-03-22T00:47:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite songs ever.
Reminds me a bit of certain levels from the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Mannheim Steamroller, you can suck it, you fucking hacks.

With no further adieu...Yellow Magic Orchestra's Technopolis:

More than one prince.

2006-03-20T22:16:00.000-05:00

So, we're from Little Rock, Arkansas, motherfucker...and we get shit about it all the time down here. Maybe because we bring it up too much....but goddammit we love that place...it made us into who we are now. How could we not mention it all the time? With so many amazing people, beautiful nature all around you, laid back Southern attitudes, and an incredible scene while we were in our musically formative years ('90-'98) it's pretty much impossible to not bring it up. (I might add that a quality number of people [considering the size of the state] have gone on to much bigger things recently --- Some of Lucero, !!!'s drummer and one of Ted Leo's Pharmacists to name a few). It was an interesting place. Everything from Econochrist to Green Day to Thumbnail had roots there, and the kids had diverse-as-hell music tastes at a time when things seemed very segregated and the dang ol' internets weren't taking over the world yet.

There were these two guys Sara went to school with...Collins and David...good guys; played in a bunch of bands back in the day...about a year ago I saw that they were in a band called American Princes and were starting to get noticed. They signed to Yep Roc (who reissued their first album), toured with Lucero, and started working on their second album. We ran into Collins at a show in Little Rock over xmas break and gave him a pile of the stuff we've put out on Hometapes. It was great to run into him and see that he/they were doing so well. What was equally amazing was the full-blown scene at an all-ages venue that served alcohol in downtown Little Rock. The place was packed.

The American Princes boys got in touch not too long after to enlist our help on their album artwork. We were happy to help old friends, and a few weeks later, they sent us a copy of the finished recording. It was absolutely incredible. I'd only heard a few mp3s from their first album and I liked it, but this stuff blew me away. Super musically mature; they bring the rock when it's necessary and the bring the quietude to help calm your nerves. David's vocals are very, very strong and Collins has become an absolute god on guitar. I've listened to it countless times since....on long drives, in the morning when I need some pep, in the afternoon when I'm just trying to make it through the day. I'm so happy for these guys that they have been able to achieve something that is so musically great. I can't believe I know these guys (and I can't believe we were slightly involved with a record this good). They should be superstars. Rock gods. Heartthrobs for youngsters. They are truly American Princes. Cheers, fellas.

Their new album comes out tomorrow on Yep Roc. Go and buy the shit out of it.

Here's the lead off track from Less and Less.
American Princes - Stolen Blues

Final Pup Update a.k.a. Pupdate

2006-03-20T09:52:00.000-05:00

Castle is doing great...all blood tests are good to go...He and I had a great time walking the streets while Sara was in Boulder and the realtor was showing our house here.

Thanks to everyone for asking about the lil' guy.

Crimso

2006-03-20T09:19:00.000-05:00

King Crimson - Larks' Tongues in Aspic
I consistently keep coming back to this song as inspiration...this video finally proved why...Jamie Muir going completely bat-shit crazy throughout the entire song.

Jamie Muir Checklist in detail:
1. Half length fur-type coat --- CHECK
2. Weird dirty hippie necklace --- CHECK
3. One man Rio Carnivale celebration solo with whistle --- CHECK
4. Giant rack of various metal sheeting --- CHECK
5. Stunt double for Monty Python's Michael Palin or Jamie Lidell --- CHECK
here's the proof:

Now, enjoy the video:

in training...

2006-03-15T10:30:00.000-05:00

I'm in training the rest of the week...in the meantime, watch this over and over and over.
(Doggy update: he's doing good...has another blood test in a couple hours.)

sweet little pup

2006-03-14T09:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday around noon, Castle (our dog) ate a shit-ton of snail bait a.k.a poison... We noticed immediately, called poison control and his vet, rushed him to the vet where they proceeded to poke him, prod him, induce vomiting (through two different methods) at which time he puked up a bunch of blue snail bait crap....after that they ran a 2-3 foot hose down his throat and force fed him a charcoal-solution that aids in coating his gastrointestinal junk to prevent absorbption...this stuff is tar-black and was just about the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen...after that he was put on an IV and had to “wait it out”....we hung out at the vet for about 4 hours before being able to take him home.....the entire time he was really good and agreeable and has yet to show a single symptom – fever, diarrhea, muscle spasms, seizures, coma, etc....his blood tests yesterday came back perfect, but he has to go to the vet every day for the rest of the week and get his blood checked...There is still the possibility of him developing liver damage over the next few days which could lead to complete organ failure, but we’re hoping that’s not the case. What I’ve read about the toxin he ingested is that it can be fatal, but if treated immediately (which it was) it can be taken care of with little or no side effects. This morning he was alert, playful, and wagging his tail which made us feel a lot better...we were not in very good shape yesterday. Keep the lil’ fucker in your thoughts this week. And so you know, he prefers un-flavored rawhide strips over the bbq ones.

Here's a song for my best friend in the whole world....Health and Efficiency by This Heat. Because, I know he likes this song and he also likes sunshine and health, which this song is about. Get better, buddy.

UPDATE:
3/14/06 3:48PM: Castle got his first blood test done this afternoon and it came back great. He's in good spirits and is acting like this ain't no thing. I think I overheard him say, "Them toxins can't touch us...we No Limit Soldiaz!!!!!!"

Get your soft on.

2006-03-10T15:46:00.000-05:00

Go get the finest in softness from a big long post over at Can You See the Sunset From The Southside? where he did a career retrospective for John Samson (of Propagandhi and the Weakerthans).

Roscoe P. Coltrane

2006-03-10T10:39:00.000-05:00

#1. I did a new lil mini mix over at Moka. Check it!

#2. These songs are ruling my world apart...and yes, everyone is also listening to Roscoe by Midlake, but that's because it's good.

---some sugar (for the gamers)---
Midlake - Roscoe

---some spice (for Aaliyah...RIP)---
Aaliyah - We Need a Resolution

---some math (for willz)---
Shellac - Wingwalker

---some fly on the wings of a psychedelic robot dragon (for sara)---
Torche - Erase

---some crushing destruction (for the class of '97)---
Acrid - 55 Seconds

#3. A great post over at Said the Gramophone with two of my favorite jams. Check it!

#4. I'm not really a fan of cats...but this site is pretty great. Specifically this post.

hitting rock bottom

2006-03-09T14:25:00.000-05:00

wtf.
Loose Fur's Hey Chicken video. Enjoy?

Sweet god.

2006-03-08T17:50:00.000-05:00

...and snorted all the 'yay'...

--UPDATED--
The Natalie Portman gangsta rap has been removed from YouTube.
Apparently, the geniuses at NBC don't realize that they can drive ad revenues by raising their viewership via FREE VIRAL MARKETING! Yeah, right...like i'm going to pay 2 dollars for a 2 minute sketch at the iTunes Music Store. If I can buy a whole episode of Lost for 2 dollars, I expect to get the same kind of value on a full episode of SNL.

Boulder-bound!

2006-03-08T11:22:00.000-05:00

So, we're headed to Boulder, Colorado...probably sometime in the early summertime...more details as we know them. We made an offer on a house, and they accepted!...we're going to totally revamp it from the ground up...throw any ideas our way and if we use one....you'll get free stuff.

Here's some pics:

Yes, those mountains are practically in our backyard. Six blocks from a trail that goes up into those...two blocks from the Boulder community gardens...and a hop, skip, and jump from Pearl Street.

A kitchen fit for Epcot Center! Look at those angles!

A basement built for kings! Home of my first true "Rec Room"...hopefully in delicious 60's-70's stylings. Can someone say raised floor reading nook in the corner? Did I mention I already own a leather beanbag from the 60's? And check out the sweet escape hatch...perfect for reenactments of Barbarella!

Fill Bay

2006-03-01T19:58:00.000-05:00

So here's a couple of jammer jams for your ear holes....The first a beautiful song by Mr. Bill Fay called Garden Song. My friend is currently covering this song with a pretty high amount of skill...when that's available I'll throw it at you. In the meantime, the original:
Bill Fay - Garden Song .

and...
A cover of a Bill Fay song by none other than 2/3 of Loose Fur (Jim O'Rourke and Glenn Kotche): Jim O'Rourke & Glenn Kotche - Pictures of Adolf . ENJOY!

Nothing like a lil' widget...

2006-02-28T12:18:00.000-05:00

There is absolutely nothing like a widget to make you feel cool.

Blogger Widget

best thing ever

2006-02-14T11:20:00.000-05:00

Holler at your Mypos.

Balmentimes

2006-02-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
(this picture is crazy old)
Here's a few songs for my valentine:
Maher Shalal Has Baz - Unknown Happiness
Marvin Gaye - I Want You
The Lapse - The Speeding Train
Red House Painters - All Mixed Up

Here's some valentines for the rest of you....from Law and Order Special Victims Unit:

Since you been gone Pt. 2

2006-02-12T10:26:00.002-05:00

Here's what has been occupying my time lately (outside of work, Colorado real estate searches, fixing my current house up to get it ready to sell, record label fun times, and general on-call friend support):

1. The New World - Terrence Malick's fourth film. It's absolutely brilliant. Forget what any bad reviews say. Terrence's work allows you to fully soak into any environment, his editing is completely on point, and his character direction is insanely perfect. He's got a Kubrickian attention to detail that I think really comes through in the Naturals' village; the place actually looks lived in. There's some great Wagner on the soundtrack that loops and crescendos, and made me feel like my heart was going to explode. It reminded me a bit of a less discordant Ekkehard Ehlers' Woolf Phrase from his Staubgold release, Politik Braucht Keinen Feind (and incidentally a smidgen like a clarinet thing I've been working on...) It's the kind of audio bliss that makes you feel like you are thrown around in the tide, with no clear idea of which way to get back to the surface. I read that there is going to be an additional hour of film in the dvd release of this, and I absolutely can't wait. Like all of Malick's films, I'll end up watching this one over and over and over again. Why can't all films be as good as his? A side note: to anyone who grew up in a somewhat rural area and has walked around in the woods / marshes / etc. and has also seen this movie...did you feel like the sound recording in certain sections of the movie was completely spellbinding? It captures the spirit of the unclaimed wilderness like nothing I've ever heard. Sara and I were both pretty moved by it. I can't remember the last time we talked so extensively about a film and the issues that it made us think of after watching it. (If you're lucky, maybe I'll try to transcribe some of our conversation in a future post!)

2. There's a long discussion stemming at Patrick from Carrot Top Distribution's blog from a couple weeks ago about a particular co-op deal that Best Buy had running with a handful of indie labels (Merge, Secretly Candian, Matador, Touch & Go, and a couple of others). The short description of it is that Patrick was displeased when he found that Best Buy was selling copies of certain releases at a retail price CHEAPER than what he could get the records at wholesale. Sounds like a somewhat small issue...well, it's not realliy, and the past two weeks of discussion sparked by this all over the web have been great to waste my lunchtime on. There are comments and replies from all of the labels involved, indie record store owners, fans, musicians, and on and on. As someone who runs a label, I have had to learn (and am still learning) the way the indie-stry works, and I think it's something that a lot of people who actually partake of independent music aren't even aware of. The way popularity and exposure is bought and sold is a real thing and as a small label it's been very frustrating. We come from a DIY background where merit is generally decided on by quality and nothing else, and lately there seems to be a growing divide within the "underground" of who succeeds and who drowns. I can think of countless "small" releases that get entirely ignored by the indie press and subsequently indie stores. There's a weird cycle that exists that it's really hard to become a part of...if you want to be a part of it in the first place. I was just incredibly shocked to see the candid nature of Patrick's initial post and the even more candid replies, retorts, and comments by many of the "big names." I don't think I agree with anyone involved 100%, but I definitely see where Patrick is coming from...and I'm old enough to remember what happened in the 90's. Independent music right now is very crowded, but some of its artists and labels are experiencing the kind of success that 5 years ago would've seemed ridiculous at best. (Seeing Franz Ferdinand play the Grammys last year with a Domino logo on their kick drum is the best example I can think of). Of course, this type of popularity and exposure brings label and independent ethics to the forefront, and I'm just glad that there are people on all levels of the food chain willing and ready to say what they think. As with a lot of ethical questions, there is no single correct answer. Here's to trying to figure this (somewhat) new line of questions and challenges out, and hopefully without completely eroding what makes this all so special in the first place. If you wanna watch your hours get sucked away start here with "Best Buy BS." Have fun, you may learn a thing or two.

3. Here's a bonus for getting to the end of super post! Bleep.com has some really great web tools available. You can put these lil' players in your html. Their words: "Listen to all tracks IN FULL for free! – The player stops after 30 seconds, just click play again or anywhere on the Waveform to continue." They sell high quality non-DRM mp3's and I suggest checking them out...They've got stuff you just can't get anywhere else. And here's the player...of the Chicago Underground Duo's new album, In Praise of Shadows. Available in a couple of weeks from Thrill Jockey. It's a good bit more "free" than their last album, and maybe even a bit darker. On tracks like "Pangea" maybe it's some of the eerie chaos and intensity of Rob Mazurek's other project Mandarin Movie seeping in.

Since you been gone Pt. 1

2006-02-11T13:27:00.000-05:00

So, yeah, I know, it's been a while. Sorry. I'll try to get this back to being a little more regular.
Here's what is on deck:

1. We are moving to the Boulder, Colorado area sometime in the next six months...we are taking a weekend trip there next week to have a look around. We are really excited about this move and think it's definitely a step in the right direction for our brains and hearts. I need the hills. I need the altitude. I need the good old American space to stretch my legs. Of course, this isn't the easiest decision to make as we have lots of friends in Miami, but there is the chance that a few of them will also be going. I can't wait to see snow! It's so warm here today...my blood has thinned out quite a bit...so I better start digging out my coat, hat and scarf, etc.

2. We have tons of pending records to put out; I only wish I had more details about most of them, but I do know that they are going to be great. Live it; love it.

3. Listen to this song, cuz it's good....
Pearls and Brass with their song, "The Face of God" from their new album The Indian Tower...
Get it now from DRAG CITY!

4. Come back soon for more fun. Part 2 is on the way.

All up in your weekend.

2006-01-20T19:58:00.000-05:00

It's Friday. You made it. Give yourself a hug.
Four day weeks can be tough. You've got to make sure they don't sneak attack you and try to fit five full days into four. It happens. It's not your fault. But now it's time for pizza. It's time for drinking margaritas and other various white trash recreational drinks (who has time to sit around and wait for beer to get them drunk---and bloated?!) It's time for bad movies (anyone like terrible romantic comedies?) Most importantly it's time to listen to some good music....good, relaxing, interesting music that you can focus on or leave on in the background.......

So Opsvik & Jennings is what I recommend. I've been listening to the three mp3s on their website for about a month, since their ad on Pitchfork caught my eye. The artwork is beautiful (see above), and immediately told me there had to be something Scandinavian going on (I've grown wise to your tricks, Scandinavian designers!). Sure enough Ospvik & Jennings is a duo of an Oslo Underground jazz scenester and an Oklahoma backwoods guitarist. It's great stuff. I'm sure most people would go the easy route and compare them to the Books...so for the uninitiated/uninformed their music may remind you of the Books. However, I'm hearing something a little further than that...It reminds me of some of the acoustic treatment that Alog used on their recent album Miniatures, and some of the simpler more minimal tones that could be found on Mileece's debut on Leaf. There's an ample understanding of analog and digital, and quite honestly that's my ultimate sweet tooth.

On their website, I found that they linked to Smalltown Supersound, Rune Grammofon, Lo Recordings, and the Leaf Label....that's pretty much all I need to read to know that these guys are keeping it real. So, I just ordered their album. I need to hear what else these guys are up to. I'll give an even fuller report when I get that. I suggest you go pick it up yourself.
Order here.

Here's some tunes for your hopefully enjoyable weekend...

Opsvik & Jennings:
Aaron's Hat
Thread
Self

man oh man oh man

2006-01-16T17:09:00.000-05:00

I have to holler real quick about this track from The National Trust.
Apparently, it's off of their new album, Kings and Queens, that's coming out soon on Thrill Jockey.

And it sounds like roller skating in Miami in 1987.

The National Trust - Its Just Cruel

It really doesn't sound anything like their old record, and it says they worked with some producers who work with Britney Spears and R. Kelly. Hot damn.

oh dood

2006-01-16T11:41:00.000-05:00

Posted today at Moka's. Go check it out.
And now, a bonus round for the loyal readers...Bent Leg Fatima - Cup and Saucer (excerpt)
Bent Leg Fatima - A Sort of Seamless Suite

Now, here's a record I can't quit listening to. Bent Leg Fatima is a band that went on to become Need New Body and I suppose Icy Demons as well. Two bands very near and dear to my heart. Their only record came out on File 13 (formerly of my hometown, Little Rock); home to many underestimated releases of the past handful of years (see Need New Body, National Skyline, Antarctica, or even Thumbnail). Their sound is far removed from the latter day chaotic nonsense fun times of NNB; more along the lines of something like Gastr del Sol, some good ol' Krautrock, and maybe even Olivia Tremor Control. My favorite thing about the record is its insistence at taking its own pace to get where it's going, which incidentally can be nowhere at all...and it's all the better for it.

Buy it here.

Have a good MLK Day if you feel so inclined.

Rarrr

2006-01-11T19:24:00.000-05:00

Aww man...today is so wack. I need a real shot in the arm...

How bout some: Comets on Fire.
Yes, the absolute best in psychedelic hard rock. Anyone who credits a member of the band with "Echoplex" wins. I get the feeling that these guys have a good time when they play. Summoning the spirits of MC5, Blue Cheer, and (I'm going to get crucified for saying this but) the vocals remind me of Sonny Kay from his days in the VSS.

The first s/t record has a bit more of a punk/garage/too much whiskey feel than the latter two albums. Their second album, Field Recordings from the Sun is where shit starts to get a bit more hectic...focusing more on shredding riffs apart, squealing feedback, and trying to take it "out there" rather than just kicking out the jams. On, their third and most recent Blue Cathedral they have arrived wherever "out there" is. Perhaps here or here. Either way, it's a cacophony of twisted nonsense, and comes highly recommended for soothing your inner psychopathic weirdo.

Enjoy:

from s/t:
Graverobbers
Let's Take It All
The Way Down

from Field Recordings from the Sun:
ESP

from Blue Cathedral:
The Antlers of the Midnight Sun

Buy their stuffs here.

Motel de Moka

2006-01-10T20:42:00.000-05:00

So....I'm now going to be occasionally posting music and things at Motel de Moka. Go and check it out. I posted three tracks today which illustrate my yearning for a cool breeze once in a while.

Bye.

Second verse, same as the first

2006-01-08T11:29:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone...I'm going to start posting from time to time, and I hope you enjoy. Feel free to leave comments with what you love, hate, and feel indifferent to.

To begin: here's a track by Joan of Arc off of their newest record, "Presents Guitar Duets" on record label. Buy it here.

Untitled by Bobby Burg & Nate Kinsella

I'm choosing this song 1. because I think it makes a wonderful introduction and 2. because this album is really great. If you're convinced that you know everything there is to know about Joan of Arc and that you aren't interested in them anymore, I would say take a listen. The plan on the album was to take the 10 different guitarists from the history of Joan of Arc and create a series of 10 guitar duets. This is definitely not a traditional JoA record; it's very much what you might expect from some sort of John Fahey tribute record. I would say this is perfect music for a grey winter afternoon, but I live in Miami right now and we don't get those...(for the record it also works during a long drive in the sunshine). Also: dig the cover art by Lauren Kessinger. Sweet drawings!

hi

2005-12-23T19:42:00.000-05:00

"i'm here."

-pee wee