DC Rock Club

DC Does TX!

2011-02-24T21:38:00.004-05:00

Oh, hello. Yes, we've been gone a while but we're back with exciting news: we're helping put on the DC Does TX party during this year's SXSW Festival! Here are the main details:

DC DOES TEXAS
Wednesday, March 16th, 2001
Lovejoy’s, 604 Neches St., Austin TX
12pm-6pm

There will be seven great bands plus FREE Dogfish Head Beer!

Last year’s event was one of my highlights from SXSW 2010 and it wasn’t just because of the free booze (although that helped). I'll probably come back and mention the other bands on the bill before SXSW, but for now let’s take a quick look at who I'm most excited to see.

Carol Bui - Geisha Means Open Minded: Already with two critically acclaimed albums, Bui will releases her third full length Red Ship on March 8th. If you like the honesty and intensity of PJ Harvey and early Liz Phair then you’ll likely be a fan of Carol Bui as well. This fiery track has an amazing mix of percussions and a nice Middle Eastern influence to go with its provocative lyrics.

True Womanhood - Minajah: When you think of DC music you often think of hardcore and punk bands like Minor Threat, Fugazi, and other bands on the Dischord label. True Womanhood is not one of those bands. As much as I revere Dischord, I love when groups go against the grain and carve out their own niche and their own sound. This act veers more towards experimental music, but they have enough melodies to retain pop appeal. Minajah is a good example of how they strike that balance.

The Caribbean - Mr Let's Find Out: The Caribbean are the vets on the DC Does TX bill. They’ve been producing their brand of off-kilter art-pop for quite a while, and they’re only getting better with time. They just released their fifth full length, Discontinued Perfume, and the reviews have been very effusive. I can’t get enough of their smart but subtle approach to stuff.

After yesterday

2010-07-29T10:58:00.005-05:00

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti @ The RnRH 7/28/10 - $14

Honorary RC member, Tedwin, was all about seeing Ariel Marcus Rosenberg perform his odd brand of indie rock, and organized our outing last night.

Just as insightful as a full review, here's the back and forth between sacklunch and Tedwin sent around this morning via email:

sacklunch
Well...that show actually exceeded my low expectations. I thought the band was pretty tight and some of the songs kind of catchy. I left after the 1st song of the encore, so I don't know if things rapidly deteriorated afterwards. For some reason Ariel Pink reminded me of [Tedwin] (had he gone down the wrong path). Once again the H St. crowd was fairly douchey and I felt like an old sack.

Tedwin
I dug the show too -- and why wouldn't I? It was practically like looking into a mirror, as [sacklunch] noted. It was like the nearly full gamut of 60s/70s AM radio (Boz Scaggs, War, the Strawberry Alarm Clock) filtered through an '80s-vintage hipster's dreams. It made me feel like I was somewhere else. Someplace with a disgusting bathroom, Graffiti, sweat-melted mascara, big hollow cars with bench seats, sunshine, and The Rockford Files. I'm still a little drunk, so excuse the poetry.

Methinks Mr. Pink's read the reviews and has decided to tighten it up, to good effect. Now if we could just see that in a decent club.

I think Tedwin was hoping to see the video that opened the Toronto show (alas there is no room for a video screen at the RnRH).

sacklunch found alive and...well

2010-07-06T16:55:00.003-05:00

Wondering what happened to DCRC's sacklunch? I found him...

Dispute settled, David Lynch still weird

2010-06-29T18:39:00.005-05:00

As I filled my shopping buggy at the Harris Teeter tonight, I listened to NPR's First Listen of Dark Night of the Soul (the Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse, David Lynch collaboration). I recommend you check it out too, dear reader, regardless of what you're doing while you listen. It's future uncertain due to wranglings between Danger Mouse and EMI records, the album will finally be released on July 13th.

It features a variety of other artists (including James Mercer, Frank Black, Suzanne Vega, Iggy Pop) making the album play a bit like a soundtrack. No official videos have been produced, but this one features "Little Girl," with help from The Strokes' Julian Casablancas. Not really a video, but it includes lyrics, which is nice.

America Hearts Fort Reno

2010-06-28T14:22:00.002-05:00

That's right DC, it's Fort Reno time again. You lucky bastards. Tonight's show features America Hearts and Tiny Bombs. The Public Good was supposed to perform but had to bow out at the last minute. Who will be the special surprise act to take their place? Let the Fugazi rumors begin!

Here's hoping that Potsy and Jimbromski make the show and file another video review. The site could use more "gratuitous underage cleavage shots" and rants advocating the "fascist-style culling of the youth of America".

Canada, you are forgiven

2010-06-24T21:22:00.003-05:00

The New Pornographers with The Dodos, and The Dutchess & the Duke - June 23 - 930 club - $37

Senior Youth Correspondent, Andrew, fills us in on night number 2 from this week's back to back New Pornographers shows at the 930 club.

Quite unlike the esteemed Potsy, I enjoyed The Dodos quite a bit. I had heard much banter about them recently but had yet to check the tunes. I enjoy their name especially and went into Wednesday’s set looking out for themes of extinction—the fate that their plump, shrewd namesakes were doomed to eons ago.

The Dodos brought together everything that is great about today’s punk-tinged indie acts like Wavves and Japandroids—driving rhythms, melodic hooks, interesting sonic textures—without replicating the annoying aspects of those bands—inability to handle their drugs, endless droning feeback, repetitive or whiny lyrics. Whereas those two bands are drenched in distortion, The Dodos were more light in their approach, substituting glistening acoustic tones for the punishing overdriven sound of Wavves and Japandroids.

About halfway through their set, the band played two new songs that were both top notch. Drums reminiscent of Animal Collective were paired with country-infused strumming and a bowed vibraphone. I thought singer Meric Long did a good job leading his outfit and only sometimes were there hints that the band lacked self confidence. I would definitely listen to The Dodos in my free time, and would likely attend one of their concerts in the future. Solid Opener.

Never miss seeing the New Pornographers, period. Especially when all nine of them show up. NP gigs featuring both Neko Case and Dan Bejar present the listener with a veritable shmorgishborg of musical expertise and pop genius. Case and Bejar are solo artists who approach NP’s level of recognition in their own right, and when you combine their powers with A.C. Newman (who will never, ever be out catchy-ed), just watch out. Potsy was correct indeed—Bejar is a game changer. I love the fact that nothing about him has changed since I saw him with NP in 07: skulking on and off the stage, slinging a bottle of Stella, and looking like he hates the band’s guts. What a dude.

A big fear with a band that is beloved by so many (both nights sold out. I scalped for $38 day of) is that the set list will feature new stuff at the expense of what everyone wants to hear, the oldies. I like the new tunes a lot, they are great, but I love older NP stuff. Thankfully, it seemed that the band had received and decided to play a set list from a savvy fan, one Amad. Dude knew his business, and NP played a slew of classics, some of which hadn’t been played for years according to Newman. These included The End of Medicine, To Wild Homes, Mass Romantic, and The Electric Version, songs that I hadn’t heard since 2006-ish but that instantly brought back a flood of memories (memories of wishing I was as cool as the dudes and girls in the band).

They are impeccable in the live setting. I simply cannot overstate this. If you didn’t enjoy their set, I’d talk to the doctor about it today. I would say they were so good last night that I release all feelings of hatred toward their native country for what happened during the Winter Olympic hockey final. That’s real big.

In addition to their indie-pop dominance, the band’s banter was genuinely hilarious. One ongoing joke on Wednesday about Pitchfork involved Case telling the crowd that their first interviewer from the then unknown website (hard to believe right) was so young that she had to breast feed him. According to her bandmates, this caused the nubile taste-maker/faker to grow a few inches. “My milk is powerful shit,” replied the beautiful chanteuse nonchalantly.

Listen to the Wednesday show online via NPR's All Songs Considered.

Come Together

2010-06-23T21:48:00.010-05:00

The New Pornographers with The Dodos, and The Dutchess & the Duke - June 22 - 930 club - $37

This week, we reunite with Senior Youth Correspondent, Andrew, for a look at the back to back New Pornographers shows at the 930 club.

Granted, the New Pornographers don't need any more coverage on this world wide web, and Weds night show was broadcast on NPR for all to enjoy, but we like to read ourselves write. So let's consider Tuesday night's show first.

I only caught the last song from three-piece the Dutchess & the Duke, which was too bad, because there are definitely worth your time. Apparently, my time is more valuable than yours, or I would have gotten to the show on time. Little did I know the 930 would be so punctual. The website said 8pm start for the D&TD and they meant it. Sorry D&TD, your last tune was great.

The Dodos followed, and I was looking forward to this set, having enjoyed a number of tunes off of their Visiter album. But the Dodos are pushing their more recent album, Time to Die, at this point bringing out less familiar tracks to start. I don't know any other way around this, so I'm just gonna tell you like I saw it. The Dodos were disappointing. I don't think their abilities match with their ambitions so much. Not live, anyway.

The Dodos in action - don't let the banner fool you.

They like to do some intricate music making. Lots of finger picking that probably worked out better in the studio than it did on stage Tuesday night. Meric Long struggled to pluck out every note - lagging behind a bit as some songs ran away from him. Keaton Snyder is a recent addition to the band, and he plays the vibraphone and uses a bow. That was kinda cool. Never saw that before, so there's points for that. But there was too much muddling through long songs that never seemed to go anywhere.

By the time headlining The New Pornographers hit the stage, I was starting to question the effort it took to get out to this show. I bought my ticket on my iPhone while driving on the Whitehurst freeway heading back to work from a doctor's appointment months ago. That was actually kinda dangerous. And then there was the bus ride down U Street with the nutty fat lady who wanted to sing gospel music for all us passengers. Not as dangerous, but it looked like it was going to get weirder.

But that all changed once the NP took the stage. Jimbromski and I were relieved to hear hits right off the bat. And not only was Neko Case present for the show, but seemingly-disinterested Dan Bejar is on board for this tour too. I've seen the acoustic Destroyer show before, but hadn't seen the NP with Bejar ever. What a difference that cranky bastard makes.

A.C. Newman made his remark about how he told Pitchfork that DC was his favorite city to play. I know he said it again for the Weds show (cuz I'm listening to it online right now). So that was nice. There's a good bit of banter from the New Pornographers, and Neko Case is always throwing her wit into the mix. I know people are hot for Neko, but that Kathryn Calder is quite fetching, if you don't mind me saying. Oh, and I just learned that A.C. Newman is Kathryn Calder's uncle. That is bizarre to me.

Okay, okay. Survey says, good solid show, the NP. Worth every penny. The New Pornographers have a new album out, Together.

SYC Andrew will fill us in on the Wednesday night show tomorrow. No doubt his account will be more informative than this one.

Hooray for Blood

2010-06-20T18:47:00.006-05:00

Hooray for Earth & Surfer Blood @ the Black Cat - Weds. June 16th

We caught the last night of Hooray for Earth's tour with Surfer Blood and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at the Black Cat on Wednesday. It was a sold out show, and the audience gathered early enough to check out opening act, HFE who is supporting their Momo EP album. The Cambridge, MA/NYC 4-piece delivers the 80s synth sound that can get a bit ethereal with echo-y vocals but is brought back to terra firma by the occasional squawking guitar. This is a sound that doesn't hold my attention for too long, especially if I'm unfamiliar with the tracks. I have to say this was the case on Wednesday night. Most songs drifting into the next, until the last song brought out members from the other bands on the bill, making it a bit of a We Are the World moment.

What followed, was more to my interest, as I had heard a number of Surfer Blood tracks, and was curious how they'd perform live.

Never having researched Surfer Blood, I was surprised to see how young there were. I guess I shouldn't have been, but I blame it on the similarity of their sound to bands closer to my age like Weezer, and Pavement. Their track "Harmonix" reminded me of The Arcade Fire's Neighborhood #2, and while they suggested that Entourage was going to use the song, lead singer John Paul Pitts said a number of things that weren't necessarily true during their set. So who knows.

I was relieved to feel less old when Bob Boilen stood next to me at one point. I also walked into a conversation he was having with Malitz outside about Weird Al playing a tiny desk concert at NPR later in the week. I do a great Bob Boilen impression that I wish I could amuse you with right now. I love when he hurries to announce the bands taking the stage when NPR occasionally records shows at the 930 and other DC venues.

Any way, the highlight of the show was Surfer Blood's own "We are the world" moment, when they closed the set with a cover of Weezer's "Undone - The Sweater Song." Not played particularly well, but it's a great song to begin with, and this is a band you'd like to hear play it.

If you'd like to see a poor quality iPhone video from the show, here ya go.

Days of Future Passed

2010-06-16T06:26:00.002-05:00

The Futureheads
Black Cat
June 4, 2010

I heard an interview with the Futureheads on KEXP back when their first album was released in 2004, where they said that they figured the way they could make the most noise as a band was to have each band member sing each song at the same time. I’m not sure many groups outside of the a capella ghetto try that approach but it certainly lends itself to a big sound. While not a sell-out, the Futureheads drew a pretty good crowd to the Black Cat and were able to keep people interested in the new shit, although it seemed pretty clear, given the enthusiastic reception of the crowd to 2004’s “False Conversation” (from the self-titled album of the same year) that most of the audience was, like me, attending because they wanted to hear the old stuff. The band seemed to enjoy one another’s company, which is a rarity given that two of them are brothers. Also lead singer David Hyde has a early 1980s alternative British guy look about him that you don’t see too much anymore, like he could be one of the extras in the video for “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before” and could bore the living shit out of you by complaining about Margaret Thatcher for a few hours straight if you had the misfortune to be stuck in a corner with him at a party. And more than likely the food at the party would suck balls because the hosts would be vegan, and consequently you would be like, Jesus, I need new friends, because look at this lame-assed party I ended up at.

Potsy and I noted that the area around the Black Cat continues to change rapidly and we’re starting to see the sort of people on 14th that you previously would only see south of Dupont, or in Georgetown maybe. I don’t get as up in arms about gentrification as others do—it’s a free country and people can live and hang out wherever they like—but you definitely get the sense that some essential shittiness that made the area interesting has been lost forever and that the Black Cat is probably on its way to becoming some sort of museum piece, like CBGB or something. Potsy even thought he saw a bro get iced while we were in there, which was fucking demoralizing to hear. Nevertheless, I was impressed that the Futureheads were able to energize the audience the way they did, because not only did it include the aforementioned 2004 nostalgiacs, but also a good amount of pikers and summer intern types who likely had no idea who the band was. Well done, Futureheads.

Going back to 2004, does anyone else agree with me that 2004-2005 was a golden age of music? I think we’ve gotten a little distance so I can make a grand, ridiculous statement like that. Look at the albums that came out in that period and tell me they weren’t awesome:

Sufjan Stevens, Illinois
The Futureheads, The Futureheads
Spoon, Gimme Fiction
Arcade Fire, Funeral
Franz Ferdinand, Franz Ferdinand
Air, Talkie Walkie
Mark Lanegan, Bubblegum
The Libertines, The Libertines
The Black Keys, Rubber Factory
Wolfmother, Wolfmother EP (am I a jackass for liking this? Someone tell me)
Neko Case, The Tigers Have Spoken
Fiery Furnaces, EP
New Pornographers, Twin Cinema

Maybe this is a symptom of my advancing age, but every time I hear new releases from the bands above, I find myself hankering for that 04-05 sound, and I keep not getting it.

Put on your helmet

2010-06-15T18:35:00.003-05:00

We're going to see Hooray for Earth tomorrow night (and Surfer Blood too).

Here's a taste of the former:

Lake Effect

2010-06-04T16:47:00.003-05:00

The Besnard Lakes
Black Cat Backstage
May 27, 2010

Who’s got the best falsetto in rock? Jeff Buckley? He’s dead. Morrissey? He never broke it out after “Miserable Lie,” and let’s all admit that he can’t really sing, anyway. Brian Wilson? Yes, probably, but he’s fat and insane like your mom, and I’d rather not discuss him.

So that leaves us with latter day castrato Jace Lasek of Montreal’s Besnard Lakes. I last saw Besnard Lakes during SXSW with Jumbo Slice and Baby Stew Steve at WOXY, which was fun, although WOXY vomited blood and died like two days later. Note to media outlets—do not allow any members of DC Rock Club up in your shit because you will regret it, as WOXY and Sunday Source can attest.

This time around, I saw the band with Potsy at the much-less-glamorous-than-the-WOXY-studio-during-SXSW back room of the Black Cat, but the band still laid down the wood and gave a great show. All Montreal bands seem to look like they sell mushrooms to undergrads on the side and the Besnard Lakes are no exception. Lasek has a shaggy haircut with bangs and what looked like one of those pairs of glasses of the type that darken when you step outside into the sun, presumably after being inside all day laying down tracks on your prog rock masterpiece with your friends Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. I would make further catty comments about the other band members’ appearance but I couldn’t really see them, as they broke out a smoke machine, which is a lot like letting your Chevy run in the garage with the garage door closed, given the size of the back room at the Black Cat.

Despite looking like smelly vagrants, or maybe because of it, the band sounded great as they tore through “Like the Ocean,” “Albatross” and “This Is What We Call Progress” (from the new The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night). When I saw them at WOXY they freely admitted that they plagiarized the last from the great Philip Bailey/Phil Collins hit “Easy Lover,” and Potsy and I noted that the Black Cat ticket taker looked like he could be Phil Collins’s son, and that maybe there would be an attempt on Lasek’s life during the show Pantera-style, but nothing went down. They also did “Devastation” from The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse, which was epic. I bought a band shirt—it’s a horse made of fire and it’s fucking bad ass and I am too when I wear it.

Before the show Potsy made a good joke that if he owned a freight company that specialized in moving oats from one place to another, he would call it “Haulin’ Oats.” I’ll end this review on that note.

Show Preview: The Futureheads

2010-06-02T20:56:00.004-05:00

The Futureheads
with The Like and Static Jocks
Black Cat
Friday, June 4th

In 2004 The Futureheads garnered much acclaimed for their excellent self-titled debut. It was a blistering rock album which featured quick hitting songs like "Le Garage", "Hounds of Love", "Decent Days and Nights". Fans of punk/pop bands like The Jam and Gang of Four couldn't help but heap praise on The Futureheads.

However, after that initial release attention on the band waned. I never quite understood why. Admittedly, the next two albums (News & Tributes and This Is Not The World) weren't quite as brilliant as their debut but they weren't too shabby either.

Now the band has released their fourth album The Chaos. Many are calling it a return to form since it has the same manic energy and the distinct vocal harmonies as their debut. Even an unapologetic fan as myself has to admit this effort is superior to the past two releases. The Chaos is sharp, aggressive, and shows that just because you return to an earlier sound it doesn't mean you can't incorporate some tricks you've learned along the way.

"Struck Dumb" by The Futureheads

Timing is everything if you've got nothing but time

2010-05-25T17:42:00.004-05:00

If Rock Club wasn't already on the hook for The Besnard Lakes this Thursday night, I'd be at DC9 for another look at Tim Fite. I like what he does.

Formed (another) band

2010-05-17T19:58:00.008-05:00

Everybody was in the French Resistance...Now! May 15, 2010 @ DC9

Eddie Argos - of Art Brut fame - has teamed up with the very appealing Dyan Valdes (of the Blood Arm) for the exasperatingly named EWITFR...N! After watching the impotent DC United lose to the mediocre Colorado Rapids Saturday night, Rock Club and 38 others had a look at Eddie and Dyan perform tracks off their concept album "Fixin' the Charts, Volume One."

The album is made up of "songs" inspired by a number of other (actual) songs.

Here's the list:
Creeque Allies - Response to “Creeque Alley” by the Mamas and the Papas
G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N (You Know I've Got A) - Response to “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne
(I'm So) Waldo P. Emerson Jones - Response to “Waldo P. Emerson Jones” by the Archies
The Scarborough Affaire - Response to “Scarborough Fair,” traditional/Simon & Garfunkel
Billy's Genes - If you can't figure this one out, eat a dick.
Think Twice (It's Not Alright) - Response to “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright” by Bob Dylan
Hey! It's Jimmy Mack - Just read the info here
He's a "Rebel"
Coal Digger - Kayne...
My Way (Is Not Always the Best Way) - Old Blue Eyes
Superglue
Walk Alone

DCRC club has seen Art Brut a few times, and I think it's safe to say, once is all you really need. Entertaining? absolutely. But once you know how The Usual Suspects unfolds, there's no reason to see it again. Such is the fate of Eddie Argos. It's the same ol' thing. He talks. People play music behind him (in this case it's half pre-recorded). He wears a hat. He takes off the hat. He's talks to the crowd. People generously laugh at whatever he says, almost uncomfortably. I think he'll make a great game show host some day.

Are you ready for some futbol?

2010-05-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Paul Hewson, aka Bono, turned 50 years old yesterday. If you ever have the privilege of playing golf with sacklunch, you might see the best Bono impression of all time. sacklunch only knows one joke (the one about your mother), and once he discovers a bit that works, he performs encores - unsolicited.

So imagine you're on the 4th hole staring down a 6 foot putt, you read the green, take a deep breath, and draw back the club. Now imagine a stocky bearded fellow off in the periphery, he's got the flag stick in his hands, starts singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and waves the flag as he runs around you. That's sacklunch.

If you've been watching ESPN at all this last week+, you might think that the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is possible because U2 stopped apartheid and elected Nelson Mandela. In the time that it has taken me to write the above, ESPN has shown two of their U2 themed adverts. Now, I grew up mad about U2. I like hearing "Out of Control" as the narrator reminds us that the soccer player wearing number 10 is like today's basketball player wearing 23. So I'm not complaining. Just sharing. Speaking of narrator, here's sir Bono.

Oh, make it three FIFA ads now.

Local de Mayo

2010-05-06T22:13:00.008-05:00

Local Natives @ RnRH - May 5, 2010 - $10

I found a nice surprise from Facebook on Wednesday. Instead of the normal PR notice from the Rock and Roll Hotel via their fan page, I received something worthy of a fan page. No, it wasn't a notice about the next Drunken Jenga night or Gugurachi (or whatever it is that they do upstairs on slow nights). This time I received a message inviting me to purchase a ticket to the sold out Local Natives show. Which I did. There were 5 tickets available, and I got one.

Emma Peel is a fan of Local Natives. She talked them up quite a bit, and that was enough for me to pay attention. It was too bad I couldn't get two tix. This show was originally scheduled for DC9 and moved to the RnRH, so I can't be too greedy.

I did make a mistake in my pre-concert planning. I decided to go for a run before making my way to H Street. I got cleaned up and everything, don't worry. But sometimes the RnRH can resemble a well attended fraternity party. Too many dudes in close quarters with not enough ventilation. I should have stopped in the local Giant before I got there and stood in the frozen food section for 20 minutes. Instead I arrived with an elevated core temp and it only got hotter.

I like shows at the RnRH. It's just big enough, and H street is what 14th street used to feel like, slightly sketchy and under populated. One thing I don't like about the RnRH is the stage lighting. It's really poor, and with such low ceilings, it's difficult to see the band at times. This was true on Wednesday night.

Local Natives put out a strong debut album (Gorilla Manor) that I am just getting to know. But some of their slower tunes can drag on a bit live. At least that's how it felt Wednesday. There's also a lot of ah ahhhhhhh aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh whoaaaaaaaaaaaa oooooooooo. I'm getting a little bored with this sound coming from a good number of bands today (Fleet Foxes, Frightened Rabbits, Animal Collective...), but Local Natives enticed a sizable crowd into singing along with them throughout the show. Often that's a sign I'm at the wrong show, but in this case, it was good to see and hear. We don't often get a lot of that in DC. Here's a clip from Weds:

The up tempo tunes were great and if the hot chick behind me hadn't eaten a 6 pack of garlic, I might have enjoyed my neighbors more as they crowded in to get involved. I noticed one Asian American (or maybe Asian Canadian) who was running-in-place/dancing to the music. I saw another Asian North American do the same thing at the Phoenix show. Is this a trend?

Bottom line, if Local Natives are playing Constitution Hall in a year and a half, I won't go. The Black Cat seems like a good venue for them next time around. The Black cat has better AC too.

King James the Lawbringer

2010-05-05T20:10:00.004-05:00

Eustace Tilley--eat a dick this long, man

Thank God LCD Soundsystem is back. I'm sick of all these weenie bands and their Hostess Twinkie bullshit, man. There's an article about the band and their new album in this week's New Yorker, a magazine that I read. Did I mention I read the New Yorker? Because I do. Even the terrible "humor" articles, which I read to myself using a nebbish Woody Allen-type inner voice, because I think that somehow that will make the "jokes" funnier.

I also love "Life In These United States" and "Humor in Uniform," as well as "Stars--They're Just Like Us!" Wait, that's Reader's Digest. And Us.

I do want to submit "My wife is a slut" to the Cartoon Caption Contest, however.

Anyway, back on topic--LCD Soundsystem. Here's a quote from the man-genius James Murphy that I think encapsulates everything that's right about his band:

LCD live was set up to be an argument about what's wrong with bands and why bands should be better...I always thought we were so obviously not a great band. I was not a great front man. There's a lot of ramshackle mismatched people, and we didn't dress like each other or particularly well. Our rules help us.

Nobody onstage can hear anything the audience doesn't hear. No click tracks, no guides, nothing can be heard onstage that isn't going to the front of the house. If it's a synthesizer, you have to make that sound happen onstage with a synth. If it's an organic sound, it absolutely cannot be put on a sampler. No 'feeling it.' No sunglasses. No rocking out. No improvising. No noodling. No psyching up the crowd. No pretending you're cool. I understand that if someone's going to make me his idea of cool I can't control that. But no wearing the rock-and-roll hat. Volume. Volume. Volume. Volume onstage. We like it to sound uniform, even, and loud as fuck. I want someone to come out of the audience and onto the stage and hear the same shit.

Article excerpts here.

Self employed cetaceans

2010-05-04T12:16:00.009-05:00

Freelance Whales @ 9:30 Club Sunday, May 2, 2010 - $15 -
oh, and Shout Out Louds (headliners)

DCRC went to see the saccharine Freelance Whales at the 930 on Sunday night. This is a band that is easy to listen to, and for me that's good and bad.

Have you ever started a new job to find one eager person who is extra nice to you, willing to give you all the insider info about where to get lunch and to tell you who is a bitch and who has a mild cocaine habit? For me, I like knowing a good place to get lunch so I'm instantly grateful. And that's how Freelance Whales strikes me. They use a banjo on stage - and I love banjos - so immediately we're BFF.

But the more this new workmate talks the less you like what you hear, and pretty soon you realize why s/he was so anxious to befriend you. It's because this person totally sucks and is fond of manipulation. I fear this will be the phenomenon of Freelance Whales.

I've always said that my favorite music is music I don't like at first. Not so in this case, but I'll enjoy them while it lasts. Here's a sample of what they do:

Nice hats.

Meanwhile, the Shout Out Louds reminded me of something I would have heard off the Breakfast Club soundtrack. They were fine, but what's with the intermittent blasts of "smoke" on stage? There is a segment of the musical spectrum where smoke machines are acceptable, and Shout Out Louds fall outside of that spectrum (which they should be happy for).

Farewell, til you know me well Girlfriend

2010-04-26T22:42:00.007-05:00

Phoenix @ DAR Constitution Hall - Monday, April 26th ~$50

Move over Undercover Slut, Phoenix is the crème de la brûlée. First it was the kissing, then the fries, and now we have Sarkozy eating at Ben's Chili Bowl and Phoenix rocking us...? Next they'll be making enemies with the muslim world. The French. They so want to be American.

They were practically giving tickets to Phoenix away on craigslist this afternoon, so it was back to DAR tonight. DAR still sucks, but Phoenix is big enough to fill the aircraft-hanger of a music hall. They not only shrink the venue with their massive sound, but with their stage presence too.

Here's the difference between Vampire Weekend @DAR and Phoenix @DAR: everyone stands for Phoenix. I think it's deserved. They opened with Lisztomania, got everybody up and were relentless with the catchy pop rock for the duration. Thomas Mars seemed to be looking for every possible emergency exit in the place tonight. I thought he was going to commandeer a spot light and get all Bono at one point.

Great show, check out the second part of the clip where half the audience plays rock band.

Harlem Night

2010-04-20T19:12:00.008-05:00

Harlem w/ Tennis System & Foul Swoops - April 19th @DC9 - $10

We are getting close to the one year anniversary of sacklunch's last post on this site. But that doesn't mean he's completely absent. This Monday night, Harlem performed at DC9, and it was a sacklunch pick. Nice job sacklunch. Never mind that Jumbo Slice has been talking up these guys for over a year now. He's a deserter and shall be ignored (for now).

We only caught the last couple of songs from openers Foul Swoops, but they were good, and they looked like they were sophomores in high school. Be sure to check them out if you see them on the bill somewhere. Young rockers.

The Tennis System? Not so much. I liked one out of the five songs I heard them play before retreating downstairs. But a part of me just couldn't get past their look. It was distracting. You know when little girls play dress up and wear their mom's clothes and put on make up and look rather messy and ridiculous? Enter The Tennis System. Half of their membership played dress-up, apparently trying to look like 80s rock stars. I wasn't buying it. Leather vests were bad for Danzig, they're bad for Tennis too.

Then came the very loose threesome, Harlem. Fronted by Michael Coomers, who began the set behind the largest kick drum I've ever seen, I'd say these fellas were well pickled by the time they went on. Sloppy and dealing with technical problems, it didn't matter. These guys were having fun, were self-effacing and they managed to keep it together. "Thanks for paying to see us practice," Coomers joked after his guitar cut out mid song. They took requests from the crowd which filled the club about 80% on a Monday night, and they pleased.

I haven't mentioned that Coomers looks a lot like How I Met Sarah Marshall star, Jason Segel, but I'm pretty sure they're the same guy. Judge for yourself (Coomers may need to lay off the french fries a little).

Better live than on record, despite (or maybe because of) their messy performance...here's their music video:

Fillet of Soul

2010-04-13T22:38:00.003-05:00

I keep seeing ads for Soul Train DVDs.

From this day forward

2010-04-11T21:05:00.004-05:00

The Wedding Present - Friday, April 9th @ the Black Cat with the Jet Age - $15

There wasn't much brewing on Friday night, so why not check out The Wedding Present?

I knew/know very little about this band, having mostly thrown them into the same basket of British bands that my neighbor in college would listen to, while I donned my flannel and set my sights on music from the Pacific Northwest. My neighbor, Jason Lee (not that Jason Lee, obv), was a huge fan of Ride, Swerve Driver, Suede, the Reading Musical Festival, and I'm pretty sure the only reason I ever heard of The Wedding Present was because it was in rotation coming from his dorm room.

Here's what I've learned since.

The Wedding Present is basically David Gedge. He's the only constant in the band since they formed in 1985.
They didn't stop making music just because Jason Lee is no longer my neighbor. Friday night's show included a handful of tracks from albums produced after 1995, actually. Some good stuff.
While DC area band The Jet Age opened for The Wedding Present on Friday, as they did some 5 years earlier, there is another Jet Age connection to The Wedding Present. The Jet Age's Eric Tischler "was commissioned to remix the lead track for The Wedding Present’s first ever download-only single, “The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girlfriend” from the band’s album El Rey" (thank you BLURT on-line).
Lots of bald dudes in their late 40s/early 50s love this band. They showed up in full force Friday and even had themselves a ghey-ol' dance party in the middle of the floor. Nice to see people dancing.
The Wedding Present can reach back and deliver some intense indie rock (as well as some softer jams), but they played a long long set. David Gedge turns 50 in twelve days, but he rocked it like a 30something Friday, playing the Bizzaro album (their 2nd in the catalog).

(Cherry) Bomb

2010-04-08T20:26:00.011-05:00

The rockudramedy, The Runaways, opens nationwide tomorrow (April 9th). On Monday night, Rock Club caught an advanced screening of this "coming-of-age biopic."

The first thing I learned from seeing this motion picture was that Joan Jett was a minor league lesbian. I guess this isn't necessarily surprising. She has that hardware-store type of walk, and she hates herself for loving you. After watching this movie, one wonders which got more fingering, her guitar, or singer Cherie Currie. Okay, if you expect to see fingering in this movie you're going to be disappointed. I think Jett is more of a power cord kind of player.

But I say minor league because despite the constant references and outright same-sex scenes in the film, Jett has not been out and open about her sexuality in real life. I don't think you can be a major league lesbian if you're not going to be out about it. She seems to be more of a double-A athlete than a major leaguer.

Thanks to movies like Dazed and Confused, I knew the Runways' big hit, Cherry Bomb, without necessarily knowing it was the Runaways who performed it. I was 2 when this band formed and wasn't living in California. Instead, I remember being pretty psyched each time "I Love Rock and Roll" was played over the school bus radio when I was 8 years old. Joan Jett seemed pretty awesome. Little did I know that tune was a cover of The Arrows' 1975 song. Anyway, "I Hate Myself For Loving You" was pretty solid. But now I've gotten ahead of myself.

The second thing I learned from seeing this movie was that I missed hearing some of these tracks I hadn't heard in a while. It inspires you to head to iTunes for a few downloads. No doubt, a calculation when making a movie like this.

Kristen Stewart plays a great Joan Jett, and Dakota Fanning plays Cherie Currie, and I have no idea how true to life her performance of Currie is. But I do know that anytime we type Dakota Fanning on our blog, we get more traffic (welcome back to the blog creepy Fanning fans).

Here are some problems I had with this movie.
1. No sense of time. You aren't given any clue as to what year it is at any given point in the movie. By the end of the movie, it seemed like maybe 9 months had transpired, when it had been 4 years. The same can be said for setting. It wasn't until the characters were sitting in front of the Hollywood sign that I knew for sure they were in California. That was 10 minutes in.
2. Not enough Lita Ford. The movie was based on Currie's book "Neon Angel," so perhaps it's no surprise that the film seemed to be all about Currie. But I wanted to see more Lita Ford. I don't know why, I just did.
3. No nudity. It's a movie about a chick band and there's drugs and rock and roll, but not enough sex if you ask me.
4. The relationship between Jett and Currie covered the "coming-of-age" element of the movie. But their relationship wasn't portrayed as being all that complicated (or interesting) beyond the girl-on-girl element. Once you figure that out, the only thing you have left is the nostalgia from the era, and...

the best thing about this movie.
1. The character of Kim Fowley, manager and "creator" of the Runaways. Played by Michael Shannon, Kim adds the comedy to this tragedy of a movie. In one scene, Joan Jett is calling Fowley from the road, filling him in on how well things are going, and all you hear is Shannon's voice over the telephone, trying to respond, but clearly distracted as he is obviously mid-coitus. He might be worth the time investment in the movie, but not necessarily the price of admission.

When it was all said and done, I learned more about the Runaways in 45 seconds reading wikipedia than I did in watching this whole movie. I wouldn't stop you from seeing the Runaways. The first 30 minutes were actually pretty good. But maybe like the band itself, it ran out of gas pretty quickly.
I'll bet the film does great in Tokyo.

Not quite the Graver I had expected

2010-04-06T08:35:00.004-05:00

As mentioned earlier, Jimbromski and I were indeed spellbound by all the Goths congregating outside of Recessions in downtown DC Saturday night. Some folks really know how to make a statement despite a very monochrome wardrobe. Unfortunately for us, the real scene at Recessions for their Spellbound night takes place out of plain view from the street. That and the fact that this doomcookie wasn't brave enough to wander in there, my curiosity as to what goes down at Spellbound went unsated. Mystery solved:

Yeah, it's not what I would have expected at all, but probably should've guessed.

VW Fuss

2010-04-04T09:24:00.005-05:00

Vampire Weekend - Saturday, April 3rd - Constitution Hall DAR - $30+

Jimbromski joined me for an intimate night with Vampire Weekend on Saturday. We both felt as vulnerable as Abe Lincoln, sitting in the box just off the stage, but I can't complain about that really. Comfortable and close. It matched the comfort in which we traveled to the venue (minivan cab ride). I've already gone on and on about how much I detest seeing concerts at DAR on this site, and I'll do a little of that again here, but being close helps a lot.

Here's some video I took from our vantage point:

Sure VW sold a lot of tickets for Saturday's show, but I don't think they did themselves any favors playing DAR as opposed to the 930. They seemed slightly disappointed with the reaction from the crowd, encouraging more dancing, clapping, singing, fawning, even fist pumping. If the crowd wants to fist pump, it probably would take some coaxing, but clapping, singing along, moving. at. all. - these are not new ideas to us, thank you. But I am less likely to do any of them at Constitution Hall. It's just too big and somewhat isolating, leaving me all the more exposed. Anyhow, the space is better suited for a high school assembly than a rock show. Spoon could sell out Constitution Hall. Easily. But for whatever reason, they don't perform there, and we are all the better for it.

VW is certainly a different animal than when we saw them in February of 2008 at the Rock n Roll Hotel. Seeing them performing to high schoolers and their parents this weekend made for a more mainstream experience; not surprising and probably inevitable. But they seemed a little more Disney and a little less rock and roll.

My favorite tune of the night was "Cousins," the first single released from Contra. The song itself pushes all of the right buttons for me, but Ezra Koenig's edgy guitar and Chris Tomson's drumming at the end had just the right crash to disturb and rouse. Here's a great video shot by Diarrhea Island's Marianne to illustrate (actually, Marianne has lots of great stuff to check out from the show):

Despite what I said above, the crowd was wild with appreciation, just not very demonstrative beyond the applause and cheers after each song. Not all that unusual for a DC show, but VW could have had the floor jumping if it were at a better space.

After the show, Jimbromski and I checked out the Goth scene at "Recessions" downtown. Come to find out, they have an ongoing scene offered via Spellbound. Okay, so we actually just looked on from next door as the Goths gathered outside of Recessions. One of them raced back and forth across traffic for some reason demonstrating just how on the edge these folks live (while avoiding the light of day). Vampire Freakend.

I don't imagine I'll be going to see VW again, unless they played a venue like the 930 club or a larger festival where I can lounge outside and see a bunch of other bands too. Saturday's performance was solid, and maybe it's just my middle age flaring up again, but I don't watch Nickelodeon for a reason, and it's the same reason I'll leave future VW shows to the young and the Reston.

Age Dive

2010-03-30T19:46:00.003-05:00

We got news this week that senior citizen Iggy Pop's lust for life has meant his retirement from stage diving. Probably a good idea since most people old enough to remember stage diving are in worse shape than he is these days, and would drop him 9 times out of 10 anyway.

With that in mind, we go back to the 1990s when stage diving was annoying music fans all over the world on a regular basis.

Making up for lost time

2010-03-29T18:39:00.008-05:00

Believe it or not, Rock Club made it out to a show this weekend. It was the third show of four this week, and it ended a long cold drought.

Last Tuesday was the first of the four nights and the second night of Spoon being in town. They put on a great show at the 930, as usual, with two short encores, great lighting, and a nice mix of tunes from their expanding catalog. I'm always curious about multiple night sets, wondering which night is the better bet. My money was on the second, hoping it worked like the Price is Right's Showcase Showdown. Thanks to our friends at the WaPo's Click Track, the breakdown of the two shows is there to compare.

Friday night was spent at the RnRH to see Baltimore's Wye Oak and headliner Shearwater. Wye Oak rocked it. That two-piece maximizes its profits. Compare that to Shearwater's weighty overhead and off-putting vocals, Wye Oak was the band to see Friday night.

Saturday night, DC's RC membership converged on the Black Cat and began the night with San Diego's Beaters. Metal with a splash of synthesizer. Aggressive and interesting for a song or two, but harsh enough to send us downstairs for a drink.

Next up, we caught a few tracks from ill-named NODZZZ (also from CA). These dork rockers had a Black Lips vibe to them without the full frontal nudity and excessive on-stage spitting. Instead, they had dude with Buddy Holly glasses and a Mr. Spock haircut. They were selling their new 7". I don't have a record player.

Headliners, The Soft Pack, the band whose name is still hanging on the playlist for the comatose WOXY.com, were the final California band of the evening, and showcased a bit of a surfer rock sound. They were excellent from start to finish, great showmanship, excellent vocals, a tight 4some. DCRC was unanimous in its praise for The Soft Pack. I'll be downloading soon.

Here's a clip:

And while we're at it, Monday night brought Vancouver's Japandroids to the RnRH and DCRC out for another show. This was a sacklunch pick, endorsed by Jumboslice, despite Senior Youth Correspondent Andrew's early skepticism about this two piece. Jimbromski and I hung back to catch this act from afar while sacklunch mixed it up closer to the stage with the dozens of young'uns tattooed with big Xs sharpied on their hands. Japandroids were enthusiastic, but we were less so. Jimbromski made the point that they seem to have hatched out of the 1990s, a sloppy loud sound lacking melody. I'm not sure what all the buzz is about.

I'm Gonna Die Before I See My Time

2010-03-23T21:10:00.007-05:00

WOXY (1983-?)

Choose what to believe
And you don't take it from anyone else

But I think I'm gonna die
Before I see my time
But I think I'm gonna die
Try it anyway

The lyrics above are from "Answer To Yourself" by The Soft Pack. It was the final song played on WOXY before it went silent yesterday morning. According to Mike Taylor, WOXY Program Director, the song was just a random pick but it seems fitting. You can certainly read a lot into those lyrics.

By now the shock has worn off and the reality that WOXY is no longer on the air has really set in. There are four of us in DC Rock Club and we all have different musical tastes (mine is the best). However, the one thing we had in common was we all listened to WOXY each weekday. At about 10 AM this morning the "What's the fuck are we supposed to listen to" and "Jesus, KEXP really sucks" emails started to fly around. There are many other options for online music but they all pale in comparison to WOXY. For every good song automated radio sites play, you have to sit through a dozen shitty ones. WOXY sifted through all the crap out there and championed the bands that truly deserved attention. While I didn't like every song they played, WOXY had a vastly higher success rate than any station I ever listened to. The WOXY DJs - Mike, Shiv, Joe, and Paige - know their music and it was nice to have people you trusted creating your workday soundtrack.

When it was announced last year that WOXY was moving from Cincinnati to Austin, I couldn't have been more thrilled. I gloated to our friend Steve at BabyStew.com since he's the biggest WOXY fanatic you can imagine. I attended their first big party at the Scoot Inn and spent a lot of time talking with Shiv (Music Director) and Paige (Director of Marketing & Development). The WOXY crew wasted no time making their mark on the weirdest little city in Texas. They sponsored incredible shows, had tons of great bands in studio, and were always out around town (Shiv is a god damn SUPERSTAR here). Basically, they're the nicest, smartest, coolest folks you'd ever want to meet.

They were also incredibly welcoming. I had the pleasure of going to the WOXY studio for numerous Lounge Act recordings. I got to see Royal Bangs, Mission of Burma (one of my all-time favorite bands), Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, and just last week, The Besnard Lakes. Each time I was there the WOXY staff was happy to share their space with fellow music fans. WOXY and Austin seemed like the perfect fit. Which is why the announcement yesterday was such a fucking bummer.

I'm not sure if WOXY will make it back on the air or not. I certainly hope so. I've said it many times and I'll say it again: I'd HAPPILY pay a monthly fee to listen to WOXY. I seriously feel lost with my default music option.

Here's a video I shot last week at WOXY of The Besnard Lakes performing "Albatross". Thanks again to everyone at WOXY for having us in and to Steve for helping set it all up.

The Future of Rock and Roll is dead

2010-03-23T10:28:00.003-05:00

This is a very sad day. Normally, I'd be 2 hours into my morning at work, catching up on New Tunes Tuesday, enjoying the best in free internet radio. But unceremoniously, the plug has been pulled on WOXY.com

I often asked, how does this station afford to do what it does (did)? It never asked for donations, and never aired commercials. I found this article back in October to help explain things, but I guess that wasn't enough. Man. This seriously blows. Especially for those folks who just moved out to Austin.

IN MEMORIAM

DC Does TX 2010

2010-03-10T22:21:00.005-05:00

Well, it's almost that time again...the most wonderful time of the year: SXSW. There are many things I love about living in Austin but SXSW is at the top of the list. Thousands of bands descend upon the city, play a fuck load of free shows (often w/ free beer), and turn all of Austin in one giant party. God I love it. This year will be extra magical-special because Jimbromski and family are coming down to partake in the activities. It'll be interesting as we balance time with the wives and kids riding the choo-choo train at Barton Springs with time drinking beers at Emo's with BabyStew Steve and Mr. Malitz. Fortunately, we have a lot of experience parenting while hungover.

As you might imagine, Sacklunch (remember him?) and Potsy are insanely jealous they won't be at SXSW. Jimbromski, being the devious and clever man that he is, surreptitiously made his trip plans w/o informing Potsy and Sacklunch, thereby ensuring free room and board at La Casa del Jumbo Slice. Once again proving that in a game of Rock Club Survivor, Jimbromski would win the million dollars.

As I mentioned there are more shows and parties than I can keep track of but one show I'm sure to attend is the DC Does TX party:

I'm especially excited to see Title Tracks for the first time (I missed their Austin show last month) and I always look forward to Deleted Scenes. Of course, it's a solid lineup from top to bottom. And if that's not reason enough to attend, there will be free beer compliments of Doghead Fish Craft Brewery. Here are the set times:

12-12:30 - Vandaveer
12:45-1:15 - Pree
1:30-2:00 - Deleted Scenes
2:15-2:45 - Title Tracks
3:00-3:30 - Le Loup
3:45-4:15 - US Royalty
4:25-4:55 - Middle Distance Runner

Broken Bells Dropped

2010-03-09T08:54:00.005-05:00

Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) and James Mercer's (The Shins) collaboration, Broken Bells, release their self-titled album today. If anybody's interested... They perform at SXSW on the 17th.

"Hang in there."*

2010-03-02T10:25:00.005-05:00

sack lunch (if you even remember who he is) is gearing up for a couple of big hikes. One up Mt. Washington as prep for a bigger go at Mt. Rainier (number 2). So on Saturday night, we ventured out to the E Street Cinema for a flick about climbing and Nazis, a winning combination. At least that was how it was advertised to us. The movie, Nordwand, is a 2008 pic about two dudes in 1936 who try to be the first to make their way up the North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland. While there were some Nazis involved, they were peripheral to the story, and none of them got shot, or anything coming close to getting shot. They got waved at, mostly. Hardly the kind of punishment we are accustomed to seeing inflicted on the Nazis.

Anyway, I figured this flick was meant to inspire sack lunch as he readies himself for cold weather and icy conditions. But having seen this motion picture, there's nothing inspirational about it. It'd be like watching a movie about those Italian families who put on all the firework displays for the major holidays, but in the end, they all burn to death in a horrific and drawn out series of disastrous mishaps. Very uplifting. Good luck, sack lunch. Bring extra long rope. Oh yeah, the movie's in German, too, so bring your reading glasses if you don't speak the Deutsch.

In light of this gloomy movie, let's go back and revisit a more positive rock climbing experience.

* a quote from the movie, believe it or not.

You might get bored

2010-02-23T10:50:00.006-05:00

I watched It Might Get Loud the other night. You know, this is the rockumentary that features a not so casual meeting of guitarists Jimmy Page, David Evans (The Edge), and Jack White.

The actual meeting of these three is rather awkward as they sit around and talk about guitars and try to play each others tunes. Nothing like watching professional musicians who have no real love for one another squint at each other's fretboard trying to figure out how the song goes. It's kind of annoying, actually. But the rest of the film was pretty decent. I liked the historical footage of Page when he was 15 and featured on British television. And watching White make a guitar out of coke bottle, a hunk of wood, and a wire was equally enjoyable.

Having grown up on U2, I especially appreciated the footage of "Street Mission" that was offered. I had never heard of this song, and definitely never saw this footage before. According to the movie credits, this song was written by U2 before they were U2. They were called "The Hype" back then. I just wish Larry Mullen Jr. would stop giving me the eyes at minute 1:50. He's so flirty.

Concert Preview: La Snacks at the Velvet Lounge

2010-02-19T15:06:00.008-05:00

Austin comes to DC as my good friends La Snacks take over the Velvet Lounge on Saturday night. Opening for La Snacks are another Austin band, Transmography, along with two local bands: Typefighter and Ionosphere Club. A solid lineup for what promises to be a great night of music.

Ls Snacks have a raw, fuzzy, slacker sound that recalls the best indie rock of the '90s. Couple that with highly amusing lyrics and a great live show and you have a winning formula. Be sure to check them out. Here's my favorite song by La Snacks, "Kristen Was A Meteorologist":

Beatles For Sale

2010-02-18T13:51:00.004-05:00

We've been getting the Financial Times at work these past few weeks (for free). I don't really read, but I like to look at the pictures. So when I got to the Companies & Markets section, I paused when I saw a photo of a George and Ringo looking hazily toward the camera. Apparently, EMI is putting the Abbey Road studios up for sale. Times are tough. I've got $2k coming back from my tax return that I can chip in. Anyone else?

Click on the screen shot to read the online story.

Never gonna stop, give it up

2010-02-16T10:19:00.004-05:00

The Knack's Doug Fieger died of lung cancer this weekend. He was 57.

R.I.P.

I can't say that I was a big fan or really know any of their other tunes, but "My Sharona" is obviously a classic. This clip shows how excited everyone was in Carnegie Hall to finally hear the one song that they knew.

I wanna wash my hands, my face and hair with snow

2010-02-09T09:52:00.005-05:00

RAG is people, it's made out of peep-ol...

2010-02-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

If you were lucky/smart enough to snatch up Delta Spirit tickets for their DC9 shows next week, then you're also lucky enough to be seeing California's The Willowz while you're at it. The clip below is off of their 2007 album, Chautauqua (which is this cool little place in Boulder, CO).

Who didn't see this coming?

2010-01-29T16:04:00.006-05:00

First time Emma Peel and I ever met up for a show we saw Monotonix. You may recall my cleverly titled post, "Jews Gone Wild."

Well, Emma Peel informs me via Pitchfork that at their January 27 show in West Palm Beach, FLA, Monotonix singer Ami Shalev broke his leg. You can see the aftermath of them asking for a doctor via YouTube.

And here's a pic of the injured Ami from the show (via Broward-Palm Beach New Times):

photo by Ian Witlen

Bummer.

Scorpions not already retired

2010-01-26T10:02:00.008-05:00

News came out on Sunday that German rockers, The Scorpions were calling it quits. But not before they release a new/last album, Sting in the Tail, in March, and not before they go on a cash-in farewell world tour. Most of us at DCRC weren't aware that the Scorpion were actually still together. Even more amazing is that they've been around since 1965.

The more I read about bands on wikipedia, the more obvious This Is Spinal Tap becomes. The Scorpions at one time were two different bands. There was the Scorpions and there was another band called Dawn Road. After Michael Schenker left the Scorpions in 1973 to join UFO, the Scorpions broke up with members drifting over to Dawn Road. But Dawn Road had enough ex-Scorpions and a lame name to compel them to adopt the Scorpions moniker - eventually bringing Michael Schenker back after his drinking got him booted out of UFO in 1979. While we're at it, did you know that Don Dokken (of Dokken...fame) filled in on vocals during recording of the Scorpion's 1981 album, Blackout? Klaus Meine was recovering from throat surgery at the time. Fascinating, no?

Here's a 1972 clip of the Scorpions.

Sophmore Slump? On the Contra

2010-01-22T09:19:00.002-05:00

There's no use denying it. The second album from Vampire Weekend is good. Really good. It's been just long enough since I digested their self-titled first album. And as the gray skies, the sleet, and the cold wind try to bring me down, Contra is forcing me to look forward to brighter, warmer days. No doubt I will feel like an old man at the playground and it won't compare to their first show, but I'm also looking forward to their April 3rd show - even though it's at the retched DAR Constitution Hall.

Beatles Trivia Beat Down

2010-01-19T09:08:00.006-05:00

The Beatles Rock Band is a big hit. All things Beatles tend to be. Did you know there is a Trivial Pursuit - Beatles edition? Emma Peel gifted me one in celebration of the Jesus birthday. We broke it out Saturday night with Emma Peel's dear ol' dad, who is not only a Beatles fanatic, but is also British (foreshadowing).

What was the color of the coat that "Man On Train" was wearing in A Hard Day's Night?

Wasn't that movie in black and white?

In the traditional trivial pursuit, if you didn't know a subject well, you'd skip it until you had to go for the pie. For me it was Arts and Literature (brown). And then you'd pray that the question you got was something covered in school, or something that you saw on PBS accidentally. With Beatles trivial pursuit, there's no dodging the subject. The question you get will indeed be about the Beatles, and worse, something rather tangential to the Beatles.

This is not a casual game. This is a game you train for, and Emma Peel's dad is an Olympian when it comes to the Beatles. He goes so far as to add on more facts when he answers the impossibly obscure questions. That's actually how I managed to compete at all. I was simply paying attention as he over-answered some of the questions. "Keep going," I thought. "You're bound to give away something I can use later on."

He manage to answer 12 or so questions straight away, from the first roll. I think he had three pieces of pie before anyone else had picked up the die. Jimbromski is DCRC's resident Beatologist, and I think there is a tournament in the making.

Since the "Movies" category seemed to do me in more than any other category, I thought I'd share with you the trailer to the 1965 motion picture, HELP!.

The pre-view kinda gives it all away.

Arctic Rock: Greenland at the Black Cat

2010-01-16T15:28:00.003-05:00

Andrew, our Senior Youth Correspondent is picking up our slack. Here's his take on the recent Greenland show.

Greenland w/ Dennis Kane
Wednesday, January 13 2010
Black Cat backstage

When you are on winter break from college, Wednesdays are a lot like other days of the week. So this past Wednesday I pretended it was the weekend and headed to the Black Cat for local heavies Greenland. Dennis Kane opened to a decently sized crowd. Dennis is the main sound guy at the Black Cat, it was nice see him have a go from the other side of the room. He played gruff garage and post punk songs backed by a three piece band that included the Mrs. on bass. His songwriting brought to mind a more fierce Bowie or a less fierce Iggy. I didn't love every song I heard, but the overall performance was solid and Dennis get points for Fender Jazzmaster usage.

New material was the order of the day once the Greenlanders took the stage. Greenland is an indie-rock/post punk quartet that channels Joy Divsion and Wire as astutely as they do Neil Young and Queen. The band opened promptly with staple "Salome" and proceeded to a handful of fresh songs the band perhaps jokingly claimed were to appear on series of 3 upcoming EPs the first of which would come out in 2012. ("Be patient, guys") Lyrical content was as engaging as the music per usual. One tune about college was right up my alley: "Baby, baby/got caught by the RA." I happen to live in the basement of my dorm so I tend not to run into my resident advisor, but still it was nice to have some of the emotional spice of college life set to reverb soaked post punk. Potsy, Slice, you still remember going to college right? The new stuff sounded really solid, including older new songs "Black Lighting" and "Coffee" (both streaming here). I discovered these guys at Fort Reno in 2006, and have been a big fan ever since. If you have not checked them out yet, do it, they are easily one of the most original and enjoyable local bands currently active.

NOOPS

2010-01-12T13:46:00.005-05:00

SPOON - returning to the 9:30 Club March 22nd (and 23rd). New album (Transference) released next week (1/18). Listen to the album via NPR ahead of time.

Here's a peek at live performance of "Written in Reverse":

Let me introduce to you...

2010-01-11T20:16:00.010-05:00

Charles Bock meet Jimbromski.

Jimbromski, author Charles Bock.I believe you two have something in common.

TONIGHT

2010-01-06T15:28:00.004-05:00

Former Swervedriver frontman Adam Franklin and his Bolts of Melody play DC9. Local rock heros, The Jet Age are also on board (and on the burger menu).

It looks like it might be Rock Club's first night out in 0-ten. See you there (maybe).

Soundgarden shakin the money tree

2010-01-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

On August 6th of 1994, some friends and I drove from Binghamton, NY to Barrie, ON (that's Canada folks) to see Soundgarden and NIN play something loosely resembling a festival at Molson Park. Also on the bill but barely remembered were:

Pop Will Eat Itself
Reverend Horton Heat
Marilyn Manson
You Am I

I don't remember most of those bands because I was stuck in a orange mesh corral for a good part of the beginning of the show. Despite my wildest fantasies, Canada was not as free with its suds as I had anticipated, and despite the venue being named for the largest Canadian brewery that I knew of, they weren't exactly handing the beers out like balloons once inside. And while I went ahead and bought my 12 tickets for beers (3 tix = 1 beer), none of my friends did, and I was left to drink my 4 Molson Goldens one by one in the beer prison that separated the future members of AA from the smart kids who were smoking pot and out in the mix.

I mention this because I learned that Soundgarden is apparently reuniting for some tours this coming year. You have to turn your speakers up all the way to hear it, but this little chunk is breaking the newz for yall:

What I remember from the Molson Park show (besides the beer prison) was that Soundgarden wasn't all that good. Chris Cornell makes some good records (with Soundgarden that is, not with Timbaland), but his vocals at live performances are hit or miss from what I've seen. NIN on the other hand was pretty awesome. Come to find out, that Molson Park gig was apparently Trent's favourite Canadian show of his career.

“We had a chip on our shoulder about Soundgarden because their record [Superunknown] came out the same day Downward Spiral came out, and they beat us to No. 1 on Billboard. That became a kind of professional showdown. And we did show them.”

Anyhow, I guess these guys are needing to pay some college tuition by now. Seems a bit early for the nostalgia circuit, though.

Rock Machine: Max Levine

2009-12-28T22:36:00.003-05:00

Andrew, our Senior Youth Correspondent is back! This time he reviews the Max Levine Ensemble.

Max Levine Ensemble
Wednesday December 23, 2009
Black Cat Backstage
Photos by Rachel Atcheson

When DC native David Combs (aka Spoonboy) is not busy spreading the word on grass roots anarchy movements or supporting local charities, he fronts the Max Levine Ensemble, one of DC’s best-kept musical secrets. The Max Levine Ensemble (MLE), a pop punk trio that follows a DIY ethic that brings to mind bands such as Fugazi, are something of a rare (relative) success in the world of DC underground punk-which despite what people say still exists, albeit not very visibly. While there is some similarity to the operation of 80s/90s Dischord bands in MLE’s anti-corporate stance and self-run, exhaustive touring of the country, they do it with a sincerity not seen in many “purist” DC punk acts.

Maybe you caught MLE at Fort Reno—they have played several summers over the past few years. The group plays super high-energy blend of pop punk and ska that incorporates politically and socially conscious lyrics. A sampling of tracks from the band’s handful of albums and EPs brings to mind Ted Leo and The Thermals. I caught MLE this past Wednesday at the Black Cat.

For a band that I had seen twice before and already knew I liked a lot, MLE still managed to put on a very entertaining show. The approximately 40 minute set saw the band pulling out new songs from a new cassette release entitled “Them Steadily Depressing, Low Down Mind Messing, Post Modern Recession Blues.” Well that’s just a mouthful! Lyrical content on those songs seemed to consist of pretty direct indictments of those responsible for the financial debacle of 08/09. The band played super tight and had a surprising fidelity to the quality of the recorded versions of their songs. Meaning they are a good live act, not that you’d be just as satisfied to stay home and listen to the records. Drumming from Nick Popovici was fast and furious; bassist “Bepstein” handled a fair portion of the singing, adding a nice change from Spoonboy’s lead vocal. Banter was at just the right level-enough to make the audience feel recognized but not so much that something stupid/annoying is bound to be said.

I think a big area of success for this band has been the accessibility of their music, especially to the younger portion of the DC scene (The band are in their mid twenties however). Upbeat, catchy pop punk is often written off as mall punk Hot Topic garbage—and often there is truth in that. MLE pair deathly serious lyrics and outlook with catchy pop punk in a way that, as mentioned before, comes off very sincere.. Sure, they have goofy nicknames and too long cassette titles, but these guys deserve some credit. They are a punk band that is still finding issues to comment on even after George W. left the White House. That plus the quality of the tunes is enough for me. Check em out!

I'd never steal from Santa, 'cause that ain't right

2009-12-22T21:23:00.000-05:00

Sure, It's a Wonderful Life, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story are great holiday flicks (I hear Elf was good too, though I have yet to see it), but often overlooked is the 1988 classic, and best-Christmas-movie-of-all-times, Die Hard. Don't believe me? I just watched it again while riding the Amtrak, and sure enough I'm right.

Besides all the shooting, explosions, and clever one-liners, let me remind you/inform you that within the first 10 minutes of this motion picture, RUN-D.M.C.'s "Christmas in Hollis" is featured - not too shabby a beginning, if you ask me.

Since it's Christmas time, I'll share with you, dear reader, a couple of youtube clips in keeping with the spirit of a gluttonous holiday. Happy birthday Jesus.

no time to watch all of Die Hard again?

to your HEALTH

2009-12-15T20:24:00.004-05:00

Zero-G Money Shot

2009-12-07T22:45:00.004-05:00

I don't think it will come as a surprise to you, Rock Club reader, that we are a soft lot. When we last all met up, we were set to visit with the Big Pink at the Black Cat. But a late start plus cold weather plus Creedence Clearwater Revival on the stereo equaled a night in playing cards and talking stupid.

What began as a conversation about the difference between freeze-dried food (think astronaut) and regular dried food (think hikers) quickly spun out of control like a drunk with a hula-hoop and turned into speculation about how long it would take before someone would make a porn in space.

Key questions: Would it be straight porn? Would the Russians get there first? I hazard to guess that if the Russians got there first, it would be straight porn, but if the Americans were first, it'd be the gays to get it done. Lance Bass has already been certified by both NASA and the Russian Space Program after several months of cosmonaut training. So watch for him to emerge as a leading contender.

With all of that space talk, let's have a look at the ultimate in geek rock:

Electric Metric

2009-12-02T00:56:00.017-05:00

Metric
Dec. 1, 2009
Austin, TX

At last night's Metric concert a friend described the band as a "guilty pleasure". Saying they're a guilty pleasure implies you should feel embarrassed for being a Metric fan. You shouldn't. Sure, Metric sugary pop rock may lack indie cred but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy it without feeling shame. I rarely fall for anything with Top 40 appeal but with Metric I make an exception. I'm a sucker for their brand of electronic dance rock and new-wave.

Metric consists of three dudes and Emily Haines. Let's get serious though. No one gives a rat's ass about the guys. Everyone was there to see Emily Haines. The majority of the crowd were women which was a nice change of pace. Usually I'm at sausagefest indie shows filled with smelly bearded dudes (btw, what's the opposite of a sausagefest?). Thankfully, this was a no B.O. show. Just lots of lovely ladies dancing and singing away to their favorite songs.

Haines is a captivating front woman but not in a Beth Ditto or Karen O way. She has her own cute and endearing style. She's even a bit goofy. Oh, and did I mention she's dead sexy? Uma-esque even. She looked great in a her glittery dress that I'm guessing she stole from an Olympic Figure Skater. She's also a great singer and songwriter. Great dancer? Well, let's just say her dance moves were very...white. Perhaps Canadian is better description. She reminded me of a band geek turned hottie drunkenly dancing at her 10-year high school reunion. Some of the moves came straight from a Jazzercise video. It was cute and funny and only made me like her more. You can see some of her dancing in the videos below:

Throughout the show it was clear Haines was having fun and the crowd loving every minute. I was there to hear songs off the latest record, Fantasies, but the crowd was most excited for older hits such as "Dead Disco". Each song was greeted with loud cheers and dozens of cameras thrust high in the air to record the moment.

After a near perfect set the band performed a brief encore that included an acoustic version of "Combat Baby". I was convinced they'd return for the oh-so-rare second encore but it wasn't to be. The crowd certainly was ready for it, but Metric is like Costanza. They go out on a high note.

For more video and great pictures from the show, check out Ultra 8201!

For those interested, here's the set list:

Twilight Galaxy
Help I'm Alive
Portrait of a Girl
Satellite Mind
Handshakes
Gold Guns Girls
Empty
Gimme Sympathy
Sick Muse
Dead Disco
Stadium Love
Monster Hospital
Combat Baby

That's a Wrap

2009-12-01T10:56:00.006-05:00

This Thanksgiving, I stayed put in our glorious capital city. No hassles. No road rage. It was great. There was no one really around, lots of parking spaces available, and a calm that usually only comes with a nuclear winter. It reminded me of being a kid and going to school after hours. Kind of invigorating. As was walking off with staplers and pencil sharpeners, and writing "Ted Levine pees his pants" on all the chalk boards. Hey, it was true.

Despite there being no one in town, there were enough people to fill the theater Friday night for the Washington, DC premiere screening of Tommy Wiseau's The Room at the E Street Cinema. Jimbromski is our resident earlier adapter and has written extensively about this masterpiece of a movie; see: "A View with A Room" & "Nice party, Lisa...".

In honor of our recent big screen viewing, we bring you The Room rap.

Concert Preview: Metric at La Zona Rosa

2009-11-30T22:45:00.007-05:00

Earlier this year Jimbromski saw Metric at the 9:30 Club and he graced us with a review that was lost on everyone under 30. I'll try to decipher the review for all the young people out there. His basic message was Metric is going to be huge. And you should play them while having sex with your rat-tailed lover. Oh, and getting a haircut like a hedgehog isn't very attractive. All valid points.

Since that June show, Metric's profile has indeed continued to grow. Which is why I'm surprised tickets to the La Zona Rosa show on Tuesday, Dec. 1st are still available. Get yours before the shows sells out.

UPDATE: the show is now sold out.

Final note: the band recently released an EP with acoustic versions of songs from FANTASIES. Use the widget below to preview some of the songs from Plug In Plug Out. I recommend the video for "Help, I'm Alive".

RIP Ben Olsen

2009-11-25T00:58:00.003-05:00

Retire-in-Peace, sweet Ben. I was always pleased that you made the 2006 World Cup team, even though you and yours shat the bed in Germany. Abe Pollin overshadowed you, which is totally rude, but there is one small corner of the District that will always be Ben Olsen's ankle.

13153296673

2009-11-24T16:32:00.007-05:00

One of my brother's favorite tv shows is CBS's How I Met Your Mother. I've rarely watched it, but I can see its appeal. First, as anyone who has seen Harold & Kumar know, Neil Patrick Harris is excellent. I never thought he would surpass his role as D. Howser, medicine boy. Second, Cobie Smulders is super hot.

Then there is Jason Segel, star of films like Forgetting the Sarah Marshall Silvermans and I Love You, Man, in addition to HIMYM. I didn't much care for the puppeteering he did on Forgetting... but he's pretty damn funny otherwise. And despite what The Journal Gazette's Steve Penhollow says, there is plenty of nudity on the big screen. Maybe too much nudity thanks to Jason Segel.

In this week's YouTube clip, Jason Segel collaborates with the Swell Season to perform an original song in LA last week. Enjoy.

Pretty Late

2009-11-19T19:04:00.007-05:00

Pretty Lights 11/18/09 at 9:30 Club

Dear DC Rock Club reader,

Here's what you should know about Pretty Lights. If you are between 15 and 23 years old, aren't in a wheel chair, and like to party, you are an idiot for not being at the 9:30 Club last night. But if you are in your mid 30s like us, wheel chair or not, you do not belong at a Pretty Lights show, no matter how much you like to party. Unless of course you are one of those dudes that likes to slip shit in young girls drinks, or some sort of cougar-in-training looking for a boy toy.

See the photo above? That's what I walked into at 11:15pm last night. Pretty Lights was a late show, which normally means doors at 10pm. But not last night, and when I arrived, there were lines wrapped around both sides of the entrance. Will-call was nuts and I opted out of standing in line with generation Y2K to get mine. Instead, I stood on the street and just watched the scene as the 930 club strongmen managed the crowd. It was a lot like standing in the street watching firemen battle a blaze. A bit fascinating just to stare at. The staff were also doing some minor policing, sniffing the contents of the apple cider container, confiscating bottles of wine and vodka. Ah, the memories. I was particularly impressed with the black shuttle van that showed up and deposited a group of glow-sticked party-goers that would make Jimmy Buffett proud.

I hung out for 25 minutes - reliving the experience of being desperate to booze and yearning to bust a move. Make that yawning. With no movement into the club, I eventually looked at my watch and calculated the minutes before Pretty Lights would go on stage, and the number of years I've been on this planet, and left the 24 hour party people to their craft.

Concert Preview: Pretty Lights

2009-11-17T16:01:00.004-05:00

We love indie rock but every so often you need to mix things up a bit. That may mean a heavy metal show at Jaxx or a pleasant adult contemporary band at Iota. For this week's show we're opting for some dance/electronica in the form of Pretty Lights at the 9:30 Club on Wednesday night.

Pretty Lights are Derek Vincent Smith on the turntable and Cory Eberhard manning the drum kit. I won't pretend to be an expert on DJ culture but I'd say that if you're a fan of DJ Shadow, you'll find a lot to like in Pretty Lights. You can test my theory by downloading the latest album, Passing By Behind Your Eyes, for free at www.prettylightsmusic.com. Below is a great video of Pretty Lights live at Red Rocks. If you like what you see and hear (or are hoping to meet the girl in the green bikini), get your tickets for Wednesday's show before it sells out.

White Light/White Heat

2009-11-16T20:43:00.006-05:00

White Denim
Rock and Roll Hotel
November 14, 2009

What the fuck is happening to the Rock and Roll Hotel? You can no longer stand to the right of the stage. You also cannot partake of the lovely men's room with the trough down the hall from the stage. No admission, plebs. I enjoy the trough because it requires no lateral aim. If someone speaks to me, I can turn a full 30-40 degrees to either side to respond to them and still be hitting the target. Not that I do that, but I could.

Trough

Now that the trough is off-limits, if you want to go to the bathroom, you have to fight your way upstairs through whatever Goriuchi/Maharishi/Ignatowski disco or drunken jenga is going on , and use that bathroom. When you're on the plane this Thanksgiving, traveling back to whatever shit-ass place you came from before you moved here, when you get up to go to the bathroom, make sure you invite three other dudes to join you in there, and you'll have successfully re-created the Rock and Roll Hotel second floor men's room experience. Excuse me sir, your sack is resting on my wrist. Would you please move it? Thanks.

None of this, of course, is the fault of White Denim. Jumbo Slice loves this band and none of us can figure out why. Not that White Denim suck. They don't. It's just that they play music that I believe used to be called "Acid Rock", and Jumbo Slice is the world's leading pussy, and I guess we all assumed that listening to White Denim would cause him to tremble and break into tears. I guess we don't know Jumbo as well as we thought. I only knew one White Denim song coming into this (the excellent "Let's Talk About It") and I only knew one White Denim song coming out of this (the excellent "Let's Talk About It"). But who cares? No one remembers anything by Blue Cheer. There were no breaks between songs and I think they played two slow numbers to break things up. Otherwise it was GO-GO-GO for 90 minutes. They also kind of sounded like one of those pilled-up English rock bands like the Yardbirds, or Cream when Clapton had that cool afro. Good music to put a sweaty sheen on your face and cause your eyeballs to roll back into your head. So high marks to White Denim.

I couldn't decide who the bass player looked like more, Brandon Teena, or the gay kid from Glee:

On the cab ride to the show we were trying to remember who co-starred with Bill Murray in Stripes and someone said "Kurt Rambis" and we all laughed. It was, of course, Harold Ramis, but Ramis was the Rambis of SCTV, in that he was surrounded by superior talent (John Candy, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Martin Short, etc.) and he fucking sucked and wasn't funny/skilled at basketball.

Reminder: The Jet Age comes to Austin

2009-11-16T10:15:00.002-05:00

Just a quick reminder that The Jet Age (see our review of their new album) is playing tonight at Trophy's on South Congress. It's an early show (9 PM) so there's no excuse to stay at home. Come out, enjoy some great live music, and still get home at a reasonable hour. What's not to love? Plus, if you see me and mention this post I'll buy you a beer - for reals.

Another reminder for those in DC: The Jet Age is playing a FREE show on Saturday night at Comet Ping-Pong to celebrate their new CD. Don't miss it!

Hocus Focus

2009-11-10T21:44:00.005-05:00

Two Man Gentlemen Band - Focus Music @ Church of the Resurrection, Alexandria, Virginia 11/8/09

A good friend of mine went to elementary school in New Hampshire with 1/2 of the Two Man Gentlemen Band. When he learned that his long time friend would be playing in the DC area, he called me up to invite me along. I asked him where in Alexandria the show was. "Some place called 'Focus?'," he said. Turns out Focus Music is all about folk and acoustic performances. According to their website:

In addition to supporting the local folk music performing community, Focus presents concerts at two area locations that feature top-quality local and nationally touring performers of acoustic American, International, traditional and contemporary folk music.

The Two Man Gentlemen Band is like the best parts of the Smothers Brothers, Prairie Home Companion, and other seemingly innocuous (and maligned) musical acts/programs. Before you roll your eyes, I said "best parts." Seeing their video clips doesn't do them justice. These guys are clever and solid musicians, albeit slightly hokey. They especially appeal to the math/history/science dork, which is 89% of DC. And they manage to sell out shows in their home town of NYC on a regular basis. Trouble is, they were booked for Focus, which in Alexandria, is a lowly community room with folding chairs in a church off of I-395. Refreshments for this gig were courtesy of a church bake sale, everything for a dollar (choice of can of soda, two-cookie platter, or tiny brownie). Thankfully we made it on the guest list, otherwise the tickets were $18. Eighteen dollars. Wow. Ballz.

The TMGB shtick consists of lots of double entendre, drug use, and boozing, which made the whole scene all the more uncomfortable with blue-haired old ladies and breast-feeding moms in attendance. Here's a peek into what we saw:

The tune above isn't all that flattering for the band, but you get an idea of the place they found themselves. Better luck next time.

Thaoer of power

2009-11-09T20:40:00.005-05:00

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down @ the Black Cat - 11/6/09 - $15

I know that Jumbo Slice is going to write up something for Thao when he sees her later this week, probably letting us know how he whored himself out as indie-rock innkeeper and invited the nomadic minstrels to crash with him and his ever-so-patient wife and unsuspecting child, Tiny Slice in their Austin abode. So I'll just let our reader know a little about Thao's performance on Friday night.

I made sure to get to the club at 8 to buy my tickets. It was a Friday night and little else going on, and the DCist among others was pushing the show. The box office didn't open on time, so there was a bit of standing around waiting. Also standing around waiting was an attractive woman of Asian decent, and we kept making eye contact periodically. It started getting a little weird and then it got in my head. Even though I didn't know this woman, I knew who she wasn't. But still, I started thinking, "maybe she thinks that I think that she's Thao." Anyhow, I left with my tickets and came back later with Emma Peel in time for the Portland Cello Project.

My advice to the Portland Cello Project: less cello. I liked the idea of busting out some familiar tunes played on the cello, but choosing Britney Spears and Outkast covers did not do much for me. Pantera was a good call, but something a little more accessible would be better. Maybe some Elton John, Bad Company, Metallica, that sort.

Emma asked me to describe Thao before the show, and eventually I described her music as something you'd hear on an iPod/iPhone commercial. Oh oh oh, oh oh oh. Cheery and pop-rocking. I like it, so that's not meant to be a criticism, but I can see how it could be taken that way.

The show was a sell out, a nice homecoming for the VA native / W&M alumna. Glad I got my tickets early. More than mid way through, two young hipsters appeared on stage, and the chap asked the lass to make it legal. You'll see the tail end of that happening on the video below, complete with Thao's apology for having so many songs about relationships breaking down. Then you got the bag o hammer's song.

Good show, and thanks to Lil and Lauren for their Black Catspitality.

The Jet Age in "Love"

2009-11-04T22:01:00.010-05:00

One of our favorite DC Bands, The Jet Age, is back with a new album called in "Love". It's a concept album* like their 2008 critically acclaimed album What Did You Do During The War, Daddy? As you guessed, it's about falling in love, falling out of love, and everything that happens in between.

in "Love" is an impressive shift of gears and shows an emotional range I didn't know the band possessed. For every guy (or girl) that's had a serious significant other, you'll relate to the main characters (not sure if that's the right word to use) on this album. The songs do a beautiful job of detailing the relationship arc and the feelings at each stage of that journey. Plus, it rocks every step of the way, which doesn't hurt. The album is a shift not only lyrically but musically. I was struck by the new sounds (ex. swirling guitars) that depart from their trademark power rock. Don't get me wrong, this is still a power trio but they change tones, tempos, and keep you guessing. And they do this while maintaining the things I love most about the band. For example, I'm an album guy. I listen to albums from start to finish. I appreciate bands that produce full lengths that work as a whole, not just a series of individual songs. If you're an album person as well, The Jet Age is the band for you.

If you want to buy in "Love" (and you should) the band is generously letting fans name their own price for the album ($1 minimum). Anyone who pays $10 or more gets both the digital download and a physical copy of the CD. Not too shabby. Especially if you're unemployed and are sucking off the government teet (like me).

The band's national tour begins this evening in Columbus. I'm looking forward to their show in Austin on 11/16 at Trophy's. For my fellow Austinites: mark this date on your calendar.

11/4: Columbus, OH (Carabar)
11/5: Chicago, IL (Beat Kitchen)
11/6: Des Moines, IA (House of Bricks)
11/7: Lawrence, KS (The Bandit Teeth House)
11/8: Denver, CO (3 Kings)
11/10: KEXP In-Studio Performance (3pm PST)
11/10: Seattle, WA (Sunset Tavern)
11/11: Portland, OR (Rotture)
11/12: San Francisco, CA (Hemlock Tavern)
11/13: Monterey, CA (Jose's Underground Lounge)
11/14: Los Angeles, CA (Echo Curio)
11/16: Austin, TX (Trophy's)
11/18: Atlanta, GA (Drunken Unicorn)
11/19: Durham, NC (The Pinhook)
12/11: Washington, DC (Rock and Roll Hotel)

UPDATE: The Jet Age has a FREE CD Release Party at Comet Ping Pong on Saturday, 11/21. Don't miss it!

*technically the last album was a "soundtrack to an imaginary musical". Some referred to it as a rock opera. I'm sticking with the standard concept album description.

The Sneezer

2009-11-03T09:24:00.004-05:00

Since I got called out for reposting a video that Jumbo slice posted back in March, I might as well go for two and post something that I heard on Marketplace this morning. Weezer has always been quirky, but I'm not sure I like this idea.

For Halloween this year, I went as a home-made Slanket. The Slanket, predates the Snuggie, but it appears to be the Betamax to the Snuggie's VHS.

MDR Playdoh

2009-11-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's just plain nice to hear local talent on the radio, er internet. Such was the case this afternoon when WOXY spun Middle Distance Runner's The Unbeliever. After which, and in doing my Monday night homework, I stumbled upon this gem of a video.

Make sure you get through the 2:30 mark. That's when things get interesting.

Le Loup! There it is...

2009-11-02T14:27:00.007-05:00

Time for another sporadic update from Austin. Since I last checked in I've seen Bad Veins, The Dustys, Brazos, White Denim, and Future of the Left. None disappointed and a few were outstanding. A quick recap of White Denim and FOTL:

White Denim solidified their position as my favorite Austin band with a searing and breathless set featuring many songs off their new album, Fits. Halfway through, Lou Barlow and his band made their way to the very front of the stage. They must have walked over immediately after finishing their set at Stubb's. Lou looked blown away by White Denim and could be seen excitedly talking with the band after the show. While that celebrity sighting was pretty cool it didn't compare to the VIP at the Dirty Projector's show earlier this week: Ron Jeremy. I'm serious. The Hedgehog was in the house.

The Future of the Left delivered exactly what I expected. Their set was raucous, headbanging, and hysterical. By the end they had completely dismantled the drum set and were playing what instruments were left out in the crowd. There wasn't a lot of people at the show, but those there had a shitload of fun.

After those bands I decided to stay in this weekend. However, I'm heading to Mohawk tonight to see Le Loup. They're touring in support of the new album, Family and I don't want to miss a chance to see them perform their haunting and infectious music. Here's one of the singles off of Family:

"Beach Town" by Le Loup

I wasn't a fan of Le Loup right off the bat but each time I listened to their first album I found more to love. The second album is more accessible on first listen and every bit as good, if not better. If the live show comes close to the quality of the records, we're in for a treat tonight.

Trick er treat

2009-10-27T23:00:00.000-05:00

Halloween falls on Saturday this year. What's everybody doing?

Concert Preview: Bad Veins

2009-10-23T11:15:00.010-05:00

There are a bunch of very, very good shows going on this weekend in Austin. Let's work backwards, shall we? Sunday night Art Brut comes to town. Tomorrow night Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill, White Denim, Brazos, and Future of the Left are all playing within 3 blocks of each other. I'm planning to catch both Future of the Left and White Denim. I've been a huge Dinosaur Jr. fan for many years and have yet to see them live, but they drew the proverbial short straw. Better luck next time Mr. Mascis.

I kick off the weekend tonight at Emo's. There are a plethora of bands on the bill. The inside stage features The Subjects, Bad Veins, and MoTel Aviv while the outside stage has The Bravery, Crash Kings, and DC's own The Dustys. Seeing The Dustys and Bad Veins are my priority. After that we'll see what happens. I'm interested in The Subjects but I can't say I have much desire to see The Bravery.

In case you aren't aware of Bad Veins, they're a duo from Cincinnati that are known for their "irresistible hooks, propulsive beats and inventive use of vintage electronics, such as megaphones, telephones and a reel-to-reel tape machine." Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Schultz are also known for their dynamic live shows which have garnered praise up and down the east coast. For those in DC, you can check them out on Wednesday night:

Bad Veins and The Subjects
Wednesday, Oct. 28th
DC9

Here's Bad Veins ode to the golden shower, "Gold and Warm". It gives you a sense of their fuzzed out anthemic indie rock and their sexual perversions:

Welcome to Earth

2009-10-20T21:22:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Jimbromski. They've done it again.

The boy could learn something from watching this. We all could.

Ume Want To Check This Out

2009-10-19T20:42:00.006-05:00

Ume (pronounced ooo-may), one of my favorite discoveries since moving to Austin, is coming to DC. They've played the District before but not in some time. I strongly recommend you check this band out:

Ume
w/ The Fervor and The Bronze Chorus
The Red and The Black
Tuesday, Oct. 20th

The power trio band is led by the fetching Lauren Larson and her heavy, thunderous guitar. She commands the sonic assualt but the band isn't all wrecking ball riffs and cool-chick vocals. They can also churn out pop hooks and catchy melodies. The reaction to their excellent Sunflower EP has overwhelmingly positive and helped land them spots on tour with bands such as The Meat Puppets and Dead Confederate. As they head to NYC for CMJ, it'll only be a matter of time before they're playing bigger and bigger venues. This is your "I saw them when..." moment. Don't miss it.

*What Are You Willing to Lucero?

2009-10-17T12:02:00.005-05:00

Lucero - 9:30 Club - Thursday, October 15, 2009 $15

Any time I see a band with their name displayed behind them, I start to worry. This is exactly what dbag Scott Stapp does when he's on stage. Look here, you can make out the 12 foot tall letters of his name in the back. A word, if I may. Don't be like Scott Stapp. It was fine when Elvis did it in 1968. But that was 40 years ago, and he was The King. You can see where I'm going with this. Quite literally. There's a picture...

Lucero was a band I had read about as participants in one of the many musical festivals that operate in our great nation. And when I say read about them, I mean that I read their name on a list. I didn't do any research on this show in advance, though Jumbo Slice did give me a head's up: "a little too Southern Rock for me. They’re not bad, it’s just not my thing." On this, we agree.

The 930 was 5/8 full for this Thursday night show. Lots of white dudes in attendance, myself included. I know there's a good number of single women in DC who are looking to get themselves a man, if they aren't too picky, perhaps a show like Lucero's would serve them well. Lucero hails from the wide state of Tennessee and has the twang to prove it. I think I counted 6 band members on stage, not including the 3 horn players. At $15 a ticket, that's a lot of folks to split the money with.

I think the horn players were perhaps the best thing about this show. They balanced out the otherwise overwhelmingly strong southern stylings into a fuller, richer sound that grabbed my attention. But that was as exciting as the band got. I'm not much for the vocals offered by Ben Nichols. Too raspy, though maybe the throat spray he used was indication of a weakened voice box. It was a little too close to a redneck version of Everclear, though I like the Everclear hits, I must admit.

*"What are you willing to lose?" is track 2 on Lucero's 2009 release, 1372 Overton Park.

John Ceeee

2009-10-13T00:01:00.003-05:00

There is a growing catalog of local (DC) TV ads that are poorly produced, but have a certain musical quality that grabs you by the love handles and just won't let go.

So far, the notables include:

Shoe City

Easterns Motors

Capitol Hemp

and the most recent addition comes to us from the world of HVAC....

John C. Flood (the original)

After midnight, we're gonna chug-a-lug and shout

2009-10-08T12:32:00.008-05:00

The Gossip @ The 930 Club Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - $21

I first heard of The Gossip via KEXP's Live performance on 2/22/2006. I was underwhelmed by the interview with Beth Ditto and the rest of The Gossip, as they seemed a bit dim. But Ditto's vocals (even with a cold) were hard to ignore as was the guitar rock they pushed out. So I was psyched at the chance to see them at the Black Cat later that year promoting Standing in the Way of Control. But that wasn't meant to be (for me, any way). Then came word that they would return to the Black Cat November 14, 2007 with Long Blondes. Sweet. What? What's that you say...? Cancelled?
Cock sandwich.

Fast forward to 2009 and The Gossip have returned to the States after concluding a European tour (read: vacation) and are now promoting their 4th LP, Music for Men.

I got tickets again, and despite the fact that this was a late show at the 930 Club (The Gossip didn't come on until 12:30am), I stayed awake long enough to finally see the hefty Beth Ditto and company strut their stuff.

I'm sure that for the superfans of The Gossip, it was an awesome show. I'm sure those folks stayed to the end, heard all of the hits, and took Beth out to Denny's for a grandslam breakfast when it was all over. As for DCRC, we didn't make it that far. First, anything that wasn't on Standing in the Way of Control was foreign to me, and I'll lump all of those tracks into the "new stuff" category that is always disappointing for concert goers (like me) who want to hear the familiar. With the exception of 2 songs, this "new stuff" sounded way too much like Madonna circa 1985, fuzzy pop synthesizers instead of crashing guitars. I'm making the thumbs down motion with my left hand as i type with my right.

One of the "hits" we did hear before we left was "Keeping you Alive." That's a good one. But then it was back to mediocre tracks that made me think this was their sophomore album, and not the 4th record in their catalog.

Other comments I'd make:
Beth Ditto doesn't hold much back (except what her spanks and industrial strength bra can manage). She has a great voice, which should be used for singing and not for banter with the crowd (weak). She also managed to perform exceptionally well after leaving the stage for the floor of the 930 Club. Not easy, I don't imagine, to sing while being engulfed by an enthusiastic crowd. Not easy to push her back on stage either.

I did feel a bit out of my element for the 930 Club. Not a crime, but there was quite a lot of gay talk coming from the stage. Seemed like I was at Tracks. "How do I know you're gay?" sacklunch texted me while at the show. "You're at a Gossip concert," he answered while standing next to me. So it seemed. You've got the mic, so you can do what you want. But all I am saying is that it took away from the show a bit.

Tonight: Merriweather Whipping Post Pavilion

2009-10-06T22:16:00.004-05:00

The Allman Brothers Band plays Merriweather Post Pavilion tonight. So today's clip comes from a band by the same name from a show 39 years and two weeks ago.

Last month I ran the VA Beach Rock and Roll Half-marathon, and one of the bands that performed somewhere around mile 10 played "Whipping Post" as I approached. Seemed appropriate, now that I think of it. The band, btw, was made up of 4 or 5 boys not one of them over the age of 15. They were like Silverchair, but poor.

White Liars

2009-10-05T17:30:00.006-05:00

Disappointed you didn't win our White Lies contest? Well, don't be. When our contest winner, Jennifer Leduc, went to Will Call there were no tickets for her. I was extremely pissed off as I spent hours figuring out what went wrong. I never did get a straight answer. In the end there were no tickets and we were shit out of luck. Thankfully, some random stranger gave Jennifer and her friend passes so at least she was able to enjoy the festival - no thanks to White Lies and their people.

Despite the positive outcome I'm still annoyed Jennifer spent hours sitting outside the box office for no good reason. I did get a "Sorry! There was break down in communication..." message which is another way of saying "these things happen and no one is about to take responsibility".

We're fortunate bands and publicists add us to guest lists, etc. I'm not complaining about that. But when I'm offered four free tickets (I never asked for them) and then those tickets never materialize, well you can bet I'm going to be fucking mad.

Ticket Giveaway: White Lies at Austin City Limits!

2009-10-01T15:22:00.006-05:00

That's right, we're giving away two Sunday General Admin tickets compliments of our friends, White Lies. Before we discuss how you can win, let's talk about White Lies.

The band hails from London, England and plays synth-infused post-punk indie rock that has drawn comparisons to Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, and Joy Division. While the Joy Division comparisons have merit, the music is not dour, dark, or depressing. In fact, despite melancholy lyrics (I mean, their first single is called "Death" off the To Lose My Life album) the music is somehow uplifting and even danceable. There's also a grandeur to the music that indicates the band is better suited for large festivals or venues than small clubs. The "bigness" of their sound helped them land the opening slot on the upcoming Kings of Leon tour.

So, do you want a chance to see White Lies on Sunday from 3:00-4:00 at the XBox360 stage? After White Lies plays you can stick around and see other bands such as Pearl Jam, The Dead Weather, Arctic Monkeys, Passion Pit, Girl Talk, and Dirty Projectors. Email us DCRockClub@gmail.com with the subject line "White Lies Contest". We're tempted to make you fess up to the worst white lie you've ever told, but we know you'd just be lying to us anyway. We'll leave it up to the Random.org gods to pick the winner. You have until Friday at 5PM EST to enter the contest so send in that email now!

"Death" by White Lies

You're entering a world of pain

2009-09-29T15:31:00.008-05:00

Lebowski Fest with Black Diamond Heavies @ The 9:30 Club, September 28, 2009 - $20

So last night the very sweet Emma Peel took me to see one of the finer films of our time, The Big Lebowski, at the 9:30 Club. It was my birthday, and this was near the top of my list of things I wanted to do last evening, so like The Dude, she obliged.

Dubbed, "Lebowski Fest," organizers collected $20 per person for a movie that was new to the theaters over 10 years ago (ticket price was probably $7 at the time), and for a movie that you can buy for ~ $15 on DVD. Still, the atmosphere was what you were paying for (along with White Russians), and it was pretty fun to see guys in bathrobes, bearded dudes in sweaters, and women dressed up like valkyries. But if you have any friends who also like this movie as much as you do, just rent it yourself and put your $20 toward buying supplies of vodka, Kahlúa, and cream.

Here's one of my favorite musical moments from the film (I forget how cool Kenny Rogers once was):

Oh, and Black Diamond Heavies were the opening act. They were deafening, and grated on every nerve ending in my ears. If you like that sort of thing, check them out.

My Favorite Band (This Week): Langhorne Slim

2009-09-24T12:50:00.006-05:00

I'm heading to Florida tomorrow for a little get away (it's tiring not having a job) but I'm already regretting my poor timing. I'm leaving Austin just as a slew of excellent bands roll into town. Here's a sampling of the bands I'll be missing as I lounge away in what has to be our most fucked up state: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Cymbols Eat Guitars, Monotonix, Asobi Seksu, Experimental Dental School (check them out if you like bands like Deerhoof and White Denim), Cave Singers, Lightning Dust, DataRock, and The Horrors just to name a few. David Byrne is even in town to talk about his new book.

While I'm bummed to be missing the aforementioned bands, I was really looking forward to seeing Langhorne Slim at Waterloo Records on Friday afternoon. Readers of this blog know I love a good in-store performance (and not just b/c of the free beer). In-stores tend to be laid back and intimate which will suit Slim just fine.

Langhorne has a new album coming out on Tuesday, Sept. 29th called Be Set Free. Here's the first single off the album, "I Love You But Goodbye":

Nice tune, huh? For those in the DC area, you can see Langhorne at Record and Tape Traders in Towson, MD on October 1st or at the Rock & Roll Hotel on November 17th. He'll also be back in Austin on November 11th at the Mohawk. I already have it marked on my calendar so I don't plan anymore ill-timed trips.

You & me & Hamilton Leithauser makes three

2009-09-23T20:14:00.006-05:00

The Walkmen @ 9:30 Club - September 22, 2009 - $15

Hamilton Leithauser and I are pretty tight. See? Here we are hanging out after last night's show. Don't pay any attention to that sneer he's throwing my way while I'm not looking. That's just good ol' Ham. What kind of a name is Hamilton Leithauser, anyway? Sounds like a power tool company, or a place you'd go to buy a massive tractor or specialty aircraft.

Either way, this guy who used to cruise the hallways of DC's St. Alban's prep school, has graduated to front the NYC/Philly rock fivesome, The Walkmen. During the set I actually thought to myself that he appeared kinda tall. It's always hard to tell though. Everyone looks taller when they're on a stage, on TV, or when standing next to sacklunch. But now I know he's kinda tall, since I'm kinda tall, and here we are looking to be about the same height. This is fascinating stuff, huh?

Since we got to the venue a bit on the tardy-side, we missed any good banter that may have been offered at the outset. Stuff like, "It's great to be back in DC where I have $250 of unpaid parking tickets." You know, something only a former resident could say. Actually, there was a bit of banter I remember hearing toward the end of the show. Something about Mr. Leithauser losing the keys to their car. This was probably why he was still standing outside as Jimbromski and I left the club. Maybe we should have offered him a ride.

Mr. & Mrs. sacklunch had stopped by the rock clubhouse after Mrs. sacklunch's birthday dinner earlier in the evening. Lots of talk about the Lake Braddock High School reunion ensued, and before I knew it, Jimbromski and I were late to the show. I think we caught 4 songs before The Walkmen departed the stage for their pre-encore piss break. There was a nice crowd at the 9:30 club for a Wednesday, probably the perfect number of people. Crowded enough to show some love, but just enough space for easy access to the upstairs bar with room for a view down to the stage.

Here's a couple of clips from the show from our upstairs perch:

Jimbromski loves himself some Rat. Not to be confused with RATT (I don't know how he feels about them). But when it came around to the lyrics,

"When I used to go out I'd know everyone I saw
Now I go out alone if I go out at all,"

I thought I saw a tear in his eye. He's such a softy. Anyhow, The Walkmen put on a solid show (at least the 40 mins that we saw). The guy playing the triangle was especially good. Never seen it played with as much enthusiasm as that dude did. I don't know what you were doing last night, but if you were at the Nationals game instead of being at the 9:30 club, I think you suck.

Show Preview: Division Day at The Mohawk

2009-09-23T13:03:00.009-05:00

To paraphrase the old saying, don't judge an album by its cover (unless of course you're John Foster). When a promo for the new Division Day album arrived in our (rarely monitored) email box, I took one look at the cover and figured it was some bullshit group trying to be the next Evanescence. And yet...I gave them a shot and instantly realized my mistake. I expected some goth crap but they actually play what I'd call "dark indie". They sing songs about death and the Devil (hail Satan) while mixing scuzzy guitars with a bit of electronica. If you like shoegazer and intelligent industrial rock, this album is for you.

Division Day played Washington last week and we failed to alert our DC readers. Can't let the same thing happen to our Austin friends. The band plays Thursday night at the Mohawk. They're headlining the inside stage after Frightened Rabbit performs outside. The Mohawk is sure to be packed for what's probably the best line-up of bands they've had since SXSW.

Check out Division Day's video for "Surrender" off of Visitation:

Little hand says it's time to rock and roll.

2009-09-15T08:42:00.006-05:00

In Memoriam

I dig how this intro has nothing but a mysterious audio track - no speaking - just an ax grinding away while we learn who each of these rocker/dancer/gang banger/hairdressers (?) are. Bandit. Gaucho. Tracy as Tracy.

Obviously Dirty Dancing was Swayze's best work. But I'll forever celebrate his work in Red Dawn, the ~~Blue & Gray~~ North & South miniseries, Road House, and Ghost (though Whoppi Goldberg carried that film). I know, I know, Point Break. Gotta mention Point Break.

A date with Kate

2009-09-13T21:32:00.009-05:00

Pure Prairie League @ "The Kate," Old Saybrook, CT - Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

I accidentally lured my mom onto Facebook recently. Facebook said I could send pics to people not on Facebook (my mom), and so I did, but this seemed to have been a trick. The next thing I knew, my mom was posting on my wall. This late adaptation got me thinking that as DCRockClub.com struggles to fight the summer lazys, we should reach out to a new demographic. All the nostalgia rock has been a cash cow for our senior rockers struggling to pay for their prescription drugs, so why not provide their concert goers with a heads up now and again?

Back home, they've recently turned the old town hall-turned-movie theater into the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, aka, The Kate. In case you didn't know - and why would you? - Katharine Hepburn was one of the few "local" celebrities for those of us growing up in the Connecticut River Valley. Her house was nearby a golf course that I played a couple of times. I never hit her house with a golf ball, but others tried.

So the first show at The Kate was scheduled for this past Friday night, and my dear mother plunked down her social security money to see 1970s country-rockers, Pure Prairie League. The rest of what you read is based on reports from my mom (our new senior seniors correspondent) and her scribe/husband. Pure Prairie League are on their 40th Anniversary tour, and fought off the hard rains en route to make it to Old Saybrook from Portland, Maine.

"They were great! The music was really good. Donnie Clark is a fantastic guitar picker." The show started "late" at about 8:15pm and ended sometime around 10:30. A long set if you ask me. Good thing The Kate is a seated theater with "very comfortable chairs with cushioned seats." There are only 250 of them in The Kate, and it so happened that my mom's was next to that of the chair of building committee (one of the main dudes that got this place up and running). Given the inaugural nature of the show, there were lots of folks in attendance who had spent years working to make the center possible. This fellow was nice enough to fetch my mom the set list after the show. Here it is:

Cost of Doing Business
Kansas City Southern
If You Could Say What I’m Thinkin
Getting Over You
Love U Tonight
Don’t go Confessin Your Love
Call Me/Tell Me
I’ll Fix Your Flat tire Merle
2 Lane Hiway
I Sure Do Miss You Now ( a 9/11 dedication)
Kentucky Moonshine
Amie
Early Morning Riser
Tears
6’ O’Snow
Harmony Song
Jazzman
Willin
Picken

My mom said she recognized 2 of the songs, and I'm guessing "I’ll Fix Your Flat tire Merle" wasn't one of them.

More info about The Kate that our AARP readership might like to know:
"Acoustics were very good, not ear shattering. Ample parking, behind the theater for handicapped with easy access to the building. Ample parking on the street and surrounding parking lots. The side entrance at ground level also leads to a large foyer where the bar is located. Drinks were reasonably priced at $5.00 for beer and wine, large selection of beers and red and white wines, also champagne ($ ?).There is an elevator from this level to the concert hall. The restrooms are located on the lower level."

My Favorite Band (this week) - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

2009-09-10T10:17:00.004-05:00

Andrew, our Senior Youth Correspondent, is off crushing ass at UVA but still sends in periodic reports just to make Sacklunch look lazy. He takes the reins of "My Favorite Band (this week)" with this submission:

Got a tip on this band from Charlottesville's WTJU 91.9, a remarkably good commercial free modern rock station. They are an L.A. folk rock band. The track is "40 Day Dream" and it instantly shook me from my daily college student morning activities (dicking around mainly). I checked the band's Myspace and found a live video for the track. This piece of cinema is certainly worth peeping not only for the spectacle element of a bunch of Gypsy ass folks cavorting around like a more southern version Gogol Bordello, but also for the great tune and the way the singer incorporates lines like "Somebody better pinch me, bitch I swear I'll go crazy" with a frenzy. The music reminisces a little of the freakier Tom Waits material and even a little Brandon Flowers (of Killers). Check out the vid and even the produced version of the song (myspace), which is a little more sonically full. You gotta love the gospel feel and vocal intensity on this one.

Fun Fun Fun Fest Schedule Released

2009-09-09T11:54:00.005-05:00

The schedule is now online! Considering the staggering number of good bands they've booked, there are bound to be conflicts on your "Must See" list. Should I see Danzig or Of Montreal? The Jesus Lizard or Destroyer or Ratatat? Fucked Up or Death? The options go on and on. Sure, it sucks we can't see every great band but it's not exactly a bad problem to have.

Austin Round Up

2009-09-09T09:11:00.003-05:00

Despite my lack of posts I've been keeping busy here in Austin. Here's a quick round up of shows I've been to this month.

Members of The Sword simultaneously combust in what's being called the greatest encore ever. May they rest in peace.

The Sword is an Austin band that's huge in the metal scene (so I'm told). I caught the second night of their two sold out shows at The Mohawk. I've never been to a legit metal show. My expectations were based purely on scenes from Spinal Tap. Fortunately, there weren't any midgets dancing around a little Stonehenge. However, it was loud, rocking, with a killer light show. All the ingredients for a good metal show, right? Most impressive thing about the show? It wasn't a total sausagefest. There a good number of ladies rocking out to The Sword. Who knew?

Jumbo Slice forces a cheesy smile.

Next up was a taping of Elvis Costello at Austin City Limits. I've said it before and I'll say it agin: Nothing beats a taping of Austin City Limits. Sure, Elvis was playing bluegrass instead of punk rock and new wave but it was still fantastic. He has such great stage presence I'd watch him read the phonebook. Or play smooth jazz. Okay, maybe not but you get the point. Elvis is a legend.

Through the years Costello has dabbled in a variety of musical genres and he's quite at home playing bluegrass. Of course it helps when your backing band consists of world-class bluegrass musicians. These guys have more skills than your disc golf game (that's right, I'm talking to you hippie). For old times sake here's Elvis' infamous performance of "Radio, Radio" on Saturday Night Live:

For those unaware of the back story, Elvis was instructed by Columbia Records to play "Less Than Zero". Instead he played "Radio, Radio" which protests against the corporate interests of music studios and radio companies. You know, the whole stick it to "The Man" thing. By switching things up he pissed off the music executives and NBC. For years afterward he was unable to get on American TV.

Fruits Bats prove they aren't as lame as their name suggests.

The Fruit Bats, lead by Eric D. Johnson, played at Waterloo Records on Thursday afternoon. They ditched the stage and played busker-style on the floor. The stripped down performance had me very impressed. I had chalked The Fruit Bats up as a middle of the road soft-rock band (i.e. boring) but I was wrong. The songs were catchy, fun, and every bit as good as Johnson's other band, The Shins. I'm officially now a Fruit Bats fan.

Matt Shiv asks, "Who's this jack-sniffer taking my picture?

Finally, the big WOXY-comes-to-Austin Party was this weekend. I spent time boring Matt Shiv, WOXY Music Director, with my favorite things about Austin and my theories about the evils of pants. The party featured free BBQ and excellent music. A nice start for what's sure to be a very successful move for WOXY.

That's Incredible

2009-09-08T08:38:00.003-05:00

During WOXY's Modern Rock 500 last week, Black Flag's T.V. Party track was featured, and I thought a second look was in order. It also coincided with sacklunch's thesis that artists who bulk up tend to be less impressive (at least musically) after they've eaten their spinach than before. One of sacklunch's examples was Henry Rollins (featured below). His other example, Glenn Danzig.

My Favorite Band (this week) - WOXY!

2009-09-04T15:15:00.005-05:00

Okay, WOXY isn't a band. It's a radio station and a damn good one at that. My favorite station in fact. When I heard they were moving to Austin I was stoked. They set up shop in South Austin not far from my house. Does that mean I'm going to barge in and demand that Shiv play Fugazi and Dismemberment Plan? Actually, yes, it does. This city is full of indie dooshes like me that'll be all up in their grill. Welcome to Austin suckers.

To celebrate their relocation WOXY is throwing a big Texas BBQ on Sunday at The Scoot Inn. It'll feature Black Before Red, TV Torso, English Teeth and Martin Crane. Hopefully, this is just the first of many WOXY sponsored shows.

In other Jumbo Slice news...despite my lack of posts I've been to quite a few shows recently. I've seen a bluegrass band, a funk-soul band, a metal band, and an indie show (no jazz though). Oh, and some guy called Elvis Costello. I'll post pictures this weekend.

Finally, good luck to Potsy in the Rock & Roll Half-Marathon this weekend! A little advice: load up on Imodium so you don't shit your pants. Trust me.

What's Yr Take On: Green Day

2009-09-01T20:39:00.011-05:00

The Band: Green Day
From: Berkeley, California
Formed/Brokesed Up: 1987--

Sound & Vision: Green Day first crackled through our transistor radios in 1994 with “Longview.” Despite, or perhaps because of its reference to self-abuse (i.e., whackin’ it) and use of the word “fucking” (bleeped, of course), “Longview” got pretty heavy airplay and Jam-lookalikes Green Day were featured in the “Cute Band Alert” feature of the late, much lamented Sassy magazine, an honor previously bestowed on the likes of The Pogues, the Bay City Rollers, and Duran Duran. Within a year you couldn’t fucking self-abuse yourself without hearing a Green Day single as the Bay Area crooners busted out “Welcome to Paradise,” “When I Come Around,” and "Basket Case" in quick succession. So we are here now to decide—Green Day, threat or menace?

PRO: 1993? The sound of a convent of nuns being raped by a hundred morbidly obese New York Jets fans would have been preferable to the grunge being forced down our throats at the time. They were a spiky-haired infusion against a flannel-clad scene that was no longer alternative and had regressed to aping 1970s hard rock. Besides, the songs are definitely keepers. Green Day had alternative cred in a way that Stone Temple Pilots did not.

ANTI: It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right….tonight, on a very special Party of Five…I hope you had the time of your life...Concept albums, concerts at the Patriot Center, endless promos on DC101. If that’s punk then I’m a 25-year-old pool party attending scenester. Green Day also tended to make wacky, plot-heavy videos that put them perilously close to Foo Fighters territory. Did you form a band as a backdoor to becoming the next Jerry Zucker? Spawned a legion of mediocre imitators and one could build a credible war crimes case against “Time of Your Life” for launching emo and allowing Pete Wentz to find gainful employment as an “entertainer.” We must judge the tree by its fruit and personally I find Blink-182 and All Time Low quite mealy and sour.

VERDICT: PRO. If someone had to get massive and play arenas, then it may as well have been Green Day, and not Seven Mary Three. I also think Billy Joe’s dirt-eating at Woodstock was a pretty bad-ass move.

Green Day - When I Come Around ( Live )

So, do you like the Green Day? Do you not like the Green Day? Do let us know. We treasure your feedback.

Saturday night's alright, alright, alright

2009-09-01T20:31:00.002-05:00

I'll be out of town this weekend, on my way to Virginia Beach for the Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I don't know what I was thinking when I said yes to this race. I guess the bands every mile and the reported cheerleaders had something to do it. But while I'm gone, !!! will be playing the Black Cat (Saturday, 9/5).

It's been a while since my first peek at this act, and they've downshifted from playing the 930 club to playing the mainstage on 14th street. But if you have no plans for the end of summer weekend, like to shake your booty on the dance floor, and $18 in your pocket, go and have some fun.

Like a Virgin*

2009-08-31T22:21:00.003-05:00

The Virgin Mobile Free Fest - Sunday, August 30th @ Merriweather Post Pavilion - $10 (for two tickets)

This was my first Virgin Mobile Festival having passed up super rockers The Who and The Police in year's past, mostly due to the previous venue. I saw Lollapalooza at the Watkins Glen race track in the mid 90s - which was hot, dusty, and ultimately disappointing - and we all know what happened at Altamont Speedway.

But this year, the Vfest moved to Merriweather, which is way better than a racetrack and one of the more tolerable pavilions in the area, oh, and it was virtually free.

Here's the quick run down of the day (for me):

Holy F*ck was our first stop at the Dance Stage. We only stayed a couple of minutes before moving on, but I continue to like this band's live act. More on them in a minute.

St. Vincent was playing the West Stage at the same time Holy F*ck were up, and Emma Peel and I opted to check them/her out across the way. We arrived just in time to hear her cover the Beatles' Dig a Pony. Covers are great. This one was not. But she's hot, and as sexist/sexy as that may be, it helped.

We parted ways with St. Vincent toward the end of her set to catch Mates of State at the Pavilion Stage. We found some shade under a small tree and lounged to the disjointed rhythms from this Kansas creation. I like the tracks I've heard on WOXY, the ones that appear to be individuals songs from start to finish (Think Long, My Only Offer). But I'm not one for unnecessary groove disruptions, so the tempo changes from these two got me off my duff and I headed back to the Dance Stage.

Holy F*ck were still at it, but wrapping things up. They were scheduled for 2 and a half hours. Holy F*ck, that's a long set. Long enough for me to walk to two other stages and be able to check out two other acts, come back and hear the finale. By the end of their set, they had built a solid crowd and had them all kinds of riled. That's what I like about this group. They get folks moving.

By 2:30 it was time for lunch and we headed back toward the West Stage where the food options were more diverse (and slightly more risky) than elsewhere. They included: greek salads, burritos, crab pretzels (got me), steamed crabs, chinese food, chicken tenders, and italian subs. I got the chinese sampler platter which was a good value but made my stomach ache.

The Hold Steady were next on the list, and this was a highlight as I've never seen this nerd-rock in action. Fun. Great live performers, a good number of fans there to soak it up and play along. Craig Finn certainly delivers his lyrics with a Boss quality. I'm not sure I recognized any of their tunes.

I previously suggested that we (DCRC) had seen JET before, which is of course a complete fabrication. But JET is one of those bands that despite being Australian, is a lot like one of those post-Strokes British-sounding rock pop bands that have flourished in recent years, and I got carried away. We checked them out at Vfest Sunday, and they performed adequately, though seemed disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm from the crowd.

Public Enemy number one. Chuck D and Flavor Flav played the West Stage and we lazily took in their performance from a distance. Chuck D is the EF Hutton of hip hop. He speaks, and I listen. His voice cuts through anything. I never thought I'd see PE in my lifetime so this was another great bonus. Another check off the list.

The National were up next on the West Stage, so we stayed put. I really like this band, and I knew I wouldn't feel bad sitting through their melancholy set. Matt Berninger looked a bit like Kevin Klein, and his deep vocals are hard to replicate live, but he managed to wail loud and impassioned.

Weezer was the band that I was anxious to see Sunday. About 4 years ago, I had tickets to see them play in DC, but had to leave town for work and couldn't go. So this was my do-over. You can't hate Weezer. I'm sorry. You can't. They have hits. They play hits. The Pavilion Stage was packed packed packed for their set. Mr. Virgin, Sir Richard Branson, was seen with a broad smile as he rode in one of those cherry pickers adjacent to the stage while Weezer performed. Rivers Cuomo had a trampoline on stage. What more can I say?

That was enough free rock for one day, and we skipped out on Franz Ferdinand (which was probably a mistake) and Blink 182 (which was probably not a mistake).

I wonder how Vfest moves forward. Once you go free, can you really come back and sell tickets? Keep the free tunes coming, Sir Dick. I was touched for the very first time.

*Post title credit to Emma Peel

Chillin

2009-08-25T21:37:00.003-05:00

Virgin Mobile Festival is this coming Sunday at Merriweather Post Pavilion, and I will be representing DCRC at this traffic jam. As Jumbo Slice evaluates the Fun Fun Fun Fest line-up, a look at the Virgin Fest website keeps me guessing as to whom is playing when and where. They say check back on Friday. I say give it up already. Virgins indeed.

Per usual, I didn't recognize all of the acts listed, so I decided to have a look at one of the acts, Wale. I chose Wale because the name was the shortest to type into the search bar (aside from Jet, whom I've already seen at ACL). I also thought it might bring up some band from Providence, R.I. or the Pacific Northwest, or somewhere whale lovers might spawn.

Here's what I found instead:

Notice that the dude's name, Wale, is pronounced like the robot inspired movie, Wall-e and is not like Free Willy - whale. Okay, fine.

Wale likes his Ben's Chili Bowl (BCB). So much so that he could have called this track, Chili, instead of Chillin. Wale has a couple other vids on youtube, one called Nike Boots (it's not that good, but if you insist). More BCB in that one too. I think if there's any hip-hop to be had at Virgin Fest Sunday, it'll come from Public Enemy. But good to see some home grown talent on the roster for the Vfest.

Fun Fun Fun Fest Lineup Announced

2009-08-25T14:44:00.011-05:00

You've all heard plenty about SXSW and Austin City Limits but do you know about the Fun Fun Fun Fest? If you've always wanted to visit Austin and catch tons of great music, head on down the weekend of Nov. 7 & 8th.

This year the festival has 91 bands, rappers, DJs, and comedians to choose from. Transmission Entertainment truly did an incredible job curating this lineup. Here are some of the bands and performers I'm most looking forward to:

Brian Posehn - I'm still trying to hunt down the video he did for Black Moth Super Rainbow. If you've been to their show you know what I'm talking about.

Danzig - Seriously. Fucking Danzig. It'll be worth the price of admission just to see them perform "Mother". Or to hear Danzig discuss his favorite books.

Destroyer - I heard many a good thing about Dan's performances at Merge XX Fest and his 9:30 show.

Flipper - The FFF Fest does a great job of bringing back classic bands. Last year it was The Dead Milkmen. This year it's DEATH and Flipper. Actually, Flipper was scheduled to play last year but they had to bail. Good to see they're making up for last year's cancellation.

Fucked Up - yet another great live band. I love the single minded focus of the organizers. The schedule is relentless. You know another band that would have fit in nicely? The Future of the Left. Just sayin'.

GZA/Genius - Thank God I invest with Wu-Tang Financial and not Bernie Madoff. Cash rules everything around me (C.R.E.A.M.). Get the money. Dollar, dollar bill yall.

Harlem - Speaking of which, I may go see these guys tonight. Now that they're signed to Matador they won't be playing many more free shows here in Austin.

Mika Miko - Have you see them yet? I haven't. I get the feeling they're a lot of fun though.

Of Montreal - first time I saw them was in front of 60 people at Common Grounds in Arlington. Next time was in front of 40,000 at the Pitchfork Festival. They killed both times.

No Age - what? I like this shit.

Shonen Knife - if you think I'm going to miss a band with not one, not two, but THREE Asian ladies...well, you don't know me very well.

Times New Viking - Lo-fi indie rock out of Ohio? Yes please!

Ratatat - For some reason these guys are incredibly popular in Austin. Is it because of their killer live shows? We shall see...

The Jesus Lizard - One of the most legendary live bands of all-time. The blogosphere was abuzz earlier this summer after they played at the Pitchfork Festival. I'm guessing they'll steal the show at Fun Fun Fun Fest as well.

but the band I'm most excited to see:

Les Savy Fav - I love all their records and have been dying to see them live for years. For whatever reason, they didn't see to play DC very often.

So there it is. Now head over to Southwest.com and book for flight to Austin. Trust me, the weather is great in early November.

What's Yr Take On: The Hollies

2009-08-22T23:19:00.015-05:00

The Band: The Hollies
From: Manchester, UK
Formed/Brokesed Up: 1962--
Sound & Vision: The Hollies are oldies radio staples, too clean to admit to liking. They were a bridge between the soft-as-shit sounds of the late 1950s, after Elvis was drafted, and the drop-acid-dodge-draft-make-long-boring-art-movie 1960s. They were signed to Parlophone in 1963. They were the Beatles labelmates, but they were for people who thought "wow, "Please Please Me" is too fucking radical, where can I find a band that's a little cheerier than this?"

Square Hollies

But all that changed with their 1966 hit "Bus Stop" which features the soprano harmonies of one of the best vocalists of the 1960s, Graham Nash, later to join ~~Fleet Foxes~~ Crosby, Stills and Nash. "Bus Stop" told a cool story of a guy who lives in a rainy locale (maybe Minas Gerais, Brazil, where I understand that annual rainfall is quite heavy) who gradually, over a period of months, wins the affections of a lovely who shares his bus route, by sharing his umbrella with her every rainy day (this is one of the best lyrics ever: "bus stop, wet day, she's there, I say, please share my umbrella."

Groovy Hollies (Graham Nash, second from left)

My first date with my wife we went to Tabard Inn and after we left it was rainy and we shared an umbrella. It's really a money situation for a date, even lurchy Asperbergerers can get a nice snuggle under the umbrella. So I can dig it and I'd put it in the same conversation as any Beatles song from Revolver, which was released the same year.

Bus Stop - [The Hollies] - The Hollies

Later, Nash left the band for his hippie rendezvous, but the Hollies carried on (they've never, in fact, to this day broken up, which usually is a bad sign for the listener). Sadly, one of the best days of my life was when Sacklunch and his housemates at Seaton Street said that they had no interest in the stack of Time-Life's 20-compact disc set, Sounds Of The Seventies, CDs that had been mistakenly delivered to their house, for a long-gone occupant. I scrounged the stack and I think it changed my life (I highly recommend disc 13, Punk and New Wave, it's Smithsonian quality). One special highlight was AM Hits, and featured within were not one but two Hollies hits. The first is "Air That I Breathe," which is something you'd hear on the "Wonder Years" (or plausibly "Freaks and Geeks") during a junior high (slow) dance scene. The Hollies' last big hit was the fantastic "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," which is allegedly about civil rights, but when I think about it, I picture a fat newsie Depression street urchin, holding beneath the armpits a slightly less fat version of himself. Sometimes he's reporting to FDR on the progress of the New Deal while he tousles Little Orphan Annie's red hair. Don't ask me why, I just do.

"The Air That I Breathe," The Hollies (1974)

So, do you like The Hollies? Do you not like The Hollies? Myself, they're a guilty pleasure, and it pleases me to feel guilty.

My Favorite Band (this week) - Anna Ternheim

2009-08-14T09:48:00.007-05:00

We all have music we don't readily admit to liking. For me, that's Scandinavian pop music. I liked Bjork* in high school and moved on to the The Cardigans before a brief falling out due to abortion that was Ace of Base. I rekindled my Scandinavian crush with bands like Sondre Lerche, Efterklang, Slaraffenland, Lykke Li, and Ida Marie.

Now I can now add Anna Ternheim to the list above. Her new album, Leaving on a mayday, was released Tuesday in the US. It's already won the 2009 Swedish Grammy for "Album of the Year" and help Anna win the "Best Female Artist" award. The album was produced by Bjorn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John). He opted for sparse instrumentation and a focus on Anna's hauntingly beautiful voice. It doesn't take a genius to realize that's a winning combination. For proof, check out this video:

If you like the video above (and I can't image you don't), you can hear Anna's entire album here.

Anna is currently touring the US with Lonely Dear and Asobi Seksu. Unfortunately, she's not stopping in either Austin or DC. If you happen to live in one of the cities listed below, don't miss this show:

09.30.09 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
10.01.09 – Troubador – Los Angeles, CA
10.02.09 – Slims – San Francisco, CA
10.03.09 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
10.04.09 – Chop Suey – Seattle, WA
10.06.09 – Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
10.09.09 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
10.10.09 – Bottom Lounge – Chicago, IL
10.11.09 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
10.12.09 – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON
10.13.09 – Il Motore – Montreal, Quebec
10.14.09 – Great Scott – Boston, MA
10.15.09 – Maxwells – Hoboken, NJ
10.16.09 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
10.17.09 – Johnny Brendas – Philadelphia, PA

* I'm aware Iceland is not part of Scandinavia. Just work with me here.

A Charming Night with the Eagles of Death Metal

2009-08-11T20:38:00.012-05:00

Eagles of Death Metal - Ram's Head Live - 8/8/09 - $24

We got the band back together this past weekend as our Austin pioneer, Jumbo Slice returned with Mrs. Slice and Tiny Slice for a visit. Our DCRC mission: twofold. First, we sought to verify sacklunch's report from November of 2008 which was highly favorable of EODM. Second, we had never been to Baltimore's Ram's Head Live, and it was therefore as good a time as any to venture into new territory.

Quite honestly, if you go back and read sacklunch's post from November, he captures the EODM experience with aplomb. Apparently, they know a good act when they put one together and don't stray too far from it. I have no problem with that. Unless the banter is identical and the band tells each crowd that "I love coming to [insert city]. You [citizens of city] know how to rock!" Anyhow, yes the EODM played an inspired set, and yes Jesse Hughes has a mustache and bassist Brian O'Connor looks like a cross between Bill Wyman and Richard Kiel, but let's cover some other topics.

First new topic: Cat fights.

I've been watching the Wire these days, and I've come to understand that Baltimore is tough. That was evidenced by the cat fight that I witnessed stage left - right in front of Brian O'Connor - on Saturday night. A poor man's Paris Hilton (complete with a pair of revolver tats on her shoulder blades) got into it with some unfortunate lass who looked to be a recent Towson graduate. There was some shoving, pushing, twisting about, and finally mad grabs for hair with accompanying grunts and shrieks. The Paris Hilton chick had a group of rough looking ladies by her side, and easily out muscled her suburban opponent. I don't remember the last time I saw a cat fight go down at a show. Maybe more trips to Baltimore means more cat fights.

Next new topic: Ram's Head Live.

A spin off of Annapolis's Ram's Head, Ram's Head Live (RHL) is nestled into Baltimore's Inner Harbor Power Plant Live. When I think of doing anything in Baltimore, with the exception of seeing baseball, I expect it to be old, dirty, and somewhat life-threatening. This includes our trip to Night Shift some years ago. But this place is not old, not dirty, and the intense air conditioning is probably the biggest threat to your well-being at RHL.

It was said a number of times and a number of ways the other night, but walking into RHL is like finding your way into a big new movie theater for the first time. You don't know where anything is, it feels cleaner and more sterile than you'd expect, and it's freezing cold. Did I mention that yet? RHL is big, with three tiers and balconies on the 2nd and 3rd floor with lots and lots of bars. The bar off the stage where I stood was basically empty all night long. Not a good place to make a living, if you ask me.

According to wikipedia, however, in an interview with Pitchfork, Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, named Rams Head Live! as one of his "favorite new venues," saying that "they treated us really good and it was really cool."

Next topic: Pit beef.

sacklunch doesn't post often, because he's too busy doing research on where he can get his next meal. Post EODM concert Saturday saw sack driving us through Hamsterdam on our way to CHAPS. Conveniently located in between Gentlemen's Gold Club and a XXX Book Store, we stopped for a roast beef sandwich. I had fries and a root beer as well. It was indeed very good.

Last topic: The tie-in.

Supergroups make for endless conversation for us at DCRC. Besides sacklunch's fascination with Chickenfoot, we were recently discussing the newly formed supergroup, Them Crooked Vultures, which features Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones, Alain Johannes, and the aforementioned RHL lover, Josh Homme. Josh Homme, while not present Saturday, is also a founding member of the EODM. How 'bout that.

Shut the door and cover me...

2009-08-11T11:36:00.002-05:00

I don't mean to harp on this, but I really do like a good cover song, especially live. Say what you will about hippie band Phish, but they were/are (are they together or not? I can't keep track) excellent at covering other artists' material.

This week I bring you the first installment of songs I'd like to see covered, covered more often, or better covered. The inspiration for this comes from Saturday's Eagles of Death Metal show up in Baltimore (review forthcoming). The EODM opted to cover "Taking Care of Business" by Bachman Turner Overdrive, a song that in my opinion needs no more attention than it already receives. You know who should cover Taking Care of Business? Official cover bands. That's their territory. Leave something for the Dewey Beach bands, EODM.

I am painfully aware that Toad the Wet Sprocket's Glen Phillips and the Greenskeepers are covering this next one, but I'd like to see a good cover of this HL&TN hit.

My Favorite Band (this week) - Eagle and Talon

2009-08-07T09:34:00.001-05:00

I initially dismissed Eagle and Talon after a PR email compared them to Sleater-Kinney. "How DARE you" I thought. After the anger subsided I gave them a listen and became intrigued. Their songs are poppy yet scuzzed out and have big riffs with great post-punk rhythms. They also throw in some Casio beats (not very Sleater-Kinney) and generally have a weird vibe going. All in all, it works. Does it hurt that they have a cute Asian drummer? No, no it doesn't.

Do yourself a solid and download their new self-released LP Thracian. You get to name your own price. Which means you cheap bastards can get one of the year's most overlooked albums for only a penny.

R.I.P. John Hughes

2009-08-06T16:26:00.003-05:00

Bummer. First Dick Vernon, now Hughes himself. He made some good flicks back in the day and helped burn this song into our collective brains.

The Boy's Bad News

2009-08-04T10:41:00.005-05:00

As a preview for our upcoming DCRC Reunion trip to Baltimore, this youtubesday brings The Eagles of Death Metal's I Want You So Hard. We've got Jack Black and Mr. Foo Fighter in this video. But personally, I'm a fan of the guitar that removes clothing and pleases the ladies. Never mind the part where the little kid gets in the mix. That's just wrong.

My Favorite Band (this week) - Peel

2009-07-31T12:02:00.007-05:00

Regular readers know I'm oh-so-ghey for Peel. I've written about them many, many times. Is that about to change? The band might be taking a hiatus. Here's a post from their site:

Josh is moving to San Francisco. This means uncertain times for Peel, and we are sad that our friend is moving so far away, but it's also a opportunity for fresh starts, new sounds, and renewal.

What does "uncertain times" mean? Will they go on without Josh, reform as a new band called Squeal, or just hang it up altogether? We'll have to wait and see. They're supposed to release another EP (a follow up to the excellent Auguest Exhaust Pipes) so I'm guessing we haven't seen the last of Peel playing live.

Before Josh heads to California the band is having a big blowout party. And they're doing it Kid 'n Play style: a House Party (1522 E. 12th, Austin, TX). Five bucks gets you in with a cup for the kegs. On top of that you get top notch entertainment: Little Stolen Moments, {{{Sunset}}}, and, of course, Peel.