Free No Friends EP!

Another awesome blast of goodness from the friendless ones, this time in the form of the Traditional Failures EP. Wonderfully enough, this one's free. As often happens in this strange world, it's one of the few things I've heard recently that I'd be into paying for. Six tunes, five under the two minute mark, all in the Dag Nasty/Descendents vein. The closer even cops a little D Boon in the extended guitar coda that stretches the tune to an epic 2:45. You would be an idiot not to get this from your friends at Kiss Of Death here and certainly foolish to not see them on one of the dates below, if you were able.

See you in the pit!

R

Apr 2 2010

8:00P

The PourhouseRaleigh, North Carolina

Apr 3 2010

8:00P

MACROCKHarrisonburg, Virginia

Apr 4 2010

6:00P

Corpse FortressDC, Washington DC

Apr 5 2010

8:00P

The Skid Row GarageYork, Pennsylvania

Apr 6 2010

8:00P

BosniaNew Brunswick, New Jersey

Apr 7 2010

8:00P

Church of BostonBoston, Massachusetts

Apr 8 2010

8:00P

Bruar FallsBrooklyn, New York

Apr 9 2010

8:00P

The TerrordomePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania

Apr 10 2010

8:00P

The BikelotRichmond, Virginia

Paul Mooney - Black Is The New White

Well, this isn't what I thought it would be. I was vaguely aware of Mooney and his Richard Pryor connection, but like must white people my age, he came on my radar through Chappelle's Show. I thought that this would be more of a personal memoir. Not that it isn't, but in a lot of ways it's more of a celebration of his relationship (non-sexual, for all you rumor mongers and/or Earthquake fans) with Pryor. Mooney was sort of the Yin to his comedy Yan, neither drinking nor smoking but sure as hell sharing some common comedic ground. Mooney wrote a lot of Pryor's standup, including the famous job interview with Chevy Chase bit and Exorcist satire. On top of that, he was a champion Soul Train dancer, the first black circus ringleader, and played Sam Cooke in the Buddy Holly Story. He also raised a lot of hell. And even dated Lori Petty for a long while. Quite a guy. It's not the longest book in the world, which will work out as you'll want to read it cover to cover. Pick it up here from Amazon.

R

Failure's Union review at PopMatters

Hey Kids:

Review of the new Failure's Union record In What Way is now up at PopMatters. Peep it here.

Thanks to Sarah Zupko at PopMatters and Tony Weinbender at Southern Lovin'

R

R.I.P: Alex Chilton (1950-2010)

Just as I was reveling in being away from civilization for a week, I get on the interwebs and find this out.

Like a lot of people my age, Alex Chilton came on my radar through The Replacements. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only Mats lover who was a little confused when they finally heard his stuff and it was more Eddie Hinton than Johnny Thunders. I came to really fall for Big Star and was well bummed that I was unable to see them in their original incarnation. I saw a bunch of the Auer/Stringfellow reunion shows and it was pretty obvious that the BS shows were more of a pension plan than anything he held especially dear.

The solo shows were something different. Alex played a lot at Fez last century. Though a one-time bizarre miscommunication the doorman though I worked for the Voice and for years I always got in free there, so I saw a ton of them. They were pretty hit or miss, but were notable for having the hugest set list I had ever seen. Alex would unfold it like a roadmap, throw it on the floor and call off obscure tune after tune that irritated the shit out of people that were under the misconception they'd be hearing Thirteen. The backing band rarely missed a step, and if they did, it did not bode well for that band member post-set. If they made it that far.

The Memphis boy had called New Orleans home in recent years. Katrina had displaced him for a bit and I believe he had been in Houston for a while, but was in New Orleans when he went to the hospital on 3/17 and passed later on that day. He will be missed.

R

Back!

Hey Kids:

Back from the jungle. For all you young kids out there, don't believe the hype when it comes to stateside insect repellants. Gonna get some medical attention and will be right back with you.

R

Gary Allan - Get Off On The Pain

Working on the periphary of the ad industry for a decade has made the mute button and DVR very close friends. I was watching Conan a couple years ago and happened to look up to see Gary Allan and his band on the screen. The sound was muted, but as they panned from band member to band member I realized I hadn't seen a bunch of guys that looked like that much trouble since the good old bad days of Steve Earle and his Dukes. I caught the end of Watching Airplanes, rewound, and realized that I was going to have to get me some fucking Gary Allan records. As one often does in these matters, I asked my boy Steve Koch and solidified the deal with a gang of GA for the Ipod. He's definitely new country, but but contemporary Nashville standards, he's GG Allin. Think a more clean cut Jamey Johnson, or a more mainstream Shooter Jennings. The production sure is big, but it's not altogether a bad thing when you have songs as good as the ones on Get Off On The Pain. They could have pared the strings down a tad, but all in all, it is a truly skewed world if this record doesn't sell enormous numbers. I'd assume you're going to have to go to one of the big box retailers to get a hard copy of this, but it's well worth the indignity to get. Keep track of Gary Allan's whereabouts here and stay tuned to JS-NYC to see if I like this record enough to see him play with Brooks & Dunn.

R

Ludacris - Battle Of The Sexes

So Battle Of The Sexes has been rumored to be dropping for some time now. Originally the record was going to be a split release with Shawnna, but when she bailed on DTP, the record morphed into a quasi-concept record with a gang of guests. Say what you want, but you can't dispute that Luda can rhyme his ass off. He also grinds seriously. He is everywhere, from commercials to movies to mix tapes. He's kind of like Heavy D was back in the day, in that he had skills, but was well-liked by serious rap heads and pop fans of all ages. I'm sure his radio background didn't hurt either.

So, the record. The first couple singles were pretty decent, especially My Chick Bad with Nicki Minaj. The tweaked vocals on How Low are pretty cool for a normally played-out concept and Hey Ho actually sounds pretty decent for having Lil Kim's Jocelyn Wildenstein looking ass on it. Check Hey Ho on Jimmy Fallon with ?uest on harmonized vocals. All this bodes well, especially as I can name on one hand hip hop records that actually have three solid tracks on them. I'd say that Battle Of The Sexes actually scores a lot higher than that. I'm not sure what they were thinking with that Sex Room song, but all in all this is a pretty solid record. For a commercial hip-hop release it's fucking exceptional. You might actually think that Def Jam has some life in them.

R

Gone Fishing

Hey Kids:

I'm off to do some fishing in South America with my Pops, so things might be slow for the next week or so. Fret not. Be back in a bit.

R

Mutoid Men - Mutoid World

Regular readers are no doubt familiar with my love of Shorebirds and their It's Gonna Get Ugly record. The amalgam of Jawbreaker and Latterman really worked for me and I was pretty bummed to see them go the way of the Buffalo. Which is not to say that I'm not totally ga-ga for RVIVR or pretty stoked that Matt and Chris are playing together in Mutoid Men. I was pretty cool with the two M words that comprised their title, but when the most dreaded of M words, that being Moog, was bandied about in conjunction with the new project, a creeping sense of dread started to ooze itself into the back of my mind. Before the douchebags totally killed it for me, the first nail in the coffin of SXSW for me was the Analog Keyboard Holocaust of '98 when bands like Servotron and Brainiac bleeped and blorped their way through raping my ears. While there are some questionable burbles from where I'm sitting, the analog keys are rightfully relegated to the background for the most part and as such Mutoid World rocks hard enough that I can deal. Things shoot past in under 20 minutes, but don't think you're going to get Sore Throat. Some tracks are under a minute, but the average is a little over two, allowing for things to romp Pixies-like without overstaying their welcome. You can grab vinyl over at the Rumbletowne web presence and very probably at No Idea. I'd buy it, even if they do insist on calling it Scientific Rock.

R

Leatherface - The Stormy Petrel

It's been a while since our dear Mr. Stubbs has seen fit to release a new Leatherface record. While the long-rumored Tiltwheel new record probably scores the Chinese Democracy prize for anticipation, outside of The Pill Cult only Leatherface can garner that obsessive a following in their downtime. The Stormy Petrel comes courtesy of Stubbs' own Big Ugly Fish Recordings and your friends at No Idea.

Our dear Mr. Stubbs maintains the sound equipment at Wembley Stadium when he isn't scarring his liver and vocal cords and the big sounds at work seem to have permeated the proceedings here. The Stormy Petrel really is one of the best in-your-face productions you'll hear in this day and age. It helps that there are great songs from stem to stern and Stubbs really is one hell of a great guitarist. That alone would carry the songs even if the lyrics were crap, but wonderfully enough, that's not the case either. There really isn't bad song here, plus I got to find out what a stoat is. Catch them on one of the last few dates (so far, I hope) on the current tour with Bridge and Tunnel and Yesterday's Ring and pick this up immediately from No Idea. Here's a link. Thank me later.

R

Joey Cape & Jon Snodgrass - Liverbirds

Finally, we get the some recorded output of the delights we have enjoyed at the increasingly frequent duo shows with Mr. Joey Cape and Mr. Jon Snodgrass. Liverbirds has the two each doing songs from home teams Bad Astronaut and Lagwagon, plus a new chestnut from Herr Snodgrass. Joey is putting it out on his own label and has licensed it to Suburban Home. You can only get it on their dates together at this point, but SH is going to have it ready sometime in April.

Evidently Liverbirds shares its name with an Absolutely Fabulous-esque Brit-com featuring two besotted females. If you've seen any of these two jokers at shows and the Jager they consume thereat, you won't miss the allusion. Now, I'm the wrong person to ask if a Snodgrass release is a good one, but this shut in will argue that Liverbirds is even more awesome for the presence of Spiderman, Wolfman. The song sprung up extemporaneously at a New Haven show last Fall, was dabbled with the night after in NYC and is now canonized for your auditory pleasure. It also features a great version of Jessica's Suicide, although I think I prefer it with Cory Branan backing. That's no diss to Joey. I was never the hugest Lagwagon fan, but seeing the rampant adulation and volume of people traveling from as far as Germany to see his Cape-ness, I've kind of been bitten by the bug. I'm not sure I'd go see him solo, but I really like the tunes here. Head over to Suburban Home and get in on the pre-order here. Liverbirds comes highly recommended to anyone with a functioning set of ears.

Wrecktrospective review at PopMatters

Hey Boys and Girls:

Review of the Fat Wreck Wrecktrospective anniversary box is now up at PopMatters.

Check it out here.

Thanks to Vanessa at Fat and Sarah Zupko at PopMatters!

R

a whole lot of Drew @ The Creek And The Cave 3.6.10

So it's my boy Drew St. Aubin's 30th year. He's a good buddy and a hell of a musician, so I would give up my general hermitude anyway to celebrate one of his bands or his birthday. As I am not on the freakshow that is Facebook, I didn't realize that the evening was quite an ambitious endeavor featuring seven of his musical endeavors old and new. In a lot of ways I feel that ex-bandmates that aren't friends are much like ex-girlfriends in that you rarely need them around past your respective dalliances. As unlikable as I find him personally, it seems like it might be better to be in a band with the gent, as there was much musical love to be had for St. Aubin on the anniversary of his arrival. Here's a brief rundown:

I arrived just as Jim Of The Woods kicked things off. The ensemble marked another of the increasingly frequent Jim Wood solo band shows. This night featured the backing of his alden barton bandmates bassist Paul Bates on keys and the birthday boy on drums. It was the first time I heard any of his solo stuff, but within half a song it became obvious that Wood has talent as big as his beard, which is to say large. Keep an eye out for more solo shows soon.

Super Mirage were up next. A four, if I remember properly, piece that played the type of guitar driven indie rock I expected that (only band that didn't reunite, and the one with the most notoriety) Princeton Reverbs sounded like. A little Pavement, a lot of E6 Athensry. A good time. They were followed by more of the same with Mo' Matching Drapes, who I enjoyed until drinking with the birthday boy's lady took precedence.

Anger Management Seminar were next, and comprised the reason for the season for me musically this night. Drew had mentioned that they were the closest unit to my own little purveyors of blaaarrgh and my interest was definitely piqued. The gents dropped some angular Chicago meets DC rockage and featured a guitar presence whose hips were evidently possessed (very much to the positive) by Guy Picciotto. Good stuff, and obviously I'll be cadging the recorded material from Drew with some expediency.

By this point, Drew's voice was pretty much shot, and as I would be seeing the aldenbarton gents back 'headliner' Jason Anderson the following night, I eschewed both and rode my ass back to JS-NYC HQ. While I have seen aldenbarton many times, many other of you have not. You would do well to rectify that situation. Also know that the AB members are available for a myriad of musical projects and/or other proclivities, depending on the color of your cash. Seek them out at the aldenbarton web presence here.

R

Carlos Kotkin - Standup And Stories From A Heartthrob

Carlos Kotkin seems to be the Garrison Keillor of stand-up. Most of his material seems to be read rather that done in the conventional (?) standup manner. Rest assured that I would rarely even entertain then notion of comedy revolving around a boy's childhood chickens (blame that horrible SNL skit with Dana Carvey), but that is but one of the topics that I laughed my ass off about on Standup And Stories From A Heartthrob. I've never heard of him before, but he seems to be one of the many LA improv guys making moves in this day and age. He reminds me a little of Mike Birbiglia, but is definitely not a new jack riding MB's coattails. Grab a copy from Carlos here.

Tubers - Anachronous

It’s been a twenty-five years since Revolution Summer, but evidently no one bothered to tell Tubers. Cultivated in the rich Florida soil that fostered Twelve Hour Turn and The South before them, Tubers ply their trade in the Dischord-ant rock bands like Fugazi and Dag Nasty did so well before them, with a soupcon of San Diego for good measure. The St. Augustine three piece certainly turns up the heat on Anachronous, throwing down meaty slabs of post-hardcore with shouted unison vocals that will have you spazzing around your favorite home-based listening station in short order. Rob McGregor displays the same production flair he has lent to the lion’s share of the No Idea roster, capturing the sound of a band that refuses to be contained. Placed in the same room, the men of Tubers coalesce into something that is much more than four guys in a room throwing down. And don’t get it twisted: throw down they do, but know that the men of Tubers are men of good general bearing and refinement, so you can rest assured that restraint is exercised (when need be).

R

Dwayne Perkins - She Ate My Haircut

I saw Dwayne Perkins on late night TV a year or so ago and thought he was great. He plays it pretty clean over all, but with a Dave Chappelle sort of spin. Think a black Todd Barry. The set is recorded live in front of a receptive Sacramento crowd. Perkins lives in LA, but is originally from Brooklyn. He's got great bits on both, plus a bunch of other pretty hysterical bits. Pick up She Ate My Haircut here and look out for his Comedy Central special.

R

Live: Bridge & Tunnel, Yesterday's Ring & Leatherface @ The Knitting Factory 3.5.10

With all the snow and the ridiculousness that comes with it, it seems like forever since I've been to a show. You can also add being fucking broke to the equation, too, but when word came down the pike that Leatherface were touring, you could damn well guarantee that I was going to be there. Adding a rare set of Stateside Yesterday's Ring dates and Bridge & Tunnel to the equation made me reconsider the influence of a higher power in my life.

So I made it across the water as Bridge & Tunnel started their set. Let me state from the onset: Bridge & Tunnel are fucking great. Hands down, no ifs and or buts. Great songs, Rachel plays her ass off and all and all the kids are 100% a good time. They remind me a lot of Braid and in some ways a bit like The Riot Before. Either way, I couldn't be happier that NY finally has a No Idea band. Between them and Little Lungs, all is not lost in the local scene. Not a lot in the way of stage banter, but know that Bridge & Tunnel crushed it from note one to note last. Buy their current release East/West here and see them immediately.

I was a little disconcerted during the backline change and thought there maybe had been a lineup change, but soon the preponderance of Inepsy and Tragedy t-shirts on stage confirmed that Yesterday's Ring was most definitely in the house. I was in Montreal for the record release shows behind their last EP and fell way hard for them. You may be aware that YR is the more rootsy incarnation of Canadian punk mainstays The Sainte Catherines. There are a few different members, but the apples don't fall far from the tree and SC singer Hugo Mudie fronts both franchises. He is as sweet a dude as he is smelly. The six piece ran through a bunch of stuff from their new Suburban Home release Diamonds In The Ditch as well as some chestnuts from the back catalog. I couldn't of been happier, plus I had a couple 'that guy" moments with Hugo, so it was win-win all around. Yesterday's Ring don't make it across the border all that often, but if they come near you, go out of your way to see them. They are one hell of a good time.

Ran into Davey Tiltwheel as I staked out real estate for Leatherface. One hell of a guy, and unsurprisingly tour managing this junket. He had Frankie on in short order, aviator hat, high blood alcohol and all and the suddenly full room promptly went apeshit. There is a delicious point where Frankie gets drunk enough to do his little shuffle dance around that make the Lemmy fronting Husker Du sound Leatherface purveys some of the best music ever. There were many Roach House residents touring the stage and monitors during the set, begging the question (at least in my mind) of how old the kids were in the 80s when things jumped off for Leatherface, but this would be the wrong room to play the agism card, as Frankie makes me look like a spring chicken. He held up for most of the set, but was obviously fading toward the end of the proceedings. That made two of us, frankly, but all in all one of the best shows I've seen this year. Setlist for Leatherface is to the left. Look for a review of the new record The Stormy Petrel soon on JS-NYC.

R

R.I.P: T Bone Wolk (1951-2010)

Well, this is one hell of a bummer. When I was but a wee bairn deciding to play the bass, it wasn't really because I gravitated toward the basslines on records or anything. Mostly it was because my picking up the best instrument ever was coincident with my getting MTV so I could see cool guys that were bass players. In that era, there were two big guys who I though looked the coolest via video. The first was Peter Cetera in the video for Chicago's You're The Inspiration. Cheesy, I know, but the band scenes in the beach house with Cetera chilling in the arm chair playing the inverted Precision were totally bad ass. And note that Cetera rocks a fucking Bauhaus t-shirt. The second was T-Bone Wolk in the Hall & Oates Private Eyes video. Oddly enough, another P-Bass guy, but I wanted to be the guy in the hat for a long while afterward. In recent H&S years T-Bone was musical director for the franchise, but in a pronounced bummer wasn't playing bass, but rather acoustic guitar most of the time. I don't recall who was playing bass this past summer, Kasim Sultan maybe? Either way, kind of a bummer.

Evidently T-Bone had a heart attack after a session upstate, perhaps one for a solo record he was working on. Either way, the bass community has lost one of it's biggest pillars. Rest easy, big guy!

R

Bowery Boy Blue On Tour

Hey Midwesterners:

Those handsome (mostly) bastards in Bowery Boy Blue are hitting the road for a bit. Go see them!

R

Mar 3 2010 8:00P	Russian Recording	Bloomington, Indiana
Mar 4 2010 9:00P	The Whistler	Chicago, Illinois
Mar 5 2010 9:00P	The Brick	Kansas City, Missouri
Mar 7 2010 9:00P	Soundpony Lounge	Tulsa, Oklahoma

Free So Hideous My Love ep download

So, on the open disclosure tip: This is my band.

Not in the "I founded and write all the stuff" end of things, but we've been together for a couple years now and have quite a canon of material. We've played (and will continue to play) out around NYC and beyond to good sized turnouts. This past Fall we went into the studio with our dear friend Dave Baltunois at his Wild Arctic Studios (what's up Leroy!) and came out with these three tracks. We've decided to call the EP I Balance A Daydream On The Edge Of A Knife and offer it to you all for free. We'd like to think we are in the same vein as Mono, Envy and Heaven In Her Arms. For the uninitiated, at it's basest form So Hideous My Love is essentially loud classical music with alternately guttural and clean vocals. There are strings and orchestration, but we will not hesitate to break it down on your fool ass if we deem it so necessary. If I may indulge in a rare moment of immodesty, we are good at what we do.

Download I Balance A Daydream On The Edge Of A Knife here. Do feel free to flame or pass around the link or mp3s as you see fit.

R