Thursday, May 29, 2008
DOWNLOAD: Daniel Bennett Group, "Andrew Variations" (mp3) Daniel Bennett is one of a handful of local DIY jazz and improv players (Eric Hofbauer, Andrew Fenlon, and Daniel Ian Smith are a few others) who’s making his own luck by booking his own shows and concert series in offbeat venues. His Daniel Bennett Group feature his light, airy tenor saxophone floating in rushes of eighth and 16th notes over acoustic-guitar chords that have as much to do with ancient British folk as jazz. For some reason, Bennett (who also plays flute) has a thing for bears: he’s following up last year’s A Nation of Bears on his own Bennett Alliance label with the July release of The Legend of Bear Thompson — both of them part of a projected “Bear Trilogy.” Grab the mp3 above, then catch the Bennett Group with Zyrah’s Orange at the Cambridge Family YMCA on May 31.
Dirty Pilot, an art gallery based in Cochituate, is hosting an exhibit of Captain America drawings by the indie cult-favorite singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. The artwork's entirely online - the gallery used to have a physical space, but now has retired to the Interwebs, according to their website. From the inbox: "Over the course of Daniel Johnston's career as well documented through this survey of drawings from the mid 1970's thru 2005, Daniel has continuously wrestled artistically with his signature character Captain America. This super hero has not only been equated by Daniel with a symbol of Divine Glory and the American Dream, but also with the worship of his father Bill a decorated war veteran.
This overview explores a range of work from Daniel's early College notebook drawings through his later finished color and B&W drawings.
Recent accomplishments include the award-winning documentary “The Devil and Daniel Johnston”, a property of Sony Pictures Classics, opened to rave reviews on March 31st 2006, in both NY and LA, and the long-awaited DVD release of the film was released on September 19th, ‘06. Running concurrently with the opening of the film was a major show of Daniel’s artwork at a prominent NY gallery and a collection of Daniel’s work at the Whitney Museum’s Biennial exhibit!" We'll admit it - we loved The Devil and Daniel Johnston. It was a fascinating documentary of a musician whose influence is evident in today's indie rock, yet he's still not particularly well-known (outside of '80's and '90's indie rock fans, and the aforementioned cult followers). We feel it should be required viewing for any music fan today, along with Stop Making Sense and Runnin' Down a Dream. Kurt Cobain liked Johnston's music enough to rock a "Hi How Are You" t-shirt at televised Nirvana gigs: 
And Johnston's artwork was a common thread in the movie (a reflection of the role it's played in his life), lending an air of levity to a story that's somewhat heartbreaking, though Johnston's still around, still playing the occasional gig. Below, a sampling of works in Johnston's Dirty Pilot show. Purchase if you've got the funds - looks like pieces are selling for about $75 - $1,800, and a few have already been sold. 
See more here. --Caitlin E. Curran
Friday, May 23, 2008
Rick Astley may have seized YouTube for a day, but Weezer's out to condense the whole damn thing into one music video. From the inbox: "Today,
Weezer unveiled the launch of their YouTube channel to coincide with
the premier of the band's new music video 'Pork And Beans' on the
homepage of YouTube. This is the first time a major label band has
featured such a multitude of YouTube celebrities in their video, which
include Tay Zonday (Chocolate Rain), Lauren Caitlin Upton (Junior Miss
South Carolina), Judson Laipply (Evolution of Dance) being three of
more than fifteen YouTube stars making cameos in the video." As reported a few weeks ago, "Pork and Beans" (and the rest of the Red Album) are no Blue Album,
but the video's fairly entertaining, in the schizophrenic way only a
mash-up of YouTube favorites can be. They even managed to squeeze a "Peanut Butter Jelly Time"
reference in there - that's one of the pioneering viral Internet vids,
in our opinion. And there's no denying the sheer brilliance of a
mustachioed Rivers Cuomo hugging Chris Crocker with tender reassurance,
all "It's okay, Chris, we'll leave Britney alone now." Those Weezer
kids are tugging at our heartstrings, yo. Here's what Phoenix staffer Will Spitz had to say about it: "Lauren
Caitlin Upton on why Weezer have been unable to make a good record in
the last ten years and what should be done about it:
'I personally believe that Weezer are unable to do so because, uh, they
don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such
as, uh, Foo Fighters and, uh, the Green Day, everywhere like such as,
and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S.
should help the Rentals, uh, or, uh, should help Rivers Curomo and
should help the Weezer, so they will be able to build up a half-decent
collection of songs, for our children.'"** ** Note: Lauren Caitlin Upston did not actually say this. We totally made it up. But she would've said that, we think. --Caitlin E. Curran
Thursday, May 22, 2008
DOWNLOAD: Anthems MA, "Bullet" (mp3)
For the most part, it’s less important what a band say they do than what they do. So when local foursome Anthems MA (formerly Anthems for Odyssey) claim to “stretch at the seams of their creative paradigm” to attain “the shimmer and pop of a high-class whore’s lip gloss” — grab that grain of salt, then listen to the newgazy bounty that is “Bullet,” which, along with a handful of other songs available on their MySpace page, is a good indicator of the type of gauzy gusto the group bring to their upcoming full-length debut, Time Starts Now. “Bullet” starts out like an early-Cure homage, but when Summer Kelly’s voice cleaves an expanse of washy guitars and synth strings, it’s vastly different territory: somewhere between the Cocteaus and the Cranberries, but louder than the former and nowhere near as douchy as the latter. Grab the mpfree above, then catch them May 28 when they play T.T. the Bear’s with Tiny Whales and the Informati.
As you may have heard, conservative attack-radio douchebag Michael Savage went postal again the other day, responding to the news of Ted Kennedy's brain tumor by taking to the airwaves with a rant that once again revealed the vicious, inhuman gutlessness of this country's so-called silent majority -- students of the P. Diddy Institute for Higher Etymology would surely recognize this as a prime bit of bitch-assedness. First he played clips of Ted Kennedy singing, interspersed with (Kennedy in-law) Arnold Schwarzenegger's infamous "It's not a tumor" clip. "The poor guy's been suffering for years, you know?," Savage said of TK. "Unfairly he's been accused of alcoholism, but we see now that it was something much more deep-seated."
Then he did something even more unforgivable: he played Dead Kennedys' "California Uber Alles," compounding the sacrilege by actually singing along. (Click on the media player above to hear the full clip, courtesy of MediaMatters.) A convergence of loony-fringe hatemongering and punk rock shibboleth-busting: is this where it all ends up?
We doubt that anyone would be ignorant enough to think that Savage is anything approximating an actual Jello Biafra fan, nor that anyone would be silly enough to think that Jello Biafra was in any way supportive of Savage. But we wanted to get Jello's thoughts on the matter anyway, so Phoenix Editor Lance Gould raised him on the phone. Here's what Jello had to say:
I haven't read the details yet, but I'm aware of what Michael Savage did. Obviously he took my song way the hell out of context and did it deliberately. But the bigger issue is Savage himself and how the hell he gets away with stuff like saying this, and saying that people with AIDS should be put in concentration camps. And then when people protest at the station, he calls on his own listeners to come down and beat them up.
It scares the shit out of me that the most popular radio talk-show hosts are all foaming-at-the-mouth, ultra-bigoted blabbermongers whom only North Korea or the Nazis could love.
But like it or not, Savage is the third-most popular radio-talk show host in this country behind Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Nobody from the other side is represented or promoted well enough by the big right-wing-owned radio networks to compete. That's one of the ways they mindfuck the country into being so dumb they vote for people like George Bush, Mitt Romney and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The real issue here is why aren't the big candidates calling for media reform? Once upon a time there was a law on the books called the Fairness Doctrine, and it said that if somebody like Savage or Limbaugh or that skull woman Ann Coulter said something completely fucked up and dishonest on the air, somebody else was allowed to come on the air and reply to them without being told to shut up every 15 seconds by a power clown like Bill O'Reilly. That law was on the books for 50 years but was allowed to expire in the late '80s when a Democratic-controlled congress failed to override President Reagan's veto of the law.
The damage was further compounded when your friend and mine Bill Clinton rammed through the Telecommunications Act of 1996, further deregulating how many radio stations and media outlets one corporation can own and what they can do with them and they greenlighted their long-held agenda to throw public interest out the window. And the volume and impact of the Rush Limbaughs and Michael Savages multiplied exponentially with nobody on the other side being allowed to reply. In large areas of rural and small town America, this is the only radio anyone is exposed to. That's the problem. We need to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. John Kerry had a golden opportunity to fire back at the Swift Boat liars and use that as a platform to rally the public to demand media reform. But true to form, he was too chickenshit to do it.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday May 20
“We meet again,” said Exene Cervenka, greeting the crowd as
X took the stage at the sold-out Paradise Tuesday night. She apologized for a “technical
difficulties” before the band started — John
Doe and couple of roadies were fussing with his bass amp. Exene waited
patiently by the mike. “I time my pot-smoking. Now it’s all off.”
That was about it for bad-timing, though. For the next 90 minutes
or so, nothing was out of place. Everyone was in uniform: Exene in her shapeless
black house dress with white-trimmed short sleeves, John in jeans and plaid
shirt, DJ Bonebrake in a Germs t-shirt, and Billy Zoom, posing all night in his
black leather jacket while scanning the crowd as he channeled Chuck Berry and
Carl Perkins, smiling that Billy Zoom smile that seems to say, “Who wants to
suck my cock?” But meaning it in the nicest possible way.
And then 28 indelible songs two encore sets deep, including
covers of “Breathless” and, of course, a “Soul Kitchen” finale. Why go see X
play the same stuff they’ve been playing for 20 years-plus? Because: is anyone
else playing it? Is that what you’ll be saying when Beethoven plays the
Regattabar again? “He’s been playing that ‘Appassionata’ since 1806 and, dude — the fucker’s deaf!” Steve Lacy said he began
playing Monk’s music because he liked it and no one else was playing it at the
time.
So let’s hear it for X — “White
Girl,” “Los Angeles,” “We’re Desperate,” “Adult Books,” “It’s Who You Know,” “Johnny
Hit and Run Pauline,” “The Marrying Kind,” “Your Phone’s Off the Hook” (“but
you’re not”), “Sugarlight,” “See How We Are,” and on and on. And they didn’t
even get to “Riding with Mary.” John and Exene’s voices splitting off into
separate shards, coming back together in, yes, desperate close-harmony. Is
anyone else doing anything like this? “Some people give me the creeps!” Exene
could have quit after “The world’s a mess it’s in my kiss.” That’s probably
enough poetry for any one lifetime. Anyway, there they were again. “We’ll definitely
come back next year,” Exene said after “Soul Kitchen.” So will we.
_Jon Garelick
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Amanda Palmer, WFNX Interview (Live at Best Music Poll 2008)
Amanda Palmer, "Creep (Radiohead cover, Live at Best Music Poll 2008)"
In only her second show since vocal-cord surgery, Amanda Palmer took the Best Music Poll concert stage to preview a bunch of tunes off her forthcoming solo debut, Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, most of 'em at the piano -- although she began with her patented showstopping ukulele rendition of "Creep" and ended, with Dresden Dolls drummer Brian Viglione on guitar, by howling a cover Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two Headed Boy." Here's "Creep," plus her interview on FNX, but stay tuned -- Amanda also consented to be our behind-the-scenes BMP guide, and we'll have some exclusive backstage treats to post soon.
Friday, May 16, 2008
TMZ reports that Rob Lowe -- yes, that Rob Lowe -- was spotted in town farting ("loudly"!) to illustrate what he thinks of the Boston Celtics. Good thing this didn't get out the other night. We shudder to think what would happen if Lowe were to make a return visit to the Garden on Sunday (if necessary, natch), and the Celtics faithful were to reply all at once. TMZ failed to report what Lowe's fart actually smells like: a glaring omission, if we do say so ourselves.
Although Lowe farts in Ray Allen's general direction, he apparently has more fragrant thoughts about our fair city's dance-party contingent: Lowe and Superbad's Jonah Hill -- both of whom are in the area to shoot the new Ricky Gervais movie up in Lowell -- dropped by Zuzu before repairing to the Middlesex Lounge on Tuesday night for everyone's favorite best-DJs-in-town confab, Hearthrob. Our spy tells us Lowe was ushered in through the back door, but not before the down-the-block line got a good gander at him. Alas, our spy had to wait another half-hour to make it in, after which he was rendered faceless by Baltimoroder's relentless set, and thereafter forgot to look for the stars. So like everyone else, we're left waiting on the Nicky Digital photos for further elaboration.
If anyone wants to synch iPod playlists for this, reply in comments or Tweet at us . . .
From Craigslist, via Paul Irish's Tweet:
Boston Common, northwest corner @ Beacon St & Charles St
Friday, May 16
7:19-11:19pm
In the last several months, people in cities around the world (most recently in NY on 4/18) have gathered for silent raves, dancing into the hours of the night to the music of their choice on their personal music players.
A Silent Rave, or Mobile Club, or Silent Disco, is a simple concept. Hundreds, hopefully thousands, of people from any background of life turn up in a public place at a pre-arranged time, turn on their Walkmans, CD players, and iPods and dance freely to whatever music they choose to listen to!
See these wikipedia articles for more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_disco
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Clubbing
Imagine the pure liberation at dancing however you want to, to whatever music your heart desires from Ozzy Osbourne to Justice, and not caring what anyone else thinks!
It's time for Boston to have a dance party of its own.
Check out the pics from Silent Rave New York on Facebook and YouTube.
There's some great ones posted from recent Mobile Clubs at the Tate Modern Gallery and St Paul's Cathedral, London for you to enjoy!
Please invite literally everyone you know in order that we can spread this and make it not only happen, but the first of many of these fantastic events! This will only get off the ground with your help, so please do whatever you can to bring enjoyment to this great city!
Punks; Goths; Ravers; Space-Cases; Indie-kids; Electro-heads; House fiends; Commuters; Teenagers; Retirees; Businessmen; Musicians; Emos; Jocks; Geeks; Teachers; Students; Christians; Jews; Muslims; Atheists; Agnostics; Downtowners and Southies; this event is for anyone who wants to dance and experience something truly wonderful!
DANCE IN THE STREETS, NOT IN YOUR ROOM!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
DOWNLOAD: Appomattox, "Sparx" (mp3)
One thing we at the Phoenix had sworn never to talk about but have since come to terms with is that we keep this little framed picture of Appomattox under the nightstand. Each night, right before bed, we take it out, gaze at it by moonlight, and release long, girlish sighs. So dreamy. Oh why did you have to move to New York, Appomattox? We’ve had no one to give us regular doses of rapturous, methamphetamined Blonde Redhead–esque post-punk. We’ve been eating a lot and not going out much. Then, just when we assumed you had forgotten all about us, we get a copy your new A O (Triple Down Records) in the mail. Now we feel that our feelings for you have been super-validated, and we wouldn’t mind talking about maybe working toward something more serious with you. Just think about it. The rest of you, butt out and check out “Sparx” — it, like the rest of A O, is kind of ruthlessly awesome.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Bob Mould: Best Music Poll Interview 2008
We knew Bob Mould had gotten his feet wet a few years ago with a brief foray into electronic music and a monthly DJ night, "Blowoff," down in DC. What we hadn't realized is that a) Mould is back to making very Sugar-like rock music, and b) that his DJ tastes have evolved to the point where he's become a huge Paris/Ed Banger fanboy. In this interview, conducted backstage a few minutes before he went onstage last weekend, he big-ups Justice, Kavinsky, and Sebastien, and talks about his remixes for Interpol, Low, Tokyo Police Club. Plus some clips from his solo-electric set at Best Music Poll 2008. Then click below for the full clip of "Wishing Well."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
It's not glorious enough this week that we're forced to ponder the resurgence of New Kids on the Block -- now Boston is also saddled with an honest-to-goodness Extreme reunion. Couple those two with the announcement of a string of Dropkick Murphys/Bosstones double-bills (at minor-league ballparks, no less) and you've got the greatest week in townie-pop history!
Dropkick Murphys + Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Thursday July 10 – LeLacheur Park in Lowell, MA
Friday July 11 – Hadlock Field in Portland, ME
Saturday July 12 – McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI
MassConcerts is proud to announce three shows with Dropkick Murphys and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones on Thursday July 10 at LeLacheur Park in Lowell, Ma, Friday July 11 at Hadlock Field in Portland, ME and Saturday July 12 at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, RI. Gates open at 5pm and show time is 6pm for all three shows. Rain or shine. Tickets are $32.50 to each of the shows. There will also be a special $86.00 ticket good for all three shows. Tickets go on sale this Saturday May 17 at 10:00am at all ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com or by calling (617) 931-2000, (207) 775-3331 or (401) 724-7300 (Pawtucket only).
New Kids On The Block
At the TD Banknorth Garden
Friday, September 26, 2008 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Tickets are $37.50, $47.50 and $77.50 Madonna “Sticky and Sweet Tour”
At the TD Banknorth Garden
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Tickets are $57.50, $97.50, $167.50 and $352.50
Tickets go on-sale Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 10:00 am Tony Hawk`s Boom Boom HuckJam
At the Tweeter Center
Sunday, July 27, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Tickets are $25.00, $30.00* and $70.00 General Admission 4 pack special*
*plus $7.00 venue charge and applicable convenience fees per ticket
Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 17, 2008 at NOON
American Idols Live!
August 9 at DCU Center, Worcester
Tickets on sale Saturday May 17 at 10 am
Internet presale Friday May 16 at 10 am (password: 10idols) Extreme
With Kings X
At the Bank of America Pavilion
Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Tickets are $25.00, $35.00 and $45.00*
*plus $5.00 venue charge and applicable convenience fees per ticket
Tickets go on-sale Friday, May 16, 2008 at 10:00 am Solid Gold Dance Party 2008
With The Village People, The Trammps, Musik and more
At the Bank of America Pavilion
Friday, August 1, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Tickets are $30.00, $40.00 and $50.00*
*plus $5.00 venue charge and applicable convenience fees per ticket
Tickets go on-sale Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 10:00 am My Morning Jacket
At the Bank of America Pavilion
Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Tickets are $31.00*
*plus $5.00 venue charge and applicable convenience fees per ticket
Tickets go on-sale Friday, May 16, 2008 at 10:00 am Rascal Flatts
With Taylor Swift
At the Tweeter Center
Saturday, September 13, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Tickets are $31.00 and $71.00*
*plus $7.00 venue charge and applicable convenience fees per ticket
Tickets go on-sale Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 10:00 am
The Cure
May 12 at Agganis Arena, Boston
All photos by Carina Mastrocola
Monday, May 12, 2008
When the ladies of the Phoenix art department came running up to us at Best Music Poll in full-hyperventilation mode, we hoped that their excitement meant that someone had just uncovered a secret stash of drink tickets, or maybe an electric blanket. When we managed to calm them down, they claimed to have spotted Jim Halpert wandering around the venue. The Office hottie? At our party? And he wasn't even on the guest list? Naaaahhhhh, we pshawed. An extensive search of the grounds, with multiple photogs in tow, turned up nothing. But after we'd abandoned the hunt, the art girls found their prey: Newton homie John Krasinsky, just hanging out and watching his pals Death Cab for Cutie, with whom he was scheduled to rendezvous after the gig. Above: snaps of their brief auditions for the role of Pam, should the need for a replacement ever arise.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Presidents of the United States of America
Death Cab for Cutie
Amanda Palmer
Bob Mould
Eli "Paperboy" Reed
All photos (c) Carina Mastrocola
It's a wrap: the 2008 Best Music Poll Concert is in the books, and as far as we know, no one died of hypothermia. Fuck, was it cold. As we're uploading this, it's 65 and sunny. This couldn't have happened 18 hours earlier?
This was our first year putting on the BMP exclusively at the Pavilion -- in recent years we've split the action between the tent and the clubs on Lansdowne Street, but with Lansdowne Street in its current state of demolition (as if Dropkick Murphys' pipebomb fantasy had finally come true), we stuffed everything under one roof. Death Cab were epic, and Chris Ballew's Presidents were far, far better than we had any right to suspect (and we're not just saying that because they covered the MC5 -- we'd forgotten how much OKGO owe their careers to the POTUSA blueprint). Bob Mould, in solo-electric mode, came out and played a bunch of hits, not to mention some Husker Du. Amanda Palmer played just her second show since vocal-cord surgery and unveiled a bunch of new solo material, then brought out fellow Dresden Doll Brian Viglione to play guitar on a shrieking version of Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two Headed Boy." Passion Pit went on first, for an audience in the hundreds -- but trust us, by next year there's gonna be a couple thousand people claiming they were there-when. (Alas, they went on before our photogs showed up. If anyone's got snaps, let us know.) For our money the scene-stealing act of the day was Eli "Paperboy" Reed, who delivered the same shockingly, effortlessly house-shattering soul set he's been plying in clubs -- but on the big stage it felt even bigger.
We're still recovering from the after-party, but we've already got a shit-ton of photos up in case you missed it. And you'll probably want to check back soon: we'll be uploading interviews, concert videos, and a few special treats throughout the week.
BMP 2008 PHOTOS: Death Cab for Cutie
BMP 2008 PHOTOS: Presidents of the United States of America
BMP 2008 PHOTOS: Amanda Palmer
BMP 2008 PHOTOS: Bob Mould
BMP 2008 PHOTOS: Eli "Paperboy" Reed
Thursday, May 08, 2008
DOWNLOAD: Soul Clap, "Great White Hope Vol. 3" (mp3)
Charlie and Eli’s Soul Clap house parties have been destroying bars for a couple of years now, but they just got around to putting out their 12-inch debut, “The Giraffe” (courtesy of AirDrop, and on yellow vinyl, no less!). Soft-footed, veldt-snooping vloops! of melody frame a minimalist-techno safari on wax. We presumed the title referred to some fantasmic new dance craze they were intent on monetizing, but according to AirDrop’s blog, it’s about giraffe sex — which, y'know, even better! To celebrate the track’s release, Soul Clap just dropped this extended mixtape, which delves into the duo’s remix history (including their takes on tracks by Boston mainstays Pat Fontes and Tim Ryan) and also offers a sneak peek at the next Soul Clap release, “die Ente” (“the Duck”), which we'll go ahead and presume is about fowl play.
VIDEO: Greg Graffin, "Live Again (Live at Harvard's Memorial Church)"
This week in the fishwrap, James Parker interviews Bad Religion's Greg Graffin and Harvard's humanist chaplain, Greg Epstein, en route to digging into the farce that is Ben Stein's Expelled. As it happens, Graffin was on hand last week to collect a "lifetime achievement award" in Humanism from Epstein's organization, and we toddled along with our camera to bring you some clips. No one missed the irony that the event was held at Harvard's gorgeous Memorial Church (Bad Religion? A bunch of God-denying humanists? In a chapel?), and there were times when we thought they spake a bit much. (Graffin was seen glancing at his watch during Epstein's 20-minute-plus introduction, but following that particular marathon, Graffin then went on to deliver a nearly-half-hour lecture of his own, before settling in at the mic to sing a few songs. We included the full take of "Live Again," just after a representative clip from Graffin's address, in which he talks about his philosophies of performance and education.
Graffin: super-nice dude, by the way. He brought family with him, including his dad, but as far as we could tell arrived on foot, by himself. In fact, we bumped into him on our way in and completely didn't recognize him -- the blazer, maybe, or the hairline, or fact that as he slipped in through the back door with a hot beverage, he stopped and introduced himself by saying, simply, "Hi, I'm Greg."
Afterwards, we spent about 30 minutes deconstructing the audience Q&A with Daniel Brockman, who was far wittier than we can summon right now. Perhaps we'll get him to weigh in on it at some point. There were three video cameras at the church; the one belonging to WGBH had sound issues, as did the one belonging to the documentary film crew, so ours may end up being the best footage extant, unless someone brought a camera phone.
READ: Springtime for Darwin: What Ben Stein, Bad Religion, and a physics professor from Quincy can tell you about where you came from. By James Parker.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Now that eight of ten tracks have leaked to a Weezer fan messageboard, though, we'd like to amend that position. The rest of The Red Album so far makes "Pork and Beans" sound like it could have been the B-side to "Undone: The Sweater Song." Stylistically, that is, not in terms of quality.
Red is not very good. That's almost a given; anyone who's still holding out hope that these guys could ever make anything that will approach their mid-90s peak is probably delusional. But Red is different from their other recent output: instead of sounding like some band trying to do an imitation of Weezer, this sounds like Weezer getting too indulgent. Rivers Cuomo already hinted at this in interviews, but the band really did just do a little bit of everything in here from folk to neo-soul to rap. People other than Cuomo sing lead vocals on some songs. It's an unfocused mess. One song, "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" is an awkwardly-executed mini rock opera that's based on a Quaker hymn. When they get to the spoken-word section, you might finding yourself listening to it less as a song and more as some kind of next-level experiment in "so-bad-it's-good" camp humor. And part of us can at least respect that.
DOWNLOAD: Weezer, The Red Album (most of it, at least)
-- Ryan Stewart
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
It was just a couple of months ago that the Mission of Burma dudes threw down at Great Scott during their "Burma for Burma" show to draw attention to the abuses visited on the people of Burma by the military junta that's ruled the country for about the past quarter-century. With the death toll topping 25,000 (and possibly headed closer to 50k) in the horrific aftermath of a once-in-a-generation cyclone, we asked Burma's Roger Miller -- now on tour with one of his other band, the Alloy Orchestra -- for his thoughts.
"There are obviously two disasters in Burma (Myanmar) simultaneously: the storm and the government," Miller told OTD. "Too bad it couldn't have been a 'smart storm' and only taken out the government.
In this, he was echoed -- even more forcefully -- by an unlikely ally: Laura Bush. "The response to the cyclone is just the most recent example of the junta's failure to meet its people's basic needs," the First Lady said, without a hint of irony. New Orleans' 9th Ward (the neighborhood, not this guy) was unable to be reached for comment, but we'll speak for it: pot, kettle, black, etc.
More irony: the US Campaign for Burma, beneficiaries of the "Burma for Burma" shows, was in the midst of a celebrity-video-driven campaign -- starring Sarah Silverman (see below), Jennifer Aniston, and Eddie Izzard, among others -- to bring attention to human rights abuses in the country. The campaign's home-page has now shifted gears and is acepting donations for victims of the cyclone.
After the jump: video of Sarah Silverman, and then Mission of Burma, for Burma . . .
Monday, May 05, 2008
 WWD reports today that MIA, who's been the face of Marc Jacobs as of late (about that, she says in the article: "The whole time I was doing that campaign I was like, 'Does Marc Jacobs
know who I am? He didn't let me into his parties and
stuff six months before.'"), has started her own clothing line. "'I have my own label now," Arulpragasam said, 'which is the only thing
I've been wearing recently.' The eponymous collection (M.I.A., that
is), which is repped by London-based publicist Mandi Lennard, included
tour bus-friendly items such as bomber jackets, leggings and T-shirts,
all done up in the bold hues and graphic prints for which the singer is
known. And, aside from reflective glory, buying an
Arulpragasam-designed piece affords its owner a little extra sartorial
security. Explained the fashionista: 'With my stuff, because
everything's really bright, if you lose it or someone steals it, you
can see it from miles away and you can be like, 'Oy! Give me my shirt
back!' Talk about bang for your buck.'" Ooooh. We totally love that. Clothes that are bright so that your asshole friends won't steal them! And, if we ever decide to start a band and go on a national tour, we won't be embarrassed by our decidedly lame (and too fancy) tour bus clothes! Seriously, though, we've got more faith in threads created by MIA than other celeb clothing lines - anyone from the Hills, we're looking at you - especially since we're guessing they'll be somewhat like the Cassette Playa-designed outfits MIA has rocked in the past (Google Images hasn't coughed up any sneak previews of the line yet, and MIA's website of flashing madness doesn't have anything either). It's a safe bet, though, that it'll be at least three time less scary than the prospect of Amy Winehouse's clothing and cosmetics line.
--Caitlin E. Curran
5/5/2008 10:41:52 AM by Will | |
Friday, May 02, 2008
DOWNLOAD: Destruct-A-Thon, "Consume With Incisor" (mp3)
Duncan Wilder Johnson has been honing his metal geekdom for a couple of decades longer than he's been sharpening his metal chops, but it’s hard to argue with Destruct-A-Thon, a band who take their cues from culty New England rowdies like Scissorfight and Sam Black Church. From the former Johnson has adopted Ironlung’s grizzled, speak-shouted soliloquies — a natural affect for a guy who spent a number of years trying to out-Rollins Henry on the spoken-word circuit. And from the latter he’s borrowed Jet’s piercing Satanic screech, not to mention (and far more important) that stage move where he jumps up in the air and touches his toes. Grab the MP3, then fasten yr beast horns for the Destruct-A-Thon CD release tonight at the Middle East, where they'll be unveiling their Aloha Jihad EP.
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