Friday, December 21, 2012

TURN MY HEADPHONES UP, XMAS EDITION

I totally swear that none of these entries will really have anything to do Christmas.  HAVEN'T I GIVEN YOU ENOUGH ALREADY!?!??!?

GHOST THROWER

















ALL WORK EP

Ghost Thrower has the coolest fucking name ever.  It's like a combination of Bolt Thrower and a Patrick Swayze movie.  You know I love band names/album titles that have the word "ghost" in them!  What to expect? Not what I expected when I saw the band described as punk/emo.  Ghost Thrower harken back to that beautiful 90s period when everything was great in the world. Quoth singer Travis Alexander: "I wouldn't want to have a pissing contest over depression with people."  There's a snappy epitaph if I ever heard one! Official comparison: Weezer and Jawbreaker. To my ears, a combo of Jesus Lizard and Freemasonry.  Worth a listen!

LEGACY

















MAGICAL VIDEO

So, I suppose I should have saved this for the next installment of Bat Country, but there's something special about Legacy.  This may be a first- he loves our blog so much that he has CIMTB as his internet home page.  I think that says something about the good work Kid Tyger has done educating the youth about the state of Portland hiphop.  What's the music like?  Maybe this will date me, and maybe it's too obscure, but I was reminded of Me Phi Me.  Very positive.  And the video... the video kicks ass.  See for yourself, but I'm going to find out more about this mystery rapper and report back.



ELIZABETH MITCHELL

















BLUE CLOUDS

You may recall how pissed I was when I found out that musician Elizabeth Mitchell was not actress Elizabeth Mitchell, who punched a nuclear bomb with a rock in  LOST and totally did it with Angelina Jolie in Gia.  Maybe I'm a jerk for posting a NSFW link in a review of a kids' record, but... hey, wait a minute!  Since when did youtube allow boobage to be shown?

I digress.  The august institution Smithsonian Folkways sent me a copy of  Blue Clouds, which maybe they wouldn't have done if they read my novel which features some pretty crazy shenanigans in the Natural History museum.  Regardless, they did, and I am glad.  This album is very chill.  Mitchell is that special kind of children's music artist who knows that you don't have to be all wacky and silly to make fun music for kids.  She has also taken an interesting path- her daughter and husband are part of her band on the recording this album.  I think that's great.  I've always believed in letting your kids record crazy shit, and this blog has witnessed a few of my daughter Amelia's weird music.  She recently turned 4, and offered to play glockenspiel in our doom metal band.  Long story.  Blue Clouds is a solid album, in equal measures peppy and tranquil, and Mitchell also covers one of my all time favorite kids' songs- "Kooks" by David Bowie.  Other artists covered are Hendrix and The Allman Brothers.

I've also just heard that she has been nominated for a Grammy for her other recent release, Little Seed.  That's awesome!  Let's wish Elizabeth Mitchell luck!


So what have we learned today?  Don't get in a pissing contest about depression, stay positive, and play music with your family.  I don't think it gets any better than that!



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Thursday, December 20, 2012

TALKING SHIT ABOUT BEN GIBBARD AND ZOE DESCHANEL


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UPDATED, SEE BELOW! Win tickets to Beats Antique 12/27!


Yes!  Beats Antique is on tour right now, and they're coming to Portland!  I saw some of the members of Beats Antique with the Yard Dogs Road Show a few years back.  In fact, I have a Beats Antique sticker on my laptop.  I will confess that I cut the sticker up and rearranged the letters to say "BE SATAN."  But that is not a slam on Beats Antique, who are awesome.  I'm just irreverent.


So yeah- let's get to the meat of it.  Beats Antique are going to be at the Crystal Ballroom 12/27, with opening act LYNX. You can buy tickets the normal way, or you can be cool and enter the giveaway!  We've got a pair of tickets for the lucky winner.  How do I win, you ask?  All you have to do is send your name and phone number in an email to contests@theconfluencegroup.com with "Crappy Indie and BEATS ANTIQUE" in the subject line.  The winner will be chosen by 2pm on 12/24/12.  Yes!

Get those entries in!  If you're still not convinced, I'll leave you this audio-visual reminder of how cool they are.  Thanks to Confluence Group PR for the contest, and Brian Hockensmith for the amazing photo of the band.  And make sure to check out their new album Contraption, Vol. 2.



UPDATE:  So, there are two shows at the Crystal, 12/27 and 12/28.  LYNX will only be at the 12/28 show, and the contest tix are for the 27th. The contest has been extended and will run through tomorrow, 12/27 until 1pm. If you haven't entered, do it now!
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Merry Christmas from Huw Costin


Sorry for the radio silence.  Sometimes being the editor of this blog is a lonely job. And when you have to focus on more literary pursuits for a few weeks, it becomes a quiet job. Well, except for my daughter singing "Dance, Magic Dance", but that is another story.

I've got plenty of things on tap, but for now, UK artist Huw Costin would like to give you a Christmas present... a holiday single called "Full Moon at Christmastime," backed with another topical track, "December.

He's officially compared to Buckley, Smith, et al, but I'll be damned if don't also hear some "Three Shadows Part 2" vibe in there as well.  We all know how I like a little darkness with my beauty.  Okay, a lot of darkness.  Costin's release is pretty cool.  You can stream at the Soundcloud above, or buy it on vinyl here.  That would make a nice late Christmas gift for the indie rocker in your life!

Look for Costin's next solo album soon!
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Monday, November 26, 2012

Jessica interviews Emily Saliers from The Indigo Girls!!!


I had the honor of sending new blogger Jessica to check out The Indigo Girls, with the Oregon Symphony at the Schnitz.  She also got to talk to one half of the Girls, Emily Saliers.  It's a great interview, that goes in some really unexpected directions, so thanks Jessica and Emily!

Jessica: What musicians influenced you when you were growing up?

Emily: Well as a young songwriter- the first music I was really into was the Jackson 5. They were the first posters on my wall, the first album I ever bought. When I was young- I was born in New Haven, Connecticut- it was a really urban neighborhood, so there was James Brown and Al Green and black urban music that I was introduced to in my very formative years. I first got into urban music, R&B. Then as I became a young songwriter, my first really powerful influence was Joni Mitchell.

Joni? Awesome!

Then there were tons of people who inspired me who perhaps didn't directly influence me: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Jackson Browne. Heart- I really love the band Heart. I also grew up with a lot of classical music- my parents always had classical and jazz going. We grew up singing in church choirs, then school choirs, children's choirs, so there was really music everywhere. Amy's and my arrangements, even early on, were very influenced by a lot of the sacred music arrangements we've picked up along the way. It was really a smattering- first R&B, then Joni Mitchell, and then sacred music. So now, I'm ALWAYS inspired by music.

What are some of your favorites now?

There's stuff I really like now, likeKendrick Lamar, I just bought his new record. I love rap music. I have a really hard time with the way women are portrayed and treated in it, so that's been an interesting struggle to love stylistically, and in terms of its poetry, but also to sort through my disgust with the misogyny. That's been quite a trick. But we were just in Iowa City, where The Weepies live, and they came and played a song during our set. I love their music. I've really loved The Belle Brigade record last year, Cat Power's newest is fantastic. I still love a lot of straight up R&B, like Beyonce and Mary J. Blige. Those singers, I just love the sound of their voices.

Yeah, Beyonce's voice is pretty amazing.

Incredible.

When are you going to do a duet with her?

(laughs) She hasn't listened to my demo yet!

When you're writing your songs, what do you tend to write first? The chorus, or just start streaming a thought?

It depends. It can go both ways. Sometimes if I have something stuck in my mind that's really stuck in there, I want to sit down and write about. Other times, writing's become more of a discipline- not a JOB job, but as far as sitting down, setting time aside, making it time to write. Letting ideas come. That happens more often than songs enter a chord progression. Sometimes when I pick up a ukelele or a banjo, or a different instrument, that's going to take me down a different path. Playing around with that. The music is easier for me... starting, come up with a chord progression that feels good, and just shove some lyrics in there, then edit those down to formulate the imagery, or the poignant view of the song. So it does all come together for me, but the music comes more easily.

Are there any instruments still that you have to tap into and take on playing, that you've always wished you could master?

I wish I'd taken piano as a kid. I can play a little bit, but my left hand is very, very clumsy. It's so different from guitar. I love piano, the scope of it. I'd like to be able to play more of that, and that's just a matter of sitting down and practicing. I don't think I'll ever be an excellent piano player, but I know I can grow enough to write more on it. I'd also like to learn more control on electric guitar. I love playing electric guitar, but I'm not really good at getting sounds out of an amp, or controlling it. It's a whole other thing than playing acoustic. I'd like to be more proficient at identifying a sound, and being able to achieve that by spinning the knobs, hitting the pedals.

Have you every played slide guitar, or anything like that?

Slide, I love. Love it. Usually it's easier for me to play slide on my third finger, but with our music I end up needing to play chords as well, so I end up physically having to put it on my fourth finger, and I have a little less control. It would be fun just to focus on some slide pieces, keep it on my third finger, write the song and play the song that way, and just hunker down and focus on that. I do have kind of a knack for slide guitar- and I really enjoy it.

Excellent. We were talking about artists earlier- is there anyone out there that you'd like to collaborate with, or that you've wanted to work with that you've always wanted to?

There are some pipe dream people like Stevie Wonder or Mary J. Blige, but I sort of revere them to such an extent- I don't know what on earth I could contribute to a collaboration. When I think about things like that, it's that kind of feeling. We've gotten to work with some amazing people over the years- Patti Smith, Sheryl Crow, Chrissie Hynde- just LEGENDS. But in my dream of dreams, it would be some of those R&B artists.

Definitely.

Or Yo-Yo Ma. Yo-Yo Ma!

For some of these other questions, I started doing a little research. It sounds like you're a big football fan. Is that true?

HUGE.

Are you more of an NFL or college fan?

Totally NFL, not college at all really.

Do you have a favorite team or do you just go by the players?

Well, both actually. I'm totally in love with Aaron Rogers, QB for the Green Bay Packers. I love him. I also love Tom Brady. I'm a huge Patriots fan, they are like... the team of my heart. I'm really proud of the Falcons. I've always been a Falcons fan. Historically it's been hard to be a Falcons fan- Atlanta is kind of a fickle sports city- and they've struggled historically, where they'll get some excitement going, and... yeah. But this is shaping up to be a good year for them

Yeah, you guys have a great start!

I love football, and know all the teams and players. Football just makes me happy. And now that it's on three days a week instead of two... let's just say it's hard to tour during football season.

I can relate. Do you do any kind of fantasy football?

No, that takes too much energy! I don't even go to the live games. I really have a deep joy in just watching it. I'm in a small pool with my friends, we give each other all kinds of crap. Mostly I just like to watch. I grew up watching with my dad when I was a little girl, and I never stopped loving it.

It's a great game. I feel you on that.

It's neat to be able to just love to do something that much. It's the one for me.

I love the fact that it can go any way at any time- like that the whole game can change in the last few minutes. It's exciting.  I was doing a little reading on your restaurant, The Watershed, and I hear that it has the best fried chicken ever.

That's what we've been told... I hope so. It's really good. It's a three day process!

So would that be part of your “last meal”?

Not so much my last meal, but with me asking for my favorite food is kind of like asking for a favorite song, or favorite. Food is something that I'm so passionate about and so involved with. That chicken would definitely be in my top 10.

So when you come to Portland, do you have any favorite restaurants you check out? We're becoming a real foodie capital.

There's a seafood restaurant I go when I'm there- you have to have a day off when you're touring, otherwise things like that don't happen. Jake's? Jakes Seafood. I like any place where you can get some nice oysters and really fresh seafood, and have that Northwestern seafood experience.

That's a great restaurant. It seems that you are a wine collector as well.

I used to be, not anymore. I really got into it when I started in the business, but it's quite expensive, and it takes a lot of time and attention, so I had to kind of lose interest in it. Our restaurant does a great job, though. My best friend who owns a wine distributorship, and helps at The Watershed, has fantastic wines that are boutique but affordable, and I've gotten out of that “the best wines are always the first growth,” because really they out-market people's enjoyment of wine, and it's more important that people can taste and experience fabulous wine that's not astronomically priced, and we try to do that at the restaurant.

I know we just have a few minutes left, so just a couple more questions. Are there any places that you'd like to visit, but haven't yet?

Many places. India, that's the first place I want to go. Japan and China. And I want to go to Northern Africa. That's the top of the list. I'd like to go to Iceland. I've been a lot of places, but not those yet.

Excellent.

I love travel. Even when I come off the road, I still like to.

I suppose you don't get a chance to see as much when you're on tour.

A little bit, when we get a day off. But because we get to come back to some of the same cities again and again over the years, we do develop a certain familiarity with certain cities and neighborhoods. I really like the kind of vacation when you can go and get a sense of another culture that's not your own.

Final question- how many and what kind of pets do you have?

I have two dogs. I love them. I just bought a sweater for my dog online. It's so FUCKING cute.

(laughs)

They're mutts. One is really old- 16, kind of on her legs, black terrier-cocker mix. The other is a beagle mix, also a rescue dog. They're the love of my life. I wish I could have ten.

Do the dogs get to go on tour?

No, they don't. The older one never traveled well, and the other one is blind now.

Oh no!

I know, they're so sweet. I have a dog whisperer to take care of them, she's like their surrogate parent, so I know they're in the best hands. I miss them though.

Well, I'm really excited to see you guys on Friday in Portland!

Yeah, it's going to be great. It's going to be with the Symphony- a totally different thing, and we loooove Portland.






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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Reader question: Who is your favorite "walk-on" character from a song?

You may or may not know this about me: I overanalyze song lyrics.  Obsess over them.  Ponder not only their meaning in a strictly psychological Frankfort School context, but also in a more Berkleyan idealist way.  I'm one of the few people to have read Crittenden's Unreality: The Metaphysics of Fictional Objects and complained about it not being deep enough.  Okay, I'm probably one of the few people to have read it at all.  But I digress...

What I want to talk about today- with you, dear reader- are those characters mentioned briefly in songs who make you say "Gee, I want to know that person's story.  I wish the song was about him!"  Not the main character.  Johnny from "Shooting Star" is right out.  We know his story.

So here are some of my favorite "walk-ons".  Join in on the comments to tell me yours!

Uncle Dwaler- "Tijuana Hit Squad" by Deadbolt

 This one is a classic.  We don't know much about Uncle Dwaler, but what we do learn is fucked up.

My line of work is a family tradition, and we never worry about ammunition
My Uncle Dwaler has a heart of pure cold- he said he was there on the grassy knoll

And judging by everything his nephew, the narrator, gets into, it's totally believable.


Liquid Melvin- "In France They Kiss On Main Street" by Joni Mitchell



I love this album.  I have loved this album since before I could read.  That fucking snake.  Whoooh.  Anyway, who is Liquid Melvin?  What does it mean that he has a "hotwire head"?  Is he a cyborg?  Why wasn't he on the cover?

In other news, I'm going to cover this song with my doom metal band, and call it "In France They Fuck On Main Street".  I guess I need to start a doom metal band.


Klaus and The Rooster- "Here At The Western World" by Steely Dan



This is actually kind of a famous one.  William Gibson, noted Steely Dan fan, threw a couple of characters named after this duo into one of his novels.  But he didn't explain who they were in the context of the song, so I think it's fair game.

Down at the Lido they welcome you with sausage and beer
Klaus and The Rooster have been there too, 
but lately they spend their time here

The eponymous bar is just as much a mystery in this song as K & The R, primarily defined by what it is not, and who goes there, and how you get in, and who is puking on the stairs.

And can we dismiss the possibility that the second half of this duo is actually Jerry Cantrell's dad?  No.  We cannot.

Ramona and Amanda- "Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer" by Morphine


This song.  Man.  This whole album.

And yes, I know in the lyrics it's

Ramona and a man do a tango dip,
cheek to cheek, hip to hip
come on

Just let me have my illusions.  Picturing Ramona and Amanda dancing like that... ahhhhh.

The Killer- "The End" by The Doors



It can be argued that The Killer here is the focus of the song- but I will argue against it.  He comes and goes like a summer rain.  With a fucking knife.  I've actually written and gotten published a short story imagining who this guy is, so I'll leave it at that.  No, actually, I'll leave the link for you to buy that book.


You- "Driving Your Girlfriend Home" by Morrissey


 There are so many I could choose from here.  And of course we already know who Pinky, Cuban, and Patrick Noonan are.  I think this was a good one to close on, because the "you" here that is ruining the poor girl's life could be anyone- hell, it could be me.  It could be YOU.

That's it from me!  Leave your favorite walk-ons in the comments!

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Monday, November 12, 2012

Live show: Psychic TV at Rotture, 11/10/2012


First of all, hi everybody! First post here. I'm me, you're you. I write things sometimes! You read things (I hope) sometimes! Introductions over. Let's get down to brass tacks, shall we?

I just got home from seeing Psychic TV headline a four-band set, and boy are my legs tired. I'd have said arms, but as it turns out, I don't stand on those for hours, and I drove home instead of flying.

First things first.

Today, I learned that if you're talking to someone about rigging up a show review, and you ask for a guest list spot +1, that you should make sure they actually confirm it in writing before you assume they're going to go ahead and let you in. You see, when you assume, you have to get to have a brief argument very friendly chat with a fermented pile of elephant spunk very friendly fellow in a cheap beautiful suit who is drinking on the job just trying to protect his financial interests. He lets you know that "it's my show, and I can't honor that." So, me and my +1 decided, after some deliberation (okay, it mostly involved shrugging our shoulders indifferently and stating "well, we're already here") to just get over it and pay our door charges and go in.

And then you have to get on the Internet and complain about it. Done.

ALSO, there was a concert. Which I saw.

The lineup was Psychic TV, DBC (apparently this stands for 'Dangerous Boys Club'), King Dude, and Vice Device. Psychic TV is currently on a mini-tour in support of their first release in several years, a 12" single titled Silver Sundown Machine vs. Alien Lightning Meat Machine.

I have absolutely no idea what order the openers played in, so I'll just go chronologically.

The first band played their entire set before I managed to make it through the line, but I listened very intently through the wall outside. It was, to my trained ear, something like thuddity-thuddity-thuddity-RAAAAAAAAAAAAUGHH; when I got in, my +1 noted that one of the openers had just finished a sound check. That was their set, as it turns out. Not much to say about that, aside from that someone made a confusing booking decision there.

The next band, whoever they were, was great! They probably practiced for at least five hours in one of their parents' basements, and were doing a grand job with the snare drum that one of them got in sixth grade band class and the Casio they found in a dumpster outside of Best Buy. (Full disclosure: It probably was not a Casio. I'm pretty sure about the sixth grade band class thing, though.) After a few songs, I was suddenly glad that when I was in grade school that the band teacher refused to let me play the drums. If I had boobs and a Chelsea haircut, that totally could have been ME up there.

After the second band finished up their three song set, I went outside and chatted for what seemed like long enough to miss the entire third set in its entirety, but I managed to only miss the setup of said third set.

The third band was the most interesting and alarming opening act yet, for a number of reasons:

1.) The set was played entirely by a fog machine. I don't think there were any people actually on stage. This is a clear indication that Skynet has become self-aware. Sorry to break this to you when all you wanted to do was read a blog post. We're all screwed. That, or they just used too much fog so we could see that they had LASERS. Not really sure which, but I haven't seen that much smoke in one place since a friend of mine accidentally ignited about a pint of flash powder he was holding. Protip: Don't do that.  EDITOR'S NOTE:  I was there.  Really, don't do it.

2.) While I didn't actually recognize any of the songs, I am 100% certain that I heard them all at concerts between 1992-1995. This is a clear indication that that guy from the venue, whom I previously identified as a very friendly fellow, saved the world by destroying causality and sending us back a decade to stop the terminators before it's too late.

3.) I know that for effect, I'm supposed to have three things, but I don't, so I'm just going to use #3 to state that. There you are, then.

They also seem to have played about three songs.

So, then Psychic TV came on, they pulled out all the stops, probably dosed the entire venue with some sort of hallucinogen, and started doing their thing.

I had been initially informed that Genesis P-Orridge was done touring, so was totally unsure what to expect from the show if the only static member of the band was not actually performing with them. Apparently, however, rumors of Genesis having retired from touring have been greatly exaggerated, because there (s)he was on stage, singing and chatting away. It took me about half a song to determine to any degree of certainty that it WAS Genesis, as prior information had stated that (s)he was not going to be there, but if it wasn't him/her, then they had signed on a very impressive doppelganger who was exactly as off-key as I remember Genesis being from what I could recall from my dabbling in Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV in my youth. That's right. I experimented as a kid. C'mon, didn't we all?

Also curious: I think Psychic TV played about three songs too. They spanned nearly 2 hours, though. See what I mean about having three things here?

Anyway, I recognized exactly none of the set, having not listened to any of their 2,540 albums* beyond a handful of songs in the 90s, but I like to think that gave me a nice, clean, unbiased slate.

* - Give or take. They might have only put out 2,538. There was that one year where they put out an album every 95 minutes month, after all...

So, we stood around, soaking in an darker set of songs than I expected, which frequently seemed to channel Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd. They were pretty solid, considering that this was stop number two on a Very Small Tour, and they mostly packed the house, which is not too shabby for a band whose core fan base probably already died/went permanently insane from an overdose of something.

I did not, unfortunately, manage to catch any names of the people who were performing with him while they were doing the mid-set introductions, but the guitarist was David Della Rocco.


Who knew he could play guitar?!

Also of note: There were a surprisingly large number of dudes with Rip Van Winkle caliber beards in that place. I am unsure of the significance of this. Discuss.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Shad isn't sick, precisely, but neither is he well.  Thanks for the great first post!

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Sunday, November 11, 2012

Møtrik at Langano Lounge

Meine Damen und Herren, are you on the prowl for a little krautrock because you've warn out your copy of Amon Düül II's Yeti?

You're in luck—Møtrik ist hier!

Møtrik made their world debut Saturday night, November 10th, at Langano Lounge on Hawthorne. An instrumental ensemble made up of Dave Fulton, Cord Amato, Lee Ritter, and Eric Golts, the band packed the tiny basement space, leaving many just standing anywhere they could find some floor.

Typically, I'm a little wary of new local bands. It usually feels like I have to "squint my ears" to hear what they're going for. If asked, I struggle a little for positive comment, skipping over the "squinting my ears" preface. It's important for people to have the experience of being in a band, but not all bands are masters of their craft.

Møtrik, however, is comprised of four musicians that are clearly masters of their instruments and have taken the time to build a tight group rapport. Their set flew by, one song morphing into the next, for perhaps 40 minutes to an hour. Who was clock-watching? Not me, I was just enjoying the music, which I could see myself easily enjoying at home. You know, if they ever released an album. Although if I was listening to an album, I'd miss the strobe lights they periodically used to accentuate their music.

Another interesting experience was changing where I stood in the room about halfway through the set. After enjoying a more distant sound at the back of the room, absorbed by all the bodies in front of me, I worked my way up to the front where I could watch the band in more detail. It was a much different balance and sound, reminding me of one of the joys of live music.

Follow Møtrik on Facebook to hear about future gigs.
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Friday, November 9, 2012

Double album release 11/11 at Rontom's


Megan (from Jared Mees & The Grown Children) has let us know that there is a double album release show coming up, 11/11 at Rontom's.

Megan's project Woodwinds will be releasing their album Kismet, and they are sharing the show with local artists Genders, also releasing an album, and LA band Black Apples, who are apparently huge slackers and not having an album release.

Sounds like quite a bill- check it out!
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Monday, November 5, 2012

Upcoming shows: Crushed Out 11/8, Indigo Girls!! 11/9

Gratuitous picture of Syd Barrett.  Is he seeing Emily play?  Is he watching you poop?

Propeller has steered me towards some good upcoming shows.  Thanks Angela!

November 8- Super peppy Brooklyn duo Crushed Out will be here at PSU on Thursday, and their new album Weigh You Down drops tomorrow!  Check out their new single, as featured on Rolling Stone!

November 9- Two shows.  Sorry, you're gonna have to choose.  Unless you can teleport.  In which case, call me.  I have some stuff I need to do.

First up- Jonny "Corndawg" Fritz at the Crystal Ballroom, with Devil Makes Three.  JCF is an old school country balladeer.  He'll be coming back later this year on tour with rockabilly pioneer Wanda Jackson, so if you miss him Friday, meet me at that show!

Next- and this is very exciting- the Indigo Girls are at the Schnitz on Friday.  They've gone with a couple of hot arrangers- Sean O'loughlin and Stephen Barber- and will be deploying those new arrangements with the Oregon Symphony, with an acoustic set to follow.  I'm sending new blogger Jessica to cover this gig, and she'll be interviewing the Girls as well, so look for that!

Awesome!  Now teleport me back home, I'm ready to eat some chicken soup.
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Sunday, November 4, 2012

New gear review podcast up!

Not pictured: fuzz pedal.  Or shoes.

I went to do a short gear review of the Malekko Heavy Industry Fuzz Pedal, but couldn't stop talking, so turned it into a podcast.  While I was working on it, I got my new bajo sexto, and decided to make a two part episode.

This was actually kind of fun... I'm thinking I'd like to do more podcasts, maybe not just on gear.  Maybe I'll try to get some audio interviews on there.  Anyway, it's a work in progress, and you'll hear more from me soon.  Check them out on the Gear Review tab up top, or listen to them right here.  Once again, thanks to Malekko Heavy for being so awesome, and making great gear!



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Help Chelsia kick cancer's ass!


My friend Chelsia just found out she has squamous cell carcinoma, which sucks.  Big time.  Nobody wants to find out they have a form of bladder cancer that sounds like HP Lovecraft was drunk when he named it.  Nobody!  The bottom line is that she needs help!

Chelsia is a friend from way back, and one of the people whose writing I admired in my formative high school years.  Currently she is doing that dirtiest of dirty jobs- teaching school.  She was inspiring already, but has shown an amazingly honest and resolute face in the fight of cancer.

Visit this site and help the fight.  I guarantee, it will be far more satisfying than crowdfunding some dude's USB pocket fisherman.


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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

FERAL HYMNS


I just got word from a lad named Gieves in Brooklyn, who is spending his stranded flood time by letting us know about his new project.  FERAL HYMNS is a collaborative project between some folks in Brooklyn and Nashville, and you know how I love me some long-distance music affairs.  Check out their Soundcloud and Bandcamp page.  Good stuff!
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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

New Release Review - Gary Clark Jr's Blak and Blu

Just close your eyes and think of England.


Great things are in store for Austin's three-time Best Blues and Electric Guitarist, Gary Clark Jr. 

Unless anyone listens to his new album Blak and Blu.

One of the most anticipated blues rock albums of the year was released on October 22nd but there's little blues rock on it. Gary stated in an interview recently that he ditched his touring band for this new album in order to go in the studio with a fresh sound. What he left the studio with sounds like that new studio band was made up of corporate executives and the creative talents behind Justin Beiber. And the rhythm section of Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face."

Clark's Bright Lights EP (2011) was an excellent glimpse of what the future holds for Texas style blues. Clark's brand of fuzzy, gritty, dirty blues is to Stevie Ray Vaughn what the Black Keys were to Junior Kimbrough. But there's little of that here. 

Three songs from that EP made it onto this new full length album, but only the EP's title track "Bright Lights" gets left virtually untouched. His wonderfully soulful "Things Are Changin'" has been turned into a ballad ala 1980 Marvyn Gaye. But without the soul. Gone are the expert Epiphone harmonics, replaced by an uninspired series of soft electronic snares, cymbal splashes and the requisite finger snaps. 

The fuzzy intro to "When My Train Pulls In" is a redeeming venture into the old staple of American Blues music storytelling. It's a pure late night drive kind of groove, and shows off where Clark belongs. 

The song "Numb" works well, but this is another song he's been playing for a couple of years. 

Then comes "You Saved Me." A song so formulary, any 90's boy band could have done it convincingly. "Oh baby, you got it all, yeah, I'm so addicted, I want you more and more, yeah, yeah, yeah."

Did Kara Dioguardi write this?

Bonus track "Soul" opens with a promising subtle snare shuffle, now we're gonna get low and dirty right? Not quite. 

"All I can do lady is think about you baby, yeah, ooh, ohh"

Well fire up the fuzz, toss in a little tremelo and a healthy serving of reverb, "Travis Country" comes on strong... Just waiting for Travis Tritt to start singing "Mercy, look what just walked through that door. Hello T-R-O-U-B-L-E"

Come to think of it, didn't Chuck Berry do this song 65 years ago? 

It sounds like a song that was cut from the Honeydripper soundtrack for being too corny. And since I was the only person to see that film, let me tell you, it was pretty corny as a whole. 

And then there's "The Life." Which comes off as a Bieberesque attempt to make an epic summer chill song along the lines of Will Smith's "Summertime."

Why can't anyone write a "Sunday Morning Coming Down" anymore?

This whole album left me wondering "Who is Gary Clarke Jr?" 

The answer, I hope, lies in "Next Door Neighbor Blues." A tasteful nod to Son House and his "Death Letter Blues." This is Clark's best foray on the album. It's where he sounds most comfortable, a bluesman, his slide guitar, some footstompin' and a story to tell. Although maybe more fittingly modern, his woman just packed up and left with his Cadillac, Son House's woman had to be layed out on the cooling board.

Clark has drawn from his diverse influences, from R&B, Doo Wop, Blues, Gospel... And that's the problem. It fails to have a cohesive feel.

Gary Clark Jr is known to be one of the best up and coming guitar players today. His live shows are a must see. 

The question on this album remains:

Where is Gary Clark Jr on it?

EDITOR'S NOTE: "Eyes Without a Face" is an awesome song.
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Monday, October 22, 2012

Britt and Nikki interview The Black Box Revelation!



The Black Box Revelation was back to the Doug Fir on Saturday night, opening for
The Sheepdogs, dishing out their brand of Belgian blues. Guitarist and vocalist Jan
Paternoster and drummer Dries Van Dijck have been touring America and Europe
virtually nonstop for the last several years, taking only enough time off to record their
newest album My Perception with producer Alain Johannes.

They have toured with The Meat Puppets and Jane’s Addiction as well as appearing on
The David Letterman show, and playing to crowds from 50 to 4,000. Their popularity on
Facebook has gone from 3,000 to 41,000 in less than a year. Winding down the last two
weeks of their US tour, the guys took the time to sit down and chat with us.

Their style is a healthy blend of pounding beats and fuzz-laden 60’s blues rock.
They opened their set with two phaser-heavy tunes off their new album, "My Girl" and
"Shadowman". The reaction from the crowd made it apparent that their reputations
preceded them. A man in the crown yelled out “High on a Wire!” Jan replied, “Oh you
know High on a Wire? Yeah, we can do that for you!” And off they went hard into the
Catfish blues-esque opening riff. They are a spontaneous pair, playing without a setlist,
relying for an “in the moment” type approach. They then went into a half tempo intro to
crowd favorite “I Think I Like You” and worked the crowd forward into that full speed,
full volume chorus.

Jan works his effects pedals, layering them, relying on feedback and other sonic textures
to introduce the duo’s “Sealed With Thorns” which is an eight minute slow jam session
which crescendos into a blend of noise, effects and expert control far beyond their ages
and beyond their numbers, something possibly akin to the Café Wha? in 1968.

These guys learned blues from the right places, and they are taking blues to the right
places, although next time we might need a bigger venue.


Britt: So you guys were just here opening for Jane’s Addiction, how was that?

Jan: It was great, I mean the whole tour was awesome. The great thing was that we had
big crowds every night and the people who have been listening to Jane’s Addiction for so
many years, they are from a generation who still really appreciates music and gives it a
lot of value.

B: Did you guys notice that maybe word of mouth kind of happened as you went along
on that tour, like maybe more people were responding to your music?

Dries: Yeah, like yesterday we played in Seattle [Tractor Tavern] and that was a pretty
good show, cause we played there with Jane’s Addiction and on the BDI tour, and we
saw that a few people came back to see us and they’re really fans of us now, and they
follow us on Facebook and buy our CDs and everything, and that’s cool

B: I’ve seen you guys here twice, once opening for the Meat Puppets and then again with
Girl in a Coma. That first time I was here to see Meat Puppets and I thought “well, who
are these guys? No one has heard of them.” And since then, it’s been about a year or so,
you guys have really taken off.

D: We’re just like non-stop touring.

J: Yeah, we just looked at the schedule, and we played this year, just since February, we
played, spent maybe 200 days on the road.

Nikki: How do you keep your energy up?

D: Not.

N: So exhausting.

D: Just not. We’re still young I guess. So we can do it. It is exhausting, just try to get
some sleep when you can.

J: It’s weird you know, I think you just get in a certain flow you know, and you stay
energized. But then, when the last show is finished, you just (crashing sound).

B: You guys have been playing together for like ten year or so right?

J & D: Uh, seven.

B: Do you think that that helps when you’re on the road a lot, that you guys really know
each other?

J: Oh definitely.

N: It’s becomes more just getting a job done than dealing with logistics or drama.

J: Yeah, we know when to like, leave some space. Go to our corner.

B: Your corner of the van?

J: Yeah, even there, there’s no space.

B: So when you guys come back to a smaller venue like this, after playing bigger shows,
do you change your setup at all? Or do you always come out with the same attitude, the
same –

D: We always come out the same thing. Whether it’s a small venue or a big festival, we
always do the same setup and just like, maybe there is a difference like for the bigger
festivals we do got a set list, and everything, cause then we got a crew with us. But like
tonight, when we just have our tour manager with us – he’s tuning the guitars and stuff
for us as well – we can do whatever we want and that’s a cool thing. We don’t make a set
list, and what we want to play we decide it in the moment itself. So that’s the cool thing
about playing small venues.

B: Does that come mostly from what you guys are feeling, or from what you’re getting
back from the crowd?

D: Both, like if the crowd isn’t really that well, we just play a softer song.

J: Yeah.

N: You guys play a softer song?

J: (laughs) well, not in the first part. Then you’re still trying to convince them. If you see
that it’s not happening, or like they aren’t feeling it, you can think that maybe they want
something that’s more like - softer.

N: You guys sound accommodating, like you just want everyone to have a good time,
like if that’s not their bag…That’s really good, that’s awesome.

J: Yeah.

B: So you guys made some big leaps with your new album My Perception.

J: Well we just played so many shows, we did some bigger tours – with Jane’s and
BDI, but it was mainly smaller bars and venues which was cool for us. You know it’s
exhausting, the distance between the cities is the same, and if it’s a small show with not
many people there, it’s kind of tough to stay excited. I think that’s also one of the reasons
we don’t want to make the set list. Just to keep it excited and to have something –

N: Something to do –

J: Yeah in the moment. And you know just to make every show a little different.

D: Otherwise you’re just on autopilot. Like you’re playing your show, but you’re just
playing it. It’s totally like you’re not –

N: In “The Zone”?

D: Totally.

B: Plus you start getting people following you from like Seattle to Portland to wherever
you go next and they are gonna be like “Hey, wait, they played the same set last night!”

N: Yeah, yeah, do you guys have groupies? You got people who follow you from city to
city?

J: Sometimes. Some people follow us.

D: Well we have Russian groupies. It is funny.

N: You do? Wow.

D: Yeah we played on our last European show we played Russia for the first time, and
we played Moscow, and then St. Petersburg. But that’s like an eight hour drive. It’s pretty
far, but they were there at St. Petersburg as well and then only a couple of weeks ago they
were on a festival at Belgium too.

N: That’s cool.

D: Crazy. But other than that, what are groupies?

N: People who let you crash at their place whenever you’re in town?

J: Oh yeah, cause we always stay at people’s places to keep it cheaper.

N: It’s hard to tour.

J: Well, you get to see, like a more personal view of the city where you’re staying at.
Tonight we’re actually staying at Courtney Taylor’s house – From Dandy Warhols. So
it’s great to have people all over the country where we can stay at, and we know that
when we come back we don’t have to like search for anywhere to crash at.

D: The first tour was hard. Cause we didn’t know anyone, and you crash at really shitty
floors and all that. Now we know the good places.

N: And people are really warm here too.

D: Yeah, all really nice.

N: I know if I was touring, I’d look forward to going to certain cities just to hang out with
the people.

J: It’s crazy how the hospitality is here, how the people are like, they welcome you into
their house and like go out and have dinner and everything. It’s just great.

B: You guys did David Letterman not too long ago too? How was that?

J: Great, exciting.

N: Was it fun?

J: Well we were the first Belgian band ever to play on the show, so it was like a national
big deal in Belgium.

B: Your moms all in front of the TV.

D: Yeah like all super proud.

J: They showed it on the National news.

N: Really?

J: Yeah, so we were proud and excited.

B: You played a black Telecaster?

J: Yeah well it is just a rust one, all metal. It is one of a friend of mine – James Trussard.
He is ah, he lives in LA, and he builds all these crazy guitars. And since Letterman is a
big show, we thought that it would be great to have one of his guitars on the show. So
it wasn’t mine, I just borrowed one. I didn’t have one with me at that moment, but I got
plenty of them in Europe!

N: Has to be hard travelling with all that gear.

J: Yeah and sometimes it’s tricky because we don’t want to put all the most expensive
gear in the van, like in New York last time, they broke into the van. They stole all our
bags. No instruments, well, some instruments, but mainly personal stuff. And you’re like
ah that’s stupid! And then you start thinking you don’t want to take the most expensive
gear on the road, cause it could happen like every night.

N: Oh yeah.
B: So you guys seem to have taken the foundation you’ve made on previous albums and
kind of upped it – dynamically on the new album, using more effects and stuff. Is that
something that grew in the studio, did you go into the studio with these songs worked out
already? How did that work out?

D: No actually with this album we just went into the studio with Alain Johannes and it
went all really good. We weren’t really that well prepared; because the previous two
albums we got like ready before we got into the studio, we did a lot of preproduction
before. But now we just had a couple of ideas and we flew over there, we went into his
house and it was just – we got so mush inspiration, all those instruments were there and
first two weeks we were just jamming and preproduction, then we started recording. All
in the same room just live recording like we always do. It just turned out really well, all
really quick and it was really cool to work with him.

J: We didn’t take any of our own gear to the studio, like for our last album.

N: So it was like playland?

J: Yeah, so for us it was more like, it seems like we used more effects on the second
record, compared to the first one, but then like with this one, was more like we focused
more on the way of playing together and the dynamics of just in the playing itself than
of using effects and all that. Cause like none of the stuff was ours, we know how to play
together, and that’s the most important thing, and we just tried to get that sound out of the
playing instead of just out of the gear and equipment. And I think we are really proud of
the record and we think it worked out really well. We love all the dynamics of the songs
and think it’s breathing enough, cause it’s important to have a song that goes up and
down.

B: You guys playing as a two-piece band, you obviously get the comparisons, to Black
Keys, White Stripes and those –

J: And it’s funny because the Black Keys is a four-piece now!

N: Yeah that is funny, and the stuff they record usually they have a bass player too.

B: Do you guys track bass on your albums?

J: Uh no, actually the studio setup is the exact same as live. It’s just for me, the three
amps and the drum kit, and that’s it. And some guitar pedals.

B: It seems that in a lot of these other bands that the drummer, the percussion, is just
there strictly to support the guitar. But in your guys’ dynamic it seems like you guys are
on like an equal level.

D: Yeah that is what we are trying to do. Being only two of us, is gives us a lot of
freedom. On the other hand it’s nice to have the freedom to fill up all that space which
that is left. For example when I play I always try to mix it up better on all the toms to
replace the bass player.

J: Since it’s a two piece, we just have more space for both of us, like we can do more
extreme stuff. By not being in the way of another musician, cause if you’re with more
members and he needs – the bass player needs or the second guitar player needs the space
for his instrument and for his lines and all that. So maybe it’s a little egotistic? or uh like
selfish? (laughs) To not have that –

N: To have that consideration?

J: Yeah.

B: And not be limited.

Sheepdog approaches: Hey guys?

J: Hey good! We got an interview going on –

Sheepdog: These guys suck!

J&D: (Laughing)

N: Oh yeah totally! Right?

B: So who are your big influences as far as drummers go?

D: Uh like the most famous ones? Like Dave Grohl, John Bonham, Keith Moon, and the
guy I always forget his name – drummer from Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs! I like him a lot. He’s
been a big inspiration for me. So like all kinds of drummers, I’m just not really that good
at names. Lots of old jazz drummers too. Which are really crazy, lots of different styles.

B: It’s strange, well maybe not strange, but maybe odd, I know you guys are influenced
by Johnny Winter, and all these guys that you wouldn’t think of guys your age listening
to in Belgium. How did you come across these kinds of records and stuff?

J: We found them in the record collections of our parents.

N: Oh yeah, that’s great!

J: I mean like Johnny Winter was in there, and that’s how I got to know him and that
starts us into more stuff, but still the first record I found of him is my favorite. It was like
so overwhelming.

B: Opened your eyes?

J: Yeah it’s like the way –

D: I say it’s cool cause we were the fans from like Nirvana, and Zepplin and the Stones
and also like White Stripes – what they did with it, they are amazing – And you start
like going to search where they got it from, their inspiration and then you find all the old
bluesy stuff. Which is really nice, it’s cool to go back in time.

B: I read an interview with Buddy Guy, he was talking about how he was afraid for the
future of the blues, and I’m like it’s just the next evolution, like a lot of the guys like Jack
White and other people and brought an avenue forward for developing it into something a
little different, like it did in the 60’s, when it came forward with the British invasion.

J: It is never gonna be exact the same, it’s been done before. Just gotta try to get a new
spirit in there.

N: So you like Young Marble Giants and Vaselines? When you were talking about
looking up Kurt Kobain’s like influences, did you com across them at all?

D: Yeah but also like he was influenced by the Beatles –

N: Yeah you wouldn't just associate that.

D: It seems like everyone got the same basics. And they got their own ways.

B: I read an interesting thing about when they were in the studio recording that album
[Nevermind] that the producer – can’t remember his name [Butch Vig – Duh] - that
he wanted to double track Kurt’s vocals, and Kurt said no, he didn’t want to double
track anything, it seems fake. And he [Vig] said “Well John Lennon did it.” And he was
like “Well, okay.”

N: There you go.

B: You guys are playing like twelve dates this tour?

D: Another to weeks and a half.

B: Going kind of all the way across the country.

D: Yeah we started off in New York, and then all around.

B: Where are you headed after that? Are you headed back home?

D: Yeah we got some time off after this tour, because we actually need it because we’ve
been touring so long. And then next year we are going to start writing some new songs.
Probably.

J: First, relax a bit, then start with a fresh mind.

B: What do you guys do other than music?

J: (laughs) Well, there’s no other option right now.

B: I mean like for when you relax, you probably get enough travel.

J: Still like listen to music. We love listening to music.

N: You like movies? Watching movies?

D: Yeah.

J: Actually I don’t watch a lot of movies, but if I watch them, then I like it. Or love it
depending on what movie it is. Or go see some art, some good paintings, that’s inspiring
as well, we draw a little bit ourselves.

N: You do some drawing?

J: Yeah make some pictures.

B: Well we will wrap it up, I know you guys gotta go to sound check. Last thing, both
times I’ve seen you here, I’ve noticed that you guys come out and you start playing and
you grab people from the get-go. But it seems like there is this turning point in your set,
both times I’ve seen it it’s in like right in the middle of "Sealed With Thorns". And there’s
this kind of point where everybody just stands and turns and forgets whatever they were
doing and they really take notice of you guys.

D: It’s good.

B: Do you guys notice when something like that happens? Where you guys actually kind
of hook the crowd and take them from being just entertained from you and making them
fans of you?

J: It’s cool to see how they first are still chatting or whatever.

D: And their reactions.

J: You can’t expect that they just get into it from the first note. Then it’s nice to see, even
if it’s only half an hour, that’s really short, but even in half an hour you can turn them
around. But now these shows are always 45 minutes, which is just enough to get a little
break in there as well, and hit them with that "Sealed With Thorns" tune. And afterwards
they are just like (wide eyed).

B: Do you guys have a favorite song of yours to play?
J: That’s probably one of them. Cause it starts out sweet and you can just go crazy in
there.

D: I love to play "2 Young Boys".

B: Is there any one song on the new album in particular that you think is gonna grab
people and make them into fans? I they aren’t already?

D: No, I think it’s just the whole set. It’s not one particular song I think.

J: "High on a Wire" has a really pounding beat. Which is attractive I guess. And that’s been
a single, so that’s more a song that is pretty well, a good show-off what the band stands
for and what we’re doing, and it’s really bluesy in the song as well. If you have to choose
one song to get everything in there, I’d say that one.

B: Alright, we really appreciate you guys taking the time to talk with us.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Thanks to Britt and Nikki Guerlain for covering this show, and thanks to the guys in BBR!
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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Yeah, I'm gonna go there


I thought The Black Keys were pretty cool when I first heard them, but is it me or are all the singles off El Camino just retreads of "Lay Down Sally"?

Search your feelings.  You know it to be true.

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Saturday, October 13, 2012

Real Spill. Back and Forth with Mic Capes

(photos and artwork used by permission courtesy of Diamond Jeanise Ferguson of Triibe Movement)

Hey Mic, thanks for taking the time to do this exclusive for our readers. First off, what was your introduction to hip hop? You recently tweeted your top hip hop influences and they were decidedly more old school than I would've expected from someone your age. You seem to know your history of this art form pretty well. All artists begin as fans, so I'm curious what made an early impression on you?

The first introduction that I can remember was The Geto Boys video “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”. As a child I remember that video coming on and me stopping anything I was doing, running to the t.v. and sitting criss cross applesauce in front of it completely captivated by what I was hearing and seeing. It was MIND BLOWING to me, I still love that song man. As far as the first artist(s) that really pulled me in to wanting to rap was first and foremost Tupac Shakur without a doubt!!! He was almost like an older brother in times where my life was the hardest and needed the most guidance when none was around. What I loved about Pac was the fact that he could connect with more than your ears, you felt it in your heart when he rapped and you knew he meant what he said without a shout of a doubt. He was a true artist, world icon and revolutionary that passed too soon man, R.I.P. Pac. More Artists that directly influenced me were DMX, Jadakiss, Method Man, Lauryn Hill, Lupe Fiasco, Nas, Scarface, 50 Cent, T.I., Rakim, Kanye West, Biggie, and Jay-Z. Artists I listen to nowadays are definitely Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Big KRIT, Nipsey Hussle, Dizzy Wright, Glenn Waco, Rasheed Jamal, Vinnie Dewayne, Schoolboy Q, AbSoul, and a host of other artists.

Can you give me a little insight on the recording process for Rise & Grind? You've got a lot of different talented producers on the record, so maybe you could enlighten our readers on how you work. How did you connect with these people and what is your writing and recording process like?

The recording process was a long two year process that was well worth it in the end man, it was definitely tedious but rewarding. I never complained because I knew this was something I had to do in order to be taken serious, I needed to knock this first project out and do damage on every level I possibly could. I honestly put my heart into this project man, it’s based off my life over the last two years and what I’ve lived, seen, learned, and thought. Some good, some bad, and some indifferent. It’s a linear journey that I feel most will be able to relate to, and if not, they will definitely be able to understand what they had questions about before or at least feel where I’m coming from. It’s a smooth, entertaining, thought provoking, honest, content heavy project that I hope will leave a permanent mark and resonate with people. I connected with most of the producers through personally knowing them already and networking with them, a few were references given to me. It was really just a whole lot of networking man, I can’t stress that any more. As far as my recording process it was all over the place with this. I wrote four of the songs on the last day of recording yo, it was fucking nuts! In general I usually write the songs first and THEN go knock them out in the booth, it's way less time consuming. Shout out to my boy Mat Randol who recorded and mixed all but one track. “#TheResistance” was mixed by my potna Rasheed Jamal.



What are your thoughts on the current state of hip hop, both nationally and here in Portland? As a hip hop fan myself, I see a lot of lip service being paid to supporting one another, but not a lot of evidence of that actually being done. Which may not necessarily be a bad thing, just curious what your personal thoughts are.

My personal thought on the state of hip hop right now is that it has come a long way from where it was a few years ago. There’s starting to become a little more balance in the game as far as there being shit more conscious cats can listen to and at the same time still being ratchet shit you can party to, we might be in the midst of another Golden Age. Big words, but that’s how I honestly feel. Another thing that is refreshing is that a lot of artists have decided to take their careers into their own hands and go indie such as Kendrick Lamar or Tech N9ne due to the internet closing the gap between majors in how we can promote and how we can do it. A major is more of an option rather than something you have to depend on to succeed. As far as Portland I feel first and foremost we have to lose this crabs in a bucket mentality and work together. Not necessarily artistic wise, but as far as supporting one another’s efforts if need be. I feel too many are too concerned with being the first to put on for the city when in the long run it doesn’t matter, if one artist gets on - it will open the door for us all. Too many people have that "I’m too cool to support” attitude, it’s ridiculous. On another hand we have these fucked up club owners who are stereotyping hip hop and closing the doors to us every other week, it's bullshit, but I believe we can manage. Hip hop didn’t start in the club, we have more power than we think yo. Luckily I haven’t really experienced much of these problems yet but I’m not naive enough to believe I won’t tho.


In listening to this album over and over, I can tell a lot of thought went into the order of the tracks. Despite all the different producers, the album really is strengthened as a cohesive body of work by your sequencing choices. Did you structure that ahead of time or did you piece it all together at the end? How did you make those decisions?

The question I’ve been waiting for!!!!! Well it was definitely a conscious decision to put the tracks in the order they are because I’m a firm believer of the way in which you compose an album can take it to a whole nother level, the sounds HAVE to flow together in my opinion and so does the content and story line. Everything from skits to subject matter. It MUST make sense! It has to all make sense in the mind and sonically. I tried to make sure each track made sense going into the next. This is how you lessen the chances of somebody skipping tracks I believe. It was a ongoing process to get the track order down, it changed so many times man. There were a lot of tracks that I liked but got scrapped due to them not fitting the overall structure of the album.


Piggybacking on my last question, it's telling that you ended the album with the Rasheed Jamal & Glenn Waco collab. What do you have planned for the future? Both with The Resistance and your solo work?

Yes man, that was also a strategic choice to end it with “#TheResistance” track. Even more strategic to let Glenn Waco (North Portland) be the last voice heard on the tape. The reason for that is he will be the next one to drop a project, somewhat of a relay team strategy. It will be called NorthBound, so look out for that, he is a fucking problem yo!!! He doesn’t have an exact release date yet but look out for it early next year. After that will be my boy Rasheed Jamal who is easily one of the dopest artist I’ve ever encountered and worked with hands down! He represents Hot Springs, Arkansas and will remind you a little bit of a mix between Andre 3000, T.I., and Rakim - but certainly has his own identity. I don’t know the exact title of his project(s) or release dates yet but trust me, it won’t matter. As far as a team effort from The Resistance we are planning on dropping an EP in either late spring or early summer of 2013, but songs will drop be dropping periodically. As far as another solo project from me, I'm hoping to drop an EP around mid spring if things pan out how I hope they will, but for the moment it’s all about Rise & Grind and promoting it every way possible!




Lastly, anything else you want to let the world know that I haven't covered here? Anything you've always wanted to be asked and never have been or any shoutouts or just any info people out there might want to know?

First and foremost I’d like to thank everybody that had something to do with the current success of Rise & Grind from engineers, producers, features, family, friends, believers to doubters yo, I greatly appreciate it and will NEVER forget it. Y’all know who y’all are. Especially you Ryan, you’ve been one of the biggest advocates for not only me, but The Resistance as a whole unit, it's greatly appreciated and won’t be forgotten fam, real shit. If anybody is looking to book me or any other business inquires hit me at Micheal.Caples@gmail.com. You can find the tape on Datpiff.com or mediafire.com, it’s a free download so you can’t pass that up!!! If you’re interested in keeping up with my day to day life follow me on twitter, my handle is @MicCapes_Music or you can friend me on Facebook. You can just search my name (Mic Capes) and I should pop up. My Instagram is @Mic_Capes if you like pictures and shit and are interested in checking mines out. Oh, and videos coming soon!!! I can’t tell you which ones yet but you’ll soon find out, just stay tuned. Once again I’d like to thank you for such a dope interview and taking the time out Ryan, it’s much appreciated. Until next time, peace and I'm out!

Thanks homie! Appreciate your thoughtful responses. Blessed to have this opportunity to get a glimpse inside your artistic process. Love the record and looking forward to your future projects. Mad Props!
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BAT COUNTRY!!!!!!! Chicken In Black edition

Videos. We love our goddamn videos.  Get ready for some more

Cool story, bro.

 I expected something a little edgier the way this band described themselves.
Good stuff, but consider my disappointment a "crushing blow."

 Crash Avenue really really really wants me to watch this video from Wickerbird.
Hmm. Good thing I did.

 Local cats Melville are having a show at Mississippi Studios.
Friday, October 19th. Be there!

 Here's something from Maxwell Powers.
You had me at "cyborg pop".

 Here's a very cool video. S
eriously though, 2PPM. "2 People Playing Music?" facepalm.jpg

 Does anybody remember Captain Caveman?
Apropos of nothing, that is.

 That's all the videos for now. I will let you in on a little something... Jesse Studenberg (of PDXPopNow! and formerly Point Juncture WA) let me have an advance listen of his new project Bazillionaire. I think you kids are gonna like it.
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Sunday, October 7, 2012

Interview: Mayonnaise Jenkins and the Former Kings of the Delta Blues

So, there's this band called "Mayonnaise Jenkins and the Former Kings of the Delta Blues," and
they're really talented and make really cool music and all that kind of stuff. They don't live
in the Mississippi River Delta and they don't really play the blues. It's just, like, a cool
name.

They really live in Massachusetts and are Wick Hill, Garrett Cook and Morgana Allen. While not
making music Garrett Cook is a writer of Bizarro fiction and editor for hire. Wick Hill
currently supports himself by farming.

I like their music because it's odd and off kilter. I asked Garrett and Wick a bunch of
pretentious questions about their new release A Monday and they were nice enough to answer
them as if they made sense. If you want to listen to the music while you read the interview,
follow this link:

Mayonnaise Jenkins and the Former Kings of the Delta Blues


(Interviewer: Lee Widener)

ME:
A Monday is actually your second release. Describe the journey from the first album to the
second.

WICK:
Even though A Monday is our second release, it's really just an updated version of our first
release, Prelude to a Nervous Breakdown. Garrett and I met partway through our freshman year in
college and the chemistry was instant. I happened to have my guitar when we met for the first
time, and it only took about 2 minutes before we decided that we'd like to try writing a song
together. Over the next10-15 minutes we spit one out and the rest is history. That song was
"Learn to Walk", which is track 4 on A Monday.
We finally got around to recording our first album during our Junior year. I'd been working as
a 1-hour photo tech at Walmart and I'd saved up enough money to buy some software and a
microphone or two. It was all recorded in my college dorm room, and I built a proper studio in
there with baffles and partitions. My roommate at the time hated us for it! But we didn't
care. Garrett and I would knock out takes of our songs, maybe do a little writing or
improvising or whatever, and that was it.

GARRETT:
Prelude to a Nervous Breakdown was an act of defiance, hastily recorded, hastily written,
hastily...well, it was hasty. But the songs were good. We had some great takes and people
liked us. I hope people will like this too. For years, we wanted to clean this up and for
years, there were a couple of songs on the album that were not quite done. "You Don't Need to
Think" and "Hey Little Girl" for example.

WICK:
That was 2004. Since then I always knew we'd get around to re-recording the record, I just
didn't know when it would happen.

GARRETT:
Wick would email me every six months or so and we'd talk about it, but I would honestly kind
of swat it aside. I feel like an asshole for being that way now, but I wasn't quite in the
right space. Last Summer, after attending my mother's funeral service in PA, I asked Wick if
maybe he'd like to meet me in MA and we could hang out and catch up on some stuff. Wick took
the initiative there. He'd been wanting to get the band back together and if I'd be in town,
it would be a great start. So I sang again, I recorded again, I wrote a bit. And it was like I
had just walked to our college dininghall to refill my water bottle or something. The years
didn't exist exactly.

WICK:
I'd get responses like, "Eh, I hate that song now," or, "Oh, I never wrote those lyrics down."
And they were great songs! I never know whether to laugh or cry when he says things like that,
but that's part of the fun because I love Garrett's writing and I have so much respect for him
and his craft. Plus, after he's torn something up he'll say, "I can do better anyway," and he
hasn't been wrong yet.

GARRETT:
 And a few months later, when my relationship fell apart and I had to find a new place to
live, Wick was there again. He told me to come out to MA and we'd get serious about this shit.
And we did. We did a couple sessions with Morgana and she was a great fit for the material.
Very professional, very willing to experiment and get it out there. We were both a little
guarded and xenophobic, but Morgana's sessions were great. The differences between Prelude and
A Monday are time, philosophy, energy, equipment, a handful of tracks and a woman's voice.
Those differences are pretty epic, all things considered, so the journey was a long, a rough
and a beautiful one.

WICK:
It was crazy. We recorded in a warehouse, in a storage room, a barn, basements, bedrooms -
anywhere people would let us. We hustled. We didn't have the money to record this in a proper
studio so we had to do everything ourselves. The whole process of tracking and editing, etc,
probably took, from beginning to end, a year and a half. And by that time we were ready to be
done.

ME:
The way Wick describes the process it sounds similar to Paul Simon's description of Simon &
Garfunkel as "a poet and a one man band." What would you say the effect the different talents
you each have has on the content and style of your output?

GARRETT:
Dead on with the Paul Simon quote. Every time I hear the song I think of the two of us. I'm
lucky in that Wick is very attuned to my sense of rhythm. I have no knowledge of conventional
solfege. I can't read music to save my life. But he listens to the tapping and he understands
how everything scans. I start with the skeleton of a melody and Wick gives it flesh and
organs, puts blood in its veins. And then I open my mouth and spoil it by improvising and he
finds a way to work around it and make it a new creature. Sometimes we get a melody Wick has
started with and I try to fit words into it and the words want a different song or the song
wants different words. But, I like to think that because of my background as a poet and
novelist, I'm not completely lost when it comes to rhythm and Wick has something to work with
there.

WICK:
Our differences give us the freedom to focus on what we do best. While we're writing we'll ask
each other a lot of, "What if..."questions, but that's basically it. You're curious about what
the other person's doing - and how they're doing it - but you don't step on their turf. I know
that Garrett is taking care ofall things lyrical so I don't really need to worry about why or
how it happens. On top of that, while we're composing I find it really inspiring to hear
Garrett's lyrical ideas as they'redeveloping in front of me because it's so similar to how my
musical ideas evolve during a session. It's like one of those old two-man crosscut saws -
we're on opposite ends of the saw, but we're cutting down the same damn tree. And you better
believe that tree is protected by Federal Law.

ME:
In a number of songs, starting with the cover of Bertolt Brecht's "Mack the Knife," on to
numbers like "Asshole With a Guitar", "At Home in Graveyards" and "Freak", there seems to be a theme
of the underbelly of society, characters living on the edge, with more than a little violence
just under the surface. Did you set out to have this theme of alienation, or is it just who
you are, and it came out organically in the music?

GARRETT:
I've always felt like I wasn't welcome on the Earth, like Kafka's Hunter Gracchus or Gardner's
Grendel or the protagonist of a Dylan or Nick Cave song. And that puts some darkness in you.
That makes kind of a Luciferian streak. And when you got that, you can hate yourself or you
can try to be honest with the world and make them honest. I'm not saying I don't hate myself.
We all hates ourselves a bit. We're feeble, hairless monkeys that are a coin flip away from
eating each other. And that aspect of us? It's not a great thing to be. So you can either
become the guy in Billy Joel's "Captain Jack" or you can sing it out of you. It's your trip.

WICK:
Even the music on this record is alienated. There's a ska song and there's a techno song, but
there's only one of each and it's a little glaring how much they stand apart from everything
else. Same goes for the lone surf song. They're fun songs, but it also means that there isn't a
traditional sense of musical continuity or cohesion. It's strange to say that our fractured
record was a result of an organic process, but that would be correct. We didn't wrestle with
any of the music on A Monday.

ME:
So, where do you go from here? Obvioiusly you want to get the music into people's brains.
How's that going to happen? Any plans to do any live performances? Music videos? Any long
range plans?

WICK:
As for where we go next - we're just going to keep writing and recording.  It's funny, it was
a great feeling when we got our masters back and we knew that, finally, we really were done
with the album. But it couldn't have been more than a few minutes before I began to think to
myself, "Well, I guess it's time to start on the next one." We waited a few days, but we
immediately started writing again and that's what we've been up to since.  Writing,
rehearsing...  It never ends, and I find a lot of comfort in that.

GARRETT:
Wick hit the nail on the head. We keep moving ahead, artistically swimming and eating, like a
musical Sharktopus. Jenkins forever.

WICK:
We have a few gigs lined up, but we're still looking for a permanent rhythm section.  We'll
figure it out, but until then we'll just keep writing and recording.

ME:
Thanks guys for taking the time to endure this virtual grilling!

Once again, you can get an earful of this musical walk on the wild side here:


To keep up to date on their antics, go here:
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