FREE St. Vincent performance @ Wordsmiths Books, Tuesday 7/10

St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) will be performing a FREE show at Wordsmiths Books in Decatur, GA on Tuesday, 7/10 to celebrate the the release of her new album "Marry Me" which hits stores that day. The performance is at 8pm, and you can buy a copy of the new CD at the show. She will also be performing with Scout Niblett at The Earl the following night, Wed. 7/11. Tickets for that show will be $10.

Wordsmiths Books
141 E. Trinity Place
Decatur, GA 30030
(404) 378-7166
Wordsmiths Books - website

The Day After Independence Day Mix

So I decided to post this mix today instead of yesterday, because it's easy to get motivated and wrapped up in wanting to take care of this country on a holiday. It's the day after, when you have to motivate yourself, that's when you see if your feelings are still strong enough to actually do something. Hence the "The Day After Independence Day Mix". I love this country, not in a "my country is better than another" way, but rather in a "I grew up & live here, and I want to make sure all the good parts of it don't get abused and destroyed" kind of way. Just because I am out-spoken about the problems in this country doesn't mean I hate it, just the opposite, it means I actually give a shit and want to see those problems fixed. So yesterday, I celebrated the good things about this country and rekindled the flame of dissidence over the things that still need to be fixed. The freedom that was fought for (I used "fought", because I don't believe that we are currently fighting for OUR FREEDOM) in this country allows us a platform to speak out from as well as to affect change. This is one of the many reasons I love it here, and so I plan on using that freedom as much as I can...starting today. Enjoy the mix. Peace to all.

[MP3] Tom Waits - Road To Peace from "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" (via Box.net)
[MP3] John Lennon - Imagine from "Imagine" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Neil Young - Keep on Rocking in the Free World from "Freedom" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Pulp - The Day After The Revolution from "This Is Hardcore" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Violent Femmes - America Is from "Add It Up (1981-1993)" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Trey Parker & Matt Stone - America, Fuck Yeah! from "Team America - Soundtrack" (via Box.net)

Man Man @ The 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA 6/29/07: SHOW REVIEW

I haven't seen a show this spectacular since Gogol Bordello (one of my top four shows EVER, btw) a couple of years ago. This was musicianship & showmanship at it's finest, folks. A show so great, that the albums themselves pale in comparison to what Man Man is capable of delivering in their live performance. Like a hipster Peter Pan and his Lost Boys, Man Man performed in a wild, manic, fun-addicted frenzy decked out in all white (tennis short-shorts, t-shirts, polos & headbands) with streaks of white face paint, hell-bent on sucking us into their "happy place". Their stage setup was like a bed-sheet/pillow fort, with the lead singer and the drummer facing each other up front jumping around like 8 year olds hopped up on pixie sticks, while the other members surrounded them from behind frequently switching up instruments. Yet, it was all choreographed perfectly. The songs were spot on, and like I mentioned before, actually BETTER than the CD they came from. If there was ever a candidate for a live album, it would be Man Man. In fact, every album they record from now on should be live. From now on, whenever I'm stressed out & need to center myself, I'm gonna go back to that Man Man show. I'm gonna remember dancing my ass off, I'm gonna remember singing loudly & trying not to spill my PBR on the dude in front of me, I'm gonna remember the blur of lights and music, and I'm gonna chill out for awhile...in my new "happy place". Whatever you do, NEVER MISS a Man Man show. It WILL be the biggest mistake you will ever make (unless you're The President, then..well, you might be able to think of a bigger one).

MORE Interpol Tour dates!!

Interpol has just added more dates to their current tour in support of their album "Our Love To Admire" which comes out on 7/10, including an Atlanta date on 9/21.

DATES:
7/05 - POR - Lisbon Superbock Superrock
7/07 - Eire - Oxegen
7/08 - UK - T in the Park
7/19 - Rochester, NY - Harro East Ballroom
7/20 - Atlantic City, NJ - Music Box @ Borgata
7/21 - Norfolk, VA - Norva
7/23 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
7/24 - Pittsburgh, PA - Byham
7/25 - Columbus, OH - The LC Ampitheatre
7/27 - Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
7/28 - Detroit, MI - State
7/30 - Milwaukee, WI - Rave
7/31 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian
8/01 - St. Louis, MO - Pageant
8/03 - Covington, KY - Madison Theatre
8/04 - Lollapalooza Chicago, IL - Grant Park
8/05 - V Festival Baltimore, MD - Pimlico Race Course
8/11 - JAP - Summersonic Festival
8/12 - JAP - Summersonic Festival
8/16 - Austria - Frequency Festival
8/17 - Germany - Highfield Festival
8/18 - Netherlands - Lowland Festival
8/20 - UK- Birmingham Academy
8/21 - UK - Newcastle Academy
8/22 - UK - Edinburgh Corn Exchange
8/24 - UK - Reading Festival
8/25 - UK - Leeds Festival
9/08 - Toronto, ON CAN V Festival
9/09 - Montreal, QC - Osheaga Festival
9/10 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
9/12 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
9/14 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
9/15 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
9/16 - Raleigh, NC - Disco Rodeo
9/18 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
9/19 - Miami, FL - Bank United
9/21 - Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
9/22 - Nashville, TN – Ryman
9/23 - New Orleans, LA - Sugar Mill
9/25 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theatre
9/26 - Austin, TX – Stubbs
9/27 - Dallas, TX – Palladium
10/10 - Kansas City, KS – Uptown
10/11 - Chicago, IL – Aragon
10/12 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre
10/14 - Denver, CO – Fillmore
10/15 - Salt Lake City, UT - McKay Center
10/16 - Boise, ID - Big Easy
10/18 - Seattle, WA – Wamu
10/19 - Portland, OR - Memorial Coliseum
10/20 - San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
10/23 - The Forum - Los Angeles, CA
11/12 - ITA - Florence - Sachhall
11/13 - ITA - Milan – Alcatraz
11/15 - SWITZ - Zurich - Volkshaus
11/16 - GER - Munich - Tonhalle
11/17 - GER - Berlin - Columbiahalle
11/19 - GER - Cologne - Palladium
11/20 - HOL - Tilburg - O13
11/23 - BEL Brussels - Forest National
11/24 - GER - Hamburg - Docks
11/25 - GER - Hamburg – Docks
11/28 - UK/ Blackpool Empress Ballroom
11/29 - UK/ London Alexandra Palace
11/30 - UK/ London Alexandra Palace

Kindercore Records is back!!

Thanks to Cable and Tweed for the heads up. Glad to see a great local independent label triumph over the those assholes that tried to take 'em down. Hopefully we can expect to see some cool releases from them soon! Glad to have you back guys!!!

Kindercore Records - website

CONTEST: 2 Tickets to see The Wildbirds @ Smith's Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA 7/08/07

If you'd like to go see The Wildbirds next Sunday, 7/08/07 at Smith's Olde Bar just leave me your name and email address in the comments, and I'll pick a winner on Wednesday randomly. Good luck!!

[MP3] The Wildbirds - 421 (Everybody Loves You) from "The Wildbirds" (via Box.net)

BAND INTERVIEW: Arizona

Arizona will playing the 10th Annual Team Clermont "Athens Summer Festival" in Athens, GA on July 27 @ The 40 Watt with Castanets, Phosphorescent & A Northern Chorus. Check out "Thimble" from their upcoming EP, "Fameseeker and the Mono" two posts below this one.

It Covers The Hillsides: So you all live in New York, but "come from many places around the country". Which places exactly? And, do you like New York better than where you came from?

Arizona: Nick is from Cincinatti, James grew up with Andrew in Marietta, Ga., Alex and Ben grew up in Long Island, which is where we get the Billy Joel and Dream Theater sides of our sound. New York is a place that challenges us and informs the band's identity. Some of us love it more than the others.

ICTH: Five guys in the band, huh? What, are you guys sexist or something? And by "something" I mean, do you dress really well?

Arizona: We actually don't dress well at all. Ben has initiated a style known as "Keith Richard-Dreyfuss" which basically looks like Gene Wilder after a schizophrenic meltdown. Nick looks like a 12 year old boy, James looks like the kind of guy who would touch a 12 year old boy. Alex Hornbake and Andrew Dunn are both known as the "hot guys" of the band and that's just because they are tall and don't look quite so strung out. When we record our albums, we wear sexy pajamas that look like this – it's the only way we can access the deep reservoirs of empathy and imagination that characterize our glorious sound. Oh yeah, and our manager Ian is pretty hot. He does dress well, because he's the only guy in the band who comes close to being "a hipster."

ICTH: Is this your first time playing Athens, GA? Because it's a pretty cool town..it sports "The Tree That Owns Itself" and a place that only sells chicken fingers.

Arizona: This is our first time playing in Athens. We can't wait to see, let alone lick that tree. Let's get lunch at that chicken fingers place.

ICTH: On your newest EP, "Fameseeker and the Mono", you have a song called "Life is Great" which has some pretty positive things to say. Why is life great for you guys?

Arizona: That title is actually a little tongue in cheek. Many people don't know that we write, record and mix every song you've ever heard from us in about 36 hours from start to finish. What happened with that tune is, we were listening to Neil Young's "Living with War" as a band, and read an interview where he basically says 'man, I wish a younger band had the balls to make this record.' We all heart the shit he says on that record, and felt we'd take a crack at making a song that could encapsulate that record, and talk about modern issues with a bit more subtlety. We got started the second Neil's record stopped playing. It seems to have worked! The lyrics to the chorus are "This'll get better, this'll get better, let your inner golden heart out for a while, this'll get better." They're some of the simplest lyrics we've done; the golden heart thing is a clever tip o' the hat to Neil. Life is great because even during this time, America's darkest hour, the closest we've come to becoming the Nazis, people give a shit about music, everyone is out there mining for a heart of gold. We'll find it together, and this will get better.

ICTH: Why are you currently not signed to any label? Like, are you mean to people? Is that why? Do you guys have narcolepsy, and fall asleep before you sign the contract? Because your music is really good, so sucking can't be why.

Arizona: We're brutal bastards. We're also completely addicted to heroin, PCP and MDMA. We traffic sex slaves, which lots of people aren't into (but the ones who are pay well).

Really, there are just so many bands out there, and so few labels that have the resources to take a band like ours and bring them to the people in any meaningful, lasting way. Even the small labels are operating with the same calculating mentality as major labels, just with no budgets and even less flexibility. They are looking for a puzzle piece to fit snugly into their plans, not to change their plans to accommodate the creative abilities of an artist. We've found we love to score films and are good at it. We could do a major film score a month if someone would give us the work. We get some, and we love it. I'm not sure there are too many record labels who would be into the idea of us taking a solid chunk of our 'touring/record promoting' time to create scores for great movies, although it would be great money, exposure, and probably help sell a ton of records.

Many labels seem to want bands to walk this very tried and true path during a time when dramatic change is needed in order to prove that band-made-music is still a vital art. We are willing to walk, march, or run down the tried and true path carrying the banner of a terrific label, but we need to find one that is going to support us in being the change that our generation so deeply needs in order to keep rock music from getting as predictable and common as 12 bar blues.

We don't want to sign to just anyone, because really, who needs another band shoved through the system and down your throat? Our music will reach people and people will find out that what we're doing is different from what everyone else is doing. We've had the good fortune of making great human connections through our music and through the people that come to our shows.

With a lot of indie bands who are "doing well right now" you will find that they are empowered with much more exposure than we get, and that is usually because they have sold their balls into slavery so that they can be shoved down as many throats as possible. There are lots of brand new bands getting signed to prestigious booking companies, getting massive exposure on Pitchfork which can make (or break) a band overnight, introduced to all the right people, etc. With us, we've got much less exposure, but that exposure happens through good fortune and totally organic routes. The great bands we've toured with, like Band of Horses or the Slip, are artists who have stepped up themselves and taken us under their wing because they know we are chasing our muse. Being unsigned, being total outsiders is fun, because it means that every opportunity that we get comes to us because we earn it, and at the end of the day, we feel that much better about ourselves and can put that into our new music. The exposure would be nice, but we're in this for the long haul and have faith in ourselves that we'll get where we want to go and earn a meaningful place in the musical world.

ICTH: If you had to describe your music to a deaf person, what would you write down on a sheet of paper for them to read?

"Dear Deaf-person,
Hello there. We are Arizona, the rock band. We understand that you are a human being of the first order, someone who was truly picked by the Universe to be smart, special, substantial, and well meaning. You are just the kind of person we want to touch with our music, but you are deaf. If you'll indulge us, we'd like to describe our music to you and see if we can still find some sort of cosmic convergence between our two paths of life.
We strive to sound like falling in love for the first time, meeting with your favorite living author, watching the sun come up and paint Manhattan with the most heartbreakingly fleeting hues, walking hand-in-hand with God who assures you that 'masturbation is okay, and natural', coming to terms with death in your final moments, smelling freshly cut grass, saving a child's life, waking up one day and being able to dominate at any sport, mercilessly beating down someone who clearly deserves it, being able to time travel using only your mind, and being able to eat endless quantities of the favorite dish your mother (or whomever) used to make you without getting morbidly sick.
We hope that you don't take offense at our trying to reach out to you through these words. We'd really love to be friends. Perhaps we can share some lyrics, as we put as much thought into those as we do into our sound. Do you write poetry, or paint? If so, please share.

Yours truly,
Arizona the band"

ICTH: Which band(s) are you most looking forward to hearing/playing with at this year's Athens Summerfest/Blue Ribbbon Ball? Besides yourselves.

Arizona: Ben's personally really looking forward to Starlight Mints. We are all excited to check out how Castanets and Phosphorescent will merge to rock as one giant, Voltron: Defender of the Universe-style entity. It seems as though all of the bands playing are going to be real worth checking out and we hope to catch 'em all, Pokemon-style.

ICTH: So can we expect to see you all sporting sexy pajama outfits for this show? If not, is there something I could offer you (besides sex, 'cuz my wife already told me to stop doing that) to wear sexy pajama outfits for the show?

Arizona: We understand that there is a James Bond theme to this prom party, being that it's '007 and all. We were planning to have Nick come out as a Bond Girl, Alex come out as Jaws, Andrew as 'Q', Ben as an evil millionaire Bond villain with some horrible disfigurement, and James dressed to the nines as Bond himself.

If you'd rather see us prance around in silky pajamas, however, it can be arranged. Just let us know. We aim to please. Maybe you can start a poll on here.

ICTH: Finally, I'm pretty psyched to see you guys play live. Are you psyched to see me, see you play live?

Arizona: We're psyched. Foaming at the unmentionables.

Go see Sicko tomorrow, if you know what's good for you. I'm just sayin'.

Michael Moore's new movie about our deplorable health care system is released into theatres tomorrow, 6/29. I plan on seeing it twice, once with one group of friends then one more with another. I have to say I have been pretty impressed with everything he's done so far, both his films & his books. His determination is amazing, and his heart is bigger than he is...and his balls are even bigger than that. I have much straight-guy-man-love for you Mr. Moore.

GREAT NEW MUSIC: Black Before Red "Belgrave to Kings Circle"

So color me impressed. I was sent "Belgrave to Kings Circle", the debut album from Black Before Red today and told, "prepared to be impressed". But I still wasn't quite as prepared as I needed to be. Now I'm in the best mood ever, and I was really trying to cultivate some deep-seeded anger today but now that's all shot to shit. Between well-crafted melodies & amazing harmonies lies some really, really happy laid-back pop. In the best sense of the term. I don't want to diminish their music with comparisons because they really have found their own sound, but I can't help hearing little bits of Okkervil River, The Sea and Cake and even Stephen Malkmus & The Shins. And that little Okkervil River I hear might be because some of those guys play on the album, as well as members of Zykos & The Lemurs. If you're content to wallow in a depresssion, then leave this album alone, but if being "happy, happy, joy, joy" is where it's at for you then download those MP3s below. You can also pre-order the album from their Myspace page for $10, which comes out August 14th.

[MP3] Black Before Red - Matagorda from "Belgrave to Kings Circle" (via Box.net)
[MP3] Black Before Red - Teenage America from "Belgrave to Kings Circle" (via Box.net)

Black Before Red - Myspace | Label - i eat records

GREAT NEW MUSIC: Arizona "Fameseeker and the Mono" EP

This post will hopefully be followed shortly by an interview with the band. They're playing on Fri. 7/27 @ The 40 Watt with Castanets & Phosphorescent as part of Team Clermont's "Athens Summerfest/Blue Ribbon Ball" and I'm quite excited to see 'em considering I missed out on the sold-out Band of Horses show they opened for awhile back. I was recently sent this new EP, and I haven't stopped playing it yet (that's not "exactly" true, I did listen to the new Okkervil River for a sec...but it was right back to this!!). Beautiful, is how I describe it. Man, I really can't believe they're not everywhere right now. How they manage to stay below the radar, not have a label, and ridiculous amounts of praise in the press is really just beyond me. I personally think they would be right at home as part of the Elephant 6 collective...soaring pop, delicate psychedelic-folk/rock, on-point harmonies. Someone please sign this band!!!

[MP3] Arizona - Thimble from "Fameseeker and the Mono" (via Box.net)

Arizona - website | Myspace

Smashing Pumpkins: Greedy? Stupid? Both?

So I've been seeing/reading quite a few people's opinions on the new Smashing Pumpkins album "Zeitgeist" and the marketing promotion involving FOUR different versions of said album. What's the difference between 'em? Three of them come with a different bonus song each, and then there's the standard version. So will people really go buy three versions of this album, just to get these THREE songs? Probably not. Most will buy the standard edition, and then download the bonus songs off the internet somewhere. Does this ploy to get fans to purchase three different versions of his album, make Billy Corgan a greedy scumbag? Maybe. But what it really makes him is a really bad marketing strategist. I mean really, what idiot is going to shell out $40-50 just to get three extra songs. Not many, I hope. The real kick in the groin, is that these "exclusive bonus song" editions are being sold at Best Buy, Target & iTunes. To quote P'fork: "Billy and company would like you to know that they fully support the extinction of the American independent record store at the hand of large, faceless, little-guy-crushing big boxes." Hopefully it won't matter since most people will do exactly as I predict and buy the basic album and download the extra songs for free later. Has my respect for Billy and co. diminished? Most certainly. In the same way it has for The Police and other bands charging $75-$300 for nose-bleed seats to their concerts. They have forgotten who their fan-base is. It's definitely NOT people who can afford to spend $250 a ticket, or $50 for an album + three extra songs. These bands have spoken to their fans quite clearly: "If you don't have the money to keep me in the style I have grown accustomed to, then fuck off". Again, pretty stupid marketing strategy to piss on fans and expect them to buy anything. But if you are still planning to buy this thing, at least buy it at your local independent record store (I'm pretty sure it won't be hard to get ahold of those nifty bonus songs later!).

Okkervil River TOURS....about goddamn time!!

My nights spent wishing on falling stars & sacrificing virgins has finally paid off!!! Okkervil River is coming to the 40 Watt in Athens!! And while this is amazing news, I just had a shipment of virgins dropped off yesterday. What am I going to do with them now?

TOUR DATES:
07-14 Concord, NH - Capitol Center for the Arts (Sneakers and Speakers benefit)
07-15 Providence, RI - Jake's Bar and Grille
09-03 San Diego, CA - Casbah
09-04 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
09-05 San Francisco, CA - Independent
09-08 Portland, OR - Berbati's Pan (MusicFest NW)
09-09 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
09-10 Seattle, WA - Neumos
09-13 Denver, CO - Marquee Theater
09-14 Omaha, NE - Waiting Room
09-15 Iowa City, IA - Picador
09-18 Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
09-19 Urbana, IL - The Canopy Club (Pygmalion Festival)
09-21 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
09-22 Hamilton, Ontario - Pepper Jack's Café
09-23 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
09-24 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
09-25 Boston, MA - Middle East
09-26 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse
09-28 New York, NY - Webster Hall
09-29 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
09-30 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
10-02 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
10-03 Athens, GA - 40 Watt
10-06 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington