We're taking it down a notch from last week's wall of hellfire and brimstone, because some weeks that's just not what you need. Some weeks you need street lights on dark nights and rain on the windows; a stiff drink and a couple crescendos are the only things to get you back on your feet. And because this week is that kind of a week, imagine how my eyes flashed to the heavens in a silent thank you for Auld Lang Syne's debut CD. I'd heard rumors of them ("like a leaf on the wind") before now, largely due to my auditory fixation with the Avett Brothers (who they tour with come June).
ALS - "My First Soul"
Continue reading "Gems from the Pitch Pile-- Auld Lang Syne" »
Superdrag has been on hiatus since shortly after their last release, 2002's Last Call For Vitriol. The original members of the band (that is Superdrag circa 1992) reunited for their latest release Industry Giants, which was produced by singer and guitarist John Davis and recorded by the band themselves.The first and last time I saw the band was in 2003 when they opened for Mod-God Paul Weller. I was rather impressed with their performance, so I was definitely excited to see them again six years later, headlining their own show.
Saturday night these Knoxville rock vets played to a sparse and unresponsive crowd at Metro. Having been amongst the ranks of the undead for the better portion of the day it would seem I would blend easily with the lackluster audience, but instead I was one of a hand full of people who physically responded to the band at all.
Continue reading "Superdrag @ Metro 4/25/09" »
"Ether is Southbank Centre’s festival of innovation in sound and art
with an emphasis on digital culture, cutting-edge collaborations and
cross-arts experimentation."
Having listened to Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized records frequently for
the better part of a decade and a half, I would say makes me a bit of a
fan. The fact that I named one of my old radio programmes after their
song "The Sound of Confusion", I suppose, makes me a total Spacemen
nerd. As my tastes shifted between rock and electronic music over the
years, their music not only stayed with me, but it was arguably the
gateway drug that led me to explore the outer limits of the sonic
galaxy in the first place. Although I've had the pleasure of seeing
Spiritualized on several occasions, I had never attended one of Jason
Pierce's more abstract excursions away from the band. Naturally, I was
quite thrilled at the prospect of hearing Spaceshipp, his collaboration
with jazz pianist Matthew Shipp, as part of Southbank Centre's Ether 09 festival.
Continue reading "Spaceshipp @ Southbank Centre (London) 4/20/09" »
This Saturday at Elastic Arts, local chamber pop band Mira Mira returns to the stage to celebrate the release of their long-awaited sophomore effort, Music For Scientists. In keeping with the scientific symmetry, the album release event coincides with National DNA Day and, as an opening act, noted University of Chicago physicist Sidney Nagel will be performing physics demonstrations. (Hey, who doesn't love a good physics demonstration on a Saturday night?)
RFC recently caught up with Mira Mira leader Charlie Williams to discuss more about his band's latest effort and his newfound obsession with all things science.
Mira Mira - "11ses/The Meadow"
Continue reading "RFC Interview: Mira Mira" »

Hey, you know that old Strat that's been sitting in the back of your closet collecting dust all winter? Well, no more excuses about the strings being dead and the bridge being out of whack, as next Saturday (5/2)
The Old Town School of Folk Music is offering free guitar "bench checks" from 11am to 5pm. An official rep from Fender will be on hand to get your action and intonation all up to snuff, as well as hooking you up with a shiny set of new strings.
What's the catch? All you have to do is bring in $5-$10 worth of canned food to help support the Greater Food Depository. Support a good cause and get your axe in tune...it's a win/win!
Continue reading "Free Guitar Tune-Ups at Old Town" »
Some days really are just yelling days. And while most folks associate that wailing crash-pop feeling to the 1990s-- as if that decade was the first to invent the "is-it-really-only-3:30" urge to claw your way out of a cubicle, a basic instict that grows at the spine and will one day end with a fax machine to the window-- this is something I'm not sure is the case. That humans can take 3:30 frustration (and it doesn't require an office, just 3:30 frustration at life, at the day) and turn it into music rooted in urgent hooks and a smashing flood of guitar fuzz, drum kicks, and knowing vocals, is just one tidbit of many that daily restores my faith in the species. Superdrag restores my faith in the species.
Continue reading "Gems from the Pitch Pile-- Superdrag" »
"Ether is Southbank Centre’s festival of innovation in sound and art
with an emphasis on digital culture, cutting-edge collaborations and
cross-arts experimentation."
In addition to being responsible for a large percentage of the more
exciting music events in any given London week, Southbank Centre also
has a rich Artists In Residence program. Throughout the year, these
artists perform on their own and also frequently collaborate with other
acts visiting the Centre. While any opportunity to see a classic staple
from the Warp Records line-up shouldn't be missed, this is doubly true
when they're paired with one of these featured artists. Saturday night's Ether line-up
saw the laptop wizardy of Plaid meet the polyrhythmic sounds of
Indonesian composer and Southbank Centre artist-in-residence, Rahayu
Supanggah, in an hour than underscored just how vital the gamelan sound
is to contemporary electronic music.
Continue reading "Plaid w/ Supanggah @ Southbank Centre (London) 4/18/09" »
Containing almost none of the subtle charm that makes their album Fate such a pleasant listen, Dr. Dog's live show is of an entirely different breed. A separate entity that is not in the least inferior to the album, just different.
Download: Dr. Dog - "The Old Days"
Continue reading "Dr. Dog @ Double Door 4/10/09" »
Happy (Early) Record Store Day!
Sit down, my wee ones. Mama's got a story.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a mythical shop(pe?) of magic and wonder. Crossing the gaping threshold of a glass door slathered in posters, your entrance would be heralded with the majestic tinkle of an automated buzz and the stoic nod or simple look from some guy in a black hoodie, slapping the bar code on a back of a double-fold for a band so obscure you immediately, desperately commit it to memory. CDs line the walls, LPs form makeshift aisles... And, inexplicably, they seem to be in a solid form.
You search frantic for the download button. Sweat dots your brow. The download button... does not come.
Welcome, my friend, to the record store.
Continue reading "Happy (Early) Record Store Day!" »
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