Monthly Archives: June 2009

We’re planning a bit of an atypical week here at TVD in advance of a show we’ve been looking forward to for some time. On June 23rd, the Black Cat hosts a stellar triple bill with We Were Pirates, Voxpop, and Mittenfields and in lieu of our normal First Date feature this week, we’re just gonna date ‘em all. One a day, three-way style.

First up: We Were Pirates!

We Were Pirates is DC-area native, Mike Boggs. In 2007 Boggs set out to record a few songs that had been playing in his head for quite some time. Armed with an electric guitar, a casio keyboard, a sparse drum kit, and his trusty old iBook, he crafted a five-song EP, entitled, ‘The Wolf.’

Some people liked the EP very much. So he kept making music and started playing shows here and there with good friends sitting in as the backing band. Since the release of ‘The Wolf,’ Boggs has been hard at work building a new home studio and recording a whole bunch of new songs for a full-length record.

Nearly two years later, on June 23rd 2009, Boggs will be releasing We Were Pirates’ debut LP, ‘Cutting Ties’ at a CD release show at the Black Cat in DC.

So, we asked, “Hey Mike – how’d you become part of this stellar triple bill?”

“I’ve spent the past year building a home studio and then recording We Were Pirates’ debut full-length. I record everything on all of the recordings in my studio and then my good friends Gabe Fry (bass/guitar) and Ben Skinner (drums) play music with me. I wanted to choose the right setting to release the CD and when our good friend Dave from Mittenfields asked us to join the bill, we were quite excited to combine our first time playing with Mittenfields with the release of the new record, “Cutting Ties.” All of that, and the fact that we all love the Black Cat and are really happy to be playing there for the first time, pretty much guarantees a good show.

Oh and my favorite record on vinyl is “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” “Baby Driver” sounds like heaven spinning on a turntable.”

We Were Pirates – Settle Down (Mp3)
We Were Pirates – The Three of Us (Mp3)

I’ve recently begun to consider the possibility that my DNA contains ethnic and racial inputs beyond the Eastern European and Nordic ancestry that my appearance suggests. One such possibility that has always manifested itself in my musical preferences is the possibility that some fraction of Latin blood courses through my veins.

My love of Latin music arose from another love of mine – Music documentaries. About 3 years ago, a friend turned me on to Buena Vista Social Club, the Academy Award nominated documentary which follows iconic American guitarist Ry Cooder to Havana, Cuba to record an album with a procession of Cuban artists including legends like Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo. I was enchanted by the wonder of the traditional Latin music, how it was played on every street corner and in every household, the Cubans unafraid to lay their raw emotions at the feet of any chance passer-by.

It doesn’t matter if you like rock and roll, soul and Motown, country, hip hop, R&B, or any other kind of American music, I guarantee all of your favorite artists have Latin peers, and I also guarantee that you can find something those peers actually do better than your favorite American artists. I am not yet blessed with Spanish fluency, some of the beauty of this romance language is lost on me. But, all the things that make friendships with Latins wonderful and exciting also infuse their music with an unparallelled energy. The stereotypical Latin is emotional, fiery, even crazy. And their music follows suit. It uses instrumentation to convey more feeling that even the most perfectly written verse could ever hope to. My favorite example of this is the Spanish guitar style, the hasty strumming interspersed with beautifully lilting finger-picking is most emotive. Similarly they expertly use horns, drums, and other strings to supplement the direct conveyances of the lyrics.

I urge you to give Latin music a chance, whether or not you speak the language. I promise you will find something to love in these beautiful compositions, even if it is the simple pleasure of giving your own meaning to the unintelligible stanzas such that they mimic your own personal thoughts. A friend of mine uses this technique when listening to Shakira, imagining her lyrics are expressions of a most base and primal desire which she holds for him!

Buena Vista Social Club – Chan Chan (Mp3)
Buena Vista Social Club – Candela (Mp3)
Enanitos Verdes – Amores Lejanos (Mp3)
Gipsy Kings – Escucha Me (Mp3)
Shakira – Inevitable (Mp3)

Better Than Ezra and I go quite a way back which might seem very odd for a guy with decidedly UK-centric tastes. One time a number of years ago, they were the very best thing to come out of a difficult relationship. (Indeed, I got custody of the BTE CDs.)

They were even there for me one humid, soggy night during Jazz Fest in 2000 when I learned a good friend had taken her own life. The band uncharacteristically took the stage that evening with an odd, twisty, and elongated ‘Live Again’ while I wept into my pint glass. (Which is a good memory if you can believe it.)

Yet, most Better Than Ezra shows actually have me laughing to tears. They’re funny guys frankly, armed with a zillion right up the center tunes which linger in your head long after the first listen. Or the second. Or the 30th. And while I’d characterize my musical tastes as very, very atypical and narrow, BTE’s the guilty pleasure I feel no guilt enjoying. Whatsoevah.

And you? Louisiana’s finest play DC this coming Tuesday night (6/16) and we’ve got a pair of tickets to join TVD at the show. Hell, I may even buy a round or seven.

So, see that little ‘comments’ button down there. Yea, that one. OK – now click it. See that window that pops up? Yea – that one right there to the left. Let us know how much you’d like to join us Tuesday night in that lil’ comments box and the one that shines the brightest gets the pair of tickets. (Please remember to include some contact info!) We’ll choose our winner Monday afternoon.

Better Than Ezra – Absolutely Still (Mp3)

(Ed. Note: Remember our ‘TVD Writers Telethon’ we held a few weeks back? Well, this morning we welcome the first of a few new voices here at the blog…)

Since this is my first post at TVD, an introduction is probably in order – Hi, I’m Dave. I grew up in the 80s listening to bands like Metallica and Guns ‘N Roses (it was a sheltered childhood ok?). I also grew up in the middle of nowhere in a hardworking but poor and undereducated family of hillbillies listening to my grandfather’s Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash records at barbeques.

You’re probably thinking these are unreconcilable influences, and for a long time they were (unless I was listening to a Rolling Stones record). But the last 15-20 years have seen a proliferation of bands made up of people my age who grew up in similar circumstances – listening to their grandparents’ country records and their friends’ punk and metal records – and have married the two tastes into a gritty, dirty, rollicking sound that appeals to almost anyone with a modicum of country music sensibility and realizes that you don’t have to be a dirty redneck to appreciate the melody of a good country song and the wonderful and evocative quality of instrumentation such as lap and pedal steel, dobro, banjo, harmonica and accordion.

The following bands all use certain of these instruments on a regular basis, but this post is about marrying country and rock sensibilities. Therefore, I’m only posting songs that manage to rock, but still implement unmistakable country awareness.

The Rolling Stones – Dead Flowers (Mp3)
Lucero – Chain Link Fence (Mp3)
Drive By Truckers – Never Gonna Change (Mp3)
Two Cow Garage – Camo Jacket (Mp3)
Uncle Tupelo – Factory Belt (Mp3)

They’ve influenced everyone. They’re the soundtrack to your high school years. They’ve broken up and reformed and broken up and reformed. Their drummer even trashed my own drum kit. (True story.) AND they take the stage this Saturday night at The Rock and Roll Hotel in support of their new release ‘Sewn Together’ and TVD’s got a pair of tickets to give away for the ragged, psychedelic glory that is: The Meat Puppets.

Grab our attention in the comments below (with your contact info!) joining the chorus of such bands as Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Pavement, and Soundgarden singing the praises of the Kirkwood brothers and you too could be front and center and under the influence. We’ll choose one winner on Friday (6/12) at noon for the pair of tickets, so get crackin’.

The Meat Puppets – Rotten Shame (Mp3)

Over the past week or more we’ve become quite enamored with Elizabeth & the Catapult here at TVD HQ. I hesitate to even label them ‘indie’ as to do a disservice to a level of songwriting that easily outpaces their peers tagged with that moniker. There’s some real thoughtful artistry on hand here that swells deceptively from simplicity to grandeur. And damn if that isn’t refreshing for a change.

Secondly, if the world is destroyed tomorrow by a nuke, you’ll find us in Elizabeth’s parents’ cool, dry basement. Just sayin’.

“It may sound overly dramatic or sentimental but if the world was destroyed tomorrow by a nuke – all of my digital archives would be destroyed. Completely and utterly gone. My vinyl collection on the other hand, if stored in a cool and dry place (like my parents basement where it currently resides) would actually survive to see the light of day. That, along with my diary, lyrics and my Encyclopedia Britannica. It’s a funny thought to think we’ve progressed to be such highpowered, efficient, organized human beings, yet our modern, fast acting ipods and computers are actually less dependable than a piece of decorated cardboard.

This is definitely symbolic for me and my relationship with vinyl. It goes way back to when I was ten years old and received The White Album for my birthday from a family friend. It totally blew my mind—there was something so organic, so warm, so TANGIBLE about listening to John and Paul singing through my dad’s old record player. I would sit with the artwork in hand, cradling the lyrics and singing along to “Blackbird” and “Wild Honey Pie” like I was getting a private showing in my living room. When I discovered Joni and Bob and Stevie, I covered the walls of my bedroom with record covers—a colorful canopy of my idols to wake up to in the morning. 

It’s not that I don’t love listening to music on my ipod when I ride on the subway to work, it’s not that I don’t get super excited by the new and improved iphone commercials like everyone else does—it’s just that I know that there is absolutely no substitute for the quasi-spiritual experience I get from listening to a Nina Simone record late in the evening. Nothing, not even an ipod chip embedded in my brain, could ever beat that.”

Elizabeth & the Catapult – Taller Children (Mp3)

Exit Clov, a five piece standard on the DC scene for the past half decade, took some time to talk to TVD prior to their show tonight at the Black Cat. The Clov is fronted by Susan & Emily Hsu, twin sister threats on guitar, keyboards, and dueling vocals/violins. They are surrounded by the tight trio of Aaron Leeder on power guitar, Brett Niederman on funk bass, and John Thayer on break drums.

Much has been written in DC about the band, who have gone far in this town. They’re taking things a bit further these days, up to New York City, where half the band has officially relocated for now. Though they didn’t have time for an official TVD First Date, they did open up a bit with some teaser thoughts for us…

1) What can we expect at your show?
Brett: Best Exit Clov show EVER.

2) What do you think of DC nowadays?
Suz: DC feels like an old lover. Probably learned all there is to know about it yet it grows dearer to the heart everyday.

3) How’s NYC been treating you all?
Suz: I don’t live there so it still feels like a vacation whenever I’m there.

4) Fave DC & NYC bands?
Em: Yeasayer, Blonde Redhead, YYY, Bluebrain (and Matt & Kim but only the synth riff in Good Ol’ Fashioned Nightmare!)

5) Fave DC & NYC stages?
Em and Aaron: Bowery Ballroom, Union Hall, Black Cat, IOTA

6) Fave/1st records on vinyl?
Suz: None of us are vinyl collectors, but I’m working on setting up a turntable and sound system for my apartment. My first record that I actually owned was a gift – Belle & Sebastian’s “Jonathan David.”
Aaron: The Beatles – Abbey Road, Michael Jackson – Thriller

(Thanks to our pal Ben for putting it together…)

Earning comparisons to The Violent Femmes, Steve Earle, and The White Stripes, The California trio The Devil Makes Three inaugurates TVD’s first foray into Baltimore with a 24-Hour Ticket Giveaway to give this new week a kick in the pants.

“With a slightly punky perspective on vintage American blues, The Devil Makes Three is a breath of fresh musical air on its eponymous Milan debut. Laced with elements of ragtime, country, folk and rockabilly, the critically praised, drummer-less trio – consisting of guitarist/frontman Pete Bernhard, stand-up bassist Lucia Turino and guitarist Cooper McBean – brings forth a genuine approach to acoustic music that is deeply steeped in rhythm.”

“We play mainly rock venues where it’s not seated,” Pete explains. “Everybody dances. And except for the instrumentation and the fact that we don’t have a drummer, it’s pretty much like a rock gig. It can get pretty crazy, people are dancing and drinking and yelling. And that’s the way we like it.”

TVD’s got a pair of tickets for Tuesday night’s show at The Talking Head in Baltimore in exchange for your over-the-top pleas to dance, drink and yell. (What better way to get though the week, right?) We’ll choose one winner tomorrow morning so make ’em good and make ’em fast!

The Devil Makes Three – All Hail (Mp3)

I had been chatting with my reps over at the wonderful Worn Free this week—purveyors of vintage t-shirts actually WORN by your favorite musicians—and the subject of my looming birthday arose (yea…this Sunday—one year…er, wiser!) and they said hey, we’ve got a shirt for ya. (Sweet, right?) AND, they said, we’ve got two more for you to give away to the TVD readership at large.

So, it’s MY birthday but you guys get the gifts! We’ve got the vintage ‘Punk’ t-shirt worn by Ms. Harry above (in a men’s medium) and the ‘I’m Not Joey Ramone’ t-shirt (in a men’s large) for the cleverest rumination on birthdays because…well, they’re starting to stack up.

We’ll choose one winner per shirt so let us know which one you’ll fit into in your comment. And we’ll pull those names on Sunday (6/7) amidst the ACTUAL birthday binging. (Anticipate a ton of typos in your award email…)

Some things just sound more ‘right’ to me than others. For example, 9 times out of 10 I’ll take the act from the UK over any of their American counterparts. I can’t help it—I’m just wired that way and prefer the intangibles that UK acts possess. I can’t see it, I can’t touch it—but somehow I can HEAR it which makes all the difference to me.

I was surprised some time back upon connecting the dots to realize that quite a few of my favorite bands are from the land of kilts and haggis—Scotland. So, the last 5 of the ‘20 Perfect Tracks’ for this week form a certifiable Scottish …brogues gallery. (Yea…sorry.)

Aztec Camera – Stray (Mp3)
The Bathers – Dreamless (Mp3)
Danny Wilson – Aberdeen (Mp3)
del Amitri – Former Owner (Mp3)
The Blue Nile – Saturday Night (Mp3)

So, is it wrong to dig a band if they remind you of another band you like? (Yea, I didn’t think so either.) Dark Mean for a moment there was recalling the very best of New Order to which I said, “We should go on a First Date!” Sandy Johnston from the band showed up—flowers in hand:

“Man, Those Darlins said it perfectly. There’s something warm and pure and cozy about the sound from vinyl records that you can’t get from CDs or mp3s… and the album art actually feels like art because you can see it (and “feel” it) in detail. I have a few precious old records that I have only ever listened to at my parents’ cottage. One of those albums is Neil Young – After the Gold Rush. It is probably one of my all time favourite albums and I think a big reason for that is the fact that I have only ever listened to it on vinyl at my cottage. Sometimes I get together with a good friend and we just listen to records. We’ll put the cover art up on the “Now Playing” stand (when we’re not studying it or reading along with the lyrics) and we just listen. It’s not like listening to CDs or mp3s. It’s an experience that takes you right into the album and it’s amazing.
 
At the moment we barely have any physical copies of our Frankencottage EP as we’ve been giving it out for free to promote ourselves. That being said, we definitely plan to make vinyl copies of our full length album. In a perfect world we would send out a record player and a vinyl copy of our album to anyone willing to listen because that would be the best way to experience our music.”

Dark Mean – Frankencottage (Mp3)
Dark Mean – Happy Banjo (Mp3)

Another day, another dose of perfection—all moody-like.

Grant Lee Buffalo – Mockingbirds (Mp3)
Bedroom Walls – In Anticipation Of Your Suicide (Mp3)
Harry Nilsson – The Moonbeam Song (Mp3)
Magnet – Jaws (Mp3)
David Sylvian – Heartbeat (Tainai Kaiki II) (Mp3)

Despite being held captive of the CBS Corporate Suits waving a contract, Don Geronimo is sorely missed on the airwaves perhaps more than he himself realizes. Don would often rail on the piss-poor state of contemporary radio and the industry that promotes a new format as literally “the same old box of records” or something similar to that phrase.

I point this out not to underscore the urgency with which we need Donnie G. back on the airwaves, but that I’m mindful that most likely all of these ‘20 Perfect Tracks’ this week have made their way onto TVD in the past.

I guess that’d be the “the same old box of perfect records?”

From the Britpop stack:
Suede – Animal Nitrate (Mp3)
Longpigs – Far (Mp3)
The Verve – On Your Own (Mp3)
Supergrass – Hollow Little Reign (Mp3)
Manic Street Preachers – S.Y.M.M. (Mp3)

Much like the house specials or the house wine you’ve become accustomed to when visiting your favorite restaurant, we here at TVD think it might be wise to serve up some of our own ‘house specialties’ in the form of what we’re calling this week, ‘20 Perfect Tracks.’

I mean, we do a boat-load of complaining around these parts, why not underscore 20 tracks this week that we feel are: damn fine. Now, these aren’t the only perfect 20 out there by ANY means, but these are a set we feel form a basis for what we need to hear to get the TVD Stamp o’ Approval.

From time to time perhaps we’ll revisit the theme, but for now, sit back, fire up the hookah, and snuggle up with two perfect 10’s.

The first five:
Starling Electric – The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre (Mp3)
The Vapors – Daylight Titans (Mp3)
The Posies – Flavor Of The Month (Mp3)
Blondie – Union City Blue (Mp3)
Crowded House – Black And White Boy (Mp3)

It’s no exaggeration whatsoever when I say that Retro Music Snob is responsible for this blog you’re reading. His daily updates that scour the universe of music blogs ultimately forced me to think that I needed to purchase an I-pod for myself (yea, finally…) and when I thought that I may want to wade into the blog waters myself, he was the first person I reached out to, and as I’ve mentioned here in the past, The Snob provided invaluable insight and support.

That was close to two years ago and I’m still visiting him each morning. Rock God Cred is The Snob’s newest on-line foray which has also become a morning must-read. So, without further adieu:

“Retro Music Snob rose from the ashes of the piss poor conditions of the radio stations of today. Where was the music of my youth? Where were the days when the same 50 songs weren’t played over and over again on the radio?? This does not exist on terrestrial radio. So alas…I got off my ass a few years ago, and did something about it…

“RMS” is a product of:
1) Being a son of a record collector
2) Exploring the internet for the great “lost songs” of years gone by.

We try to expose songs/bands of the past, and we try to direct our readers to some of the coolest of the cool music blogs. Great writers with great tunes that others should discover or re-visit. RMS tries to strengthen the network of music blogs. Introduce, and invite others to enjoy what we have discovered.

Lots of cool tunes from the 50’s-90’s, cover songs, demos, outtakes, novelty songs, and such…a little heavy on the New Wave of the 80’s, and the Old School Alt bands as well. I am a man of few words…as I let the music do the talking.”

Long Ryders – Looking For Lewis and Clark (Mp3)
The Plimsouls – Lost Time (Mp3)
Josie Cotton – Jimmy Loves Marianne (Looking Glass Cover) (Mp3)
Garland Jeffreys – Modern Lovers (Mp3)
The Candyskins – Loser Friendly (Mp3)

“Rock God Cred is the pot smoking, poke a hole in the bottom of a beer super-charging sister blog. We follow the same format of “Retro Music Snob”, but focus on the classic rock bands of the past. We dig out the lost classics, and covers (some done by your alternative favorites), and other assorted oddities.

Classic Rock is a guilty pleasure…some people feel guilty, and have to shower after they play their old classic rock lp’s, tapes, and cd’s. Not I! If it brought me joy in the early years of my life than I am cool with the same tunes now. Remember…I am a collector so I listen to everything (except radio). Not all will like these bands now, but some will. That’s ok with me…come enjoy. Tell a friend…I think you will be pleasantly surprised.”

The Who – Love Ain’t For Keeping (Mp3)
Eddie Money – Gimme Some Water (Mp3)
The Kinks – A Rock n Roll Fantasy (Mp3)
Kula Shaker – Hush (Deep Purple Cover) (Mp3)
AC/DC – Gone Shootin’ (Mp3)