Monthly Archives: July 2010

Aminal appear TONIGHT (7/7) at Velvet Lounge.

“When my brother and I were little kids, we had surprisingly limited exposure to the magical world of rock. That’s probably because our folks had waited for years to have kids so their tastes were a little out of step with the times. In fact, they were raised on Big Band music — Glen Miller, Stan Kenton, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey — and they passed this on to us. It’s what they knew; along with a bunch of genuinely weird kitschy comedy stuff that is so obscure I won’t even name-drop it here, this is what we were raised on.

My mom had worked for a radio station while my dad was on grad school. Like any good employee, she scored plenty of free swag. Mostly, though, she took home random oddities ranging from the sweet jazz of the Ray Bryant Trio to the proto “Hee-Haw” yucks of Homer & Jethro and the more refined Stan Freberg. Okay, so maybe I reneged on the name dropping moratorium. It’s all for a good cause, though, I promise.

All of this was on vinyl, LPs and singles. In fact, my parents even had a treasure trove of primo 78rpm discs; I think about slipping a few into my suitcase every time I go home — I mean, it’s not like anyone else in my family will ever want to listen to these things. The only problem is that I don’t even have a turntable capable of spinning a 78 — I don’t even know whether I know anyone who does.

But I do have a turntable — two, in fact. One is an ancient analog device and the other is one of those neat vinyl-to-digital thingies. I need the latter because I overcompensated for my lack of rock by going off the rails in music consumption when I was in high school. I’d already been massively into The Beatles starting in grade school, but everything shifted into high gear when a new music store opened near my neighborhood. Among the other media, the store stocked used vinyl — lots and lots of used vinyl. The sweet deal about this was that the store was about as big as a Brooklyn apartment (translation: not). They couldn’t store all of the stuff they bought from people, so they had a box of free records by the door.

Free. Records. And they refilled it almost daily. They had to, because I and my brother would clean it out every time we went in to buy stuff; thanks to our lame teenage jobs, this was a regular thing. The amazing part is what they dumped: first pressings of the Stooges and the MC5 on Elektra; original red label Decca early Stones albums in mono; The Kinks entire Warner/Reprise catalog, again in mono. Don’t get me wrong, we brought home plenty of junk along with the jewels. Still, finding that stuff totally changed my musical life for the better — in my hometown, nobody would have turned me on to that kind of music in a thousand years. Pathetically, I still have the majority of the stuff we picked up back then, both good and bad — almost 40 crates full of some of the greatest sounds ever produced, along with some of the worst. Those crates are one of the prime reasons I try to relocate as seldom as is humanly possible.”
—Joe Caparo, Bass

Find Aminal on their Myspace

Aminal – Drag Me Away (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

Reeling back to life after July 4, we’re quite pleased to kick off a new week with Gang of Four and a brand new track from their forthcoming release.

Make sure you head on over to the band’s website as there is a free digital bundle of band artifacts currently available there. As well as making a great read, this bundle also contains some original artwork that makes for some really cool and completely exclusive desktop backgrounds. Jon and Andy fill us in:

“We’re emerging blinking into the light after many months locked in Andy’s studio, clutching Gang of Four’s new album: Content. Later this summer you’ll be able to buy it on download or CD. But we’re offering weirder and more wonderful options to a limited number of GO4 aficionados. You might enjoy a listen to our first ever gig (recorded in Leeds in May 1977), provided to you on a cassette inside a Walkman individually decorated by Andy and Jon. A private view of an exhibition of GO4 art combined with a gig in London’s ICA this June are just some of the other possibilities… Jon & Andy”

Gang of Four – You Don’t Have to Be Mad (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

“Growing up in Portland, OR, I have to admit I was oblivious to the rich muddy history of the Memphis Music scene with the exception of a vague awareness of Sun Studios and Elvis Presley, given to me by my father and his college degree from UC Santa Cruz in the history of Country and Western Music. So when I came to Ardent, referred to the lovely Rachel by my best friend and occasional tour partner, John Elliott, I had to admit I was incredibly taken aback by the eponymous albums hanging on the brick walls of the hallway down which I was stumbling, sleep deprived.

It was February of 2009 and the International Folk Alliance was exploding in the Memphis Marriott overlooking the deep and hungry Mississippi. I am in turns either a tornado, or a responsible and clean cut grown-up… while participating in this conference I tend towards the former, often staying up til 8am, drunk and barefoot in the hotel lobby with my dear brothers and sisters in arms; comrades who understand and also subject themselves to a meager living, the world through a windshield, small stages with (hopefully) quiet eager audiences, stranger’s sofas, and gas station coffee… all to play songs.

I found myself driven to Ardent by one of my heroes, Cory Branan, Memphis’s prodigal son and painfully brilliant songwriter. Cory gave me the quick run-down of who had wrung the very blood from their hearts into the red brick and blonde walls of Ardent Studios… I obviously had no idea what I was getting into. The faces of famous musicians watched me pass by as I walked to a room that has the warmth of countless voices embedded in it’s walls.

Weary, I played my heart out (a heart which had been recently broken and also just been stunned by the walls of Jerusalem two weeks prior) to an incredible sound engineer, Alan Burcham, the beautiful Rachel Hurley, and a few others. You can hear my voice crack like ice in a few tracks. It felt only natural to let it all go in that room. I am so grateful I got the chance to sing under the branches of that amazing family tree. Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t know anything about it before I set foot there, I probably would’ve been a bit more nervous.

I left feeling entirely more full than when I arrived. My deep appreciation to Ardent for capturing me in this moment… It is a true honor to be included in Ardent Presents. May it continue to bring the sweat and the blood and the spit out of people, in song form, that is.

I am writing this from the shot-gun seat of the 15 passenger van I am traveling in all summer with my band—Andrew Pressman on bass, Trevor Smith on banjo and Anthony da Costa (a fantastic songwriter in his own right) on lead guitar and harmonies. We are pushing my new album When May Came which includes many of the songs I recorded in my first Ardent Session.

Driving through the luscious hills of southern California, we just finished listening to Cory’s Ardent Session which was recorded in the hour after mine that same day. I sweet talked the engineer into mailing me a copy of Cory’s sesh in addition to mine. His recording has become a favorite among our friends. Shhhh!”
—Raina Rose

The Ardent Sessions Presents: Raina Rose | The Vinyl District Podcast [72.5Mgs]

Enter to win Raina Rose’s CD “When May Came” by simply leaving a comment, your name, and a contact email address in the comments to this post. We’ll choose one winner each Friday for that week’s giveaway which ALSO includes the entire Ardent Music catalog. (That’s just 2 artists at this point, but hey, who’s counting?)

To hear more great Ardent Sessions please visit Ardent Presents.

Our friends The Caribbean are on the road in support of their upcoming Hometapes release “Discontinued Perfume” and with nary an arm twist, they’ve agreed to fire off missives from the road.

And we’ve agreed to only publish HALF the photos they send…because…well, y’know.
—Ed.

Michael & Dave in Cleveland

JUNE 29
Road hit hard. Heading for Cleveland to escape the furnace of DC in late June. Unnecessary as furnace is traded for a lovely vornado fan. Thanks hometown. My hipstamatic & I find high art wherever we aim out gaze. Why do I need Matt & Dave. Oh shit: Matt’s driving. Dave: jury’s out. Good ‘stache.

Green room at Empty Bottle

JUNE 30
A beautiful Chicago day greeted us. Quick trip to Dusty Groove. Hideously early load-in, but the Empty Bottle is such a fucking pro establishment. Always organized. Great sound. A spacey lighting guy who asks, “How do you want your lights.” Wow: that really makes you think.

Matt in Chicago

Meeting up with Bill & Hometapes label mates, Nick Butcher & All Tiny Creatures is fabulous. Each have subtly altered elements of their live presentation that work really well. ATC have added disembodied harmony vocals that blended in perfectly. I miss their usual drummer Ben (in Europe), but Jeff, Ben’s replacement, is terrific and a pretty aggressively funny guy. He’s also a linguist, so that spells hijinx.

Blue house in PA

Decent-sized audience for a summer Wednesday night and a very underground group from Washington, DC. We played some new stuff from Discontinued Perfume (out 10/19) and it went over well. A little rough around the edges and some audience is video-taping us, but a good night all around. My cousin Steve showed, Tom of ATC made me drink whiskey, my beard got some love. Did discover that my friend Radley, the club cat, passed away last year, but 19 years is a nice run.

Off to Daytrotter session in Rock Island, IL and then gig in Milwaukee w/ATC. More later.

Matt of The Caribbean catches up w/the talented & dainty Nick Butcher

Girl in a Coma has been featured here on TVD before, but for those of you unfamiliar with them, they are three amazing women from San Antonio. Nina, the lead singer and guitarist, Jenn, Nina’s sister and bassist for the group, and drummer Phanie, who isn’t biologically related to her bandmates but has known them so long and is so close with them she practically is.

GIAC came through DC opening for Sia at the 9:30 Club not too long ago and they sat down with TVD to discuss touring, vinyl records and their new album Adventures in Coverland.

Kris: So this is your third time to DC?
Jenn: It could be our fifth…
Kris: Haha…wow…how long would you say you’ve been touring for?
Jenn: Since 2004.
Kris: So you’ve toured with Tegan and Sara, Morrissey, the Pogues, Social D…would you say you feel like your veterans now?
Jenn: No, we’ve got a lot more work to do. We’re…right now…we’re a good opening act.
Nina: We’re good bridesmaids. [laughs all around]
Kris: Have you had any surprises or crazy things on this tour or any in the past?
Jenn: Just our tour manager…he’s our first totally straight tour manager so we’re learning lots from him. [whole group laughs]
Kris: When I heard you guys were coming to town with Sia, I was kind of surprised. Your sound is like…day and night. How did that come about?
Jenn: It was actually kind of cool. We played at the Michigan Women’s Festival and we had soundcheck at like 8:30 in the morning. We showed up early and are soundchecking and their tent is inside the grounds of the festival. Sia and her friend were in a tent and they came out and were like “You woke us up!” and we said “SORRY!” and she said “No. I loooved it.” It was really cool. We played later that night and as soon as we were done she was like “We gotta tour together!”
Kris: It’s funny it happened that way because I heard that’s kind of what happened with Morrissey.
Jenn: Yeah he came to see us play and…we just happened to be in the right place at the right time.. We know Boz his guitarist and so he called us up and we just happened to be there.
Kris: I mean I’m sure it was partly the right place and the right time but you guys have an amazing sound that stands on its own. To have an all female group that sounds like you all do…maybe it’s a little right place right time but your talent speaks for itself. So I heard you guys did South By Southwest recently. And I know you’re from San Antonio…although Austin isn’t San Antonio…did you guys feel like the whole home-town vibe?
Nina: The crowds there were just amazing. The fans are so dedicated and some fans from San Antonio go to Austin and vice versa.
Phanie: Texans in general are just so supportive of us. People travel around wherever we go in Texas.
Jenn: The best show for us is San Antonio. It’s like no other show anywhere. It’s weird…there’s an energy there. It’s a sense of pride I think, for what we’re doing.
Kris: So do you have a favorite place to play at home?
Nina: 213…that was the first place we ever played but that closed down…
Jenn: I mean we don’t really have a favorite place because so many places come and go…
Phanie: We just make sure we can accommodate people where we play. Make sure it’s all ages and there’s room.
Kris: And I’m sure your fans appreciate the thought you put into your shows too. Let’s talk a little about females in the music industry. You guys are on Joan Jett’s Blackheart label which is awesome because it’s so women oriented. But a lot of the music industry will mold women into what they think consumers will buy. Have you ever had to deal with that, with people telling you to be more like one thing or another?
Nina: Our label is great because they give us total creative freedom. As far as appearance and things, I mean there’s been things said but we’re not going to listen to it. We’re not going to go out there in heels…unless we’re feeling funky. We’re not out there to promote a face, we’re out there to promote our music.
Jenn: Blackheart pretty much has let us do what we want to. They’re really good with us.
Nina: They totally respect us and when we say “we don’t want to do that. We’re not going to compromise” they totally understand.
Jenn: It’s been like a really good family. They are perfect for us right now. They’re good to us. I mean when we first got signed we were like “woah Joan Jett.” She’s one of our heroes but now it’s just…
Phanie: we’re like family.
Kris: So do you guys still get a little star struck? I’m mean Joan Jett, Frank Black, the Pogues, Cyndi Lauper…
Jenn: Morrissey was a big one. Dave Navarro. Cyndi Lauper…I mean once you meet these people you realize that they’re people. We respect and honor what they do but we don’t change the way we are for anyone or anything like that.
Kris: So is this tour as relaxed as previous tours?
Jenn: Sia has been a sweetheart.
Nina: But we got trained from the Morrissey tour to kind of keep to ourselves in a way and to totally respect the main act. I mean if we get invited to hang out that’s totally fine.
Kris: You’ve played with all of these amazing groups. And I think you hold your own extremely well…so is there anyone in the future you want to tour with?
Nina: MIKE PATTON!
Jenn: Why don’t you just ask our publicist…?
Nina: Because I don’t want it to happen like that. I want him to find me.
Kris: Maybe you should do a sound check outside his bedroom window.
Nina: [laughing]: I would totally do it, with a little battery powered amp too!
Jenn: The Breeders would be awesome…they were doing some shows…
Phanie: The Pixies
Jenn: I mean all these bands that are still playing today that we’re influenced by- that would be amazing. Smashing Pumpkins, though not all original. Hole, though they’re not all the original members…
Nina: Silverchair
Jenn: Oh yeah! Even though we’re not in the same style of music. Just one show would be awesome because bands…you never know when they’re going to just stop touring, so it would be nice…
Kris: Are there any lesser-known bands, bands from your home town, that you’d like to bring on tour?
Jenn: Of course!
Nina: Hot Pistol
Phanie: Pinata Protest
Jenn: Blue Means Go…these bands from our hometown, they’re so fantastic. And we know how hard it is to tour, especially with gas being so expensive. Phanie has always offered a hand in booking because she’s really good at it.
Kris: Let’s talk a little about your new album Adventures in Coverland. I always love it when bands do a cover especially when it’s done right like you guys have. I mean your cover of Transmission… it just blows me away every time I hear it and is definitely my favorite of the album. Do you guys have a favorite on this new record?
Nina: I like the David Bowie cover. [“As the World Falls Down” which they played later that night]
Jenn/Phanie: Oh yeah.
Jenn: But Transmission…that one is so…
Nina: I mean it’s great because we pulled it off.
Jenn: For me I always wanted us to do this creepy kind of song and there it is- it just happened with Greg Collins and Nina…
Phanie: It just wrote itself
Kris: It just sounds so natural
Jenn: It is!
Kris: I know you just did an entire EP of covers so I’m curious as to whether you’d do more in the future.
Nina: Definitely…Eventually I’d like to cover some Jeff Buckley and Tom Waits…Especially Tom because he has such a weird raspy voice…
Jenn: Elvis and Rufus Wainwright for sure because one of my favorite songs for years was “Don’t” by Elvis and she [Nina] played it for us acoustically and it like “oh my gosh…”
Phanie: Nirvana!
Nina: Yeah? I just always feel so weird about Nirvana…in the beginning, when I was learning to play songs I just could never touch their music…I don’t know
Kris: Well, if Dave Grohl can mess things up the way he has I’m sure you guys will be fine…So are there any songs of yours that you would love to hear someone cover in the future?
Nina: El Morte…to hear a guy do it would be amazing
Jenn: Trio…oh but El Morte would be great, we did an acoustic show and we opened up for David Garza and the idea was to have her [Nina] sing and then switch off a line…
Nina: The idea was to have it kind of like a play…
Jenn: But he said “I don’t think I can sing it right!”
Nina: So he just sang background… we’d love to hear a guy sing it…

Kris: I want to switch gears a little and talk about records. Vinyl is something so special for TVD’s readers…are you guys into records? Do you have a favorite one?
[Whole group]: Yah!
Nina: I have a record player tattoo [she shows me her arm with a gorgeous black and white piece of an old school record player]…my mom actually gave me my first record- Billie Holiday.
Jenn: Yeah our mom’s funny. We live together and I’ll come home and say “look at this Elvis record I got!” and she’s says “no! I’m going to steal that!”…As for my record collection it’s, you know this big [she stretches out her arms] of Elvis Records
Nina: She has doubles of things….
Jenn: And of course the bands we go on tour with, we love to get their vinyl…Phanie and I were in this big competition for a while with 80s records…and color vinyl is always cool, Phanie has some Morrissey and Smiths I’m really jealous of…and Nina just got a Beatles record on this tour and she got Mousercize! [A Disney-produced work-out record]
Nina: Yeah there’s even pictures in there so that I know what I’m doing, so that I don’t hurt myself [everyone laughs].
Jenn: Everything today is so ADD, and all you have to do to listen to something is download it. But with vinyl you have no fucking choice but to relax- set it up, put it on- you don’t wanna keep switching you just want to enjoy it. And that’s what’s great about records. I got a cool stereo console, I think they have the best record sounds because it has a thick bass-yness to it. And I found it on Craigslist and I said “hey Phanie, hang out with me. We’ll get some beers and listen to records.” But she had to go so I had to do it by myself…
Nina: But that’s still so nice to do…
Jenn: Yeah it really is a great time. We adore records.
Nina: I love hearing Tom Waits on vinyl because it sounds just so old and classic.
Kris: We had a big debate in my house the other night about the difference between digital and analog and how Trent Reznor or someone hates this person because they only record in analog but I think that even when something is digitally recorded if it’s on vinyl it still sounds amazing…
Jenn: Oh definitely. You’re able to pick out the instruments in a whole new way. Though Joan said it when we were recording…what did she said?
Phanie: She said it sounded nerdy…
Jenn: Yeah like “We’re making records. That doesn’t sound cool at all. But when you say “albums” that sounds cooler.”
Kris: I, and I think a lot of people, appreciate that you sell vinyl online and at your shows.
Jenn: It’s definitely been beneficial for us because Sia isn’t selling any music on this tour and we have all of our CDs and vinyls and they’ve been selling a lot more.
Nina: Yeah the next tour we do we’re just going to steal all of their stuff and they’ll wonder why they’re not selling but we are [everyone laughs].
Jenn: As a matter of fact we have a new shirt on this tour that I drew that’s like the evolution of vinyl…
[I have the shirt and can personally vouch for the fact that it’s great!]
Kris: So you guys design your own shirts?
Jenn: Yeah and then our manager helps us out.
Kris: So speaking of next tour…what’s next?
Nina: All of June we’ll be working on our album- just ironing it out. And a lot of little projects. Then we’re going to Poland to headline their kind of version of Woodstock.
Kris: Well I think that’s it guys. Thanks for speaking with us and have a great show!

GIAC is on tour right now. Head to their website for tour dates. If you’re in the DC Metro area they will be at Jammin Java on July 20.