Just in time for the coming holidays, our friends at Windian Records have a batch of five new 7″ vinyl releases arriving on store shelves tomorrow (11/30)—for those of you with good taste.
The first 150 of each single will be pressed on colored vinyl and with this new series, the label launches a subscription service with price breaks and bonus vinyl for all subscribers.
Head over to Windianright here for all your ordering and background info. And head below to preview all five of the freshly pressed singles.
M.O.T.O. 7″ EP WIN20008 KISSING ALL THE WRONG ASSES Another anthem heavy straight-ahead Rock N Roller from one of the most highly respected underground punkers from Chicago. Paul Caporino continues his 20 plus years of releasing solid singles and LPs and does not fall short on this 4 song kiss off to the industry. 500 hand-numbered copies. 150 mixed color wax singles club only, 350 black wax.
JUNGLE FEVER 7″ EP WIN20009 CRYIN’ BLOOD Debut single from this San Diego power punk dudette/dude trio. Ramones like 3-chord DSPM guitar thrashing and speedy 4/4 drum bashing with a Girls-In-The-Garage vibrating groove. Songs about getting screwed over by that special someone, you know, Rock and Roll. This band is up to good things, more singles on the way. 500 hand-numbered copies. 150 mixed color wax singles club only, 350 black wax.
LOVER! 7″ WIN20010 HOME ALONE A couple more perfect pop tunes from Memphis/Chicago transplant Rich Crook [Reatards, Lost Sounds, Knaughty Knights]. Lover! continues to churn out garage-pop thrashers and shows no signs of slowing down with a full LP release and European tour in January, 2011. The A-Side “Home Alone” is an ultimate example of what Rich does consistently, writes and records hook filled Rock and Roll in his room, alone. 500 hand-numbered copies. 150 mixed color wax singles club only, 350 black wax.
MAYBE, BABY 7″ EP WIN20011 ALL I’VE GOT Debut single from this Washington, DC barely-legal duo. Sounds reminiscent of Angry Angles/Killed by death, these 4 songs whip and slash at 45 RPM! Very youthful and fun, what Rock N Roll should sound like without being a dick about it. 500 hand-numbered copies. 150 mixed color wax singles club only, 350 black wax.
SUPERDESTROYERS 7″ WIN20012 YOU’RE BEING ERASED Debut single from these New Orleans punkers featuring Joe P [one of the many dudes that played keys for the SPITS]. Very cool sound with great street lyrics about NOLA, and the daily same old bullshit. 500 hand-numbered copies. 150 mixed color wax singles club only, 350 black wax.
First Laura Burhenn of the Mynabirds departs DC for the midwest and delivers one of our favorite LPs of the year.
Carol Bui swaps Washington, DC for Tacoma, Washington and subsequently is set to release her brand new LP ‘Red Ship’ in early 2011—and as evidenced by the first track we’ve offered here and others that I’ve previewed—she quite easily might have one of our most anticipated releases for the new year. The new tracks are exceptional. (And Carol’s on the drums…)
So, what gives? Something in the water here?
Well, Carol returns to DC next Wednesday night (12/8) for a homecoming show at the Black Cat and in advance of that date we’re hanging out with Carol all week and going through her music collection to uncover just what she’s been playing and listening to as she put together ‘Red Ship’ (which was actually recorded at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, so there’s hope for our region, hm?)
You’ll have an opportunity to win some tickets to Carol’s Black Cat show tomorrow, but beginning this morning, we’re counting down a few of the tracks that informed the new record.
Natacha Atlas – I Put A Spell On You | Natacha Atlas’s take on the song by Screaming Jay Hawkins. I think this was the song that ultimately made me take up belly dancing. I love Natacha’s more ‘authentic’ music, traditional Arabic arrangements and all, but this is such a fantastic fusion of blues, European drum loops, and sexualized orientalism.
The rhythmic theme of the song is a basic baladi beat I think (very common in Middle Eastern and belly dance music), and each ‘dum’ of the pattern punctures the song with thick, throbbing bass. Yes, I said ‘throbbing’. The Egyptian bagpipe interlude and outtro are f*cking bad ass. The way she sings, even just ‘la la la la’, is so very hot. Amazing.
Given the number and frequency of our ticket giveaways, I’ve often felt remiss that after a week or so of a build up, there’s been scant follow through here—most likely stemming from not wanting to be just another review and photo site.
But if you’ve ever wondered, “Hey, how was that?” we’ll try from time to time to provide some documentation.
This time, we’ve sent our friend and intrepid photographer, Erica Bruce over to The Posies show last week at the 9:30:
Alex Chilton was said to be rather cantankerous, but it’s fair to say his ghost was smiling brightly on the 930 Club last week. His old Big Star bandmates, The Posies and their catchy power pop stylings were in town Wednesday night with another Big Star-influenced performer, Brendan Benson. The Posies, brought their usual energetic and interactive live set in support of their latest release, BLOOD/CANDYand supported Benson as his backing band.
Power pop bands should never travel far without a little Big Star, so it was nice to hear Benson, and Posies guitarists/vocalists Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer deliver a mighty fine version of “September Gurls” during Benson’s encore. In the wrong hands, power pop can be schmaltzy and ear-cringing. But when it’s done right—as was the case Wednesday night—it showcases how, in the right hands, you can be reminded of all the reasons you love music.
TVD and the folks behind Record Store Day would like to remind you that Black Friday needn’t be spent at a dreadful, overcrowded mall. Your local mom and pop record retailers should just as easily be considered among your ‘must shop’ stops this coming Friday—and Saturday on something called “Small Business Saturday.”
The Record Store Day team has assembled a number of exclusive vinyl releases for the day and you can find that list right here.
Here’s some background direct from the RSD site:
“Word is out that your local indie record store may just be the place to be this Post-Thanksgiving-Shopping-Melee-Day, also known as Black Friday. And that’s because indie stores across the country will be the place to get special releases created just for you, for giving and getting this holiday season, and they’re scheduled for release on Black Friday.
Now, this is not Record Store Day, Jr. or RSD 11 or Son of the Return of Record Store Day. This is just a group of special releases that you can only find at record stores. Some of them are uber-limited, some of them are available at record stores before they’re available anywhere else. But they’re all special, and they kind of fly in the face of what Black Friday has become, which is “I have to shop, let’s see how fast and cheap I can get it over with.”
The magic of these pieces is that every one of them is something someone will really LOVE to get, and you’ll really ENJOY giving. And you’ll have the extra nice feeling of supporting a local independently owned business during the holidays.”
At the moment it’s a bit unclear whether DC’s shops have been able to put their hands on any of the Black Friday exclusives, but why not pay the stores over there in the left column a post turkey visit and find out?
Spaniards Delorean play the Rock and Roll Hotel next Tuesday (11/23) but before they have you dancing and sweating the night away, they’re holding a fan meet and greet at the Sweetgreen location on Capitol Hill.
We’ve got an opportunity for one of you to score their latest True Panther release, Subiza on vinyl—and if you’re here in DC—to come by the meet and greet and have your LP signed in person by the band. If your not in DC (or can’t get to the Capitol Hill Sweetgreen) you can still win the LP and have it personalized by Delorean.
First, the info on the meet and greet:
Meet Delorean at Sweetgreen on Capitol Hill Tuesday, 11/23 at 4PM 221 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003
Let us know why you should be chosen to win Delorean’s newest on vinyl and have it personally autographed by the band in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will have a new autographed LP to add to his or her collection.
We’ll close this one on Tuesday (11/23) at 9AM to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
Gothenburg-based Swedes Junip—Tobias Winterkorn (keyboards), Elias Araya (drums) and José González (vocals & guitar)—are touring behind their most recent release Fields and bring their hazy, organic, melodic, and hypnotic music to the Black Cat next Tuesday night, 11/23.
And wouldn’t you know it – we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away.
Let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to see Junip on Tuesday night in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will take home the tickets for the show.
We’ll close this one on Monday (11/22) at noon to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
Remember, we’ve teamed up with ReadysetDC for all of our ticket giveaways so you can enter to win either here at TVD or at ReadysetDC.
Kelsey Kopecky | It seems to me that the only comparison to my feeling about vinyl records is one with riding in a horse drawn carriage, or canning vegetables. To 20-something year olds, this not-so-common ritual usually is presented by our older family members in a story that starts with, “When I was your age…” My grandma Carolee, a hippie at heart who had me dressed in vintage threads at age 7, was the first to help me admire the craft of vinyl records. She explained to me that the beauty was not only present after the needle found the groove and started sliding, but in the large square texture and ink. Vinyl records offer something to hold in two hands.
I remember filing through Grandma’s records on her steps next to her Native American/western decor. With each flip of cardboard she told me why the Carpenters were so tasteful with harmonies only siblings could create, and why it is alright for naked body parts to be central for album artwork. After all, bodies are beautiful and God is an artist.
To this day while I shuffle through my own record collection, the smell of dusty attic mold is just as attractive as a pie in the oven. When I smell it I know something wonderful is close by. Vinyl is an interactive way to listen. It requires attention to be paid to the artist, lest down time cause the show to stop between side A and side B.
David Krohn | About five years ago I discovered listening to music on vinyl and it has changed the experience of listening to music for me in a way that I will always be grateful for. My appreciation for music began when I was in middle school, which was during the Napster era. As a result, I viewed music as a free, endless commodity where my friends and I would have an arms race to see who could build up the largest music library on our computers.
Having a large, well rounded music library is great, but it doesn’t allow the listener to give the music the proper time and respect that it deserves. I am a strong believer in listening to music in the way that the artist intended the listener to hear the artist’s work. When you listen to music on your computer or iTunes, it is far too easy to create a playlist and distract the listener from hearing the artist’s work in the entirety that the artist intended. Being an artist, I know that my band records an album or EP with the intentions of creating an experience where a lot of thought is put into the track-listing and transitions in between songs.
This is why I love vinyl so much: it forces the listener to hear the artist’s work exactly in the way that the artist intended the listener to hear it. You cannot make a playlist with LPs and you cannot skip from favorite track to favorite track with the same ease of iTunes. I typically buy a record because there is one song in particular from a band or artist that I love. Initially, when I listen to the record my experience revolves around my desire to hear that one song, and I will typically dislike most of the other tracks on the record. After listening to the record a few times that desire fades and the songs that I didn’t particularly like emerge as the underdog, becoming my favorite tracks on the record. It breaks my heart to think of all of the people creating playlists, missing out on having to make an effort to understand and enjoy the songs surrounding their favorite single on an album. Listening to music on vinyl creates a ritualistic experience for me. When I listen to vinyl it forces me to actively pay attention to the music, opposed to just listening to it in the background. After a few songs, I have to get up, walk to my turntable and flip the record. If I want music to be playing, I have nurture my turntable and flip the record when it needs to be flipped.
Vinyls add value to music for me. There is something magical about the weight, the large album art and the need to handle your records with care. I don’t have any prized mp3s or even prized CDs, but I have a handful of vinyls that I wouldn’t hesitate to grab first if my house was on fire.
When I am looking for a particular classic record, I will do everything in my power to get a first print, the older the records, the more of a story that they have to tell. My mom gave me her copy of Bill Wither’s Just as I Am on vinyl that she grew up listening to. It is one of my most prized possessions not only because it is a masterpiece, but because each scratch and hiss reminds me of my mother listening to that exact record having the same listening experience that I am having today.
Benjamin Kaufman | I have only been listening to music on vinyl for the past few years, but the transition has been more than satisfying. My love for vinyl is very similar to my love for film photography: it is real and it is tangible. For instance, when someone takes a picture using film, light is exposed for a millisecond on to a small piece of plastic film which creates an invisible image that only appears once the film is developed. Once light is exposed through the film onto photo-sensitive paper and is processed with chemicals, the previously invisible image appears out of nowhere. Not only do I love the fact that this tangible piece of paper is a representation of a moment I experienced in a different time and place, but also it is the result of completely scientific process…no iPhoto, no computers.
Same goes for vinyl records. What especially thrills me is that the music I am hearing when I put a record on is the actual workings of a needle passing over tiny little grooves that produces real, analog sound. I remember the first time one of my friends turned his stereo all the way down as the record was spinning, and showed me the sound the needle makes without amplification…I never knew a needle scratching wax could be so fascinating. Thanks again, Edison!
Ever since then, I’ve learned that music can be a completely different experience with vinyl. Yes, of course it is nowhere as convenient as your iPod shuffle, however listening to records forces one to make time to just sit down and listen to music in the way it was meant to be experienced: on album at a time.
A few favorites in my collection are Grizzly Bear’s Veckatimest, Billie Holiday’s Greatest Hits, and one of two records of Sigur Rós’ () album.
Gabriel Simon | My vinyl fascination started with my Dad’s Jim Croce Photographs record. I remember seeing the picture and being caught off guard by the look on the mustached man’s face. I recall the lyrics that were large enough to actually read and a black disk that I had no means to possibly listen to.
Later my 2nd college roommate Jordan would let me borrow his record player and I would sneak vinyls from his closet when he was at band practice. These extra records were an easy way for me to seem cool when I brought girls back to my dorm room… until he finally got mad about me stealing his records. M. Ward’s Hold Time was the record of choice.
When I finally moved into my new apartment I smuggled my friends record player when he wasn’t looking and placed it in my kitchen. I remember I had just brought a box of records back from my parents house and had been sifting through the good and the bad… and there I found it – Photographs by Jim Croce.
Still my favorite record ever written to date, I was finally able to listen to that little treasure, spurning a further love for vinyl, and a record collection that lines my entire living room wall.
Usually when we do these ticket contests, the thinking is to save you guys some money (for drinks, of course.) But this time it’s a little different.
Georgetown U. is doing away with its normally ‘closed-to-students’ policy for Saturday night’s Best Coast,Cults, and Long Walks on the Beach show and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away.
The really cool upside? The venue onlyholds 275 people, so you’ll be lucky to just get in for what promises to be a pretty intimate show that’s certain to sell out.
So yea, while we’ll save you some cash with this one, it’s the access for Saturday night that’s working in your favor.
So sure, you could RSVP on Facebook here, but a better idea is to let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to Saturday night’s show in the comments to this post and the most arm-twisty of the bunch will take home the tickets for the show.
We’ll close this one on Friday at noon to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
Remember, we’ve teamed up with ReadysetDC for all of our ticket giveaways so you can enter to win either here at TVD or at ReadysetDC.
Alright, alright – keep your shirts on. It’s true. The vinyl isn’t out yet but we’re in love with the new Bryan Ferry release Olympia here at TVD HQ. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving ‘n all and playing it forward, we’ve got the brand new one to award to one of you guys.
Oh—and another thing—we got a 16″ x 16″ litho of the above cover featuring the age/coke defying Kate Moss signed by Mr. Ferry himself. It’s one of only 200.
First however, some background:
The legendary Bryan Ferry returns with his brand new studio album Olympia, his debut for EMI’s Astralwerks Records. This will follow the release of the brand new single “You Can Dance” on August 10th.
The album features musical contributions from Nile Rodgers, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Groove Armada, Scissor Sisters, Marcus Miller, Flea, ex Stone Roses Mani (Primal Scream) and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. It also sees Bryan Ferry reunite on record with members of Roxy Music, including Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Mackay.
The album features eight new songs, and Ferry’s moving adaptation of Tim Buckley’s “Song To the Siren”; an amazing version of Traffic’s “No Face, No Name, No Number” as well as collaborations with Scissor Sisters (“Heartache By Numbers”) and Groove Armada (“Shameless”).
Enter to with the autographed litho and a copy of ‘Olympia’ by leaving a note in the comments to this post. Chime in with your own enthusiasm for Mr. Ferry and/or Roxy Music, and the most convincing and exuberant of the lot will win the giveaway.
We’ll give you a week and close this one on Monday, November 22. Remember to leave us a contact email address so we can let you know you’ve won!
Allow me to date myself (…which for years, I actually did.)
My very early education into alternate music was via Trouser Press, the ultimate indie publication when the term ‘indie’ was important, unlike its usage today (ie: unimportant.) I loved Creem and Circus too, but Trouser Press embraced everything radio—then and now—did not.
Intrinsic to that era was NYC’s ROIR Records who actually released everything back then – on cassettes. Odd perhaps, but they exhibited taste for miles with early releases from Suicide, The Beastie Boys, Glenn Branca, Bad Brains, New York Dolls, The Skatalites, Television, and Lydia Lunch among their stellar roster.
ROIR and TVD are partnering over the next seven days to offer you guys vinyl from that revered catalog both old and new. Underscoring this season of giving thanks, we’ve got a ROIR vinyl contest each and every day into next week before we take our traditional Thanksgiving break.
We’ve got vinyl – and some thoughts from the artists behind those records when possible.
First up is the brand new release, “In Search of a Black Judas” from Bad Brain’s bassist Darryl Jenifer.And a few words with the local legend:
“I love records. I wish I still had my old school Hi-Fi from back in the day. I can still hear the needle riding on the vinyl before the song would start. When I play vinyl I feel like I am really listening to music—Isley Brothers, Roy Ayers, the Ramones, Eater, the Damned, Earth Wind and Fire, shit—BAD BRAINS!
Vinyl rules the sonic spectrum of life. My kids have no idea what a album is. I hate CDs. I never respected them. Folks used to bitch at me all the time about fucking up their CDs. At first I thought they couldn’t scratch , I’d throw in the back of car like garbage. I never learned.
Tapes sound dope but too problematic to store – vinyl is the answer. I recently saw a album that I wrote my name on like how we used to do – old school. Naw, just school.” -dj
The rules for our next seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note – we can only ship within the US.)
We’ll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
Peggy Sue return to the States tonight as openers for Kate Nash at the 9:30. While our ticket contest to see them both (on us!) has closed, we thought it an opportune time for a little impromptu ‘First Date’ with the charming trio.
Do you listen to vinyl? What about its sound appeals to you? What was the last record you bought on vinyl?
Olly: Yes, vinyl is my preferred listening experience. Sonically the sound is much greater than that of CDs and especially MP3s. MP3s have to be so greatly compressed to fit all the data into a file. Someone in a lab somewhere decided what is audibly out of a human’s listening range and removed it from the files. For a demonstration of this just turn up your speakers at the end of “Sargent Pepper’s…” and your speakers will vibrate with the sound of a dog whistle. You can’t hear it but its there. Nowhere to be found on an MP3. Therefore vinyl has far more scope, depth, and warmth than anything digital.
Being on tour in America is great for record shopping because there are so many shops in funny places you would never expect. I have been spending most of my PD’s on this eroticism. The last record I bought was Korner Ray and Glover “The Return of Korner Ray and Glover.” It was $3.
Where are you drawing your musical inspiration from these days?
Rosa: I’ve always liked the Breeders but I didn’t get into the last album [Mountain Battles] when it came out because a like-minded friend told me it was a real departure for the worse from there previous records, and I hate being disappointed by bands you love, especially bands who release things so infrequently.
However, I bought it the other day on a whim and I really love it, so it’s probably proof you should never go on someone else’s musical opinion alone. Sonic Youth are one of my two favourite bands, and I think one of the best things about them is that they’re so prolific that I’m still buying albums I haven’t heard all the songs from. I’m also listening to the Velvet Underground and Nico a lot at the moment because I really want to rip off the durgy sound of “Venus In Furs” on a new song we’re writing for our second album.
It’s interesting when you’re writing songs because you just seem to devour new music looking for inspiration but writing the second album I seem to be doing a lot of looking backwards at music that really inspired me to want to be in a band in the first place.
Any funny stories to share from this Kate Nash tour?
Olly: I vomited and all the crew members stepped in it. Now they call us Peggy Spew. Katy and Rosa drank the bottle of whiskey that turned out to be the tour manager’s dad’s Christmas present. Much offense was taken to the fact that Rosa had mixed it with concentrated orange juice.
We spent a week with The Posies in late September to celebrate the release of the brand new (and damn fine) BLOOD/CANDY. Jon and Ken blogged for a number of days here at TVD, waxing nostalgic on well, wax—and some of the records that loomed large in their shared backstory. Hell, we even gave away a few copies of the new one on vinyl.
The one thing we didn’t pull off however was tickets to see the band live because—although they’ve been touring—it was all Europe and far-flung dates to kick off the BLOOD/CANDY promotion.
They’re sweeping through the States now however in tandem with Brendan Benson, and better late than never, we’ve got a pair of tickets to award one of you to Wednesday night’s Posies show here in DC at the 9:30.
Let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to see The Posies on Wednesday night in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will take home the tickets for the show.
We’ll close this one on Tuesday at 9AM to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
Remember, we’ve teamed up with ReadysetDC for all of our ticket giveaways so you can enter to win either here at TVD or at ReadysetDC.
I’d like to thank DJ Thompson for featuring TVD on his BreakthruRadio show “Anatomy of a Blogger” which went live yesterday, 11/11.
Head over to Breakthru to catch a chat with yours truly by selecting the Program Guide on the radio dial (top left) and select “Anatomy of a Blogger” from yesterday’s schedule.
Update: Aw hell, why make you work for it. Here’s the show. My voice is really not that…er, tweaked?
Synergy:The Autumn Defense’s new LP, “Once Around” is a TVD Fall Giveaway. Serendipity: The Autumn Defense play Iota this coming Monday, 11/15.
Coincidence: The Autumn Defense were with TVD in October (Autumn!) in a special Yep Roc Week feature right here.
Spooky, hm?
To complete the circle, we’ve got the new LP for you to win and spin and ponder the complexities of life.
Let us know why you should be chosen to receive The Autumn Defense’s new ‘Once Around’ in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will find the LP in his or her mailbox
We’ll close this one on Wednesday (11/17) to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
