“I grew up listening to the only record my mother owned, a greatest hits collection of second wave ska band The Selecter entitled Selecter Selected Selections. She said that she had “gotten it as a gift in college” and never listened to it or really enjoyed it. She always stayed on the Enya side of things.
Me and my brothers listened and danced around the indestructible Fisher Price record player listening to that Selecter record on repeat for hours.
Sleeping in the Aviary – Talking Out of Turn
I blame this album for my older brother’s intense passion for the third wave ska bands of the 90’s, which were mostly awful when compared to this.
This great song about the virtue of patience was on a children’s music record called Music Machine, that had all sorts of songs containing life lessons such as gentleness, kindness, and self-control.
…and we have a opportunity for you to catch the band live tonight—on us!
Every year at this time we start trawling through the piles of vinyl and CD’s, and scrolling down through our digital library to make a judgement on the records of the year. A strong contender in the album category is the self titled debut by The Stepkids.
The Stepkids music is a fusion of punk and jazz, West African and 1960s folk, neo and classic soul, classic funk, and 20th century classical. The band produce, engineer, and record themselves on good old-fashioned reel-to-reel tape. It’s psychedelic music for the 21st century.
I’m trying to be objective here and it ain’t easy.
We’ve been a fan of Nicole Atkins for years now. She was the very first to curate TVD for a week over two years ago. She headlined our SXSW showcase last March. We’ve gone record shopping together.
She took the time to play an in-store at DC’s Som Records this summer. We’ve given away stacks of her LPs and singles. Hell, I even have a spiffy Nicole Atkins key chain she handed me after a Rock and Roll Hotel show maybe 2 years ago.
The Next Waltz sold out the Alberta Rose Theatre on Saturday night. About 60 Portland musicians performed songs by The Band, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris and more to recapture The Band’s legendary farewell concert. Above, Jeff Rosenberg dresses the part for Van Morrison’s “Caravan.”
Manchester Orchestra made their debut at the 9:30 Club on 11/14 as part of the Pac Tour with special guests The Dear Hunter and White Denim. Led by Andy Hull, the 90-minute set showcased the band’s raw talent in a live atmosphere, playing songs off of their recent album Simple Math.
While many may believe such an emotionally dynamic band could only pull off their power sound in a studio production, Manchester Orchestra‘s drummer Tim Very translates the album’s strength with the additional percussion forces of Chris Freeman. Furthermore, the feuding guitars of Hull and Robert McDowell generate a talented blend of tension and harmony on stage.
The Vinyl District caught up with McDowell before the show to discuss the dynamic of the band and their latest album release. Check out the video interview and some shots from the stage below.
Last Tuesday, your TVD Chicago writers headed up to the Music Garage to chat with Chicago rockers Filligar about vinyl, Chicago, family, and their upcoming record.
After cracking open a few beers, and taking a look around their studio, we sat down with Casey Gibson, and brothers Johnny, Teddy and Pete Mathias. Making music together for over 10 years, Filligar has been able to evolve and progress to a place in their music that most young bands are never able to get to.
Working on their upcoming album, a follow-up to The Nerve (2010), Filligar is back in Chicago. They will be celebrating their homecoming this Thursday at the Hideout for a sold out show with Paper Thick Walls. Didn’t grab your tickets? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
MP3 or Vinyl?
Casey: Vinyl obviously, that’s a no-brainer. The convenience obviously of MP3, there’s something to be said for that. I’ve inherited all of my parent’s records, and I’d like to think that I have a pretty mean collection. You throw on a record, and it’s an experience.
Teddy: The argument has generally been, what’s the better quality? I think that it’s pretty easy to make an argument in the favor of vinyl. For me, when you put on an MP3, it kind of serves as background music, but if you’re putting on a record, you’re actually listening to it. That’s why music fans listen to vinyl – cause they are actually listening.
9:30 Club has graciously ensured that this Wednesday night, someone is getting laid.
Imagine: the lush croons of Robin Thicke, drinks and snacks, all courtesy of the club. One lucky winner will receive not only a pair of tickets but also a $20 gift card to use on food and drinks at the show.
Thicke has come a long way from just being known as the hottie progeny of ’80s Growing Pains star Alan Thicke. His last three albums have all hit the Top 10 on Billboard and have been in the Top 5 on the R&B charts. His fifth studio albumLove After War will be released on December 6th, and the title track’s video was just released last week.
I caught up with Ben Nichols of Lucero last weekend during their two-night stand at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville. We shot the shit over things like the new record, the condition of his voice, the dream lineup at the Nashville shows (for which folks came from near and far to attend), and the possibility of touring with Frank Turner in the UK.
As fond as I already was of Ben Nichols The Songwriter and Musician, I came away with an equal fondness for Ben Nichols The Man. I could not help but be endeared by his humility, graciousness, and apparent deep love and respect for his family. I don’t think you’ll be able to help yourself either.
How did these Lucero/Glossary/Austin Lucas shows come to be? It’s kind of a dream lineup.
Well, Glossary’s on tour with Austin Lucas right now, which I haven’t seen yet. I haven’t seen Glossary backing up Austin yet, and I bet it’s amazing. I’m real curious to see how that goes. I’m sure it’ll be amazing. And, well, I did the first Revival Tour with Austin, and that’s where I met him, and we’ve run into him here and there, but we’ve never done a Lucero show with Austin before, that I can recall. We’ve kept in touch, though. We’ve always kind of run in the same circles, and so the fact that Glossary was out on tour with him, and Todd Beene plays with us and Glossary, it just kind of all fell together. So, of course, with Glossary being from Murfreesboro, having them as the opener is just ideal.
We’re all big fans of Glossary, and in fact, I’m just super-jealous of Joey Kneiser—well, actually the whole band. They really are possibly my favorite band right at the moment. The way I see it, I’m just trying to keep up with them, as far as songwriting and making music goes. I’m just trying to approach getting anywhere near that good, and ya know, I actually get to see them play. It’s nice playing shows with friends.
It’s our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices and PR agencies want you to be hearing. We post you decide.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and where you are from?
We are Vic and Gab, we are sisters currently living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Our music lingers in a mix of indie pop/rock with sweet harmonies, hooky bass and guitar lines.
I have been enjoying your track ‘I Haven’t Seen You’ for some time. Can you tell The Vinyl District the story behind it?
I wrote this song with the idea of wasted love. How sometimes we have so much more left to give but due to circumstances, like distance, it can’t be. So you dwell on the past and start to panic when you can’t remember certain details. Like a person’s face or voice but you force yourself to remember. “I Haven’t Seen You” is about that panic.
Who has influenced your music the most?
I think the bands that we listened to when we were kids, like Rush, The Who, and The Police are really embedded in our heads. Especially with Rush, we were fascinated with their execution and their musicianship. It’s something we strive for.
We’re closing up shop a bit early this week but we’ll leave you in the more than capable hands of our pal, Jon Sidel. We’ll see you back here on Monday. Happy Thanksgiving to all! —Ed.
Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
Thanksgiving weekend is here—and thank god, I need a break. Not from cutting the Idelic Hour, but a break from life outside our little canyon. Here the music plays on.
For now, we’ll play everything short and save it for the songs.
The Idelic Hit of the Week: Thee Oh Sees – The Dream
After struggling through soundcheck Jesse Sykes apologized to the early arrivals at IOTA, calling the soundcheck “demoralizing,” and allowing her drummer a chance to check his mics and exit.
Moments later, Jesse Sykes (Lead Vocals and Guitar), Phil Wandscher (Guitar), Bill Herzog (Bass), Eric Eagle (Drums) stepped on stage and into an entirely musical introduction, 100 percent psychedelic rock/folk, stoner, garage, heavy guitar, blissful. After they grew better acquainted with the stage Wandscher asked, ” Can we dim those lights, I feel like I’m tripping acid?” The lights dimmed, and we hear “Come to Mary” from their fourth LP Marble Son, released August 2nd, and in this recent release, JS&SH dove deep into the dark psychedelic and side-stepped much of the alternative country overtones.
When Sykes let’s loose I’m taken back to the ’60s, I close my eyes, and I hear Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane (who, being called “The Acid Queen” long ago, only adds punch to Wandscher’s comments). Jesse’s voice may often dip into eerie, but in songs like “Ceilings High” paired with the “jam band”-style guitar and slide, it works, feeling more like a playful Phish song than one from the late ’60s. But heading back to their sweet spot in “Hushed by Devotion”and out of the lighter ballads, I think Sykes really shines.
I’m sure that many people didn’t know how to react when first noticing this name on the 9:30 Club’s list of shows: Peter Murphy.
Whether as a member of early ’80s, gloom rock outfit Bauhaus or through his own somewhat haunting brand of pseudo-pop solo work—a deep and prototypical catalog in total, Murphy has always managed to deliver as a showman of showmen. However, I think that it’s fair to say that Murphy is often overlooked and unheralded as a post-punk and experimental monarch.
Enter: She Wants Revenge, a band whose appeal and energy respectfully borrows and extends from the gothic subculture that Peter Murphy and his contemporaries helped to cultivate in song and stage.
Rare are those moments where students share the stage with their teachers. Even rarer are the times that such combinations work—as generations clash in the pit and stands. On a chilly and wet night on V Street, Peter Murphy descended upon DC with She Wants Revenge in tow for an appropriately late show that managed to defy the odds in many ways. Filled with both young and middle-aged kids who have been drawn to their brands of cold dance and aesthetic for years and years, shades of horror-glam rock’s original spirit was brought to the floor.
I’ve been going to see Lucero for years. I’ve been to rowdy shows, calm shows, crowded shows, empty shows, and sloppy shows (my favorites, to be honest).
I’ve been to shows where the openers were people I’d never heard of, and I’ve been to others with openers the likes of Amy LaVere, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm, Cory Branan, Drag the River, and Frank Turner, just to name a few. I’ve been to shows I can’t remember, and I’ve been to shows I’ll never forget. With Austin Lucas and Glossary as support, this past weekend’s two-night stand at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville without a doubt falls into the latter category.
The first night’s opening act was local Murfreesboro, TN rock band Glossary, who were there to support their seventh full-length album Long Live All of Us, which frontman Joey Kneiser calls “an all-inclusive homage to humanity” that emphasizes such qualities as “mercy, redemption, forgiveness, and second chances.” Their set included some of my long-time favorites, as well as one of my newest favorites, “Bruised Ribs,” off of Joey Kneiser’s free, downloadable solo album, The All-Night Bedroom Revival (which happens to be one of Ben Nichols’ favorite albums right now).
The second night’s opener was a particularly special treat: Bloomington, IN musician Austin Lucas with “one of his favorite bands in the world,” Glossary, as his back-up. Austin was there supporting his new full-length album A New Home in the Old World as well as showcasing some new songs, like “So Much More Than Lonely.” As Lucero frontman Ben Nichols put it, “He can fucking sing, he can fucking write a song, and he can fucking play guitar.” Considering the folk and bluegrass lineage from whence he comes (his father is Bob Lucas), it’s no surprise.
We’re concluding our Record Store Day Black Friday Vinyl Giveaways today where we’ve had a vinyl giveaway every day until we close for Thanksgiving—which just so happens to be in a few hours from now.
Be sure to stop by your local independent record store on Black Friday itself to pick up one of the Black Friday Special Releases—special limited edition vinyl released that day. In the meantime, enter to win one of our picks of already-released material for your lists of the nice, or if you prefer, naughty.
Our run of autographed items wraps itself up today with the above single “Go Outside” from Cults, whom I think we all can agree had a pretty stellar 2011. The band just announced a run of new tour dates for 2012 which you find right here.
Cults (feat. Freddie Gibbs) – Bad Things (Remix)
Enter to win the Cults autographed single by simply telling us what you’re most excited to pick up on Black Friday at your local indie record shop—and which store you’ll be hitting up for that purchase. We’re big on shout-outs for this one, so let us hear it.
The winner will be chosen after we return from the holiday on Monday, November 28th, and must have a mailing address in North America.
