Monthly Archives: December 2012
TVD’s The Idelic Hour with Jon Sidel
Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
Thanks for tuning in this year.
Be strong. Be warm.
Be safe. Be creative.
Be amazing. Be peace. Be love.
And rock on!
The Idelic Hit of the Week:
Kingswood – Change of Heart
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TVD Vinyl Giveaway: Paul McCartney, Kisses on the Bottom
TVD is delighted to have been selected by the team behind the Paul McCartney Archive Collection to exclusively spotlight the meticulous work Paul has personally supervised with the reissue series from his back catalog—all newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios.
In the spirit of the season, the entire Paul McCartney Archive Collection has been available to TVD readers through a series of special giveaways during the month of December, courtesy of Sir Paul and his team. We’ve been selecting five winners for each 180 gram vinyl reissue package.
We end our run of giveaways with a release outside of the Archive Collection and Paul’s latest, 2012’s Kisses on the Bottom.
“Kisses On The Bottom is a collection of standards Paul grew up listening to in his childhood as well as the two new McCartney compositions “My Valentine” and “Only Our Hearts.”
With the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band, McCartney’s new album is a deeply personal journey through classic American compositions that, in some cases, a young Paul first heard his father perform on piano at home. The full tracklisting reveals that Paul has been both reverent and adventurous in his song choices.”
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Graded on a Curve:
The Best New Releases for 2012
In no way is this list an attempt to establish a firm hierarchy of quality for the vast amount of new music released in 2012. That’s an endeavor best executed with the added advantage of time, allowing one to hear more and listen better. No, this is simply a list, in ascending order, of the new vinyl releases that brought me the most pleasure during this calendar year.
10. Mission of Burma, Unsound | These Bostonian art-punk elders completed the fourth entry in a now quite lengthy and most welcome return to relevancy, and it’s quite possibly their best album since ‘04’s OnOffOn.
Interestingly, the punk elements in their sound show no signs of taking a back seat in the scheme of things (or for that matter, getting stale), so Unsound not only provides important lessons in staying power but goes down a raucous and inventive storm from start to finish. And like all their recordings, it’s a real grower. Released in July, Unsound is still growing.
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Graded on a Curve: The Best of 2012’s Reissues
I didn’t get to hear every great reissue of 2012, and I didn’t even hear all of these in the finest of all audio formats, but what’s here is what stoked my ears the best.
10. Ghetto Brothers, Power Fuerza | On one hand this record, rescued from the clutches of extreme rarity for the enjoyment of anyone with the interest and a little bit of extra spending cash, presents the results of an endeavor that can sorta pale when placed beside some of the more ambitious musical activities that saw reissue over the last year. On the other hand, it’s just another grand example of the non-grandiose 20th century musical tradition, possessing the stuff of thrillingly obscure R&B singles, delirious doo-wop one-offs, classic garage rock sessions, stunningly perfect punk rock 45s, and legendary rap 12-inches.
That Ghetto Brothers managed to record an accomplished full length album is proof of Power Fuerza’s delicious pudding. Plus, it’s the product of kids choosing to make music in the face of tough circumstances and less angelic options. Is it ultimately small of scale? Yes, but endearingly so. Is it life-affirming and constantly listenable? Most definitely.
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TVD Celebrates
the Paul McCartney Archive Collection:
Band on the Run
TVD is delighted to have been selected by the team behind the Paul McCartney Archive Collection to exclusively spotlight the meticulous work Paul has personally supervised with the reissue series from his back catalog—all newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios.
In the spirit of the season, the entire Paul McCartney Archive Collection to date, as well as 2012’s Kisses on the Bottom will be available to TVD readers through a series of special giveaways during the month of December, courtesy of Sir Paul and his team. We’ll be selecting five winners for each 180 gram vinyl reissue package.
We return to our giveaways this week with the very first remaster from the Archive Collection, 1973’s Band on the Run.
Our friends at Popmatters noted in their 2010 review of the reissue, “The 2010 Band on the Run reissue is the first release in the Paul McCartney Archive Collection, and the remastered sound is superb. The sound on the previous, 25th Anniversary, remaster was pretty good, but this is noticeably superior.
McCartney personally supervised the process, working with the same team who did the recent remastering of the Beatles’ catalog at Abbey Road…the sound is somehow deeper and rounder than on the 25th Anniversary Edition. Comparing the two side by side, there’s a slightly thin sound to some tracks on the previous discs, a sense of narrowness or confinement. There’s a greater depth to the Archive set, particularly to the bass lines, because this is McCartney, after all.”
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Quilt: The TVD Interview at DC’s Crooked Beat Records
Back in November, before their show at the Red Palace, I met up with Boston band, Quilt—a delightful trio of true vinyl lovers, Anna, Shane, and John—at DC’s Crooked Beat Records in Adams Morgan. We browsed records for over an hour while discussing our shared love for the records and the store.
Dedicating time to hang out in a record shop embodies the one of a kind experience you only have with vinyl—sharing record stories, getting excited about random titles, and enjoying the intricacies of music we often forget about in an ipod/ streaming world.
Quilt’s self-titled album, via Mexican Summer, has remained a constant staple in my daily record rotation. It was love at first listen and remains one of the few albums of which I never tire, so it was a treat to do one of my favorite things with a band I enjoy greatly.
As Anna, the Vocals/Keys of Quilt, jumped right into record shopping, I asked her if she had a vinyl collection.
Anna: I do. I don’t collect as much now as I used to, but it’s definitely something I’ve been building up little-by-little over time. Cassettes, too. Hopefully in the next five years it will grow exponentially. I love collecting vinyl. I’m in between apartments right now, so I’m really excited to settle into a new spot and bring all of my music into one place. I’ll have my cassettes on the wall and my vinyl in their proper spot—it’ll be like a little music station. I love looking through the dollar bins and finding unexpectedly great records.
Are there any good record stores in Boston?
Anna: Yeah, there are some cool ones. Some of them have closed lately, but there are still some really good ones. In Cambridge, there’s Weirdo Records, which is run by my buddy Angela. It’s on Mass Ave and Central Square. It’s really small, like a tiny record boutique. She has a lot of local artists featured in one section, and on the other half is a lot of just bizarre, hard-to-find re-issues and old records, as well. She has a cool little DVD section, too. It’s awesome.
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Musical Artists Need Apply: The House Artist Grant Program
House Studio functions like an orchard: it intentionally plants and cultivates the seeds of creativity among rising musical artists throughout the area. And beyond the District—House Studio is headquartered here in DC—the program is open to aspiring artists wherever they live.
The House Artist Grant Program, sponsored by House Studio, provides selected artists the chance to gain proprietary knowledge about developing and marketing their music. Selected artists will have access to House Studio’s resources, including recording, mixing, mastering, photography, video production, and distribution. To give these chosen artists an even better trajectory, in-house producers and engineers will make themselves available to mentor the artists, who will develop their own unique musical sound and visual identity during the process. Alternative-soul singer-songwriter Desiree Jordan is an artist affiliated with the program.
The program is free for those chosen. All recordings, mixing, mastering, photography, video production, and distribution will be covered. Financial management, publishing and trademarking, booking shows, and time management are core workshops that are part of the program. Concurrently, the program also provides hands-on training for youth in the studio’s House Academy program.
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TVD Recommends:
Suns’ When We Were Us record release show at the Subterranean, 12/28
With snow storms looming ominously on the horizon, it would appear that the holidays are almost upon Chicago. With festivities taking over the start of the next two weeks, you can expect there to be a major lull in excitement towards the middle of next week. Luckily, Chicago band Suns chose next Friday, 12/28 to release their debut full-length record, When We Were Us.
Presented by House Call Entertainment, Suns will be celebrating the release at the Subterranean with the help of local groups Sequoia, Snow Ghost, and, playing their first show, Court of Owls.
Suns has three tracks from the new record available for streaming through their Bandcamp page, and if they are any indication as to the direction of the rest of the album, then it will definitely be a release to keep your eyes and ears upon. The standout track for me is “Strangeland.” Check out the driving rock song, above.
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Weekend Shots!
As the world is scheduled to end today, we struggled with actually suggesting shows to see this weekend. Since we survived Y2K, we think we’ve got this one covered, too. Cleveland, here is our final edition of Weekend Shots for 2012.
The show of the weekend is undoubtedly mr. Gnome at the Beachland Ballroom on Saturday night. Everything about the duo grabs our attention: the darkness they create on stage, the obscurity as they slip into the shadows or play behind a curly mess of hair; the high-striking drumming of Sam Meister, to the tiny but terribly strong body of Nicole Barille, which delivers a powerful voice coupled with some intense guitar work.
The band will take you on a trip as they mix tempos and meters, keeping their crowd guessing and sending it swimming through thoughts, bodies, or physical planes. It’s an unparalleled experience. If the world were to truly end this weekend, mr. Gnome is the perfect psy-rock, post-apocalyptic sound to rise from the rubble. See you out there.
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Weekend Shots!
Assuming the Mayans were wrong and we’re all alive and well, there are a number of great shows happening this weekend to whisk you away into the holidays next week.
There’s a little bit of something for everyone this weekend. Great local shows? Check. One of hip-hop’s newest and youngest players? Check. DJs to get down to? Check. Hopefully all the holiday shopping is done and you will not have to go out into the retail doomsday that is the weekend before Christmas. If you like to wait until the last minute to get things done then one, I’m sorry, and two, better find time to rest up because you do not want to be sleeping at 7PM and miss out on all these great concerts!
Friday, December 21st | Do you remember what you were doing when you were 17? If you’re like most, I’m sure you were not touring major venues and clubs across the country behind your debut release on a major label. Chicago’s Chief Keef however is doing just that. Say what you will about his lyrics and image, the kid has built up quite the following. Just days after his album Finally Rich came out, he makes his way to the TLA.
Out in West Philly, Fools Gold Records’ Treasure Fingers comes to the Blockley to throw an end of the world party. Joining him is Wyllys and Jayo.
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Weekend Shots!
Looking for some live music in Chicago this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Check out this weekend’s featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below!
DOOMTREE at the Metro, 12/21 | Minneapolis indie hip-hop collective, Doomtree, will be in Chicago tonight headlining the Metro. Made up of seven established rappers, producers, and DJs, the members of Doomtree have released solo albums along with the group’s two official records. Last years’ No Kings is available on vinyl for $22.99 through Doomtree’s online store. Check out the No Kings track, “Bangarang,” below.
The 18+ show kicks off at 9:00 PM tonight, 12/21, at the Metro – 3730 N Clark St. Doomtree will be supported by Buck 65 and Show You Suck. Tickets are $20 online or at the door before the show.
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Weekend Shots!
I hate endings. I am horrible at saying goodbye and never want things to end, so forgive me while I squawk at the end of 2012 for its awful timing. All I have left for you, my dear music freaks, are the last shows I think you shouldn’t regret not seeing in 2012.
Friday, December 21st, O’Death at the Rock and Roll Hotel | O’Death’s new lease on life has allowed for their personal growth to shine brightly upon their 2011 release, Outside. The Brooklyn standouts have managed to shift to a cleaner, clearer focus whilst spinning darker folk tales throughout their latest album.
It is a triumphant reentry with a new thoughtful side, sliding easily into a new chapter for the quintet. From “Pushing Out:” “This year could last forever / this year could never start…” Let’s start it, but not before ending it with O’Death tonight.
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Weekend Shots!
It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine. Despite the fact that all reputable scientists have debunked the “Mayan Apocalypse” theory, at least two New Orleans venues are getting into the act with special events. Assuming we’re all still here, I have a couple of suggestions for Saturday night as well.
The Maple Leaf Bar has booked Galactic to play on Friday night in anticipated of the coming end of days. Since the globetrotting jam band usually plays much bigger rooms this will be an opportunity to see the band up close and personal.
The Galactic Alignment will begin at 7:30PM in front of the Maple Leaf Bar. The street will be closed for a free block party complete with food vendors, music and far out characters to enhance the revelry. There will also be a ceremony from the Maple Leaf balcony featuring the avatar of Bolon Yok’te K’uh, who will bless the New Age.
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TVD Live: Streetlight Manifesto at the 9:30 Club, 12/16
On Sunday evening in the District of Columbia, Streetlight Manifesto returned to the 9:30 Club stage. With a feverish set of their signature ska-punk, this was a night that truly belonged to the horns.
Streetlight Manifesto has etched their own place in the music continuum, not quite a throwback to the third wave of ska in which they get lumped in (which peaked in the ’90s with bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Goldfinger, and Reel Big Fish), yet not exactly a full-fledged member of the still-evolving fourth wave. Held together over the years vocalist/guitarist and founding member Tomas Kalnoky (the only constant member since the band’s inception in 2002), they have proven themselves true road warriors, and have made D.C. a regular stop on their travels.
As the doors opened at 6pm, presumably for a slightly younger crowd, a herd of fans eager to get out of the evening rain filed in and filled the venue in short order. As if the anticipation was just too much to bear, the evening kicked off to a slightly early start, with Lionize taking the stage just after the 7 o’clock hour.
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