All posts by G. Gordon Gritty

CD Review, Music, The Beets

CD Review: Stay Home [2011]

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Band: The Beets
Release: 1/2011
Label: Captured Tracks

1. “Cold Lips” – A-
2. “Dead” – B
3. “Hens and Roosters” – A-
4. “Watching T.V.” – B
5. “Pops N’ Me” –  A-
6. “Floating” – A-
7. “Eat No Dick 2” – C
8. “Let It Dim” – B-
9. “Knock On Wood” – B-
10. “Just A Whim” – A-
11. “Your Name Is On My Bones” – A-
12. “Young Girls” – B+
13. “Flight 14” – A-

Comments: The Beets of Queens, New York (word to Queens — the best borough in NYC), a staple in the NYC DIY community, have followed up their first collection of songs with Stay Home, thirteen new songs about staying home. The coy, stripped down nature of these tunes are typically inviting and catchy. Stay Home is definitely meritorious of better acclaim than it will probably get. The more ‘professional’ music personalities will most likely brush this to the side given its home recording quality. The songs themselves have a Beat Happening feel to them, driven by neat vocal harmonies (“Floating”) and puerile topics (“Hens and Roosters,” “Pops and Me”). What separates The Beets from the rest of them is the singer Juan Wauters…his accent and delivery, specifically.

Grade: B (86)

Music, radio

2010’s Most Dedicated Radio Journalist/DJ: Ben Tan

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The first annual KLYAM Most Dedicated Radio Journalist/DJ Award goes to Ben Tan of Emerson College’s WERS 88.9. Ben is probably the most dedicated (volunteer?) staff member at that station as he is News Director in addition to being a reporter for news segment You Are Here (interviewing the likes of anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan and economist Jeffrey Miron, etc) and being a DJ on programs such as the Playground and late-night slow jamz Secret Spot. Ben even braves blizzards to show up behind the microphone. This guy deserves a round of applause for his dedication.

Music, News, Nobunny

Nobunny Tour Info!

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Typically I only post tour information that is pertinent to the Boston area, but Nobunny is the man and his likeness is on the background of this webpage, so here y’all go:

1/1 – Chicago @ Empty Bottle w/ Hot Machines, Ramma Lamma, Spectras
2/2 – Olypmia, WA @ Northern*
2/3 – Vancouver BC @ Railway Club*
2/4 – Seattle, WA @ Funhouse*
2/5 – Portland, OR @ Slabtown*
2/9 – San Francisco, CA @ Knockout*
2/10 – Sacramento, CA @ The Hub*
2/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ 6th st Warehouse*
2/12 – San Diego, CA @ Till Two
2/13 – Tucson, AZ @ Solar Culture
2/15 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
2/16 – Houston, TX @ Rudyards
2/17 – Denton, TX @ tba
2/18 – Tulsa, OK @ tba
2/25 -San Francisco, CA @ NoisePop
4/24 – Nobunny’s 10yr anniversary – 5 cities in one day!
Los Angeles, CA @ Playboy Mansion
Plus shows in Chicago, Tucson, Oakland, and New York

*with Dreamdate

May- full USA tour

CD Review, Music

CD Review: Outside [2011]

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Band: Tapes ‘n Tapes
Release: 1/2011
Label: Ibid Records

1. “Badaboom” – A
2. “SWM” – B+
3. “One In The World” – A-
4. “Nightfall” – B-
5. “Desert Plane” – B+
6. “Outro” – B-
7. “Freak Out” – B+
8. “The Saddest Of All Keys” – B
9. “Hidee Ho” – A-
10. “People You Know” – A
11. “On and On” – A-
12. “Mighty Long” – A

Comments: Tapes have always had a ‘bigger’ feel to them, but it seems more manifest on this record. They can pull a ballsy Kings of Leon on “SWM” and a fine orchestral sophisticated, extralocal Vampire Weekend esque swag on “One in the World.” The horns don’t disappear on “Nightfall,” which is a bit of a mess of a song. “People You Know” has a moderate Walkmen feel complete with a soothing organ and a tranquil rhythm. Just awesome. On that note, the last four songs on here rule; the sound that dominates on these songs is the sound that won me as a fan of the band. T+T keeping things simple and slowed down is best. I’m going to try to let the lower graded tracks grow on me. There’s a lot to like on here.

Grade: B+ (88)

Tapes ‘n Tapes play at the Paradise Rock Club on February 3, 2011.

Band Recommendation, Music

Band Recommendation: The Carbonas

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Last.Fm Blurb: “The Carbonas (formed in 2001) hail from Atlanta, GA, home to some of the most exciting new bands to hit the scene in quite awhile. Along with The Lids (now defunct), Black Lips, and up-and-comers like The Frantic and Beat Beat Beat, The Carbonas are turning Atlanta into the next Seattle. Or Chicago. Or something like that. You know what I mean. After releasing an LP ages ago, they jumped to the front of the hot bands list with release of the jaw-dropping “Frothing at the Mouth” EP over the winter, which had reviewers worldwide spitting hyperbole all over themselves.”

The Deal: I’ve always heard about the Carbonas, but never really gave them a sufficient check-out. It’s never too late to get into a band, so even if I’m a decade late on this one that’s all right. I really like what I’m hearing. Counted amongst members is Gentleman Jesse who plays bass.

Song: “Phone Booth”

Music, Nobunny, The Growlers

Live Footage Of The Day

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Honorable Mention: Nobunny @ The Strange, Los Angeles – A fight at a Nobunny show? Nah-uh! Brief synopsis: Nobunny performs ‘Live It Up’, but cuts it short as a mess of shit brews in front of him. Even a request from Nobunny for “everyone to stop fighting, please” was made, but did not prove to be much of a difference maker. I felt bad for one of the club’s employees as he seemed pretty chill about wanting the audience to calm down and let the show go on, but there were some individuals in the front who just weren’t cooperating….one even attacked the man with her shoe (as seen in the video). The PA guy I got to admit was pretty hilarious at the end there: “And you guys are fucking school teachers? What the fuck?! Is that what you are teaching our youth of America? Be drunk bitches at shows? That’s not girls. Not drunk girls. Not drunk women. Drunk bitches!” Some other guy gets on and says “So on a lighter note, did anyone hear that Captain Beefheart died today?” I wonder what happened after this footage cuts out. [WATCH]

Top Prize – The Growlers @ Crazy 8’s, Cathedral City, California – A/V quality is not the best, but it is good enough! Captures the essence of The Growlers quite well. It’s great seeing such a nice crowd of people that are quite into the performance, especially the extremely fine ladies (girl in the green, word!) up in the front.  [WATCH]

Bloodshot Bill, King Khan, Music

Feliz Navidad From Tandoori Knights/CD Review

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Bloodshot Bill and King Khan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJMmEw2Hx-w&feature=player_embedded#!
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Title: Curry Up, It’s The Tandoori Knights
Release: 11/2010
Label: Norton Records

1. “Pretty Please” – B+
2. “Bucketful” – B-
3. “Roam The Land” – B-
4. “Tandoori Party” – B-
5. “Books and Ribs” – B-
6. “Bandstand” – B+
7. “Big Belly Giant” – B
8. “Into Her Arms” – B+
9. “Dress On” – B-
10. “Lovers Moon” – B-
11. “Brown Trash” – B-
12. “Beauty and The Feast” – B-

Comments: About time for a review of this record, which is surely something else. The story is warm one: rockabilly Indo-Canadian Bloodshot Bill gets together with fellow Indo-Canadian, garage/punk/soul master Arish King Khan and they decide to make a record. They could’ve stuck to a traditional script that utilized the best of both worlds as Bill and multi-talented kingpin Mark Sultan did when they got together and recorded The Ding-Dongs. Curry Up sounds like a natural export of Hindustan, at least as soon as the guitar begins on “Pretty Please”. Bill takes the lead vocals on pretty much all of the tracks, which kind of makes this sound pretty Bloodshot Bill-esque. Bill’s vocal flexibility and plethora of musical skill means that he can pull something like this off pretty well. King is heard sparsely on this record, which is disappointing as a bigger King fan. These songs are quite humorous, making me think I probably shouldn’t take this record too seriously! As a cheesy one-off, it is what it is. At the apex of funniness is probably “Into Her Arms,” a tale of falling into the octo-arms of some nice Indian lady. What’s the purpose of the eight arms? Well, “one to whore me, one to score me, two to spank me, four to thank me!”

Grade: B/B-