All posts by G. Gordon Gritty

KLYAM Recommends…

That you don’t do the following:

Give a beggar just one penny. Okay, I was walking near Columbus Avenue around Boston Common and there was a man on the sidewalk asking if I had any change. I did have some change, but I was in a rush so I just quickly reached in my pocket and pulled out…one penny. I dropped it into his coffee cup container and then…he went apeshit on me! “One fucking penny, are you fucking serious?” he said before giving me a right hook to the shoulder and throwing the cup in my direction. I said “that’s all the change I could get!” As I was walking/jogging away, I could hear him repeat “one fucking penny!”

Hot damn, don’t do this.

CD Review: Latin [2010]

Band: Holy Fuck
Release: 5/2010
Label: XL

1. “MD” – C-
2. “Red Lights” – C
3. “Latin America” – B
4. “Stay Lit'” – C+
5. “Silva & Grimes” – C
6. “SHT MTN” – C+
7. “Stilettos” – B
8. “Lucky” – C-
9. “P.I.G.S” – C+

Comments:
I tend to hold any band that has some sort of blasphemy in their name more accountable than usual. No different for Holy Fuck. “MD” doesn’t help their cause as it sounds like combination of being blown from a wind tunnel and taking off into space. This album’s all over the place, but WAIT FOR IT, that’s what the kids call improvisation these days. Ah, yes. For an electronica number, “Latin America” is pretty solid, but it’s not very exciting. I guess the cool thing about this band is they recognize when to keep fun tempos up like in “Stay Lit.” So yeah, this record as a whole doesn’t do much for me!!! It’s like eating a chicken cutlet without any batter or seasoning.

Grade: C (76)

P4K…Kill Yourselves

Pitchfork is seeking an experienced advertising sales professional for its Chicago office. We are looking for someone with a deep interest in independent and emerging music, online media, publishing, and creative marketing. The ideal candidate should have experience partnering with both direct and agency clients, developing creative advertising programs, building long-term client relationships, and managing all aspect of sales– from developing target lists to closing.

How many buzz words in here go against the DIY punk ethic? I’ll get you started:
1. marketing
2. sales
3. target lists

J-Swill On Politics In Music

Jared Swilley in an interview with The Maneater:
I try to keep politics out of music. I don’t think musicians have any role being politicians or having too many political views. That always seems kind of silly. We’ll maybe mention stuff that’s going on around us, our kind of observations, but we definitely don’t try to have any political message except have a great time and do what you want to do.

Concert Review: Girls, Dum Dum Girls, Leisure @ Paradise (4/1/10)

I'm pretty sure our friend C.O wore this shirt when we saw him!

Artists: Girls, Dum Dum Girls, Leisure
Location: Paradise Rock Club, Boston
Date: Thursday, April 1, 2010
Grade: B+/A-

Act I: Leisure – They were ok, nothing special. Clearly, they had musical chops and they were decent performers, but the music just never came through for me. I didn’t hear great songs. In other words, the parts were better than the whole; for me, with a great band, live or on record, but especially live it’s vice versa.

Glen: Unlike Chris, I actually dug this band. As I said to him, I couldn’t really find a problem with their music. In other words, I might not have loved their brand of glam/dance rock, but I thought it was pretty catchy and the lead singer was a funny character. They reminded me of the Lovely Feathers with the keyboard and song structures.

Set List:
follow me
heartbeats
sway
other people
no other place
suez
outside

Act II:
The Dum Dum Girls – Things start to heat up. I saw these girls last October, opening for King Khan & BBQ and honestly they didn’t floor me. Don’t get me wrong, I thought they were decent, but nothing notable. This time around, I appreciated their performance more. I don’t know if anything changed with them, so it was probably just me. Anyway, I really dug their vocals the most. Still, this time, they didn’t send me flying off my rocker, but I thought they did a good job and I enjoyed it. Not to mention, as before, their dress and body movements on stage both caught my eye. I love the head bobbing and almost elegance in their appearance. I mean they look rather attractive in their all black get up and it’s certainly a sight for sore eyes!

Glen: Of course, it’s hard to go without mentioning the DDG appearance unless one wears a blind fold during their performance. They played a tight set that showcased some new songs like “Bhang, Bhang,” my favorite “Jail La La,” “Rest of Our Lives,” and “Yours Alone.” Also played were older ones like “Catholicked,” and some other song that I can’t think of the name, but they’ve been playing for a while. Like I said in my review of their 2010 album I Will Be, the drum beats are absolutely fantastic, but like Chris said their voices are beautiful.

Act III: Girls: Ahh my favorite Girls are Guys! Of course, the band I came to see and they did not disappoint. The group opened with the classic, “Laura” and immediately all in attendance it seemed, began singing along. The music was nice and soft, almost warm? lol The lights were a flashin’ but slowly and matched the music perfectly. Singer/Guitarist, Christopher Owens modestly rocked out with his funky, moonwalking dance moves. He really looked fly, definitely flyer than Whacko Jacko. They continued the set with other Album classics, such as “Darling,” “Ghost Mouth,” and their signature number, “Lust For Life,” which unsurprisingly garnered the greatest reaction from the audience. They created one hell of a song transition, actually three song transition, from the soft, yet infinitely endearing, “Hellhole Ratrace,” into the noisy (a first for the evening), garage like, “Morning Light,” then finally into the Grease resembling, “Big Bad Mean Motherfucker,” which also generated large enthusiasm from the crowd, including a trio of femmes gyrating on stage. Girls also played about six or seven non-Album lol tracks, including the new song, “Substance.” This is sort of a criticism of mine, but not really. Let me explain… Well, I anticipated knowing all but one or two songs they would perform, three tops! This was considering, I knew and loved all of their record. Incidentally, I didn’t know any of the tunes that didn’t appear on their record. Ohh well, I suppose this is not their flaw, but a bad on my part as a fan. Anyway, they came back for a sound encore featuring the classic, “Lauren Marie,” a track I was waiting for all night! Overall, they were a fabulous live band and I recommend everyone to see them, if you get the chance.

Glen: Like Chris said that three song transition — Hellhole to Morning Light to Big Bad — was awesome. It will go down in the history books as one of the most memorable parts of a concert for me. My only response to them playing five or six non-Album tunes is that they toured behind Album last fall. They are probably getting ready for whatever is next and want to get a feel for the new material.

Chris

No-Chella!

Because of shit like this:

2010 was the first year in Coachella history that festival promoters opted against making single day tickets available, forcing any attendees to purchase three day passes. Goldenvoice leader Paul Tollett stated the reason for this change was to enhance the experience for those who choose to attend all three days, citing lack of hotel rooms in the Indio area and increased traffic congestion for those coming down for just one day as other reasons. “We’re really trying to make it great for the fan,” Tollett said. “We understand it will affect some people who want to go for one day, but we have to protect the three-day people…”

There’s shit like this:

http://nochella.tumblr.com/

Date: Friday, April 16

Time 5:00pm – 1:00am

Location: Smith Campus Center South Lawn, Pomona College

Open to 5C students, faculty and friends

FACTS:  8 GREAT BANDS, BOUNCY CASTLE, FREE FOOD AND DRINKS.