CD Review: Mirror Explodes
Band: The Warlocks
Label: Tee Pee
Release: 2009
1. “Red Camera” – 9.2
2. “The Midnight Sun” – 9.4
3. “Slowly Disappearing” – 9.1
4. “There is a Formula to Your Despair” – 9.7
5. “Standing Between the Lovers of Hell” – 9.6
6. “You Make Me Wait” – 8.8
7. “Frequency Meltdown” – 9.4
8. “Static Eyes” – 9.5
Grade: 9.3
The Warlocks play at Great Scott on August 12 with The Morning After Girls.
Black Lips Causin’ Shit In Brooklyn
Spinner.com
The Black Lips delivered a raucous performance Sunday at New York’s Williamsburg Waterfront that was greeted by an equally disorderly audience. During the outdoor showcase, Brooklyn concertgoers charged the stage, crashing through the venue’s photo pit barricade. At one point, a member from the audience tossed a ukulele to bassist Jared Swilley, who proceeded to smash the instrument onstage and throw the remains back into the throng…The four-piece has been on a grueling tour schedule this year, which included getting kicked out of India, yet the summer heat and months on the road in support of their 2009 release ‘200 Million Thousand’ did not diminish the Lips’ spirit. Security officers at the state park picked off stage-crashers one by one as they leapt between Swilley, singer Cole Alexander, guitarist Ian Saint Pé and drummer Joe Bradley. Swilley returned the favor by stepping into the mob of fans and was supported by a mass of tattooed arms as he strummed along to such hits as ‘Bad Kids,’ ‘Sea of Blasphemy’ and ‘Drugs.’As audience members continued to jump onstage and flail violently, concert organizers threatened to pull the plug on the impromptu dance party. However, the group demanded that they be allowed to play one more song, hinting they wouldn’t be able to contain the crowd if their request was denied. The chaotic set proved to be the relative calm before the storm. After they packed up, a massive thunderstorm erupted, forcing headlining act …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead to cancel their performance.
Shit!
Pixies, Upcoming Concert Calendar
From Rolling Stone:
Last month, the Pixies confirmed an 12-date U.K. and European tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Doolittle, at which they’ll perform the 1989 LP in its entirety. Now Frank Black, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering have confirmed they’ll be bringing the same show Stateside in November. This morning the band announced a nine-city, 14-date Doolittle birthday run that kicks off November 4th at Los Angeles’ Palladium, includes two nights in Oakland, two in Seattle, two in Chicago and three New York dates (full list after the jump). Tickets go on sale starting August 1st. As in Europe, the shows will feature all of Doolittle’s 15 tracks and related B sides, a list that includes “Weird at My School,” “Dancing the Manta Ray” and “Bailey’s Walk.” The album itself includes Pixies classics “Debaser,” “Gouge Away,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” “Wave of Mutilation” and “Here Comes Your Man.” A press release indicates the band is dreaming up “Doolittle-related surprises” for the shows.
Awesome! This ends an amazing three month stretch of great shows. Let me give you a brief overview of some of my personal choices for shows coming up:
On August 3, the Arctic Monkeys are coming to the Paradise. The show is sold out, but I’m still really really hoping that I will be able to buy slightly reasonable tickets. The neo-psychedelia of the Warlocks will be coming to the Great Scott on August 12. They will be backed by the impressionable slow-core Morning After Girls. On September 5, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, whose self-titled album was awarded a 9.6 by KLYAM, will hit the Middle East Downstairs. The Walkmen, always one of my favorite bands, will also be at the Middle East not just for one night, but for two on September 18 and 19. Normally, I wouldn’t go to two straight shows, but this is one hell of an exception. Wavves, the surf-rock group that canceled their European tour because of singer Nathan Williams’ drug bug-out, has actually produced from amazing material in the past couple of years. As long as Williams is fine, I’m sure the show should go just fine. It’s on September 27 at Great Scott. Alternative hip-hop band Why? will be at the Middle East Downstairs a week later on October 2. The next night at the same venue is another two-nights-in-a-row…this one coming from ear-damaging Dinosaur Jr. (Note: even I, a fan of noisy concerts and a lover of standing front row, will probably be at the back.)
Gaye Blades! God Bless Ubangi
One of my favorite offerings from the Blades.
Peltier Update!!!
“The parole hearing was held today. In spite of scorching temps and humidity, there were several hundred people who attended and waited for several hours until attorney Eric Seitz came out and addressed the crowd. He said the FBI did not have anything new to say but that he was able to present some additional evidence on Leonard’s behalf to the board. Leonard spoke with the board and answered questions for 1-1/2 hours. The hearing officer said he would look over his documentation and make a recommendation within 24-48 hours, at which the parole board has up to 3 weeks to make a final determination. Leonard has expressed his thanks for all of the efforts made on his behalf today. Eric Seitz said he feels “optimistic.”“- from Billie Fidlin, Chair of LPDOC and from my facebook updates
Chris
Favorites by Grades
Grade in school- # of favorite artists I “discovered” that year
3- 2
4- 0
5- 1
6- 5
7- 17
8- 30
9- 20
10- 38– Biggest year numerically
11- 33
12- 13
F- 4
Chris
FREAKOUT!!!!
An early clip of our heroes, minus Ian St. Pe. It just doesn’t look right with Jack Hines, maybe that’s why Jared started pounding his ass haha.
Chris
Palin Steps Down As Alaska Governor
By Ben Tan — July 27, 2009
Sarah Palin resigned as Alaska governor yesterday, in front of thousands of cheering supporters.
Palin pledged to continue fighting for independence from Washington and for Americans’ personal freedoms “as that grizzly guards her cubs.”
The attendees vowed to keep Palin’s feisty, down-home political legacy alive. The hand-over to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell at a family-style picnic marked an unexpected end to a brief but notable governorship. The 45-year-old hockey mom shook the Republican Party and propelled Alaska’s frontier-style, moose-meat-picnic politics into the national spotlight.
She famously described herself as a “pit bull with lipstick” last year, when she accepted the Republican vice presidential nomination.
“Let’s not start believing that government is the answer,” said Palin before a crowd of about 5,000 at Pioneer Park.
“It can’t help make you healthy or wealthy or wise. What can? It is the wisdom of the people. . . . It is God’s grace, helping those who help themselves.”
Palin, Alaska’s first female governor, stood at the podium in a conservative black pantsuit, joined by husband Todd and two of their daughters, Piper and Willow.
Palin chastised those who question why she stepped down 18 months before her term ends, showing no sadness or second thoughts.
“It should be so obvious to you,” she said.
“It is because I love Alaska this much, sir, that I feel that it is my duty to avoid the unproductive, typical politics-as-usual lame-duck session in one’s last year in office. . . . I will be able to fight even harder for you, for what is right. And I have never felt that you need a title to do that.”
She took an opportunity to criticize the media, which she claims distorted her statements and fueled controversies surrounding her.
“You represent what could and should be a respected and honest profession,” she said, “that could and should be a cornerstone of our democracy.”
“Democracy depends on you, and that is why our troops are willing to die for you. So how about in honor of the American soldier you quit making things up?
These moments of the speech drew the loudest applause.
“Our new governor has a very nice family too,” she added, “so leave his kids alone.”
Bernanke Holds Town Hall-Style Forum
By Ben Tan — July 27, 2009
Ben S. Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, participated in a town hall-style forum in Kansas City, Mo. yesterday. The forum was organized and moderated by Jim Lehrer of “The NewsHour” on PBS. It is the latest stop in a publicity campaign with a message: the central bank is here to help, and is not as mysterious or menacing as people may think. Bernanke took questions from local residents and disputed charges that the Fed was conspiring with big banks or stifling free-market capitalism.
A small-business owner asked Bernanke why the Fed helped rescue big banks while “short-changing” small companies.
Bernanke replied that he had decided to “hold my nose” because he feared the entire financial system would collapse.
“I’m as disgusted by it as you are,” said Bernanke before an audience of 190.
“Nothing made me more angry than having to intervene, particularly in a few cases where companies took wild bets.”
The forum resembled that of a political candidate, and indeed Bernanke’s four-year term expires in January. Bernanke has put himself in the public spotlight to an extent far beyond that of his predecessors, departing from the bank’s tradition as an aloof, secretive temple of economic policy. The bank has already become more open in the decade before Bernanke took charge, and his predecessor Alan Greenspan achieved fame during his long tenure. But Fed officials still distanced themselves from partisan politics and day-to-day business life.
Bernanke, on the other hand, has given a television interview to “60 Minutes” on CBS, including a tour of his hometown, Dillon, S.C. He held essentially a televised news conference and has written newspaper commentaries to explain the Fed’s efforts to fight the financial crisis. Last week Bernanke published a lengthy commentary in “The Wall Street Journal” and testified before three separate Congressional committees.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 