TVD First Date | Jonneine Zapata

trans·fix
Pronunciation: \tran(t)s-ˈfiks\
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Latin transfixus, past participle of transfigere, from trans- + figere to fasten, pierce Date: 1590
1 : to pierce through with or as if with a pointed weapon : impale
2 : to hold motionless by or as if by piercing
— trans·fix·ion \-ˈfik-shən\ noun


D is for Demon.

Buena Park, CA - so there I was in parochial grade school and here’s mainly what I recollect of it (besides “Hail Mary, full of…”) - the girls bathroom. I knew this was a big deal, but I didn’t know it had a name. Acoustics! Hollering back ceramic tiles, bolting high ceilings and a slick slippery floor… The great creator had endorsed me with all the essential and natural reverb for my early (and mostly non attended) a cappella wailings.

The first dead body I ever saw was in Salinas, KS. One of the school priests had died. There he was, basking in an open casket in the school church. No one was “made” to go – I was genuinely curious. Nothing cataclysmic came from it though, which did crush my ever so wild expectations. Anyway, in my continued efforts to replace my grade school “concerto hall” (um yeah, the church would have been awesome, but, er, uh, no dice, as you probably guessed), it was in Kansas that I (during a drill) discovered the tornado shelter.

San Fernando Valley, CA. Now, who am I kidding - the best wailings to be had are in the school gymnasium. Here, I was temporarily acquainted with my now, long lost friends, who were bussed in from a good 30 (or more) miles away. Not only did I learn to clap on 2 and 4, I was introduced to the world of gospel. They would tape record their families precious vinyl and I would go home and memorize the songs that we were all to sing together during gym. I couldn’t harmonize all that well at first, but could sing a perfect 5th without any guidance whatsoever. They say money knows no color, well neither does vinyl (to tape)…

Highland Park, CA - my home is my gymnasium and my neighborhood is it’s own orchestra. I wake to the ice cream truck “theme song” or the onslaught of “tamale, tamale” from clear on down the road (…if I can hear him, I gotta be cutting through to out there too – or, you’d think.)

Homegirl’s knocking at my door letting me know her “company”, “buys”, “gold”, there’s a bright yellow finch braving some heat from my very own feline hunter, I pop on over to my neighbor’s (he’s got this VHS of The Cramps performing at a mental hospital back in ’78) and finally, on my way home, I hit the taco truck for fresh grilled corn on the cob (touch of lime and paprika) and wonder – is the neighboring building going to turn their parking area into a discoteca tonight?



Jonneine Zapata - Good Looking (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

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TVD 24-Hour Ticket Giveaway | The Depreciation Guild, Sunday 6/20, DC9

After touring the US extensively over the last 12 months with bands including School Of Seven Bells, Serena Maneesh, and Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Depreciation Guild have unleashed their sophomore record “Spirit Youth” on Kanine Records for which the band embarks on a new string of dates in support of the release.

So, in a week when it seems we've gone a bit ticket giveaway crazy, we've got a pair to see the band live this coming Sunday night (6/20) at DC9. (And you thought you'd have a night to yourself on the couch. Not a chance.)

But you have to act fast! We're choosing one winner for a pair tomorrow (6/18) at noon, so get at us in the comments to this post—with contact info!—and you're in. On us. So, go!



The Depreciation Guild - Dream About Me (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

TVD's Four Way | Mittenfields

Photo: Rachel Eisley

Hello, Vinyl District! Sam of Mittenfields here, hoping you'll take a brief jaunt down record store memory lane with us. Thanks again to Jon for letting us chime in on the blog this week. We hope some of you readers can make it out to the show Friday at Velvet. Come for the three amazing acts going on before us, stay for the wash of pop and noise we call Mittenfields.

To begin with, I have a confession to make, which is that I just acquired a record player about 2 years ago after living a vinyl-free life for many years. I picked it up on freecycle from a guy who had decided that after packing up his record collection to move for the third time without having listened to any of them since moving in it was time to let it go. Unfortunately all of the actual records had been snagged by the time I got there for the player, except for a copy of CSNY's Deja Vu that had been forgotten since it was still sitting on the turntable. For a first (and free) record I could've done a lot worse.

Since then I've become a big fan of Som Records, largely because it's down the street from my apartment and next door to a bar and a pizza place and therefore handy for a quick drop-by. It's good to have at least one record store you go to often enough that you can stick to the "Just In" bin. I picked up a first pressing of 'Blonde on Blonde' there a few months back, and while the jacket has seen better days the full-length shot of Dylan on the cover still looks awesome, in all its weathered glory. And to think that if I'd only had the album in iTunes I would never have known there was a bottom half to that photo.

Current records in heavy rotation in our house:
James Brown - Hell
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
Islands - Return to the Sea (the white vinyl looks so nice spinning round and round)

And yes, Deja Vu is still getting plenty of use.


Dan credits his dad for his musical foundations. "The large hall closet of my boyhood home contained not coats but his massive record collection, an extensive catalog of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Sunday mornings were spent picking out records and blasting them at or near full volume - Floyd, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Zeppelin, Velvet Underground, some early Tom Waits that had to grow on me, among many others. Though not everything stuck, I still hate Phil Collins. While in high school in North Philadelphia, I frequented the now defunct SpaceBoy Music on South Street in South Philly. It was there that I started to build a music arsenal of my own that today includes some gems like mint condition, still sealed Thriller and Purple Rain albums sprinkled among a lot of blues, rock, folk and punk."

Sadie grew up in Tampa Florida, and holds a special place in her heart for local record store Vinyl Fever. "The indie rock boys working at the counter were so adorable and unwashed. And they all wore tee-shirts that said, 'I like being cheap and used.'"

Dave's favorite record store memories dates back to when he lived in San Antonio, TX in 1995. "There was one record store in particular that I enjoyed going to and sadly it wasn't because of the records exclusively. I'm not sure how many musicians out there are familiar with trying to recruit others to start a band if it's not via Craigslist but Hogwild Records was home to many fliers I made for this very reason. If I remember right, all of the want ads were posted up above all of the local bands 7"'s so I was pretty familiar with what was being released from all of the local bands from San Antonio and Austin. I picked up quite a few 7"'s but the one's that stand out are The Big Drag, Magneto U.S.A. (now known as Fastball) and The Doozers. My favorite flier/want ad that I posted was a picture of Pee Wee Herman on his bike with verbage ("guitarist and bassist looking to start a band in the vein of Weezer, Superchunk, Pavement, etc.") all over the piece of paper. To be honest, it's a lot like the ads I have posted on Craigslist since, but without the Pee Wee Herman image."

Erik could not be reached for comment. We suspect that he's currently soundproofing his basement or modding effects pedals.

So... record stores: home of commodity art objects, adorably dirty indie folk, and band recruiting posters. What more could you possibly want?

PS - I wouldn't feel right not giving a shout-out to P-Rex. Their selection is ludicrous, and while the level of studied detachment/barely disguised animosity from the employees is pretty high even for an independent record store, I can't really blame them considering that they have to deal with a bunch of Princeton undergrads looking for Dave Matthews bootlegs every day.

Mittenfields - Natural Disasters (Mp3)
Mittenfields - Fog (Mp3)
Authorized for download!
(That voice you're hearing on 'Fog' belongs to Andy Ayers, who had to leave Mittenfields behind in a move last year. He's currently writing, recording and performing in Seattle with Maps on Fire and is mastering his new record as we speak. In the meantime, you can download an EP of some earlier MoF material for free.)

TVD Live Tease | Detox Retox CD Release Show, Saturday (6/19) at the Black Cat

It's been an odd week around here with all of the tickets to shows we've been handed to give away to you guys. I mean, this is a vinyl blog and while records and going to see bands live have always gone hand in hand for me, the pendulum has swung clearly into the live arena this week.

So, I was chatting with Nate from Detox Retox about their CD release show this Saturday night at the Black Cat and I said you gotta gimme something to make this show stand out—y'know, sell it.

Consider me sold:

Five Reasons to Come to Detox Retox’s CD Release Show this Saturday at the Black Cat
By Detox Retox

1. The new record is awesome, if we do say so ourselves. It has five new songs plus a reworked version of “Too Late” which also appeared on our previous EP. Andrew Maury (Ra Ra Riot) produced it, and it sounds fantastic.

2. Sick of standing still at DC rock shows? Good news: dancing is mandatory at all Detox Retox shows.

3. Co-headliners Loose Lips are also releasing their second EP, “Lower Your Expectations and Be Happy.” Catchy!

4. Openers The State Department feature members of past and present DC mainstays Black and White Jacksons, Ra Ra Rasputin, and The Spiritual Machine.

5. Hardcore nudity. We won’t say whose.

Detox Retox - Caroline (Mp3)
Authorized for download!