TVD's Twitter Music Monday for 6/21/10

Snoop Dogg made a True Blood-themed music video. Twitter is a-buzz: all day yesterday, Twits (alt: Tweeps) obediently retweeted the following:

@TrueBloodHBO: #MM #musicmonday "Oh Sookie" by @snoopdogg http://itsh.bo/ohsookie #trueblood

Let’s parse this. I’m unfamiliar both with True Blood and the oeuvre of Snoop Dogg, so I need to take things slow.

Snoop Dogg (proper noun): A West-coast rap icon, guided to ascendance in the mid-90s by Dr. Dre; Snoop’s real name (Cordozar Calvin Broadus) is empirically more awesome than his stage name. If you have ears and went into or past a school dance, a nightclub, or bar between 1994 and 2004, you have heard “Gin and Juice” or “Drop it Like it’s Hot,” two of Snoop’s inescapable hits.

True Blood (proper noun): An HBO drama based on Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels. Like every popular thing in the world, the show and the novels feature vampires.

Sookie Stackhouse (proper noun): The main character on True Blood, played by Anna Paquin, who, to me, will always be Rogue or that chick with the geese in Fly Away Home.

Fanfic (noun): Abbreviation of “fan fiction,” a genre of storytelling in which devoted fans write stories about their favorite fictional characters (and in which SHIT GETS WEIRD YO).

Snoop Dogg has created the music video version of fanfic about Sookie Stackhouse, using the True Blood set, and this music video is being promoted, on Twitter, by HBO.

Now that I know what’s happening, here are some thoughts on the video:

First, THE LICENSE PLATE HAS FANGS. Now I kind of want a car. To give it fangs.

Second, the whole backlit dance sequence looks an awful lot like the Sparkle Motion performance in Donnie Darko. I’d like to think that means this video contains fanfic-within-fanfic, but more likely the choreographer just got lazy. (I'd link to the Sparkle Motion dance, but the only video on YouTube has dumb 4chan captions with pedobear references Do not want.)

Third, is this song supposed to be…good? I don’t know hip hop well, but “I wanna do bad things to you,” and “You ever been to LA?” just seem lazy. I don’t hear a single clever line. Maybe this is just what happens when one listens to the Beastie Boys to the exclusion of everything else for a few months in high school, but I rather expect all such music to contain gems like “I got stories like J.D.’s got Salinger,” or “I got the girlies in the coop like the Colonel’s got chickens.”

Fourth, while we’re talking about lyrics and chickens: “I got a whole lotta eggs for her to eat, and these eggs come with a lot of cheese and grits.” Maybe I’ve got my anatomy wrong, but…I don’t think Snoop Dogg has eggs. I very much hope this is a reference to something that happens on the show, because otherwise this metaphor is unthinkably gross.

Role #mmodel: twimomof3: I am listening to "Total Eclipse of the Heart (Glee Cast Version) [feat. Jonathan Groff]" by Glee Cast ? http://bit.ly/c4jZgo #musicmonday. Of course you are, twimomof3.

My #musicmonday pick: Shadrach, the Beastie Boys song quoted above. I know every word, and for a while, I thought that meant I could rap.

TVD Summer Vinyl Giveaways | Golden Smog 'Down By the Old Mainstream'

I have to confess that I was ready to launch our Summer Vinyl Giveaways last week. It’s already been damn summery around these parts and the calendar be damned. But last week being what it was, I had no time at all to whip up a snazzy summer graphic...which had me thinking – what’s with the seasonal giveaways anyway? Why tie these into a time period?

Particular soundtracks seem to be wed to a time period in my experience. For example, Joe Jackson’s ‘Beat Crazy’ is most definitely a Winter LP for me. It coincides in my recollection with the still, icy cold after John Lennon’s killing with its thinly veiled cynicism and punk/new wavey tensions. Echoing mine then.

Joe’s ‘Body and Soul’ is a Spring LP...all high school back seats, boy meets girl dreamworlds. Conversely, his ‘Jumpin’ Jive’ is a deep Summer record recalling a sweet and f’n innocent soundtrack of my mid-teens with my buddy Spike and I drawing comics with dreams of our comic brilliance being golden tickets to something big.

Then there’s ‘Night and Day’ - Joe’s sweet ode to Autumn. Well, at least in my head.

I can’t divorce myself from it. I'm stuck with it.

So, first up for Summer 2010, a reissue of a record I’m certain a few of you can extrapolate a time period from and a warm recollection, right? Golden Smog’s 'Down By the Old Mainstream.'


"Like most supergroup projects, Golden Smog's 'Down By the Old Mainstream' is a loose, relaxed affair that sounds like it was a lot of fun to record. Unlike most supergroups, the members of Golden Smog improve on their regular bands. Comprised of a number of alternative country-rock stars - including Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, the Jayhawks' Gary Louris, and Soul Asylum's Dan Murphy - the musicians are relaxed and loose, giving the songs a raw, rootsy kick. Since the album wasn't carefully considered, it has an offhand, relaxed charm that is sometimes lacking from Jayhawks and Soul Asylum albums . . . the performances are full of grit and fire, which is what makes Down By the Old Mainstream such an engaging listen."
—All Music Guide

We have a copy to give away to one winner who ties their entry in the comments to this post to the timeframe that’s conjured up by this record. What and when did it mean something to you? Have at it. We’ll give you a week and close this one out next Monday, 6/28.

And please, don’t forget to leave us a contact email address.

TVD's Etxe Records Label Spotlight

I’m not particularly sure what happened here last week at TVD. Suddenly we became a bit of a ‘going out’ blog with the bevvy of ticket giveaways we lined up suddenly. This week however, we’re back to our roots – talking records and giving ‘em away.

We honored to be spending the week with DC’s Etxe Records and while typically this is where I’d offer some background, we’ll let label provocateurs, Chris and Jenn, handle those duties... —Ed.


Etxe Records started as an artistic concept in 2002. The notion was simple: artistic collaboration and cross-pollination. Etxe (et-CHAY) took formal and official shape in 2007 with the advent of Girl Loves Distortion. Using the creative output of that band as a jumping off point - Etxe Records was born in material form with Earth Beings On Exhibit (etxe001) - released in the summer of 2008.

Emphasizing collaboration over competition, Etxe Records seeks to engage and co-create facets of the artist/label relationship that emphasize consensus and buy-in. As a label, we seek to involve ourselves in ideas, events, and artists that actively participate in growing a positive and supportive creative community. Next week, Etxe Records will be releasing our third record Speech Shadowing (etxe003) by northwest Ohio's own Fangs Out. It will be available on 160g Silver Vinyl (with full CD) on June 29th, 2010.

We are honored to collaborate with TVD, a local and national champion of music in its truest physical form - vinyl. As a result we will be providing one lucky winner with a copy of Girl Loves Distortion's LP You Better Run, Your Highness and Fangs Out's brand new LP Speech Shadowing. Over the next few days you will hear from members of our three artists: Night and the City, Girl Loves Distortion, and Fangs Out.

We invite all of you in the DC area to come out to free show at Comet Ping Pong on Saturday June 26th, 10:30PM for the Fangs Out LP Release show - both Night and the City and Fangs Out will be performing.


Ladies, Tonight We’re Gonna Fuck Shit Up!

Like a lot of kids born in the late 70s, I grew up around my parents’ record collection. My father had this amazing (now) vintage stereo system, every Beach Boys, Moody Blues and Bee Gees album, and a host of Motown recordings. My mother loved Joni Mitchell and Saturday Night Fever. I remember playing Disco Mickey Mouse, The Velveteen Rabbit, and, a bit later, various hair band record singles on his Sony turntable. Sadly, by the time I began collecting underground music on vinyl, that awesome stereo system was dying a slow death in a storage unit. But thanks to my parents love of music, I got used to the feel of placing grooved discs carefully on a spindle, the pop and crackle kick off, at an early age.


The first vinyl I purchased in high school was the Lookout Records double LP compilation The Thing That Ate Floyd. I probably listened to Vomit Launch’s “Life Sucks” and Crimpshrine’s “Summertime” about a million times. And who can forget Cringer’s Winnie the Pooh cover “Cottlestone Pie”? So many memorable, ridiculous songs. The message was pretty clear to this combat-boot-clad kid: Almost anything goes in the Bay Area punk scene (silly, pissed, cute, crass), complete with a healthy dose of us (the punks and outcasts) against them. And their “us” was purposefully inclusive. Most notably to me now, it was very inclusive of women.



I didn’t think about it until my friend asked me to write this blog, but it makes sense that I gravitated toward the music of the San Francisco Bay Area scene. I recall feeling painfully left out of many of my male peers’ conversations about music. They seemed to know it all, past and present. The only reason to spend this expert music effort on a girl was to give her a mix tape if you wanted to go out with her, or maybe to bore your girlfriend to tears by playing song after song, complete with exhausting banter about each artist’s previous bands, politics, cock size, etc. I recall being told not once, but twice, by two different guy friends, “You don’t know shit about music.”



Floyd released the floodgates. I bought more and more vinyl, including the seven-inch compilation “There’s A Dyke In The Pit.” My best friend Monrovia and I had those four songs memorized. We would drive from Virginia Beach to all ages shows at the Kings Head Inn in Norfolk in my folks’ blue Cutlass Ciera singing them out loud to each other (it beat listening to the local radio stations). My collection expanded to include Kamala and the Karnivores, the Yeastie Girlz and Blatz. Imagine how much it meant to an angsty sixteen-year-old girl to hear Anna Blatz sing, “I wanna cry, I want attention. Oh, I wanna cry, but no one would listen… If only I could lose ten pounds… I wouldn’t need to cry. Everyone would listen if only I were beautiful.” And she was a badass punk rocker who could kick your teeth in.


Three years later, I made my first trip out to San Fran and Berkeley, and I’ve been back many times since. No one would deny that there’s something special about northern California. But for me I know it goes back to my love of Bay Area punk, to dreams of seeing bands play at Gilman (damn, I just went to their site and saw there was a Filth reunion show!), the music that took all kinds (vaginas and queers welcome). To this day, when I step out onto a Frisco street, I’m ready to fuck shit up. Real good, motherfucker.

Christin Durham is in Etxe's newest band called Night and the City. She sings, plays bass, and analog synth.

TVD's The Idelic Hour with Jon Sidel

Idelic’s Desperately Seeking | This week’s Idelic Hour was inspired by one of the many 80’s flashbacks I’ve had of late.

I first met Madonna at a small gathering of friends at her and then husband Sean Penn’s estate deep in Malibu Canyon. My girlfriend at the time was working for Sean, who upon hearing I was the co-owner of the notorious after-hour club Power Tools, referred to me as “one of those people,” a disapproving reference to Madonna’s then fanatical entourage of club kids.

Looking at back at that era the first thing that comes to mind was just how young we all were. Events had catapulted this cool couple beyond super-stardom into almost incarceration. The atmosphere was hip but awkward. I remember someone passing me a joint of very strong weed and I found myself completely stoned, standing in front of a ridiculously expensive stereo system when Madonna approached me and graciously introduced herself. I think I said something profound like “pretty cool system, dude” lol!

This weekend, per Rosanna Arquette’s request, The LA Film Festival asked me to DJ a 25th anniversary screening of “Desperately Seeking Susan.” So this week I put together two playlists - The Idelic Hour set which features mostly contemporary artists and a DJ set of fun oldies. Some cool artist that made both lists; Fun Boy Three, Konk, Lene Lovich, Bananarama, ESG, Was (Was Not) and Grace Jones.

xosidealer
idelicsounds.com | @sidelic

The Idelic Hour [6/18/2010] (Mp3, 83Mg)

TVD Fresh Track | New from Apples in stereo

The Apples in stereo kick off the first night of the South Street Seaport Music Festival on June 26th. As always, the show is rain or shine and free.

The night will feature The Apples in stereo along with members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra and The Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

The finale of the evening? The Apples in stereo will be joined by a chorus of beautiful voices along with a full string section, all culminating with fireworks from 4 barges on the East River. Um...what's better than that?
Oh - that's be a new track from their latest, Travellers in Space and Time.

Apples in stereo - Hey Elevator (Mp3)

TVD's Four Way Giveaway! Mittenfields, Bellflur, Mariage Blanc, Malin Nilsson, Friday (6/18) at Velvet Lounge

Typically for our ticket giveaway contests, we make you guys do something...y'know...pen an ode, jump through a hoop, an oragami likeness of yours truly—something that takes a bit of effort.

But for Velvet Lounge's Friday night bill with Mittenfields, Bellflur, Mariage Blanc, and Malin Nilsson, we're putting in the effort all week to set you up for one grand time indeed, so we're going to go easy this time out.

Just get at us in the comments to this post or to any one of our Four Way posts this week and simply toss your name into the ring along with some contact info (important!) and that will suffice as an entry.

That's it. No fanfare needed, no origami Jons. ( I have a roomful of 'em.)

We'll choose one winner this Friday (6/18) at noon for a pair of tickets.

Easy, right?

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!

Find Jonneine on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter.

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!

TVD's Four Way | Bellflur

Our Four Way conversation continues...

My roommates and I recently moved into a new house and we decided to get a record player, as we all had small stacks of vinyl lying around. It did not take long at all for us to become much more enraptured with records. Tom, in particular has gone into overdrive on his quest to build a fantastic collection. In addition to that, he purchased two turntables and a mixer for both.

While I used to be the type who became happier each time technology fixed aspects of life, from not having to fast forward tapes anymore (thank you CD’s), not having to fast forward VHS tapes (thank you DVD’s) and so on up to Mp3’s and my Ipod, I have now gone just the opposite way. I enjoy sitting down and listening to albums, one side at a time, without the ADHD necessity of having to have my entire music catalogue randomized for my listening pleasure.

Records make this possible. I choose what I want to hear, and with the knowledge that I will have to get up in about 25 minutes or so and flip sides or change albums, it makes the listening much more important. I guess that is the biggest difference between the medium of record players and everything else. Small windows of finite music listening are created, and each becomes more intimate, important, and in doing so creates more atmosphere for the music being played. Each side you decide to listen to becomes a small commitment you are entering into with yourself and the artist. This has the tendency to bring the world to a slower pace and wilts time’s overbearing pressure.

I wish more artists would commit to a return to the vinyl format. Both for my enjoyment and for a return to putting together well constructed series of songs. Where the tracks themselves would undulate and melodies would move from one to the next gracefully as they naturally would, rather than pack as many changes into one song as possible so that the pushed single can have as many fans as possible.

There is nothing like putting an album on a turntable and lowering the needle and hearing the slight scratches begin as the first track is approaching. Those few seconds of limbo. They make you excited every time you head back to put on another album.
—Carlos Gonzalez-Fernandez

Bellflur - Insect Politics (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

TVD Ticket & Vinyl Giveaway | The Constellations, Friday (6/18) at the Rock and Roll Hotel w/Eli "Paperboy" Reed

See, the beauty of this blog gig is that I'm tuned into new music on the regular. But I'll also admit it can be a bit overwhelming, yet with the right mindset and finesse, one can rummage through the emails to uncover a catchy thing of beauty.

Which brings me to Atlanta's Constellations, the band behind my favorite song of the minute and one seriously hot and sweaty NSFW-y video.

It turns out we have a pair of tickets you can win so that my band of the moment can be your band of the evening—specifially, this Friday evening (6/18)—when they join Eli "Paperboy" Reed over at the Rock and Roll Hotel for one psychedelic soul-rock explosion.

The Constellations are also offering their latest 'Southern Gothic' on vinyl to continue those hot and sweaty moments deep into the night (or morning) in the privacy of your own home.


Since we're going easy on you guys this week in regard to the giveaways, just tell us you want the vinyl and to be front and center Friday night in the comments to this post—along with a contact email address!—and we'll consider you sufficiently entered into the giveaway.

We'll choose one winner for both on Friday at noon!



The Constellations - Setback (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

TVD's Sunday Hangover | HOLY EFFING GHOST! (a U-Street Music Hall Giveaway)

If you’ve been lucky enough to experience the ear-drum blowing, arm-hair-raising, and just truly phenomenal sound-system at U-Street Music Hall here in DC, you know that this club and the immensely-talented DJ’s from around the globe that play there have every crowd walking out the door semi-delirious and blissfully dripping in sweat.

This Saturday (6/19) will be no exception when Holy Ghost! the talented DJ duo from NYC, will be taking over the soon-to-be-(if not already)-legendary club, spinning some seriously serious indie-dance/neu-disco/pop-radness [or insert alt-genre of choice here] to ensure that everyone in the room is grooving.

Holy Ghost! are Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser, a DJ duo since 2003 who have long worked together as musicians, having grown up in the Empire State and still residing in the never-sleeping city of Brooklyn, NYC. Meeting in Elementary School, the two played in a rock band together (they still keep it real on tracks and record all of their instruments into pro-tools) and subsequently a hip-hop group by the name of Automato where they met Mr. James Murphy, the electronic-mastermind behind LCD Soundsystem and co-founder of DFA Records. Holy! released their first single (and my fave original track) ‘Hold On’ on DFA in ’04 and have since remixed a number of notable artists, including Moby, Cut Copy, MGMT and recently the track “Drunks Girls” from the new LCD Soundsystem album.

Alex! of Holy Ghost! was kind enough to answer a few questions for us via email, a few questions that I know we were all dying to find out . . . thoughts on U-hall, the Big-V, quantification's of cool, and other very, very important thangs.


TVD: Have you guys ever played in DC before? Have you heard about the radness of the U-Street Music Hall Sound System??
Not specifically, but have only heard AMAZING things about U-Hall in general. It's rare that a clubs' name is passed between artists as frequently as I've heard that name the last few months...very excited to play there.

TVD: You guys have been killing it with the ‘neu-disco’… what do you think about the genre and what other artists out there are you guys diggin’ at the moment?
Something about that genre name - not the genre, just the name - just doesn't sit well with me - I think it's almost an aesthetic thing, it's just ugly and temporary looking. It's like a really shit new condo versus a pre-war. "Hi, we've revamped the classic sounds of yesteryear!" Eh...I like the term pop music for our music. But yeah, I know what it means and roughly who it refers to. People I like that would fit under the roof of the genre: Jacques Renault, Still Going, Shit Robot, Classixx, Todd Terje, Aeroplane, Mike Simonetti...

TVD: Anyone you would really like to collab with? (Dead or alive- lets get crazy here...)
Andre 3000, Stevie Nicks or Bernie Worell (Talking Heads' keyboardist). Or Tony Thompson, the drummer for Chic.

TVD: At the end of the night, how do you know you really put on a good show?
It's interesting. With DJ'ing you know how you're doing because people are either dancing or they're not, it's that simple. Playing live is more complicated because the audience may be standing still, but that could just be that TYPE of crowd or that VENUE or that CITY, etc. Also, I could feel like I played awfully, but Nick might feel like he played his best, so we don't know until we walk off stage and ask each other "How'd you feel?" and most of the time the answer is "Fine, it was a show, let's load out quick so we can have a few beers."

TVD: Any plans on ever moving outta NYC? Do you think any other cities compare?
I love LA and Austin, no offense to anyone else, but those places just resonate with me. Probably because of the friends. But yeah, after 27 years in NYC, I think I owe myself 6 months in LA at some point.

TVD: As you know, this interview is for The Vinyl District…. any thoughts on the big V? Do you spin vinyl or are you mostly Serato dudes?
We play a mix of Vinyl and CD's. Vinyl sounds better than anything, end of story, but I could care less what someone is using if they sound good. We both still buy a lot of new and old Vinyl.

TVD: Which of you two is cooler and why?
Nick. Always has, always will be. I'm too talkative, a lot more room for error.

TVD: Who’s the better dancer?
We both need lessons.

TVD: Celebrity crush? Go.
John C Reilly.



Holy Ghost! have just released a discolicious EP, Static on the Wire, which you can DL on Amazon.

The sound system at U-hall (as many U-streeters call it) is quickly becoming well-known by party-goers and professionals alike. If you are not already aware, the bass at U-hall can quite literally vibrate a full beer-can off of a table. The club, which opened in March of this year, boasts a ‘no-frills’ policy with no bottle service or pretension and just an amazing dance/music experience to be had. “It’s been built from the ground up to be a world class venue hosting both DJs and live acts,” states long-time DJ and DC resident Will Eastman. Eastman is co-owner of U-Street Music Hall along with fellow renowned DJ, Jesse Tittsworth.

So, come! Show off your fancy footwork this Saturday at 1115 U Street in NW DC (next to the 7-11) . . . I guarantee you, you will dance like an asshole (I mean, you will dance like Micheal Jackson), sweat your balls off (or other unmentionables) and really just have the time of your life.

WIN 2 TICKETS to Saturday's show courtesy of U-Street Music Hall, by telling us (in the comments section) a little bit about your favorite/signature dance move. The raddest answer shall win (winners contacted FRIDAY at noon), and PLEASE, include your email address in the post!

Holy Ghost! - Say My Name (Mp3)
LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls (Holy Ghost Remix) (Mp3)
Approved for download!

TVD First Date and a Ticket Giveaway | Andrew Belle, Saturday (6/19) at Iota

I feel slightly embarrassed to admit that I never really discovered or, at least, learned to appreciate vinyl records until within the last year or two. I was born in 1984 - by the time I was interested in listening to anything besides the Fragglerock soundtrack, vinyl was already on its way out.

Tapes and even CDs were very much the norm by the time I hit adolescence, but even still, I actually was not allowed to listen to much music until later into my teen years. I can remember wandering into record stores with my friends - jealously watching them flip through record after record, deciding which new audible adventure they would embark on that day. They would make their picks; Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, REM...even a Sarah McLachlan record here or there; but nothing made me more envious than when my friends mother would drive us home and someone would pop in a Counting Crows record. I had developed a love for their 'August and Everything After' record merely by visits to my friends house or by sneaking listens to the radio in my bedroom here and there.

But owning it was never an option. My father felt very strongly about me not being exposed to secular music at such a young age - and rightfully so. I was young and very impressionable - probably not capable of handling a lot of the adult content and subject matter laced into pop music. But honestly, the fact that I wasn't allowed to listen to certain music is probably what intrigued and tantalized me about music from the beginning. Music had become a mysterious, dangerous, exotic commodity in my head and that may be the reason why I chose to perform it for a living in my adulthood.



I can remember making mix tapes off of the hip Chicago station during the day—while my dad was at work—and then listening to them on my Walkman at night when I was supposed to be asleep. Sure, I was interested in typical things as well...video games, rated R movies, girls....but for some reason, music has become more mysterious and taboo than any of those things - almost to a point of obsession.

So, it was finally at the age of 16 that the ban on secular music was slightly lifted (not completely though; I still remember my dad breaking my first Bush record in half after I came home with it haha) - probably because I now had a car and thus was given my own private, mobile, listening box.

I'll never forget walking into that record store I had left empty handed so many times before, filled with a confidence and excitement like I'd never felt. I walked straight to the rack marked 'C' grabbed both Counting Crows records and Pearl Jam's 'Vitalogy' record, checked out as fast as possible, and drove around for hours listening to them.

As I grew older, the taboo slowly faded but my love for a new record didn't. I now own more music than I know what to do with - but I always try to remember that time in my life when I treasured and found mystery in every note and lyric. After all, that's where my love for music was born.

Andrew Belle - Static Waves (Mp3)
Approved for download!

We've got a pair of tickets to catch Andrew Belle this Saturday (6/19) at Iota. Door opens at 5PM for this early show. Simply get at us in the comments to this post with your plea for the tickets—with contact info!—and we'll choose one winner by noon on Friday, (6/18.)

TVD's Four Way | Mariage Blanc

Day two of TVD's Four Way conversation continues with Pittsburgh's Mariage Blanc appearing Friday night (6/18) along with Malin Nilsson, Bellflur, and Mittenfields at Velvet Lounge.

"Like most, my first exposure to vinyl was through my parents. We had an old hi-fi and turntable in our living room. My parents have a great record collection, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, etc... all the classics. I learned my first "real" song fumbling along to an America record. I still remember how my Dad would meticulously wipe each record with an anti-static dust brush before playing it.

At some point in elementary school, home sick (but possibly faking it), I decided to listen to Let It Be. I pulled the record out of the jacket, placed it on turntable, and pressed play. It spun up, the needle dropped, and then... nothing. I could not for the life of me figure out which combination of buttons I had to press on the receiver to get the music to come out of the speakers. Right before giving up, I noticed that if I held my ear very close to the needle I could just barely hear "I, Me, Mine". Laying on the living room floor, head held just over the record player, I listened to the rest of the album like this."
—Josh Kretzmer, guitar, vocals

"Like Josh, my first exposure to vinyl was through my parents. I grew up with many of the artists he mentioned, as my father was an avid music fan. However, it is only recently (within the last year or so) that I decided to buy a turntable and start a record collection of my own. Having all of my music in an iTunes library always left me a bit unfulfilled, and I became more drawn to owning bigger, physical copies of my favorite music. Bigger artwork and having a large copy of something that I could hold in my hands seemed much more appealing than a bunch of mp3s.

Listening to albums on vinyl is a process that requires you to pay attention to the music. Putting the record on the turntable, turning it over when the side is done, and listening to the entire album the whole way through are all important parts of experiencing it. It's a process that prevents an album from becoming something that you throw on and ignore, which is something that I hope music never becomes."
—Matt Ceraso, guitar, vocals


"My earliest memories of vinyl are listening to Thriller and The White Album out of my parent's record collection. I thought the George Harrison song "Piggies" was so funny because it talked about little piggies playing in the dirt.

My favorite record store in Pittsburgh is Attic Records, which is actually located in Millvale, PA, a stone's throw across the Allegheny River. There are few other good ones around here, including Paul's and Jerry's.

I go through different binge-record-buying phases, although my only real vinyl obsession is David Bowie, albeit with an early-80's cutoff.

I have an old Magnavox record player/radio in my living room—I got it for free—and it still has more presence and warmth than any stereo I've ever had."
—Sam McUmber, keyboards, vocals


"Vinyl? What's that? A new iPod model?"
—Chris Williams, drums


"The very first record I remember playing was the McDonald's promo record for the Big Mac jingle. Something tells me it wasn't really vinyl but, nonetheless, it left me hungry...for more records. Now I collect records because I miss that sense of discovery that I had when I would dig through my parents records. You listened to music in a different way back then. You didn't skip around if the first 10 seconds of a song didn't immediately catch you - you gave it a chance.

Plus, what am I going to pass along to my children (other than my killer good looks?) A hard drive full of MP3s?"
—Josh Dotson, bass

Mariage Blanc - Whatever You Say I Am (Mp3)
Authorized for download!
("Whatever You Say I Am" is the first song we wrote after releasing our debut EP, Broken Record. Appropriately enough, it's the first song from our new album that we're letting out into world, albeit as a rough mix. Although the record will be properly mastered before release, we just couldn't wait any longer to share a new song. We hope you enjoy it.)

TVD's Twitter Music Monday for 6/14/10

Oh fine. I’ve had a #musicmonday column for all of one week, and already it’s time to write about Amanda Palmer. Because of this:

@amandapalmer RT! @amandapalmer unveils "idioteque" from her upcoming radiohead ukulele covers album http://bit.ly/AFPidio #MusicMonday

Twitter stops counting at 100 retweets. More than 100 people retweeted this on Monday, trust.

If you don’t already know who Amanda Palmer is, I’m not going to tell you because I’m bound to get something wrong and her rabid fanbase will obliterate me, burlesque-style, and possibly by beating me about the head with ukuleles. That actually sounds hilarious and I’d like to know more, but I bruise easily, so just look her up yourself, why dontcha? You can start with the Dresden Dolls, and Evelyn and Evelyn, and look into some of the more contentious moments of her solo career, like when she got into a fight with her record label or walked the Oscar red carpet practically naked.

Here are some things I have to say about Amanda Palmer:
- Whenever I hear her name, I get thirsty for some refreshing lemonade mixed with iced tea. Then I decide that, if my name were so similar to that of an iconic professional golfer with a signature non-alcoholic drink, I would at least change it to sound more fizzy. And then I realize that she’s also called Amanda Fucking Palmer, which I guess makes everything ok. (That is entirely too many thoughts for just one bullet point.)
- She’s engaged to Neil Gaiman. Even more than her fanbase, I don’t want to make him mad. He could come after me with beautifully whimsical stories—one never knows.
- I like (liked?) the Dresden Dolls. For a few years in college, her angsty vocals really spoke to me. It’s been a while, though. (I know, yawn, sorry.)
- Ukuleles? Really?

I guess I should say something about the song, huh? Eh. Let me direct you to my last bullet point. I really like the piano part of this cover. The ukulele sounds plingy and oddly metallic, and on first listen I thought that, other than the plings, it sounded too much like the original. Then I listened to the original and, yeah, it doesn’t. But I still don’t like the way the uke sounds. STAND DOWN, AFP FANS.

I’m not a music critic. “Plingy” is not a technical term. Amanda Palmer is enough of an Internet force that her appearance on #musicmonday dominated the Twitterverse, and she’s a fascinating person to write silly things about. The end.

Role #mmodel: This is the second-best tweet I’ve seen all day. It’s the first-best that does not involve vuvezelas. And it somehow got into the #musicmonday transcript without having the actual #musicmonday hashtag. Hearts! “LeatherNight: RT @TW1TT3Rart: @KarlDetkenProDJ #DJ #MUSIC #TwitterArt ??????????? ???????????????? ???????????????? ????”

My #musicmonday pick: Cover music edition! The Detroit Cobras are forever great to wake up to on a Monday (or Tuesday) morning. Check out Hey Sailor.