Here at THE VINYL DISTRICTwe're good consumers. All Mp3's are posted to promote and give exposure to the music and are linked for a limited time. Please download to preview, then head promptly to your local vinyl vendor (or - OK, CD store too) and fork over your hard earned cash. You'll appreciate the piece of mind.
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Day #2 of "TVD Down Under"...and boy is my jaw tired. (I kid, I kid...)
But hey - Scotland, Ireland, England...step right up for your theme weeks, emm kay? Publicists/promoters get in touch...
...anyway, now where were we?
"We are the five piece band called Special Patrol. We come from a little town in the deep south of Australia called Adelaide. The isolation down here makes for some mind numbing drives. The nearest city to us on a national tour is a nine hour drive and the next one after that, Sydney is sixteen hours away. With five members plus a sound guy in a car one can lose their mind quite easily.
We have been making music for years and the process is one that we enjoy like nothing else… apart from being tickled under the arms... man that tickles! We started making music in high school and have now made three albums and two EP's. We are just gearing up to release the third album recently named "The Stranger's Dozen".
Our favourite record store is a tiny store in the town of Adelaide called Big Star Records. This store stocks all the local bands plus a great selection of national and international artists, has creaky floorboards and home made record shelves. If you are ever down this way come and say hi."
"The Paper Scissors (TPS) play rock music that borrows from all of our favorite songs and styles from the past 50 years, and tries to consolidate these into pop music. We come from Sydney, Australia which is a big pretty city, but doesn't have the healthiest of music scenes, there is definitely room to move and play shows and get known, but a lot of the time people are too busy barbecuing or dining al fresco to go and see music. We don't really consider ourselves a part of the scene because we don't really exist as just musicians, we are all pretty chilled - dorky actually - exchanging cooking tips, talking about David Lynch films and drinking tea.
Sydney is a great place to live and write, but you need to escape as much as possible. Our music is usually based on groove and simplicity, but then layered on top of with lyrics and melodies that strive to be memorable and universal- personal stories from cathartic times that have enough ambiguity that people can still project themselves into the story. Sonically though, it usually takes this catharsis and turns it on its head and into something that has elements of fun and joy that hold hands with the darker noisier bits.
We made an EP in 2006, an album in 2007 and just released The Howl EP in July 09. Howl sees us evolving and growing up and is a good snapshot of where we are heading. Our next release is going to be our first vinyl, we are planning on doing a 7 inch single later in the year which is fucking exciting.
My favorite record store in Sydney is Red Eye Records in the city - Red Eye stocks a lot of good vinyl and they have 2 stores- one for new and 2nd hand, and the other one is just 2nd hand. They have in-stores and I love going there to trade, giving them old shit I don't listen to anymore and getting store credit in my hot little hands..." The Paper Scissors - Howl (Mp3)
Joining DJ Birdman and DC Digga will be original partner DJ Fatback as well as very special guests Larry Grogan—Funky16Corners for those unaware—who will be bringing a distinctly 45 slant to the proceedings—not to mention DJ Neville C and DC's own DJ Provoke. Special giveaways and other party favors will be available as well. Also this Wednesday they’re going all night long in celebration of the anniversary, from 7pm til the bartender closes up shop.
TVD asked DJ Birdman to hit us with a little background and some tracks representative of the evening’s playlist...and he did just that:
"One of the best things about a DJ residency is the opportunity to broaden your own musical horizons in an attempt to keep things fresh for your patrons (and yourself). Of course, when you have a Jazz night, as we have now held down for 5 years, often you find yourself digging deeper in an effort to give shine to artists who don't find themselves a likely subject for a Starbuck's CD comp or even as incidental background in an NPR piece.
The names Grachan Moncur III and Herbie Nichols don't feature prominently in the broader histories of the music, and frankly, rarely see much ink in specific histories that focus on Blue Note Records. Blue Note, that most famous of jazz labels, is really all these musicians have in common. That, and the fact that mainstream canonization of their recordings simply never happened, despite their substantial contributions. These are just two of the forgotten men of Blue Note.
Pianist Hebie Nichols is often referred to as 'The Neglected Genius'. Most frequently compared to his friend Thelonious Monk for his modern style, Nichols' trio work in the mid 50s (with greats Art Blakey and Max Roach often drumming on his sides, as well as bassist Al McKibbon) is thrilling to hear. His piano lines are percussive and full of controlled energy and innovative melody that only become more pronounced with closer listening. In his lifetime he only released 2 10" and 1 12" LP on Blue Note, and a handful of dates for other labels, and for vinyl junkies, the best bet is his 2 LP 70s collection, 'The Third World', which is much easier to find than the original pressings.
For a compelling portrait of Nichols and his tragically short career and life, the book 'Four Lives in the BeBop Business' by A.B. Spellman is invaluable. In addition to Nichols, this 1966 tome celebrates the iconoclastic careers of Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and fellow Blue Note artist Jackie McLean.
Jackie McLean is the artist that first brought Grachan Moncur III to musical prominence. The trombonist, who plays McLean's perfect foil on the landmark 1963 Blue Note recording 'One Step Beyond', would go on to record only two dates as a leader for Blue Note, the exceptional 'Evolution', and 'Some Other Stuff'. Far more of an avant garde modernist than Nichols, Moncur was of that generation of players who had created 'The New Thing' happening in the early 60s, but were still experimenting within a recognizable structure (ie. still swinging). Though not what may typically regarded as Free Jazz today, his Blue Note material was still very challenging to mainstream audiences and the jazz buyers alike. Light Supper Club Jazz this was emphatically not.
While a leader on only two Blue Note LPs, Moncur did continue into the 70s recording for BYG/Actuel and has released new music with larger ensembles as recently as 2007. His work as a sideman is considered to be some of the most underrated contributions in Jazz, on recording dates by Wayne Shorter, Archie Shepp, Marion Brown, Joe Henderson and Sunny Murray.
These two innovative and generally unsung musicians demonstrate just how deep the ocean of Jazz is, and how it's sunken treasure continues to enrich and surprise all these years later."
Time was, say the 80’s or early 90’s, when it seemed that there was a new band from Australia achieving some level of international success by the hour. The ubiquitous Men at Work, INXS, Midnight Oil, Crowded House to the less than mainstream The Birthday Party, The Saints, Radio Birdman, Mental As Anything, Hunter & Collectors, The Church, Divinyls, Hoodoo Gurus, The Go-Betweens, The Triffids...and the list can easily go on.
So, what happened? Certainly there’s still fine music being made down under, but why hasn’t it reached our collective ear-shot?
I don’t have an answer to that rhetorical, but I do have a number of bands this week—all from Austrailia—who merit an introduction to a far larger audience.
So, you can tell your friends TVD’s spending the entire week down under for you. Cuz we’re givers. (With a penchant for double entendres.)
"Phil from Grand Atlantic here. Greetings from the Australia! We’re busy at the moment getting ready to release our second album, entitled “How We Survive.” It’s a collection of songs that we’re very proud of. Most of the tracks are about making sense of life in the 21st century with all the emotions, fears, dramas and good times that we all experience on a day-to-day basis. We’re also very proud to be working with Laughing Outlaw Records in Australia – an independent label that really cares about its bands and putting out good records. It’s been great for us to have that filter down and be able to see our album come out in some fantastic independent record stores.
We’ve got a fabulous record store in Brisbane, where we are based; it’s called Rocking Horse and it’s basically a Brisbane institution for the music fan. The shop has been in existence for over 30 years and has moved locations several times. Every time I go in there, I walk out with an armful of vinyl records – second hand and new. It’s the kind of place you could spend hours and loads of cash…but it’s totally worth it. Anyway, if you get the chance, check out our tunes… Hope to catch you round sometime soon…"
"G'day, were Barrel House - a band from the mid-north coast of Australia, we have been together for nearly 2 years now and have toured constantly, our shows have ranged from multi award winning festivals to the dark corner of a bowling club on bingo night. In a perfect world you show up to your gig, set up, sound check, have a few moments to get yourself together, play the show, pack up, wind down and go to bed. The first thing you'll learn about Barrel House is these chain of events very rarely run smoothly and whether it be a festival or a bowling club there is always a story! We have just finished our new EP "Open Road" which is a very fitting title and is a good representation of where the band currently at, thanks to the support of independent record stores we are able to get our music in stores around the country, making all of our touring much more worth while. So stay tuned for more band info and plenty more crazy touring stories…"
I played drums for a number of years and like to think I’ve gotten to be a good time keeper, but alas I nearly missed it this week – TVD turned two.
I was rereading last year’s ‘we turned one’ post last night, which if you’re sorta new here, you may want to give a once-over in regard to back story and how the minute and thirty seconds you spend with us each day came to pass.
In fact, read it twice because very little of my sentiments have changed to any degree beyond being in awe that the blog is still clicking along after so many weeks and this being the 900th post.
I don’t think I look for any affirmation from this endeavor although it has come along in varying guises—Best Blog lists,RecordFairs, and being named the official blog for Record Store Day 2009. I often wonder what if I didn’t wake up that Sunday morning two years ago and begin tinkering with Blogspot and slapped the first incarnation of TVD together? What if I just rolled over and and kept dreaming?
For now though, here’s ten from the past two that struck a chord.
Y’know, Ed’s right. I’ve seen him live maybe 20 times now, and despite my persistent blogging, it really is word of mouth that fills the seats. Despite this, we asked Ed to do his best to impart what you’re in for—blog-style:
"They've asked me to Blog a bit as to what you can expect to see if you were to choose to see my show. Hell if I know. First of all why are you reading this? Do you have too much time on your hands? Are you scrutinizing each and every blog by each and every fringe act? Are you familiar with my work and wanna see what kind of wackiness I'm gonna write? I'll give you some basics and I'll shoot from the hip. It's a one man show, pretty biographical, got a lot of hard hitting music, a bunch of social commentary, and you should, if all goes well, be pretty entertained, challenged and laugh your ass off. It's a reality show. Not like the ones on T.V. that are scripted and insult your intelligence. I'll respect your intelligence and tell you the truth, albeit in a humorous way. I've been kicking around doing my potty mouth anarchistic folk punk for about 10 years and decided a couple years ago that I would script and mold it into a more theatrical setting. Hired a really great director, Kate Valentine who was a heavy hitter in the New York City Art/Burlesque scene and signed onto new management, "The Invasion Group" who brought the world the great comic genius Bill Hicks. My good buddy Ani DiFranco produced the entire venture and we brought our show over to Scotland for The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest in the world. I was honored to have won the coveted Herald Angel Award. Three thousand acts and they only pass out seven of those babies so it was extremely flattering. Now we tour the States and Europe with the production and we'll be bringing it to Washington. Looking forward to it. But the real deal is as follows: Opening night will be a fair showing. How big is the venue? 120 seats? I'll have 40. But those 40 will tell their friends because maybe they're punk rockers and they respond. Or maybe they're artists with a dream who toil away at a thankless job and they need a shot of inspiration and so they get it that night and tell their friends, "I don't know how to explain it but you got to see this guy". Because were you to tell me, "Hey, he's bald, he plays the guitar like he did a kilo of Red Bull, he yells at the crowd, he's got a foul mouth and I laughed until I pissed my pants but then he made me cry and sing songs about genitals with my parents" I don't know that I'd be buying a ticket to wait in line either. Or maybe you got elderly parents and you don't know how you're going to afford to take care of them or you just lost your job and you don't know how you're going to keep your house and you just want 75 minutes, (or how ever long they're going to let me explode) to forget all your troubles. Then I'm your guy. And you're going to tell your friends and I can guarantee by the last night we're gonna have a full house. Blogs ain't gonna sell it. I could wallpaper my bathroom with 5 star reviews from The New York Times, Playboy, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, The London Times and if truth be told that ain't gonna sell it. Word of mouth sells it. So...I hope you come out, I give 150% every night and I hope you spread the word. Watch the sparking demons escape from my brain."
Around the time MJ passed away, someone commented on one of the many TV and radio broadcasts that he felt lucky to have had ‘Thriller’ as a kid because, at a very early age one doesn’t ‘choose’ music, your environment and surroundings dictate what's consumed more or less.
Now, in the ‘70’s when I still counted my age in single digits, AM radio out of New York City (WNBC and WABC respectively) was omnipresent in my home. If you were to ask me then, I would have convinced you with the utmost sincerity that my two favorite bands were The Beatles and KISS—but I was absorbing so much more without even knowing it.
So, if you haven’t detected it already, we’re bringing some of that background music to the fore this week.
Oh—and you parents out there? I’d consider just tossing the radio out the window. Just pitch it. Y’know, for ‘the kids sake.’
On which gospel meets Philly soul and makes it all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard dance chart.
The Mighty Clouds of Joy came out of Los Angeles in 1960 as a traditional gospel group. By the early '70s, they started developing a more secular sound even as they kept the faith. This joyous, upbeat record, from 1975, is proof.
"Mighty High" is that dance hit. "Leanin'" clearly is inspired by the O'Jays' "Love Train." Then there's a funky, mashed-up cover of Kiki Dee's "I Got The Music In Me" and Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." Still not sure what to make of that.
Back in November of last year, Washingtonian did a little Q&A with yours truly and at the time they poked me to name my favorite band or act in DC. I had one name for them then and I remain consistent; Paul Michel.
Don't believe me? Fine. Paul plays tomorrow night at Velvet Lounge with the equally awesome Caverns and Hammer No More The Fingers - so, y'know, you do the homework and check 'em out live.
And hey, Paul - whatcha got in store?
"I'll be playing some songs off the new album, JUNE. Been working on this album for like a year and a half, and I'm really excited about we've been able to produce. It comes out this fall, and we're beginning to play out to help promote the thing. So, though we're in the nascent stages of the touring cycle, it's going to be fun to play songs that we've never played before live, and the energy should be really great. Mike Ushinski, the motha-fuckin best drummer in the world, is playing drums, too. And my boy Sean Davenport's on the keys. I'll also have a shiny, new Macbook Pro doing all other musician-related activities - so it'll also be fun to see what a complete technology meltdown looks like.
Other reasons: we're playing with a couple rad bands, Caverns and HNMTF, who rock in schizophrenically different ways. The one thing that joins us all is badassery. Which is French for, "we like to bring it." These guys are extremely fun, both to watch and to hang out with, and the whole thing is sure to be a blast. It always is with those dudes. Plus, it's the Velvet Lounge. I remember once seeing Mastodon play there and almost falling through the floor. Near death experiences always make a show better!"
You’ve certainly got to hand it to Fort Knox Five. Not just musicians, not just DJs, these guys actually run their own label and are consistently dropping vinyl right along with any digital output. We shot some questions over to FK5’s Jon Horvath and in honor of our second birthday today, we’ve got the entire interview below along with some seriously select tracks:
How important is Vinyl to Fort Knox Five and Fort Knox Recordings? Vinyl is very important to Fort Knox Five and Fort Knox Recordings. We founded the label on vinyl. It supported our label's growth. In the last couple of years, we have started focusing on digital releases, but still releasing everything on vinyl. The great thing about digital music, is it does not cost anything to release. Making records is very expensive. To keep our label in the vinyl business, we recently signed a P&D deal with Groove Distribution for our vinyl releases.
Do you still play vinyl records? Generally for dj gigs, we use Rane/Serato Scratch. It is excellent for live shows. You have an unlimited crate. That helps with being able to rock any situation. It still has sound quality flaws, but for the most part, it works very well. Although, nothing sounds quite like vinyl.
Does vinyl have any advantages over digital music? In the old days, vinyl had many more advantages. It was much harder to bootleg a vinyl record. Vinyl only releases are also more limited than digital music. Some tunes only exist on vinyl. At least until someone rips them. The main advantage of vinyl is its warm sound quality. Digital music can never emulate that warmth.
As a DJ, what do you prefer and why? In the old days, we were strictly vinyl djs. We did play some exclusives off of cd, but generally it was all vinyl. Nowadays, we use Rane/Serato Scratch to perform. It is amazing. It eliminates the need for carrying lots of records for gigs. It feels great for our backs, but also it is nice to keep the records in mint condition. We used to go through numerous copies of a big record. Now you can make a digital copy, and then the vinyl stays mint. We like that. It is really nice to play exclusives, and our new tracks like their records.
You recently released a remix as a 7" vinyl single to celebrate 60 years of the 7 inch record, how did that come about? We released FKX018 - Radio Free DC Remixed Vol 5 in celebration of the 60 year anniversary of the 7 inch Record. It features remixes by Ali B of Air Recordings & Fabric, and Boca 45 of Dynamo Productions. A lot of our friends were throwing parties to celebrate its 60 year Bday. We decided what better way to honor its Bday than to have a 7 inch release. The remixes are serious future funk!! What vinyl have you released recently and will release soon? There are always tons of releases in the pipeline. We are in the process of releasing the Radio Free DC Remixed Vol 1-10, as well as a double gatefold 2x12" release of the Radio Free DC Album. We have gotten about 8 releases into the RFDC Remixed Series. They are all being distributed by Groove Distribution in Chicago. We also have some new artists on the label, that will be featuring vinyl releases. We are in the process of manufacturing the first Nappy Riddem's record called Nappy Riddem, featuring remixes by All Good Funk Alliance, and QDUP Foundation. Nappy Riddem is a collaboration of Rex Riddem, Mustafa Akbar, and Hash Vyas. A new See-I 7" release of "How Could You" will follow that. This will include a Rodney Hunter Remix. We also just completed 4 new Fort Knox Five songs for The New Gold Standard Vol 2. This will be released in October, and feature lots of VINYL!!!!
"An upper level low pressure system spins over the region today and will keep it overcast with limited sun. Areas of rain and some late-day storms are possible. Highs will climb into the low to mid 80s. Overnight, expect partly cloudy skies and an isolated shower/storm and lows in the mid to upper 60s.
This unsettled pattern will continue through the remainder of the week as high pressure sets up off the Atlantic coast. This will make for a chance of showers and thunderstorms each afternoon through the weekend. Highs should reach the low to mid 80s each day, finally bumping back into the upper 80s late into the week and into the early part of the weekend.
Though we may not want a rainy week in the summer, the region desperately needs it, as our region is averaging about 2 inches below normal for rainfall in the month of July. So while showers and storms are forecast each day, by no means will it be a washout. Have a great day."
After the Beatles conquered America in 1964, many other British groups found transatlantic fame and fortune. The first song of this British invasion to top the American charts was Peter and Gordon's A World Without Love, composed by Paul McCartney. The duo were Peter Asher (brother of Jane Asher, the actress) and Gordon Waller, who has died aged 64 of a heart attack.
I was commenting recently in regard to growing up that I think the best gift parents can give their children is the gift of fond memories and peace of mind. I know – often a tall order, but I stand by it.
And I can’t help it...summer comes around and I’m nostalgic for summer times that don’t involve the city, or a commute, or a day job, ...or anything else but Sweet FA. And the score to those daydreams is sweet, sweet 70’s AM radio goodness.
So, this week as we did last summer, it’s a dip into the ol’ ‘70’s box of 45’s. But if you had been keeping score previously, we’re endeavoring to not duplicate last year’s flashback in our pursuit of pure 70’s mellow gold. (I mean, have YOU ever been mellow?)
Sometimes you ache for a person, other times for a place. A fragment of your past where you left memories and friends. You may be glad you've gone, but you still wish once in a while that you could go back. Home.
I've seen Stellastarr* twice now and both times I've thought that the band's the real deal—melodic and ethereal, and miles beyond their contemporaries and the post punk purveyors they're lumped alongside in the press.
Stellastar* is back this month with their new release, "Civilized" and play The Rock and Roll Hotel this Friday night. And you, lucky TVD reader, have an opportunity to be right next to us, ON us, because we've got a pair of tickets to put in your hands.
Because we're givers, we're going to make it even easier for you guys to enter our weekly giveaways here at TVD. Staring today, you can Twitter your entries into any contest via regular Tweets or direct message via Twitter to us. Of course you can still enter in the comments below, but we need some contact info if you choose to do so.
It's a subtle way to get you guys to follow TVD on Twitter where we're often giving away additional tracks, new and old, not featured in the daily blog posts. And don't worry - it's pertinent stuff, not what we ordered in for lunch here at TVD HQ. (Not to mention, we could give a shit that The Real World's filming around the corner. So there's that.)
So, Stellastarr*! Friday night! Rock and Roll Hotel! A pair of tix with your name on 'em! Get at us!
Anyone who has done any real living has a dark side...
The old man used to call it burning the candle at both ends. I'm not sure what I'd call it, but I am sure that I've seen 3 a.m. too many times with just a coffee cup of whiskey and these songs to keep me company.
Am I out on a limb when I state unequivocally that Girl Loves Distortion might be the last and best band conjuring what I’ll call the ‘sound of DC?’ (Yea, Go Go notwithstanding.) The polyrhythms, the lacerating guitar lines, the twisty bass below have all been rumbling under the surface for a number of weeks now at TVD HQ and lucky us, we get to catch them tomorrow night when the band plays Fort Reno alongside Godisheus and Laughing Man.
GLD are releasing the brand new ‘You Better Run, Your Highness’ on vinyl this month (via Etxe Records) and as such we caught up with guitarist Christopher Goett who CLEARLY embraces the medium.
"Vinyl. Is there really any other way to experience recorded music? We don’t’ think so. The sound quality is unparalleled: deeper lows, warmer range of tones, great expression of nuance. In today’s times music quickly slips into the ether . . . it becomes a part of file sharing, compressed on a convenient iPod, or streamed online somewhere. We aren’t snubbing our noses at these modern twists and turns on the music listening experience. Most of us own an MP3 player for the convenience of it – particularly when riding the Metro around town or when we are on the road touring.
However – the thing about listening to vinyl is that it is a very deliberate experience. We aren’t trying to multi-task to something when dropping the needle down on our favorite piece of wax. It is a conscious decision to absorb the collection of songs presented by the artist. It is a tactile as well as an aural experience: perusing the artwork, pulling out the vinyl, placing it on the turntable, dropping the needle, flipping the record, etc.
Girl Loves Distortion was absolutely psyched to hear about our record label (Etxe Records) pulling the trigger on releasing our new album (You Better Run, Your Highness) on vinyl. In fact, Etxe Records has really put together a nice vinyl package - heavy grade, multi-color clear vinyl, and reverse-board LP jackets. It is record we put together thinking about vinyl, and we are hoping vinyl nerds out there like us enjoy it."
Also catch GLD this Friday, July 17, at The Trash Bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The band also headlines their own CD/Vinyl release party for the new ‘You Better Run, Your Highness’ on Friday, July 24 at The Velvet Lounge with Trophy Wife (DC), Thee Lexington Arrows (Baltimore), and Fangs Out (Toledo.)
Day #2 of "TVD Down Under"...and boy is my jaw tired. (I kid, I kid...) 
"We are the five piece band called Special Patrol. We come from a little town in the deep south of Australia called Adelaide. The isolation down here makes for some mind numbing drives. The nearest city to us on a national tour is a nine hour drive and the next one after that, Sydney is sixteen hours away. With five members plus a sound guy in a car one can lose their mind quite easily. 
"The Paper Scissors (TPS) play rock music that borrows from all of our favorite songs and styles from the past 50 years, and tries to consolidate these into pop music. We come from Sydney, Australia which is a big pretty city, but doesn't have the healthiest of music scenes, there is definitely room to move and play shows and get known, but a lot of the time people are too busy barbecuing or dining al fresco to go and see music. We don't really consider ourselves a part of the scene because we don't really exist as just musicians, we are all pretty chilled - dorky actually - exchanging cooking tips, talking about David Lynch films and drinking tea.
