TVD Live Tease | Emily Easterly, Saturday (9/19) at The Living Room, NYC

If there’s any justice in the world, Emily Easterly will soon be a big star, and if you’re from DC and inclined to make the drive to NYC, you’ll be rewarded with an intimate gig at The Living Room and years of saying, ‘Y’know, I once saw her in this intimate club...etc., etc., etc.”

Now, let's see some justice prevail.

Emily, what’s the scoop on Saturday?

"I recently went back into the studio (Galuminum Foil Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) with the idea of recording two new songs to be released as a single. The “A side” if you will, is called “The Only Two On Earth” and was loosely inspired by the Cormac McCarthy book, The Road. Since we were recording a single and not a whole record, Chris Cubeta, who produced the single as well as my last full length release, 'Heart Comma Heart,' thought it would be cool to take the song in a different direction sonically. So, the track came out with a lot of cool drums sounds, drum overdubs and even a little synth part! I am super excited to share this track with people!


 
As for the single release, I will be doing a big show at The Living Room in New York on September 19th. For attendees, I will be handing out a free, limited edition copy of the new single with a handmade CD sleeve. The “B side” to the single is called “Montreal”. The new songs will also be available for free download on my website, after the show. I’ve been rehearsing with my band for the past couple weeks for this show and I’m super excited about it! We will be performing the new song, “The Only Two On Earth” for the first time live as well as covering one of my favorite Sparklehorse songs, “Cow”.

The Living Room is one of my favorite venues in New York. The sound is great, there’s a piano and the last time I was there, I saw Sean Lennon and his girlfriend trying to read each other’s minds by pressing their foreheads together in silence. What more could you ask for?"

Emily Easterly - The Only Two On Earth (Mp3)

A TVD Special Event | Story/Stereo

Our special Story/Stereo event continues with more Roofwalkers. This morning we hear from the band's bassist, Chris Licciardi, with tales of teen angst and musical epiphanies. (Oh, like YOU never had any.)

"When I was in high school and my brother was in college and far from home, he told me about a band called The Modern Lovers. It was during one of those afternoon calls when he had probably just woken up from whatever college debauchery he was doing the night before, and I had just gotten home from school. These calls didn't happen all that often: usually every other month or so when he was broke. I would run to beat my parents to the phone, hollering "I got it, I got it!" I know my parents liked it that my brother and I got along so well, but they probably also liked the reprieve from being asked for money, so the competition to say hello probably wasn't as tough as it felt.

My brother has a way with words when talking about music. In a matter of minutes, he could (and still can) describe a band in such a way that I would have to go check it out. Conversely, I was often crushed to learn that a band I had been listening to for the past few weeks was a "load of shit" and "a total rip-off of ...". He'd mention bands like Sonic Youth or The Kinks and told me stop listening to the 3rd Oasis album.


This particular phone call was short. I remember this because of the cryptic nature of his description of The Modern Lovers. Ben was never cryptic about bands; he was always long-winded (and still is). He told me that the first album was the best; I don't remember what the justification for this was, but I bought it on his recommendation. He told me to listen to "Pablo Picasso".  
 
So a week later I threw my backpack on the floor of my bedroom, unwrapped the newly purchased CD, put it in my boombox, and went straight to track four. Laying there, listening to "Pablo Picasso", I have to admit I wasn't sure what to make of the singer's head-cold vocals. Was this a joke? Had my brother been testing me? Why the hell did I waste my 16 bucks on this music? I mean, there were some cool guitar parts and, yeah, even at that age, I noticed they sounded a bit like the Velvet Underground, but Lou Reed exuded confidence and a coolness that Jonathan Richman only seemed to hint at.

Perhaps my brother had led me astray. 

Song Seven: "She Cracked"

Now this was more like it! Pulsing and edgy, on the verge of falling apart, and Richman sounded like he was completely wasted. The guitars and drums were driving, and the chorus of Modern Lovers' voices jumping in was just right. The break made me want to bounce around the room and play air guitar. This Jonathan Richman guy could even say, "All right" at the end of a chorus without sounding like a dick. When I paid attention to the lyrics, though, I realized Jonathan wasn't your average doped-up rocker, which made him even more relatable. Most of my friends messed around with drugs, but Jonathan and I were both straight (song five). Not only that, but we both had awkward teenage relationship problems. I later heard that Richman was a teenager when he wrote those songs.

This is what I had been hoping for when my brother mentioned it. I'm still kinda hoping for this when my brother recommends a new band. Now that we're older and somewhat closer to music peers, I try to do the same thing for him." 

The Modern Lovers - She Cracked (Mp3)

TVD First Date with | Roofwalkers

Here is where we’d typically introduce Roofwalkers in our Wednesday ‘First Date’ feature, but seeing that we did so on Monday, we’re just going to dive in with Adrian Carroll’s tales of life abroad. On vinyl.

"When I was a college undergrad I lived abroad in Spain for a while. Lots of folks had painted living abroad as the best kicks of their life. But I didn't really find it to be. It was exciting and all that, and an important growing experience, but I found it pretty isolating and lonely at times.  

I lived with an older divorced woman named Nieves.  My room in the flat had once belonged to her son, and it was still furnished with much of his older belongings, including a turntable and his LP collection. There were nights when I could have probably attempted to be more social, at least with the other American students. But I figured I'd gone to Spain to learn a foreign language, not to hang out with other expats in Irish pubs. I was eager to meet natives, but the reality is that it takes a good bit of time to do that.

So on nights I didn't go out, I'd stay in and watch Spanish sitcoms with Nieves. And when the sitcoms ended, I'd retire to her son's former room and play records all night.  


Her son's teenage years were in the 80s, and his record collection reflected that. I dug through them all--most of it was familiar top 40 stuff from the 80s. My top three were the first Dire Straits LP, Prince's "Purple Rain," and Sade's "Love Deluxe." I never thought I'd admit in public that I like Sade, but I gotta say it's good shit. A guilty pleasure perhaps.    

And that Dire Straits LP--I still listen to it regularly. I'm sure it's about as uncool a record as you can cite as a favorite, but it is for me. Hands down, one of the best. For guitar dorks especially. "Six Blade Knife" slays every time. So on to the significance of vinyl with the whole thing. For me vinyl represents listening to music to listen to music--not to do the dishes, go running, or catch up on email. You sit there and open your ears for 20 odd minutes at a time, and then get up to flip the record. I still resist downloading music. I feel like the music I download ends up getting forgotten. If there's something I want to hear and really soak in, I'll go find it on vinyl."

Roofwalkers - Chin Music (Mp3)
Roofwalkers - They Think They Own The Place (Mp3)

TVD Class of '76 | 'School Days' by Stanley Clarke

Jeff from AM, Then FM returns with another dip into the '70's box of LPs:

Back in the '70s in our part of Wisconsin, beer was our regular vice, but we did sample other substances from time to time.

Likewise, rock was our regular sound, but we did sample other vibes from time to time.

"School Days," the 1976 album by jazz bassist Stanley Clarke was one such vibe.

I'm not all that knowledgeable about jazz, so let's just call this record the place where rock meets funk meets jazz. That will have to do.

I may not be able to deconstruct it, but I have long enjoyed it -- from the memorable three-note bass riff that opens "School Days" to the tribal-sounding percussion on "The Dancer" to the triple-guitar attack and funky horns on "Hot Fun."


Stanley Clarke - School Days (Mp3)
Stanley Clarke - The Dancer (Mp3)
Stanley Clarke - Hot Fun (Mp3)

"School Days" is out of print but is available digitally.

A TVD Special Event | Story/Stereo

TVD's special Story/Stereo event in advance of Friday night's convergence of music and the written word at the Writer's Center in Bethesda continues with Roofwalker's drummer, Elmer Sharp with a flashback or three:

"As a kid in the 70s and early 80s, my dad played bass in a band nearly every weekend. The band was always in the garage practicing for shows and my sisters and I would go out and dance to songs from Booker T. & The MG's and Sly & The Family Stone. 
 
I’m the one screaming on the left. 
 


In high school I listened mostly to hip hop like Eric B. & Rakim, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Digable Planets. My dad got me a Pearl electronic drum kit. It was just like the one that the Rick Allen used to play in Def Leppard. I got my acoustic kit some time latter and started taking drum lessons. I pretty much horrified my instructor when I would bring RUN DMC tapes in say I want to learn to play this song. He would cringe and say "well… back to Welcome to the Jungle.” 
 
I think because I was forced into playing songs I didn't appreciate at the time, I didn't really get into rock music until later when I started listening to bands like My Bloody Valentine, The Stone Roses, Slowdive and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Most of this music was a consequence of my friend Sean buying Going Blank Again by Ride for me from the local Sam Goody. What a great record. I got Nowhere following that and became totally hooked. Nowhere is still one of my favorite albums, and I have been a huge fan of shoegaze and experimental rock ever since.


Not too long following, I became a little distant from music, not really exploring new bands or even playing my own instrument. I went on a road trip to NY for New Years Eve in 2001 and was sitting around in a friend’s apartment. He put on Sigur Ros and it completely blew my mind. I remember very clearly listening to "Svefn-g-englar". The gentle drumming and soaring guitars fit my personality perfectly and brought everything back which I love about music. It’s something that's not forced upon you but very easily grabs you. It made me wonder what this was and what was being said. I ended up eventually finding English translations for the lyrics and found beautiful poetry in every word."

Ride - Kaleidoscope (Mp3)
Sigur Ros - Svefn-g-englar (Mp3)

A TVD Special Event | Story/Stereo

See, it's a blog. We're into words. And storytelling. And music. And a convergence of both is upon us...here all week at TVD (per usual) and uniquely this Friday at the Writer's Center in Bethesda.

Now, normally this is the part where we fill you in, but we thought we'd invite the event's curators, Chad from Beauty Pill and Matt from The Caribbean to offer some background on the event AND on the band, Roofwalkers, who've taken over TVD for the week with their words and music:

Story/Stereo is a modest cultural experiment in cross-media collaboration. Ugh. That sounds highfalutin. Scratch that. Story/Stereo is just a night of words & music.

The Writer's Center selected some excellent emerging poets, essayists, and novelists to read from recent works, we selected some excellent, interesting DC bands to play a set.

And we're all getting together to put on a show. Because, really, why not?

While there are some lofty precepts behind Story/Stereo, we'll spare you the ponderous discussion. Mainly we just kinda wanted to throw some musicians and writers in the same room and see what happens.

Our premise is that there are many parallels between good literature and good music.

Please do come. Let's find them together.

—Chad Clark & Matt Byars, musical curators, Story/Stereo

About Roofwalkers
Roofwalkers music is difficult to describe, but certainly beautiful. With swooping, soaring guitars, delicate melodies, and an unforced, organic presentation, the music is nothing if not beautiful. Songs veer from languid/soothing to sinister/conspiratorial. People sometimes use the lazy descriptor "dreamy." And yes, it is that, but there is an undertow.

One of my favorite 'walkers song titles is "They Think They Own The Place." If this suggests to you that there is sometimes a social commentary component to the music, you would be right about that. While the sound is lovely and airborne, the content is often dark.

Roofwalkers has come to be one of the most admired bands by other DC area musicians. Any good musician knows how difficult it is to pull off this kind of elegant restraint. They're in the exciting transition from cognoscienti's-best-kept-secret to beloved-by-many.

We are honored to have them.

Kicking things off this week is Roofwalkers' Ben Licciardi (vocals/guitars):

"When I was in high school, I used to go record shopping in a neighborhood of Atlanta called Little Five Points. My parents would drop me off, go have lunch in downtown Atlanta and pick me up a few hours later. We lived in a planned suburb about 40 minutes away, and on the drive back home, I would open up my new finds and pour over the liner notes and lyrics. Reading words divorced from their musical context almost feels like cheating--like jumping ahead to the last sentence of a book before you know the whole story. I often found that the songs I was drawn to on the page weren’t the ones I ended up liking once I heard them. And the reverse was also true—sometimes the lyrics were flat in written form, but were incredibly expressive coming through the speakers. Melodies have a way of elevating, dampening, undermining and otherwise recontextualizing words. That’s the voodoo of popular music: In the right hands, even the most tired and hackneyed cliché can feel earth shattering.

Some of my favorite lyrics don’t look like much on paper. I love Neil Young’s album After the Gold Rush, and “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is one of my favorites. The verses are disjointed flashes of childhood memories and musings on loneliness. The chorus goes: “Only love can break your heart, Try to be sure right from the start.” If you read the lyrics out loud, they probably won’t move you. But in Neil’s strained falsetto, over the stiff and lumbering rhythm section, it adds up to something deeply poignant. Most great music ends up being impossible to describe because it points to experiences that are essentially ineffable. This song has something to do with loss and vulnerability, but beyond that, I can’t explain why I like it so much.


Another song that sounds better in practice than on page is The Only One’s “The Whole of the Law.” I first heard this as a cover on Yo La Tengo’s album Painful, but I’ve grown to like the original—sax solo and all—best. If you’ve never heard the Only Ones, you should check them out. They were a late 70s English punk band, more in line with New Wave bands like Television and Heartbreakers than the Sex Pistols. “Whole of the Law” is a slower song and the lyrics are pretty run-of-the-mill love song fare (“I used to have the notion, I could swim the length of the ocean…”). The thing that kills me is the way lead singer Peter Perrett sings. He sounds downcast and lovelorn and almost slurs the words out. His bottomed-out delivery combined with drippy sentimentality of the lyrics come across as straight-from-the-heart. One line in particular always hits me: “I found out I was in love with you, I had to contact...” You have to hear it to get the full effect.

One last favorite: “Werewolf” by Michael Hurley off of the album Armchair Boogie. Sometimes, like in the above songs, a phrase is sung in a particular way and the words are imbued with new meaning. In “Werewolf,” the chorus has no words, it’s just Michael Hurley howling like a wolf. It’s a really high and lonesome whine. The lyrics in the verse are very simple, and it’s almost like their purpose is just to play support to the chorus--after you hear the song once, every time thereafter, you’re basically just waiting for the howling. I have this on an old, crackly vinyl record and it’s absolutely haunting."

Neil Young - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Mp3)
The Only Ones - The Whole Of The Law (Mp3)
Michael Hurley - Werewolf (Mp3)

TVD's Parting Shots

I lieu of the traditional Friday 10, we've got a Friday 15 ...because I couldn't narrow it down any further. (Anyone think they know how this week's experiment shook out for me?)

We'll see you back here on Monday when TVD gets a bit ...literary.


The Buggles - The Plastic Age (Mp3)
Split Enz - I Got You (Mp3)
Simple Minds - Someone Somewhere In Summertime (12") (Mp3)
Modern English - I Melt With You (Mix) (Mp3)
English Beat - Save It For Later (Mp3)
Tears For Fears - Mad World (Mp3)
The Cars - Moving In Stereo (Mp3)
Yazoo - Nobody's Diary (Mp3)
ABC - Date Stamp (Mp3)
Joe Jackson - It's Different For Girls (Live) (Mp3)
The Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away (Live) (Mp3)
The Payolas - Eyes Of A Stranger (Mp3)
XTC - Generals And Majors (Mp3)
Devo - Secret Agent Man (Mp3)
A Flock Of Seagulls - Modern Love Is Automatic (Mp3)

TVD Vinyl Giveaways for the Last 33-1/3 Days of Summer!

"In its prime, San Francisco's Flipper was a magnificent, fascinating entity, playing what might have been typical hardcore music at an unsettlingly slow speed: like a 45 slowed down to sub-LP pace, a flawless impression of a downed-out hardcore band. The harsh music lumbers and creaks, oozing feedback all the way. Flipper could be your car on the verge of a total breakdown or your worst hangover nightmare amped up to brain-splitting volume..." to quote Trouser Press.

Find out for yourself in another TVD Vinyl Giveaway for the Last 33-1/3 Days of Summer! In recognition of Flipper's catalog being rereleased on 180 gram vinyl, we've got FOUR LPs to offer you this week: Generic Flipper, Public Flipper Limited, Gone Fishin’ and Sex Bomb Baby!


But that ain't all, as they say. We've got a Flipper t-shirt to toss into the mix and a signed poster by the entire band - which includes the John Hancock from the guy who used to play bass in Nirvana who joined—and left!—Flipper recently.

So, who loves you? We do.

Shout it out loud in the comments where we can hear you clearly, and the best and the brightest will find this Flipper prize package on their doorstep. This 33-1/3 Days of Summer Vinyl Giveaway ends next Monday (9/14) when we'll queue up yet another! Now, get to it!

TVD Pop Over | Echoes In The Wind

(You’re supposed to read the type in the graphic with the mournful announcer’s voice: “...on a very special...TVD Pop Over...”)

I’d been reading whiteray’s excellent blog ‘Echoes in the Wind’ for a number of years now, reveling in his tales and tunes when suddenly last week—boom!—blog was ...gone? The whole thing. Just disappeared.

Uh, whiteray?

"It was kind of like turning on the television news and seeing a three-headed alien behind the desk saying “Good evening! I’m Gnirt Tkalch, and here’s the news tonight on Planet Zamzam.”

It was mid-afternoon on September 3. I’d clicked the link for my blog, Echoes In The Wind, and I got a page with the familiar orange Blogger logo and a message that said something like: No such blog exists. Of course it exists, I thought to myself; I just put a post up this morning! I clicked the link again and got the same thing.

After a moment of thought – during which I wondered if I’d actually ended up on Planet Zamzam – I went to my dashboard and found a notice from Blogger that said, “We've received another complaint on your blog(s), (Echoes In The Wind). Given that we've provided you with several warnings of these violations and advised you of our policy towards repeat infringers, we've been forced to remove your blog.”

I reviewed in my head: Let’s see, there were three notices last autumn, all in the same week. Then there was one in August. So, four warnings – I guess four is “several” – and now one more complaint that tipped the balance. There were also some posts during the past year – four or five – that disappeared from the blog without any explanation or notification. So call it nine complaints. Over a period of two years and eight months and a total of almost eight hundred posts.

I understand, in a way, Blogger’s position and the position of its parent company, Google. A complaint requires a response. What I don’t get is the unwillingness of much of the music industry to deal with individual bloggers (as well as the seeming point of view that it’s somehow bad to draw attention to performers and their music). I’d put a notice on the blog asking copyright holders to contact me if they objected; a couple did, and I happily removed those links and deleted the uploads within hours. Others, however, evidently complained. I say “evidently” because of the four emails I received specifying an offending post, three gave no information about the source of the complaint; I’m not sure in those cases whether the complaint came from someone with a genuine stake in the matter or from someone having malicious fun. (There are times I lean strongly toward the latter.) The source of the fourth complaint – the one I got in August – was identified: It was a singer-songwriter who had one Top 40 hit, in 1982, and has released one album since 1988. One would think any attention would be beneficial, but I guess not.

On top of all that, my blog was an odd target, as there are a thousand, maybe ten thousand blogs out there whose operators are sharing music that was released last week, last month, maybe yesterday. A good portion of what I shared is out of print, much of it was obscure, and the vast majority of it was at least thirty years old. As I wrote above, one would think any attention would be beneficial . . .

Well, I’ve moved on, and I’ve moved. You can find my new location in the links here at TVD.

Someone asked me how it felt. As usual, the best way to answer that is with music, and these titles tell the tale:"

Loggins & Messina - Angry Eyes (Mp3)
The Church - Lost (Mp3)
Maria Muldaur - Sad Eyes (Mp3)
Johnny Taylor - Starting All Over Again (Mp3)
Lulu - Feelin' Alright (Mp3)

TVD | Wavelength

Not to jump to too many premature conclusions with our 'fresh ears on New Wave' thesis this week, but ...uh. I had a hard time finding five more that were out and out crap. (And why make Spandau Ballet our whipping boys, right?)

So, five more freshly (re)picked from a fine vine.


Ultravox - All Stood Still (Mp3)
Comsat Angels - Independence Day (Mp3)
Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach (Mp3)
Frazier Chorus - Dream Kitchen (Mp3)
The Korgis - Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes (Mp3)

TVD | Wavelength

A couple of months back I had concocted an entirely bizarre theme week: music I LOATHE. The gouge-out-your-eyes type of hatred normally reserved for your Korns, Counting Crows, Blick 182s, Nicklebacks, REMs ...well, you get the point. And this list grew very, very long to the point where I almost had a theme MONTH.

But cooler heads prevailed. ‘Nah...’ I thought the morning after this masterstroke...we’re about promoting positivity here at TVD. “Why foist crap music on the public at large?” So that theme week was relegated to the TVDustbin.

To put it mildly then today, I’m no fan of these five tracks selected to balance and give weight to a thesis whose premise I even find suspect: New Wave/Fresh Ears.

These five would have me running for the hills. Eyes all gouged out.


Billy Idol - White Wedding (Mp3)
Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science (Mp3)
Pete Wylie - Sinful (Mp3)
Kajagoogoo - Big Apple (Mp3)
Spandau Ballet - Musclebound (Mp3)

TVD | Wavelength

I had a bit of an iPod epiphany the other day. ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ queued itself up in shuffle mode, and man if it didn’t reek of being outdated, moldy, and so mired in one era that I shuffled right on past it only to be followed byyyy: A Flock of Seagulls’ ‘I Ran.’

Which sounded bloody brilliant in comparison.

I hear some of you snobs guffawing out there but it’s true—Nirvana’s a dead soldier and the Flock reeked of morning at the bakery: all warm and sugary.

But that can’t be right, right? I mean, if I had been born or come of age in the 90’s, I’d herald Nirvana’s breakthrough as an evergreen classic (ala The Beatles oeuvre) and ‘I Ran’ as outdated, moldy, and mired in one era. Right?

Well, I’m not so sure. WAS New Wave a one gimmick pony and not the refreshing breakthrough that I felt at the time when my ears were newly attuned and acute? Could it be that MY soundtrack from that time will forever be on point?

To be fair, I don’t know.

So, a little experiment this week—I’m dusting off the cliché tracks from the New Wave era (1980-1984, let’s say) for a fresh listen. What if the Flock was a new concern alongside Vampire Weekend? Or the Flying Lizards were to be reviewed right next to Animal Collective? Could Culture Club withstand the scrutiny and accolades being heaped upon Grizzly Bear? CAN fresh ears for the sake of it reveal something long overdue, long overlooked, or ...long in the tooth?

Well, let’s see.

Here are five that I think are quite smashing indeed. (Still.) Tomorrow some that haven’t fared as well...


A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (Mp3)
Th Vapors - Turning Japanese (Mp3)
The Flying Lizards - Money (Mp3)
Culture Club - Church Of The Poison Mind (Mp3)
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer [Live] (Mp3)

It's a TVD Vinyl & Ticket Giveaway! | Living Things, Wednesday, (9/9) at the 9:30 Club

St. Louis’ Living Things return to DC on Wednesday, 9/9 as openers for a lil’ band called The Cult, and we’ve got TWO opportunities as a result to shake us down for some merch.

We’ll pull two winners from the comments to this post who suitably catch our eye with whatever inflammatory hyperbole you wish to offer. The grand prize winner gets the pair of tickets for Wednesday’s show and a copy of Living Things’ latest LP, ‘Habeas Corpus.’ One lucky runner up gets the LP alone shipped right to your door.

So, whatcha’ got? Let us have it by noon on Tuesday, (9/8) when we’ll choose our two winners!

Living Things - Mercedes Marxist (Mp3)
Living Things - Oxygen (Mp3)

TVD Vinyl Giveaways for the Last 33-1/3 Days of Summer!

So, my mom’s dog has come to live with me since mom's fall last month. And now that my mother’s in a nursing home, ol’ Pete may become a permanent DC resident.

Which would be fine more or less, ‘cept for that damn walk he needs at 6:15 AM. But up until today, stepping out into the predawn air was like stepping out into a sauna—the transition from sheets to streets quite comfortable, really.

Not so today, however: Fall’s suddenly and without warning, nipping at our collective necks. And while I admit I’m ready for the season to have its way with me, I prefer to be kissed before being f’d. Y’know – just a little. I mean, what a jolt this morning.

But you guys? You get to charm the pants off us in the comments before fall officially arrives to win this week’s vinyl giveaway: The Dead Weather’s ‘Horehound.’

(Weather...hounds...like how I tied that all in?)

OK, now let’s review: You – charming and arresting comment with contact info. Us: suitably dewey. We: send you LP. How simple, right?

This 33-1/3 Days of Summer Vinyl Giveaway ends next Monday (9/7) when we'll queue up yet another! Now, get to it!

TVD's Parting Shots

"So that was the first big weekend of the summer... Starts Thursday as usual with a canteen quiz and again no-one wins the big cash prize. Later I do my sound bloke routine by approaching Gina's new boyfriend to say that he shouldn't feel that there's any animosity between us and then I even go and make peace with her. I shouldn't have bothered. Then on Friday night we went through to the Arches... There was only one car going, so some of us had to get the train. We got through quite late. Then we went to a pub to take the gear. There was no problems getting in - we saw some others waiting down the front of the queue so we skipped in. It was a good night, everyone was nutted and I ended up dancing with some blonde girl. I thought she had been quite pretty until last night when Matthew informed me that she had, in fact, been a pig. When the club finished we wandered the streets for a while until we got to this 24-hour cafe but I didn't like the look of it so we left and got a taxi back to Morag's flat. I couldn't sleep, so I sat about drinking someone else's strawberry tonic wine and tried to keep everyone else up. Then at ten o'clock in the morning we went downstairs to buy some drink. We had intended to watch the football in the afternoon but we'd passed out by then and slept right through it, awaking to find that England had won two-nil. Then we went to get the train home and had a few in the Station bar. We had some stuff left from the previous night's supplies so when we got home we decided to go down to John's indie disco. Same story as Friday - lots of hugging, lots of dancing etc. etc. I couldn't sleep again so went up the park to look at the tomb, taking a detour through the playpark. To get in we had to climb over a ten foot steel fence, which resulted in severe bruising of our hands, legs and groins, but we had a good laugh on the stuff, especially the tube-slide, which probably doubles up as a urinal for drunk teens. Then we walked through the woods to have a look at the tomb. It was a big disappointment, but the mist on the lake was cool. Sunday afternoon we go up to John's with a lot of beer in time to watch the Simpsons. It was a really good episode about love always ending in tragedy except, of course, for Marge and Homer. It was quite moving at the end and to tell you the truth my eyes were a bit damp. Then we watched these young girls in swimsuits have a water fight in the street. "Taping this, aye?" We went up to the pub about ten. It was busy for a Sunday night, lots of people we know, including my first ever girlfriend who I still find very attractive, quite frankly, but I didn't really speak to her. She's probably still a bitch, anyway. Her friend Gillian was there, I had a chat with her, she was still quite pleasant. At the same time I watched Malcolm make some terrible attempt to try and chat up a girl we know called Jo. He made some remark about her skirt that was barely there the previous night or something. I couldn't sleep again that night, thanks to some seriously disturbing nightmares...Matthew says I should cut down on the cheese. "Went out for the weekend, it lasted for ever, high with our friends it's officially summer." I got some sleep eventually on Monday afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and later that evening Malcolm introduced me to the power of Merrydown - £1.79 a litre, 8.2% - mmmm..... Judith and Laura came round later and we sat in my back garden and drank. Then Matthew came round and we went up the town. It's officially summer."

Arab Strap - The First Big Weekend (Mp3)
These New Puritans - Numerology (Mp3)
Liam Finn + Eliza Jane - Plane Crash (Mp3)
Church of the Haunted South - Trophy Wife (Mp3)
Foreign Born - Vacationing People (Mp3)
Upper Room - Never Come Back (Mp3)
The Clientele - Somebody Changed (Mp3)
The Comsat Angels - Will You Stay Tonight (Mp3)
The Wild Swans - Bringing Home The Ashes (Mp3)
I Am Vexed - Be Wise (Mp3)


...always smart to remember the beginning at the end, right?

We're starting our Friday ...uh, today! See ya back here on Tuesday.

TVD First Date with | David Mead

Think David would mind if I compared his new release to ‘Blackbird’-era McCartney or Harry Nilsson circa ‘Nilsson Sings Newman’...?

Yea...I didn’t think so either.

The Nashville native also has me planning a trip to his favorite record store:

I love Grimey's. In an age when it is almost impossible to walk out your front door without being targeted by some form of cross-branding, viral marketing or shoe shine schemery, Nashville's finest independent music retailer continues to stick to what it knows best: Music. Sure, you can buy a magazine or a t-shirt to go with your new aural purchase, maybe even a badge or two, but you will most certainly not be subliminally coerced into purchasing a latte, duvet cover or any other useless thread of lifestyle accoutrement.

Grimey's deals in new and used music, and does a damn fine job of it. Music, just music, what a concept. Grimey's augments the experience in a number of different ways. First and foremost, it relies heavily on a knowledgeable and friendly staff, the kind of folks who will not only ask if you require assistance but will also actually tell you something you most likely didn't know before your visit. The atmosphere is further charged by near-weekly in-store performances, reminding the customers that even the most perfectly-recorded music is often best experienced live. Many of the acts who perform in the vinyl section on an afternoon will, later that night, set up shop at the Basement, a great listening club located directly underneath the store.

Grimey's also has a nice sense of space to it, a palpable vibe that is sorely lacking in many chain stores. The exposed brick walls lend a certain warmth that invites a shopper to stay awhile, while the frequent offer of a Miller High Life to age-appropriate customers provides even more incentive. Grimey's is about browsing, about taking in details. It is a place where time, while not standing completely still, does slow down a bit, if only from 45 to 33 RPM's.

David Mead - Rainy Weather Friend (Mp3)
David Mead - Blackberry Winters (Mp3)

TVD | Friday Night...

I’m sort of losing the plot with this theme, I have to confess. Seemed like a good idea last week to riff on Friday nights and their collective unconsciousness...but ah, I’m not feeling it any longer.

But I’m half-way in...there’s no turning back now despite whatever misgivings might arrive tomorrow. Like, uh...Friday nights themselves.


Chet Baker - You Go To My Head (Mp3)
Elliott Smith - Between The Bars (Mp3)
Hefner - The Hymn For The Alcohol (Mp3)
Nico Stai - Like Alcohol (Mp3)
King L - Two Cars Collide (Mp3)

TVD | The Screening Processs with Jeffrey Everett of El Jefe Design

El Jefe Design is the secret code name for successful designer, illustrator, author and failed-rock star Jeffrey Everett. Located outside of Washington, DC, El Jefe Design has had the pleasure of designing and illustrating for a wide variety of entertainment, corporate, and non-profit clients. Bands he has worked with include My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Foo Fighters, The Decemberists, and Flight of the Conchords. Jeff's work has been published in numerous books such as New Vintage Type and Design Entrepreneur, and seen in major magazines including Print, HOW, and Step Inside Design. He has his MFA in Graphic Design from The School of Visual Arts in New York City, NY.

He is the recipient of gold and silver awards from The Art Directors Club and three best-in-category from the AdClub (Addys), and is included in the AIGA Fifty Show. His work has been stapled on walls of dingy rock clubs and framed in high-end galleries around the world. Jeff is the author, curator, and designer of "1,000 Garment Graphics" for Rockport Press, and has taught and lectured for American University, University of Baltimore, and the AIGA.

When and how did you get started doing posters?
I started doing poster in NYC while getting my MFA at The School of Visual Arts. I was taking screen printing classes and started doing posters as a way to get into shows for free and to help bands I love. My first poster was for the mighty Firewater!

When I moved back to DC I just kept going as a way to stay sane and have been lucky to meet and work with people who support me. The wonderful people at The Black Cat, The Nightclub 9:30, and The Rock-N-Roll Hotel have allowed me to (dis)grace their walls so I thank them for that.

Favorite poster or art print you've done?
I would have to say the El Jefe Alphabet/Lucha Library print. I did that one to celebrate my son's birth and to hang in his nursery.

Describe your creative space.
A very small basement office in my home that has clutter strewn about. There is a drafting table for drawing/storage with a set of full flat files underneath. My IKEA desk is sagging under the weight of my computer, monitor, Wacom tablet, scanner, far too many books, sketch books, T-shirt samples, a collection of Dunnies and Baseman Bunnies. There is a hodgepodge of posters by Edward Gorey, Twin Peaks ephemera, lucha libre masks, CDs and NPR and music playing nonstop. And to keep my ego in check, I am appropriately placed next to the kitty litter room.

Describe your creative process.
I approach each band individually and I really try to understand the band and audience. With rare exceptions I am usually a fan of the band and want something that I would want to purchase if someone else did it. Some pieces look more "designy" and some look illustrative. Some pieces rely on heavy concepts and inside themes to drive the design yet some other pieces use skulls and sexiness. I would say that I try to make each piece fun and something that can be hung on a wall and stared at for years.

What's your favorite thing about being a designer in your city? The most challenging?
Washington, DC is not considered an "art-forward" place due to the Federal Government casting a long shadow over the town. Most people think that DC can only do boring, hotel-room work that must be as generic as possible as to not have the PC police come after you. Not so. Duke Ellington, Chuck Brown, Henry Rollins, Ian McKaye, and many, many more all have left a legacy of DIY Culture that runs below the current in DC. There is so much great music, art, architecture, opinions, and people coming through this town that it is hard not to be inspired.

I will say I like taking traditional DC landmarks (White House, Washington Monument, Capitol Dome) and having fun with them.

Favorite poster or art print someone else has done?
I really am enjoying Young Monsters right now, especially The Kills and Detroit Cobras posters by Zach Hobbs. My all time favorite gig poster is by Alan Hynes and I am shocked my wife lets me display it. I also have TONS of Edward Gorey posters and prints throughout the house. He is my favorite artist, I have his work tattooed on me, and is a complete inspiration for my everyday.

Latest poster or print that you bought?
Chuck Sperry's poster for Reel Big Fish and The English Beat. An example of liking the art over the band.

One group you wish you could do a poster for?
(Current): Silversun Pickups
(Historic): Girls Against Boys - a huge fan for over half my life! Seen them thirty plus times.

Upcoming work?
We have posters for Gaslight Anthem, The Raveonettes, Ra Ra Riot, Dinosaur Jr., Soulsavers, a Twin Peaks tribute show, and Placebo. We will be at Crafty Bastards selling our posters and prints on October 3rd. There are also some gallery shows and such coming up in the fall. Keep up to date by checking out our website.

Jeff will be returning monthly (new baby permitting) covering the intersection of music and design in DC and beyond. And he's got quite a few interesting things in store, I should add...