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Brooklyn, New York, Austin, and Nashville are all major musical cities with very recognizable musical sounds.
Chicago, however, still seems to be searching for a musical identity that reflects the city's up-beat, classic, easy going nature. There's a smart, quirky pop movement happening in Chicago and the rest of the US deserves to be let in on all the fun we're having. Here are the five songs I feel best represent the Chicago pop scene:
As much as I'm often loathe to admit it, Pitchfork was spot-on this morning with their reviewof DC native Laura Burhenn's new release asThe Mynabirds,'What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood.'
A despite the title of the new track, you can count us among the cheer-leading hordes as well.
John Doe's out on the road playing a couple of shows on the East Coast this spring with legendary X band member and former wife, Exene Cervenka,and the first date on the tour stops at Iota this Thursday night - right here in our own backyard.
As a founding member of punk monoliths X, he seized his rightful place as one of the most influential musicians in American alternative music in the 1980’s, clearing a path for the revolution in that genre that would take place a decade later. Since launching his solo career in 1990 with the dusty road-poetry of Meet John Doe, John has produced six stunning roots rock albums of frightening honesty and vision. A Year in the Wilderness, 2008’s highly successful EP, The Golden State, and his most recent outing with The Sadies, Country Club—a record of classic country covers—are no exception.
I know I could write a ton on X and John and Exene, so we'll offer a pair of tickets for Thursday night's show in exchange for your comment in the comments to this post in regard to the legendary duo. The best one (with contact info!) grabs the tickets for Thursday's unique event. We'll choose a winner by 9AM on Thursday morning!
The Thin White Duke era of David Bowie’s career is by far my favorite Bowie alter-ego and persona. During this period, some of my favorite Bowie material was also recorded (i.e 1976′s Station to Station).
The Duke was not as eccentric as Bowie’s previous personas, nor as conceptual. The Duke was the product of the mass amounts of cocaine Bowie was taking turning this time period, causing Bowie’s personality to become as alarming as it was temperamental. At this point in his life, Bowie claimed to have lived off of “red peppers, cocaine, and milk.” —Eric Hehr
This week we've asked the members of Gold Motel to toss out a few musical inspirations beyond the norm in these parts—those being vinyl and record stores—and they've come up with some interesting stuff indeed. First up, guitarist Eric Hehr.—Ed.
“My breaking heart and I agree / That you and I / Will never be
So with my best, my very best I am settin’ you free / Oh honey, / I wish you shelter from the storm / A cozy fire to keep you warm
Oh but most of all I wish you love. / But most of all, when snowflakes fall / I wish you love. / But most of all, when snowflakes fall, / I wish you love.” —Sam Cooke, I Wish You Love
I could write volumes upon volumes on what Sam Cooke’s voice means to me. More so than any other vocalist – or musician for that matter – Sam Cooke has always hit my ears the hardest – has pulled my heartstrings the most. To me, his voice epitomizes perfection. It sums up that unexplainable sense of nostalgic wistfulness; evoking memories of youth, heartbreak, and evocative restlessness. Somewhere within his golden vocal chords, Sam Cooke was able to emulate the power of the soul into heart-felt notes and heart-breaking melodies that capture the core of emotional depth and sensitivity. His voice is spiritual and secular, sophisticated and effortless, passionate and strenuous, and is layered with an indefinable sense of feeling. Unfortunately, despite my attempts to try, the irrefutable beauty of Sam Cooke’s voice cannot be put into words.
Famed German writer, Goethe, put it the best when he said, “Music begins where words end.” Often, I find that the most beautiful things in life are also the most ambiguous. They defy logic and reason, and induce thoughts and emotions within us that cannot be rationalized or explained. They provoke us to reflect or react, and the music of Sam Cooke allows me to simultaneously do both.
Sam Cooke died violently under cheap and gaudy circumstances in Los Angeles in 1964 at the young age of thirty-three. At the time, Sam Cooke was called “The Black Elvis” for disguising soul and gospel music as mainstream pop music, the same way that Presley disguised pop music as soul and R&B. He was a prodigy across the board: a songwriter and a producer who owned his own publishing company and record label. He had more hit singles than most artist could ever wish for – most of which displayed gospel singing without reverence: “’Chain Gang,’ is one of the strangest pop records of all time and is taken for granted: a black-history buff moved by an actual Georgia road gang to purloin their sound and banalize their longing for freedom. “Who else but Cooke,” Talty asks, “could see this tableau, the prisoners chanting in a call-and-response pattern as old as slavery itself, and think ‘Top 40 hit’?” (The Village Voice).
At the height of his career, Cooke was at his lowest point in his personal life. He was lost spiritually, confused emotionally, and had taken comfort in excessive drinking and drug use. His indulgences led him to a lonely death in a shoddy motel room; a bottle of whiskey and a copy of The Bible found lying next to each other in the passenger seat of his car.
Perhaps the most charming aspect of Cooke’s music is also the most charming of his aspect of his life: it is both confident and tragic. It is both a representation of his glanderous pop dreams, and the internal emptiness of falling asleep next to cheap hookers; the righteousness of the Civil Rights movement and the swimming pool death of his one year old son. It is the embodiment of joyous late nights of infinity and bittersweet mornings of expiration; loneliness cloaked in bravado. If Elvis channeled the depths of gospel music through the soul stirring voice of a Southern white boy, Cooke held up the other half of the bargain. His voice and music is a poignant transparency that comes across as honest, naïve, and unpremeditated. —Eric Hehr, Guitar | Gold Motel
I'm working on a theme week to come called 'Lil' Triggers' - things that set the mind off on a memory as a result of a song or something.
So, I'll tell you what it was with Gold Motel. It was the 70's era George Harrison-esque guitar line in 'Make Me Stay' that well, had me lingering as the rest of the band won me over, post-sinewy 70's guitar break. I settled in and was made to feel quite welcome, thank you.
Leading up to two dates in our neck of the woods— Thursday night at DC9 and Friday night at M.I.C.A. in Baltimore— Gold Motel will be hanging out with us here at TVD HQ this week as we turn the blog over to the band to work their charms upon ya. And of course you'll have an opportunity to win tickets for both shows in our area as well as copies of their debut EP.
We'll kick our week off with front person Greta Morgan's Gold Motel 101:
Introducing: Gold Motel | When my other band, The Hush Sound, called an indefinite hiatus in the end of 2008, I immediately began plotting my next move. Literally, I moved across the country from Chicago to Los Angeles to write an album in the sun-soaked hills of Southern California. Figuratively, I moved through a variety of musical styles until I arrived at a sound I considered different enough from The Hush Sound, while remaining true to my taste. Listening to tons of Motown, Elvis Costello, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, and 60’s girl groups, I honed in on what I wanted to create–a collection of summery songs that are both hopeful and wistful; an album that represents to me the essence of a carefree summer; a sound that is modern, while honoring the crowning achievements of pop music.
I returned to Chicago to record with good friend Dan Duszynski (of Chicago band This Is Me Smiling) and we tracked “Perfect In My Mind” and “Make Me Stay” in a few quick days. Soon enough, we wanted to make an official group to finish the full-length album with us and start touring. We teamed up with other This Is Me Smiling members Matt Minx (bass) and Adam Kaltenhauser (drums), and The Yearbooks’ Eric Hehr (guitar).
Gold Motel played our first show in December 2009, followed by a week opening sold-out gigs for Butch Walker, did a West Coast headlining tour, and are about to embark on an East Coast headlining tour with L.A. friends Family Of The Year.
Our full-length debut, Summer House, will be released on June 1st. Our music video for “We’re On The Run”, the opening track from Summer House, is being premiered exclusively through AOL / Spinner today at spinner.com. Hope to catch you all on the road!
April Skies | Greetings from Laurel Canyon. . . spring time is here, well. . . at least it’s supposed to be?
Seems like so much is going on of late, tons of bands coming through LA around the Coachella Festival. Mercury in retrograde, dreaded tax deadlines, volcanic dust, birthdays, weddings, and gourmet food trucks. As it’s going here in California, by summer’s end all cuisine will be served out of a truck in “taco form.”
Just when you think the sun is going to come out it rains. With these thoughts in mind this week’s mix was inspired by looking up, in fact to the sky. My first thought was, “what’s next?” but let’s leave that thought behind for now.
As it poured Monday night, I started building this mix by listening to the obvious rain songs of old; “Happy When it Rains” and "Rainy Days and Mondays.” I was definitely digging on The Mary Chain and settled with “April Skies” as the lynch-pin of the set. I quickly compiled a ton of songs and spent the week narrowing to these 15 tracks—a rather moody and mellow Idelic Hour.
Highlights in the mix: dropping old locals Joni Mitchell and The Byrds with new songs by The National, Frightened Rabbit, Les Blanks and Avi Buffalo. The result—it’s a beautiful day in the canyon!
"When the invitation first came to be part of the Ardent Sessions, there was little to no hesitation. Of course, that's a yes. Ardent had served as a birthing place for so many artists that I revere, love and swear by and I sprung at the chance to be able to spend an evening soaking up the aura of such a special place. In many ways, it was a secret excuse to get to peak inside such a hallowed place. We spent most of our free time wandering around the halls, pulling one another aside to point out cool pieces of the space. In many ways, the toughest part about our trip to Memphis, was feeling like we didn't soil the grounds. How do you not feel a little silly knowing what has proceeded you in those rooms?
We walked from instrument to instrument, hammering out piano notes, running our hands across beautiful vintage gear. Studios are always a fun and childlike place, but this was different.
The most comforting part of all this, was to discover that Ardent was still filled with amazing people. People who really loved music, who were excited by it, loved discovering it, uncovering it. Each person we met that night had a fun glimmer in their eyes. They had been there so much longer than us and you got the sense that it was still fun for them. They loved that place, they loved what it meant to people, and they loved extending that legacy.
As I worked my way through my set, going from guitar to piano, the string players ringing through the room, the drums cracking, I felt like I was getting a unique chance to hear my songs differently. It was like picking up an old acoustic in a guitar store and playing something you've written or hearing your song being played in another room. Somehow, it feels different and fun and exciting.
My only regret is that we didn't have a chance to stay longer. To actually deconstruct some songs, try them with entirely different arrangements. Somehow, using the space, and the experience, to create a truly unique, Ardent-inspired work. We'd love to come back and continue our conversation with that amazing, amazing space."
Enter to win Keegan Dewitt's 'Islands' on vinyl by simply leaving a comment, your name, and a contact email address in the comments to this post. We'll choose one winner each Friday for that week's giveaway which ALSO includes the entire Ardent Music catalog. (That's just 2 artists at this point, but who's counting?)
To hear more great Ardent Sessions please visit Ardent Presents.
Brit-indie stalwarts and NME mainstays, Ash have been hard at work over the past number of months on their A-Z series—a series of 26 singles released individually as digital downloads and 7" singles, released and pressed as the band writes and records them.
In a NME interview vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler opined "We wanted to be the first people to do it like this. I think it'll be great for our fans waiting every two weeks knowing they're going to get a song and wondering what it'll be like. It'll be fun."
Bassist Mark Hamilton also spoke of the merits of releasing in an alternative way, "We thought we’d come up with a different model where we never really had to be actually be away, that might work better. That was one of the reasons. We had the freedom when launching our own label as well, to try something different, so we’re going to give it a go. I think if it works, a lot of people might copy it."
Out today (4/20) arrives the fruit of Ash's 'A-Z Series' to date compiled on one CD for the first time. It's the singles A-M, plus the first track released, “Return of White Rabbit,” and also four bonus tracks.
But this being the ye olde Vinyl District, we knew you'd want to get your hands on some vinyl to herald the release of the CD compilation, so we set about rummaging for something special to offer—and we've come up with a one-of-a-kind,signed7" test pressing of the newest single, 'Dare to Dream' — Single N. (That's it up there in the photo.)
Want the one-of-a-kind Ash 7" mailed directly to your place of residence? Get creative ala Ash's A-Z series in the comments to this post (with contact info!) and tell us why you deserve to be the bearer of this special signed item.
One grand prize winner will get the 7" and a free subscription to the digital A-Z Series. You'll get the first 14 singles (A-N) now and will receive singles O-Z as they're released, plus receive free exclusive bonus tracks. One runner up will receive the subscription to the the A-Z Series alone.
You've got until Tuesday, 4/27 to suitably impress us - now go get creative!
We heard from our friend Will Simpson of Dangerósa earlier this week:
"...This weekend is the first Amnesty International Human Rights Arts Festival, curated by Norman Lear, the television producer and founder of People for the American Way.There will be a multitude of events, with dance, film, visual arts, and music from around the world being celebrated all weekend at varying venues in Silver Spring.
Dangerósa and Tigertronic are playing Saturday night, in the old Ceviche space above Austin Grill in downtown Silver Spring. It will be a cool place to see a show, and we have just gotten our liquor license set up for our portion of the event, with all proceeds from the door and bar going to Amnesty International. We certainly hope that people will come out and have a great time, knowing that their presence is helping to bolster the mission of Amnesty International across the globe.
In addition, admission is FREE and bar proceeds will benefit Amnesty International..."
There's a couple things you need to know if you ever find yourself record shopping with Thurston Moore: Drink plenty of fluids beforehand, wear comfortable shoes, and block out the whole damn day, because this dude is relentless. I don't care how much you think you love record stores. This man will wear you out. And gawd help you if Coley's along for the ride.
The upside is, whatever piece of vinyl you whip out, he'll be able to give you a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, because he's seen it, and will know instantly whether it's overpriced, etc. The downside is that you will need to, again, plan nothing else for the day. Once I actually peeled away, got something to eat - like, sat down and got something to eat - and went back to the same store and he was still going at it.
Naturally, it was necessary to get him on the phone for this thing.
There is, I just found out literally 10 minutes ago, a Record Store Day youtube (below) which, uh, plows some of the same territory. Like the obvious "Dewar's profile" what-was-the-first-record-you-bought question. But whatever. This one's way better. Here at the Vinyl District NYC Bureau, we've surgically whittled 40 minutes of mobile phone blurt down to 12 tight minutes of more-or-less germane discussion. It took forever, and I can no longer stand the sound of my own voice, or make the CTRL+X gesture. But here ya go. ++cg
So, yesterday I'm G-chatting with Michael Kentoff, singer for The Caribbean, and he's bellyaching about...well. ...Let's let him tell it... —Ed.
As anyone who knows me can readily report, I am a control freak. Acts of God should be manageable by some decent planning, iron will, and, if necessary, a tantrum of some kind. The Icelandic Volcanic Cloud epic has pierced every vulnerable space in my troubleshooting, problem-solving armor (or, if you'd rather, armour). If I get through this, I pledge to work diligently on conquering the elements, altering weather patterns, and manipulating time and space in a way that serves mankind and relieves me of stress (not necessarily in that order). Needless to say (perhaps), being stranded anywhere -- even a city as fabulous as London -- would test my me-ness and, I'm here to report, it's an interesting test that I have both failed and passed. Interesting to me, anyway -- I'm stranded an ocean away from home and have lost my barometer of time, mood, and entertainment value.
My wife Maureen and I had planned a quick UK trip around an academic conference she was attending and speaking at in Liverpool. I'm very busy at work, so it had to be quick. 3 days of time out of the office is what I allowed myself. It bummed us out a little because we really wanted more time to explore London, but work is work and we could always visit another time.
When we arrived at Immigration at Heathrow on Thursday, we were told we were one of the last flights in, which mystified us until it was explained that some Icelandic volcano (I will call her Bjork) spewed so much ash into the air that all UK airspace was closed. We figured it would have no bearing on our return trip the following Monday. Went to Liverpool. Slept on the train, drank beer and ate some crisps. Liverpool is a GREAT city and, meeting up with my friend Peter Cruttenden (attending University of Nottingham), we checked the old place out and had a few pints (of beer). Peter & I ran into a hen party at the Cavern, which involved about 30 girls and women wearing rabbit ears, matching black t-shirts, getting drunk, and dancing around drunker men who were happy to tear off their shirts and roll around on a grime-covered floor.
The next day, he & I toured The Beatles' childhoods and learned about the history of Liverpool (dirty secret: the money came from the slave trade -- Mr. Penny was among the most successful people merchants of his day). Had a drink with our wonderous guide Danny, made good friends with the Verger of St. Peters (where Eleanor Rigby is buried and Paul met John). Turns out he's a Redskins fan and his father is one of the legendary coaches in all of English football history (Liverpool FC). I have a new friend in the Anglican Church, although I had to look up what a verger was.
When we arrived in London for our one day tease of the town, we soon discovered that we might have a little more time here than we'd planned. Our Monday flight was soon canceled and the soonest we could fly back is ... this Saturday! That's the best case scenario. Being prone to mania, I flipped out. Short on medicine. Trapped. Do we have a place to stay? Then I realized (with help from my wife) that the situation was beyond our control and we were in one of the coolest cities in the world. So: fucking deal with it. I re-filled my meds, which involved visiting a Doctor's office, talking to the receptionist for 5 minutes, and promptly receiving prescription slips (without ever seeing a Doctor or showing any ID) for 25 pounds. Socialized medicine kicks ass! I WANT IT!
We watch Caps games on laptop from midnight-to-3pm and basically wander around London (magnificent weather) getting lost, alone and together. Might see some bands (Broadcast, Beak, our Hometapes labelmates Bear in Heaven). Maureen has talked me into seeing the new production of Hair. Important Important Important: We discovered that fish and chips is fucking worthless without mushy peas. What else? Our cab driver yelled "Go You Spurs!" out the window today. Why? "That was Noel Gallagher, 'e's a City fan. Tottenham and Man City are up for 4th on the table, so I gave him one. 'e lives right around here." I wanted him to stop the cab so I could slap Gallagher in the face (I am bigger than he is and make better records, so I have the right). I've spent much of my time here tweeting (michaelcarib) and buying records (naturally). The following is an Act of God/No Fly Playlist made up of the various odds and ends I've bought to keep the ADHD, anxiety-laden traveler even-keeled.
1. Brigas nunca mais - Joao Gilberto 2. You Belong to Me - Jim Reeves 3. Curves of the Needle - Field Music 4. Lily Pond - Vashti Bunyan 5. If I'm in Luck I Might Get Picked Up - Betty Davis 6. BBC 1+2 - John Baker 7. Carpet Crawlers - Genesis 8. Aaja Re Pardesi - Lata Mangeshkar 9. The Dynamites - King Tubby's City Dub 10. Salisbury Plain - Shirley & Dolly Collins 11. Do You Remember Walter - The Kinks 12. Has He Got a Friend For Me - Richard & Linda Thompson 13. Set Phazer to Stun - The Time and Space Machine 14. Lover of Mine - Beach House
I have a full-on British accent and call everyone Loov. It's frightening to be stranded, but I've always held that The Caribbean is an English group who happened to have grown up in the States, so I feel strangely at home. But, really, I'm dying to come home. I love and miss DC. Mo and I miss our friends, our cats, even our jobs. So, while we suffer terribly here in London, gather the above songs anyway you can, close your eyes, and say a prayer for us. Try to think of us eating Indian food, fish and chips with proper mushy peas, Thai noodle boxes, drinking pints of bitters, and pray for us. Hard.
Your Grounded Correspondent, Michael Kentoff of The Caribbean
Reggae legends Toots and The Maytals are happy to announce the release of the band’s latest record 'Flip & Twist', released yesterday (4/20) digitally and in stores May 18.
In honor of today’s national holiday, Toots is releasing a special, 4/20-themed limited edition package, which includes a joint-shaped USB drive loaded with Flip & Twist, a Toots Stash Box, the physical CD of the album, and a variety of other gifts. The package is available via the band’s website along with digital copies of the album.
Empty Gun (Mp3)
She Did It With Her Eyes (Mp3)
Mixin' Up Adjectives (Mp3)
Love You Much Better (Mp3)
Various Kitchen Utensils (Mp3)
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