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She's been the backing singer for her husband Neil for more than three decades and now Pegi Young is front and center with her brand new release, 'Foul Deeds' currently in stores. She'll also be front and center this coming Monday evening in performance at Jammin Java as opener for Mr. Bert Jansch.
And, as you might have guessed from the graphic up there, we've got a pair of tickets for Monday night's show to put your hands and the new CD/DVD release for your mailbox. (I know - but there's no vinyl on this one!)
"Foul Deeds seemed like a good album title, because this record definitely has its share of dark themes... divorce, debauchery, disillusionment and despair," Pegi Young says of her second album and first for Vapor Records. "But I'm not trying to be a bummer. I'm just trying to tell some stories and make music that I can get behind."
"I don't write happy songs, and the songs I'm attracted to tend to be kind of melancholy," Young observes. "I don't really know why that is, but that's just how they come to me, and I have to let 'em come on through."
Let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to see Pegi next Monday night in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will take home the tickets for the show and a find a copy of the brand new 'Foul Deeds' in his or her mailbox.
We'll close this one on Monday (12/13) at 9AM to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry!
The Superions have the brand new holiday themed 'Destination ...Christmas!' on store shelves this Christmas season, but as we preambled on Monday, they're joining us all week with five additional favorites from their own record collections destined to become holiday favorites of yours.
'Destination...The Vinyl District' continues!
Two words used to describe our album, “Destination… Christmas!” have been dark and sexy. So here’s a traditional French carol by one of our dark wave favorites Siouxsie and the Banshees.
It's our Thursday flashback, culled from the rare and ultra-obscure (and often bizarre) crates of 80’s vinyl, curated by our pal Gil:
Laws of Motion – Check It In The Mirror EP | A new wave band that was formed in the early 80’s around the San Diego area. This sextet was very active in Southern California’s new music scene and was tapped many times to be the opening act for out of town alternative and indie bands. They opened for Hoodoo Gurus, Broken Edge and Doll Congress to name a few. They also received local radio airplay in San Diego and were on local cable TV via KCOX.
Laws of Motion was a band that became known in the scene as a proficient group of musical experimenters who always looked for a new fresh sound and pushed the envelope of creativity. As one music reviewer put it “the band takes the flow of energy, of life, of ideas to create music for dancing – Cerebal Dancing.”
Armed with this first record, Laws of Motion embarked on their personal hunt for the elusive major label contract. The label deal would never come to fruition, but this rare EP should not go unnoticed by fans of alternative 80’s music.
On this 30th anniversary of the death of John Lennon, Rolling Stone purports to have the very last interview with John, recorded just three days before his untimely passing. Fact is, that couldn't be further from the truth.
So, we'll give ya some truth—the real, last interview—brimming with optimism and positivity and good humor (despite the dry and stilted narrative between the interview segments.)
"I don't think it was till the day my allowance was in full force, I actually caught onto vinyl. See, I could either spend all of it on maybe a couple of used CD's, cassettes, or I could go hit up Larry's Records in Ft. Lauderdale and stock up on used 50 cent records.
My parents always had vinyl lying around but I never really connected with them. Mostly because they weren't frequently spun. I didn't have access to a record player till my mid high school days and that's when I decided to take my parents records and discover them on my own. I soon became acquainted and obsessed with the warm sounds of vinyl. I mean, I would build vinyl forts just to feel as close as I possibly could to them. I was more in tune with these artists than I had ever been before.
Part of the magic of listening and collecting records is sharing them with others. My friends and I would go on these vinyl hunts, inspiring us all to find the oldest, rarest, original pressings we possibly could. We'd visit record stores, garage sales, thrift shops, old homes, and anywhere we heard you could find records. While everyone was out trying to sneak into some bar or club, we were huddled around a record player listening to our finds.
There have been numerous amount of times where I've come across a recording and had to pass because it wasn't on vinyl. It's not the same. I need the history. I want the story or the mystery. Like Django Reinhardt for instance. Yea, I can probably order his records anywhere, but there's something eerie and almighty about finding his washed up vinyl in some forgotten bin, shoved in a corner. It's this feeling I get. Like I've struck gold and no one knows. It's thrilling! So, I keep going.
Vinyl doesn't get old...it gets rich...and it's coming back to haunt us all."
Love, Rachel
Here are only some of my favorite albums on vinyl: Woody Guthrie - Dust Bowl Ballads, Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappellywith Quintet of the Hot Club of France,Billie Holiday - Lady Day,Sweet Emma and Her Preservation Hall Jazz Band - (Red) & (Blue),Tiny Tim - G*d Bless Tiny Tim,Joni Mitchell - Song To a Seagull,Beach Boys - Friends,Van Morrison - Astral Weeks,Otis Redding - Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul, Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan, anything on Folkways.
Looking for: Duke Ellington, Max Roach, Charles Mingus - Money Jungle, and anything by Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
...in which we follow up last month's live review with a sit down.
I had big ideas—digging deep, asking Sarah Jaffe about herself, getting the goods. Including but not limited to: what’s your writing style, how do you ‘work through a song,’ do these ideas come in dreams, are you single…
Instead, we talked about ‘the shittiest show she ever played,” why she won’t play "Luv" live anymore, and how she cannot wait for the release of her next EP (5 tracks, unpredictable.)
TVD: How’s the tour going? Some artists grow tired of their album before they perform their first song on tour, how are you feeling about 'Suburban Nature?' SJ: Playing songs from the album now is like dusting off a favorite outfit, you wore it out and now someone else has invested interest in it [the outfit] and it’s good again.”
TVD: Which is staying your favorite, for now? SJ: Tough, "Wreaking Havoc," I really like Robert’s (the guitarist) ambient additions TVD: Sorry I was late, I got lost, cabs, etc (nervous excuses & babbling...) SJ: No worries, I’m not from here either, but I’m thinking about making the move
TVD: Oh yeah? Leaving Denton for New York, what’s the hold up? SJ: I love Denton, and my home…
TVD: Front and back porch? SJ: Yeah, front and back. (smile)
TVD: So you're thinking about making moves, are you working on anything new (I am sure you are.) SJ: (mockingly) Yes, I hope to put out an EP in Spring/Summer of 2011.
TVD: Have I heard these new tracks, and how many will there be? SJ: Probably about five, and it's hard not to play them live, I'll play a few tonight.
TVD: So, I had the pleasure of hearing you for the first time at the Living Room, you sounded great, but your set was too short, glad to see you back in NYC. SJ: Last night?
TVD: No… SJ: Oh, right during the CMJ festival, yeah, jeez, that was a different environment. There were some jerks in the front, yelling about Texan stuff and being obnoxiously drunk.
TVD: Yeah I was next to them; he had cowboy boots on and was physically leaning on his group. SJ: What a douche. Well, I enjoyed the festival but it’d be nice to not be playing in it, and just listen and hang out with everyone. Maybe at SXSW this year, I’ll get to do more of that. (I’ll still be playing).
TVD: Well, speaking of hecklers, and different venues, what was THE shittiest place you’ve played? SJ: (Laughs) A chicken coup.
TVD: What!? SJ: Ennis, Texas; a chicken coup, with Tomahawk Molly, a band I was in (Cheesy, Rockabilly, fun.) There was a green room, with a dingy bed in it, creepy, disgusting. Definitely threw up that night.
TVD: Due to alcohol or chicken coup smell? SJ: Alcohol. I don’t necessary sound southern but when I’m back with everyone it’s Bulleit, Jack and you know.
TVD: I completely understand. SJ: But, it’s strange, I wrote "Clementine" during that time. We played a gig, ran out of songs, and I sang "Clementine." I had no attachment to the song but years later…
TVD: ...a throw away song turned debut video hit? SJ: Guess so
TVD: Alright so what’s with the spelling song ("Luv") on Suburban Nature? SJ: It was a mistake right, you hate it?
TVD: Well, it just stood out. SJ: Yeah, I played it live a few times. I don’t really like it. I thought the album needed some... quirk. It got some positive crowd feedback, probably a mistake, that’s why I won’t play it live anymore
TVD: Not at all? SJ: Nope! Want to hear about another slip-up? I definitely got on stage one of the first nights of the tour and said "Hello, Philly!" I was, unfortunately, not IN Philadelphia... TVD: (Laughs for an unacceptable amount of time...)
The Superions have the brand new holiday themed 'Destination ...Christmas!' on store shelves this Christmas season, but as we preambled on Monday, they're joining us all week with five additional favorites from their own record collections destined to become holiday favorites of yours.
'Destination...The Vinyl District' continues!
I remember as a kid 3 lighting setups. One was all different colored strings of lights around the house or shrubs. Ditto for all blue lights which made the house look depressing.
Then there was this family that put a big lit-up 'Sacred Heart of Jesus' with thorns and swords thru it on their door. Ghastly. Now everything is so paganly over the top, just add music! —Fred
While The Superions are introducing you guys to a bunch of holiday favorites from other artists this week, they thought it best that we give you an opportunity to snag their brand new "Destination... Christmas!"
Autographed! On vinyl!
And we couldn't agree more.
Thus, we've got something special for beneath your tree or next to your menorah.
Enter to win The Superions' "Destination ...Christmas! by submitting a comment to this post with your funniest holiday memory. Or with your most outrageous holiday memory. Or the raunchiest recollection - we don't care.
Make it good and capture our attention and we'll select the winner for the autographed LP one week from today, 12/14. Remember to leave us a contact email address!
The Superions have the brand new holiday themed 'Destination ...Christmas!' on store shelves this Christmas season, but as we preambled yesterday, they're joining us all week with five additional favorites from their own record collections destined to become holiday favorites of yours.
'Destination...The Vinyl District' continues!
Captain Sensible - One Christmas Catalogue | We love “One Christmas Catalogue” by Captain Sensible, because it doesn’t really sound like a Christmas song. Originally released as a single in 1984, it’s definitely more synth-pop than the 1980 punk holiday single “There Ain’t No Sanity Clause” by The Damned.
“One Christmas Catalogue” is also featured on the now out-of-print 1996 CD “New Wave Xmas” which is part of our favorite New Wave compilation series “Just Can’t Get Enough: New Wave Hits Of The 80’s.” Long live New Wave!
You'll be hearing plenty about the DC Music Fest in this spot in the months to come, so some official background and information is in order. —Ed.
The wait is finally over. An annual music festival dedicated solely to celebrating the wealth and diversity of music talent in the Nation’s Capital has arrived! The all new DC Music Fest showcases the next generation of DC area music talent, as well as established acts, across ALL music genres in one unmissable day. Taking place on May 7th, 2011, at the newly-renovated The Yards Park, this inclusive, all-ages, open-air festival is set to transform Washington, DC’s South East waterfront into a local music mecca.
Uniting a stellar array of bands, DJs and singer-songwriters across multiple genres, DC Music Fest connects the best of Washington, DC’s music scene into one cohesive event. Headline acts include Billboard World Song Contest Winners Honor By August and acclaimed experimental hip-hop band Restoring Poetry in Music (RPM), with support from blues quintet Kelly Bell Band and hard rockers Along Those Lines. Guinness Battle of the Bands winner The Chris Collat Band will be opening the festival after competing against 16 other local bands to win the chance to perform at this prestigious event.
Born from a love of local music, the DC Music Fest was founded by music industry entrepreneurs Jonathan Chevalley and Ashley Estill. Chevalley says: ‘‘Over the years I’ve heard many people talk about the need for DC to have its own local music festival. After meeting Ashley, we finally took the initiative to make this happen. We really want to increase the status and support of homegrown talent in the area, and also provide an opportunity to improve the city’s creative retention. Washington, DC is a great place to live with a vibrant and eclectic music agenda. We need to celebrate this!”
All Washington, DC area musicians are encouraged to submit their music for performance consideration via the DC Music Fest website. The festival’s complete line-up will be announced in the following months.
Feeling a wee bit 'ho-hum' or 'bah-humbug' (or something hyphenated) about singing the same old Christmas tunes year in and year out?
Well, fear thee not ye keepers of the yule log flame, The Superions—Fred Schneider, Noah Brodie and Dan Marshall—have come to your rescue with 11 future standards on their brand new holiday release, "Destination...Christmas!"
On their new holiday collection, the B-52's front man and his cohorts "perfectly capture the many moods of the season: despair, avalanches, deranged abominable snowmen, leaden fruitcakes, and of course, laughter."
Not content to put the period on the sentence just yet however, The Superions are joining us all week and handpicking an additional five Christmas favorites of theirs that portend to become holiday favorites of yours in the days to come. It's the Superions' "Destination...Christmas!" and "Destination...Vinyl District!" all this week...
Grace Jones – The Little Drummer Boy | “The Little Drummer Boy” has always been one of our least favorite Christmas songs. Pa rum pum pum pum… boring! But Grace Jones does the best version on the Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special from 1988.
Grace is amazing! Why was this song never released? It’s similar in sound to her 1986 album “Inside Story” produced by Nile Rogers, which featured one of our favorite Grace Jones’ songs “I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Perfect For You).”
The Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special features lots of special guests including Charo performing “Feliz Navidad” or as Pee-Wee says, “Feliz Naviblah!”
It's our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices and PR agencies want you to be hearing. We post you decide.
As many of you may or may not know, The Idelic Hour comes beaming to you directly from my garage nestled above the legendary Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles. It's these beautiful and enchanting canyons of LA that are the inspiration for this week's Idelic Hour playlist.
As I look at the cover art of Joni Mitchell's 1970 release "Ladies of The Canyon," a pedigree of Californian artistry and songs come to mind more than our funky, bohemian neighborhood. Recently I've been posting segments of the super inspirational BBC documentary "Hotel California From Byrds to The Eagles" on my idleicsounds.com page as it feels like the spirit of the late 60's canyon scene has had a reemergence up here in the last couple years.
I have no problem laying claim to being at the very center of this revival. Bands have been piling in and out this garage for more than ten years. A couple of years ago I bumped into Alex Ebert wandering around the famous Zappa residence. It was on that afternoon he invited me into the pad across the street where he was recording and conceiving his new band Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros.
Now we in the "canyons" boast new comers like the "Zappa-esque" Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, The Mamas & Papas-like Best Coast, as well as groovy new harmonies from Local Natives, Jamie Drake, Harper Simon and Coconut Records.
Our friends The Caribbean return in a big way in 2011 with a brand new release on Hometapes."Discontinued Perfume" is out on February 22 and we've got the first track "Mr. Let's Find Out" below for your listening and right-clicking enjoyment.
To put "Discontinued Perfume" in the context of The Caribbean's previous work, and hopefully introduce the band to some new listeners, Hometapes and the band created a retrospective compilation for free download. It's called "Make the Day Out of Range" and it draws from The Caribbean's recordings between 2000-2008. It's available right here.
It's our 5th and last day with Carol Bui who has spent the entire week with us sharing music from her own collection that has informed her upcoming 2011 release, Red Ship, out on her own Ex Oh Records
Carol returns to DC next Wednesday at the Black Cat for a bit of a homecoming show, and you can grab some free tickets to see her live—on us! Til then, Carol has one last one for ya.
Fairuz - Oudak Rannan | Fairuz is from Lebanon and arguably the most popular singer in the Middle East today. She has been around for decades and enjoyed great success after collaborating with her son, Ziad Rahbani, an influential composer and producer.
'Oudak Rannan' is a traditional song and it translates roughly to 'The Banging of the Lute.' This was one of the first songs I heard when I first looked her up and it continues to be the most memorable for me. Before I knew anything about it, I thought it sounded rather dark and menacing, probably because of the slap bass in contrast to the yelping and her full soprano voice.
At the end there are loud, random drum hits that I originally thought sounded like gun shots and my reaction was 'wow this is so bad ass for such an old school singer'! Then I looked up the lyrics and turns out it's just a celebration of the oud, the arabic version of the lute.
It's a foot stomping, celebration kind of song, with a heavy debke (national dance of Lebanon) beat. Love it. It was a huge inspiration for the first song I recorded for Red Ship. "Mira: You're Free With Me."
As mentioned yesterday in this spot, our guest DJ all week Carol Bui returns to her old stomping grounds of Washington, DC (as opposed to her new stomping grounds of Tacoma, Washington) for a homecoming show at the Black Cat next Wednesday night (12/8.) Joining Carol on the bill are Kristeen Young and Lucia Lucia.
And as is so often with our Guest DJ/Takeover weeks, we've got a pair of tickets to put in the hands of one of you guys for next week's show.
Let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to see Carol next Wednesday night in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will take home the tickets for the show.
We'll close this one on Tuesday (12/7) at noon to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
Remember, we've teamed up with ReadysetDC for all of our ticket giveaways so you can enter to win either here at TVD or at ReadysetDC.
The Top Five Reasons to Come to Poor But Sexy, Dirty Bomb, and JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound at the Velvet Lounge
So I recently moved away from Washington, DC to New York City, and I've had to take on two jobs to make the rent on our modest little nest here. That doesn't leave me with much time to spend on inspired blog posts about why you should come see my band, Poor But Sexy, at the Velvet Lounge on Friday, December 3rd.
Neverthless, I am pretty psyched to get back down to the District of Columbia for this show, so I am resorting to the most economical form of persuasive writing: the enumerated list. Here goes:
1. New Single: Cherry Delicious | This is track 4 from our record, "Let's Move in Together," which will come out mid-February. Come early to hear it live (we kick off the bill at 10pm sharp.)
2. Cowbell | If you listened to Cherry Delicious, you know that there is a prominent cowbell in there. Eric Axelson from the Dismemberment Plan is going to play it with us at the show. If you thought he was good at bass, just wait until you hear his bovine bell skills.
3. Dirty Bomb | A DC band with a concept album loosely based on the story of Jack Abramoff. I listened to the jams, and they are hot! If you read the interview with songwriter Andy Sullivan from the Express paper, you know that he has actually spent time chasing Jack Abramoff around federal courthouses. It's an inspiring reminder to always write what you know.
4. "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" | Our friends in JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound covered this Wilco song and made a video of it. It's undeniable! There was a contingent of hard core Wilco fans, however, that reacted like Catholic bishops if Tweedy was Jesus and JC Brooks had made 'The Last Temptation of Christ.'
Last time JC Brooks was in DC, they killed it for about two solid hours at the 9:30 club. This is a rare opportunity to see a band that works and works it all night, for the us...the audience. They hit at 12:00 am. Leave your coats in the car, because it's likely to get sweaty.
5. The Walkmen Suck | A band feud seemed like a good way to get the publicity ball rolling, so I just checked some newer Walkmen songs online to verify that they do, in fact, suck, before I slander them. Unfortunately, they don't suck. They are mature, accomplished artists, and apparently passionate performers. Luckily, their show at the 9:30 club is sold out. So we'll see you at the Velvet Lounge.
It's Day #4 with Carol Bui who's spending the entire week with us in advance of next Wednesday's homecoming show at the Black Cat and she's sharing the music from her own collection that informed her upcoming 2011 release, Red Ship, out on her own Ex Oh Records.
Connie Francis - Malaguena | Growing up in Vietnam, my parents didn't have much access to American popular music except maybe the likes of the Beatles circa 'She Loves You' or Elvis's 'Love Me Tender'. Connie Francis was another one of those few artists to make it out there, and her music made quite an impression on my Dad.
I used to look through his CDs and saw mostly Vietnamese contemporary singers with an occasional Hong Kong movie soundtrack. One day I heard a lady singing what sounded like a bullfighting song from his office speakers. Her voice was HUGE and sometimes tearful, I loved it and still love it. The singer was Connie Francis.
I asked my Dad about her and he said it reminded him of his early Vietnam war days. Malaguena is a Spanish folk song written by Ernesto Lecuona and is popular among marching bands and drum corps. It has been performed by many others as well—Ritchie Valens did an electric guitar solo version of it, Brian Setzer did one, Caterina Valente did a German version.
This is by far the most powerful rendition of the song I've ever heard.
It's our Thursday flashback, culled from the rare and ultra-obscure (and often bizarre) crates of 80’s vinyl, curated by our pal Gil:
Dog Police – s/t LP | Here we have a rather wacky American new wave group called Dog Police that was formed in Memphis, TN by band leader Sam Shoup. The core group was made up of three members that dressed up as..well…dogs. This inventive trio was active in the mid to late 80’s. Their music was a skewed new wave pop that reminds one of the wise-guy word play from the Los Angeles brother duo Sparks.
They entered into the MTV basement tapes competition in 1985 and came out victorious with an inventive and quite entertaining video of what would be their anthem tinged album title song. There was another video made for the song 1-800, which pokes fun at television marketing ads and their toll free 800 numbers.
They obviously garnered some attention in alternative music circles and were subsequently able to produce a lone full length album that was a private pressing. Not surprisingly, wild man Weird Al Yankovic was enamored by the group’s silliness and featured them on his short lived MTV music video show. A lost new wave pop obscurity.
