Tuesday, July 6, 2010

TVD | The Caribbean - A "Discontinued Perfume" Tour Diary


JULY 1, Part 2
The Caribbean & Milwaukee have a little thing, see. We love Milwaukee and Milwaukee is still in the process of sizing up our prospects viz a long-term relationship. How are we doing? I'll let you be the judge, eh? We meet Milwaukee's mom and step-dad (Milwaukee calls him Kenny) next month.

Door of the Cactus Club

In spite of the shocking lack of vintage porn at the great Cactus Club (last August we were there on Dude Night), we still love performing there. Another blast of an evening at the white house w/the menacing red light at the entrance. Down the street, by the way, happens to be one of the coolest places I've ever seen—a specialty drinks lounge called At Random. Walking in during the
daytime literally feels like re-entering the womb. A very plush, groovy womb. Unchanged since 1964 (like me), but in perfect condition (again, like ...), devoid of irony (oh well), and owned by the same couple who opened it in '64. Great bartender, Randy, great music, and, of course, great drinks.

Milwaukee Dave (late)

We hung there for a while, had to be removed surgically, and rocked a killer liquor buzz going by the time we hit the stage. Drunk performance can work one of two ways. Last night: glorious -- makes a performer want to perform drunk every night. Of course, that's a dreadful idea for a variety of reasons, but we did slay. No prisoners taken. Casualty count: unimaginable. Great night. Thanks, Milwaukee. Next: Madison. State capital. Fab college town. Strange badger mascot. Good granola vibes.

Michael + Matt Amazed in Milwaukee

Jeff of ATC in Milwaukee

JULY 2
Madison. It's starting to get warm in Wisconsin, which only serves to remind us that we cannot escape our Mother Washington. After the set at the super fab Project Lodge, Dave confessed, "I was sweating my balls off up there!" — the verb: to sweat one's balls off; to perspire to a state of disdaining your masculinity; to experience male hot flashing. I concurred with Dave and make that same confession here. But it was a dynamite set, wildly received, voraciously consumed. Not the spirit-fuelled glee ride of the night previous in Milwaukee, but a different kind of intensity. Good bands find different ways of revealing the fire.

Burrito Drive

We took our time getting out of Milwaukee, checked into our Madison digs early and kicked back. Matt slept while Dave and I took in the World Cup quarters: Uruguay-Ghana. I'd planned on napping, but how could I with that game on? Answer: I couldn't. After that, went to ATC Tom's cool house in Middleton, which, Tom insists (without a smile), is not a suburb of Madison—in fact, not a suburb at all, but a thriving megacity. Do I trust Tom or do I trust my eyes, ears, touch, smell? Well, Tom has an impressive beard and glasses. Then again, his adoration of The Beach Boys Love You concerns me.

The Project Lodge

I was tired; I didn't know what to believe and still don't. Could have used the sleep that afternoon, but it was a chill night (weather notwithstanding): an art space venue (often my favorite kind), two-band bill, mellow but attentive crowd, BYOB. All Tiny Creatures followed us with possibly their best set of the tour. Like us, they're growing into new material w/the added challenge of incorporating a substitute drummer at the same time. With records coming out on Hometapes at similar times and a building performance capacity, All Tiny Creatures and The Caribbean are very much kindred spirits. Brother bands. Also, they're very funny. That's highly important.

All Tiny Creatures

94W near the Wisconsin-Minnesota border

TVD's Press Play


Where would this little mom and pop blog be without the PR folks who come knocking each day? Well, we'd be without music to drop on all of your internet doorsteps, actually.

Like the stork bearing newborns daily, we're happily inundated with music...some fantastic, some downright awful, and the majority of music we simply don't have the time to address to rave or rant about.

'Til now.

We're introducing a new feature today that will run each Monday morning: TVD's Press Play - recapping the previous week in PR and the bands the promo folks are flogging to the blogging community.

We'll be simply compiling them and offering them up to you for your downloading pleasures with scant little commentary if any. They won't be run through the TVD grinder for our seal of approval - just the tracks, ma'am.

And we've got a bunch in the queue we'll be offering up all week to give you time to make some space on your harddrives to collect 'em all. So, without any additional rambling on my part, we're off:

Funeral Party - Finale (Mp3)
Back Ted N-Ted - The Mirror (Mp3)
Everything Everything - Schoolin (Mp3)
Twin Shadow - I Can't Wait (Mp3)
All authorized for download!

TVD Fresh Track | New from Gang of Four


Reeling back to life after July 4, we're quite pleased to kick off a new week with Gang of Four and a brand new track from their forthcoming release.

Make sure you head on over to the band’s website as there is a free digital bundle of band artifacts currently available there. As well as making a great read, this bundle also contains some original artwork that makes for some really cool and completely exclusive desktop backgrounds. Jon and Andy fill us in:

"We’re emerging blinking into the light after many months locked in Andy’s studio, clutching Gang of Four’s new album: Content. Later this summer you’ll be able to buy it on download or CD. But we’re offering weirder and more wonderful options to a limited number of GO4 aficionados. You might enjoy a listen to our first ever gig (recorded in Leeds in May 1977), provided to you on a cassette inside a Walkman individually decorated by Andy and Jon. A private view of an exhibition of GO4 art combined with a gig in London’s ICA this June are just some of the other possibilities... Jon & Andy"

Gang of Four - You Don't Have to Be Mad (Mp3)
Authorized for download!