Thursday, August 5, 2010

TVD Takeover | Jesca Hoop


My Two Favorite Live Acts:

Saul Williams | Saul Williams, who I always knew as a spoken word Poet for the hip hop generation, appeared in a dive bar in Austin, Texas with his punk band. BEST SHOW I HAVE EVER SEEN !!!

In my mind Saul (and friends) make true punk music. Punk music...not the Vivienne Westwood tailored tartan wearing mohawkins screaming about Anarchy through safety pinned lips (which is all good and fine) but rule breaking music. Music that is defiant, rebellious, aggressive, smart, of its own and home grown. This music was all of those things.


Saul is a wordsmith. He comes with a message. In this show he brought what I knew he could already do. . . spit mad lyrics, but I wasn’t expecting him to come out as a native war chief rocker dressed in battle garb ready to take on the stage like an enemy attacking. He had with him two other rock eccentrics. One who played the MPC and the other played the guitar. Visually they were impressive. Sonically I had never really heard anything like it before. . . or since. I won't try to describe it more than I already have. . . because I won't do it justice.

What I can say though is that it caused me to get that mean look on my face and bang my head. Good shit. Good Hard music blended with Saul's mind bending lyrics and physical presence makes for my kind of show !!! Well, one kind of my kind of show anyway. He (they) is (are) a must see. . .

Saul Williams on Myspace




The Ditty Bops | I am in Love with these girls. I know Amanda and Abbey (The Ditty Bops) personally and I can say that knowing them in their life beyond the stage only spreads further my vision of them as true artists.

Their whole life is a work of art. Every element if you ask me. So when you see them on the stage, you see in full bloom the life they are leading. It's a delightful world that they occupy and create day after day. Full of imagination and laughter. Their music is sweet and simple but not uncomplicated or innocent. They can be dark and meddlesome as well.


Going to one of their shows is like taking a row boat through a miniature haunted fun house on a rainbowy day. They refuse to grow up. Thank goodness. Oh, and did I mention that they are fit? Very good looking girls those Ditty Bops!!

Abbey plays the guitar and piano and Amanda plays the mandolin, guitar and other gadgets including helium balloons. Their shows are theatrical and amusing. Amanda is always smiling and Abbey inevitably has something witty to say. The world is a better place with the Ditty Bops in it. Go see em...go get young again !!!

The Ditty Bops on Myspace


TVD Ticket Giveaway | Mumiy Troll, Wednesday (8/11) w/Run Run Run at The Black Cat


I'm reminded of that old Steve Martin line, "...It's like those French have a different word for everything."

But in this case it'd be Russia's Mumiy Troll who in effect are the Russian version of any huge act that you can name over here in the States or the UK. The Moscow foursome are quite simply the biggest band in their home country. Some fun factoids as examples:

Mumiy Troll's video for Vladividstok 2000 was the first video featured on Russian MTV when it went live in 1998 (i.e. Russia's "Video Killed the Radio Star.")

Mumiy Troll was dubbed "the most dangerous band in the world" and banned by the local communist party in their early days.

Mumiy Troll is so big that they coined their own genre - rockapops - which young Russian bands have been emulating for years (not to mention signature hair styles and clothes.)





Ready to jump aboard? Mumiy Troll open a very rare North America tour next Wednesday night (8/11) right here in DC at The Black Cat and we've got a pair of tickets to see the band on us.

Check out the video, download the Mp3, and let us know who you think the band most resembles out of our current crop of homegrown heroes in the comments to this post and the most insightful of the bunch wins the pair of tickets. It's that simple.

We'll choose our winner next Tuesday (8/10) and remember to leave us a contact email address!

Mumiy Troll - Polar Bear (Mp3)
Authorized for download!

TVD Ticket Giveaway | Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants w/Ari Shine, Monday 8/9, at DC9


Foo Fighters' Chris Shiflett has set aside his big, brash, rock guitar in favor of a more stripped-down Americana feel that's quite akin to a number of classic country artists (Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams), rockabilly (Gene Vincent, Elvis, Eddie Cochran), and deep-rooted rock bands (The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, X).

His self-titled release Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants hit your local record stores last month, and this month Chris and the band have hit the road to introduce you to these new batch of songs in person.

The tour stops Monday night (8/9) at DC9 and with Chris is special guest Ari Shine, he of today's 'First Date.'




We've got a pair of tickets to award one of you simply for the asking in the comments to this post. Let us know why they should be bestowed upon youwith a contact email address!—and the most convincing of the bunch gets in free on Chris (and us.)

We're closing this one first thing Monday morning to give you plenty of time to conjure up some good old fashioned arm twisting. So, let's hear it, hm?

Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants - Get Along (Mp3)
Authorized for download!