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Usually when we do these ticket contests, the thinking is to save you guys some money (for drinks, of course.) But this time it's a little different.
Georgetown U. is doing away with its normally 'closed-to-students' policy for Saturday night's Best Coast,Cults, and Long Walks on the Beach show and we've got a pair of tickets to give away.
The really cool upside? The venue onlyholds 275 people, so you'll be lucky to just get in for what promises to be a pretty intimate show that's certain to sell out.
So yea, while we'll save you some cash with this one, it's the access for Saturday night that's working in your favor.
So sure, you could RSVP on Facebook here, but a better idea is to let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to Saturday night's show in the comments to this post and the most arm-twisty of the bunch will take home the tickets for the show.
We'll close this one on Friday 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.
As promised yesterday, our Seven Days of ROIR Records Vinyl Giveaways continues today with the debut, self-titled Bad Brains release, or "the best punk/hardcore album of all time." If you're to trust Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch, that is. (To which I'm inclined.)
"No album has ever been such an aural punisher - so blistering, so ashen. Nothing ever will again. Holy F***!" —Big Takeover
"...they have inspired or influenced everyone from The Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers to Living Color and Jane’s Addiction. But upon re-listening to this glorious hardcore/punk masterpiece, it quickly became evident that not one of the many pretenders to the throne have even come close to matching Brains’ blisteringly majestic style.” —Scrawl
"Where dreadlocked superheroes Bad Brains went, a thousand punk and metal wannabes followed. And what better album to tell you why these militant rockers were so powerful than this, their eponymous classic from 1982? Sell your Green Day records and buy this, kids." —Vox (UK)
"Bad Brains were the band who taught the world how to play fast....this re-released 1982 masterpiece shows exactly why this is a band who could pull thousands of people to their shows when no one in the mainstream even knew they existed. Quite brilliant." —Select (UK)
The rules for our seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note - we can only ship within the US.)
We'll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
The Punch Brothers, Friday, November 12th, Strathmore Music Hall, 8pm (on the nose)
I’ll have a whiskey.
Ties loosened, feet tapped, and yelps—random and inspired, echoed through the pristine sound-ship, The Strathmore, as we jumped in with ‘Next to the Trash’ sailed past ‘Watch At Breakdown’ and through ‘Punch Bowl.’ These upbeat honky-tonk (turns out it’s hyphenated) tunes kept the unknowledgeable portion of the crowd interested (me) and had enough ‘jamming’ for the PB regulars (my seatmate.)
'Don’t Need No' boasts about drinkin’ for free and having a lovely female bar tender take him home, 'Missy' a sad love song about a woman had (not really had) and lost—this band admires complex, and shifty female leads (and questionable relationships at best.) And the award for favorite lyrical line uttered during the show “I went to a little gypsy at a fortune telling place / She read my mind and then she slapped my face,” delivered with solid, light-hearted blue grass clapping, and ‘yippees’ to follow.
In 'O Santo De Polvoro' the instruments played the melody and sang the chorus and the hook. No words needed—all strings. ‘Me and Us’ reminded me of a suspense thriller, shot in black and white, or maybe a Sherlock Holmes intro. It was a rolling fog; creepy, and full. Fortunately, they warmed us up again with 'Alex,' light hearted pop gem about another psuedo-important love interest (which should be receiving a fair amount of radio play.)
I sat with a Punch Brothers fan, she will be referred to as ‘the expert’, who informed me of her obsession with the 40 minute, overly-ambitious, four movement, unheard live “Blind Leaving the Blind,” moments later Chris Thile uttered the word “excerpt” and ‘the expert’ nearly rocketed from her seat and I knew I was about to hear something rare.
They did not disappoint. This piece may change a listener's mind about bluegrass. The four movements are epic, but this most commonly requested section is requested for a reason (harmonies and the journey; a great music story).
They followed it smartly with a traditional, 'You are my Flower' by The Carter Family, a duet between the bassist (Paul Kowert) and fiddler (Gabe Witcher). Followed shortly by 'You Are,' one of the brightest spots with Chris Thile’s voice sounding controlled, crisp, and clear. The Punch Brothers performed equal parts love song, jam attack, barroom stomps, covers (their traditional Radiohead cover). No breaks—all the slight pauses were filled with inter-band ribbing (mostly Noam Pikelny on banjo) mocking Chris about one thing or another with his deep resonating Johnny Cash-like voice) occasional song origin related tales, and consistently inappropriate jokes made by the awkwardly charming mandolin player/lead vocalist. (One about another musician losing a bet and as a result was forced to shave off, and eat, his own beard. Must be a Bluegrass thing.)
'Rye Whiskey' may make the band sound better but it made my heart beat louder and heated up the Strathmore which in all cases, could use it. They chose to play the popular 'Rye Whiskey' after the standing plea of claps.
The Punch Brothers have it all—technical skill, a charismatic front man with a unique voice, years of experience, and they could not have faked that sort of fun. Fun, which they played and squeezed from their instruments and channeled into the crowd.
Alright, alright - keep your shirts on. It's true. The vinyl isn't out yet but we're in love with the new Bryan Ferry release Olympia here at TVD HQ. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving 'n all and playing it forward, we've got the brand new one to award to one of you guys.
Oh—and another thing—we got a 16" x 16" litho of the above cover featuring the age/coke defying Kate Moss signed by Mr. Ferry himself. It's one of only 200.
First however, some background:
The legendary Bryan Ferry returns with his brand new studio album Olympia, his debut for EMI’s Astralwerks Records. This will follow the release of the brand new single “You Can Dance” on August 10th.
The album features musical contributions from Nile Rodgers, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Groove Armada, Scissor Sisters, Marcus Miller, Flea, ex Stone Roses Mani (Primal Scream) and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. It also sees Bryan Ferry reunite on record with members of Roxy Music, including Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Mackay.
The album features eight new songs, and Ferry’s moving adaptation of Tim Buckley’s “Song To the Siren”; an amazing version of Traffic’s “No Face, No Name, No Number” as well as collaborations with Scissor Sisters (“Heartache By Numbers”) and Groove Armada (“Shameless”).
Enter to with the autographed litho and a copy of 'Olympia' by leaving a note in the comments to this post. Chime in with your own enthusiasm for Mr. Ferry and/or Roxy Music, and the most convincing and exuberant of the lot will win the giveaway.
We'll give you a week and close this one on Monday, November 22. Remember to leave us a contact email address so we can let you know you've won!
Allow me to date myself (...which for years, I actually did.)
My very early education into alternate music was via Trouser Press, the ultimate indie publication when the term 'indie' was important, unlike its usage today (ie: unimportant.) I loved Creem and Circus too, but Trouser Press embraced everything radio—then and now—did not.
Intrinsic to that era was NYC's ROIR Records who actually released everything back then - on cassettes. Odd perhaps, but they exhibited taste for miles with early releases from Suicide, The Beastie Boys, Glenn Branca, Bad Brains, New York Dolls, The Skatalites, Television, and Lydia Lunch among their stellar roster.
ROIR and TVD are partnering over the next seven days to offer you guys vinyl from that revered catalog both old and new. Underscoring this season of giving thanks, we've got a ROIR vinyl contest each and every day into next week before we take our traditional Thanksgiving break.
We've got vinyl - and some thoughts from the artists behind those records when possible.
First up is the brand new release, "In Search of a Black Judas" from Bad Brain's bassist Darryl Jenifer.And a few words with the local legend:
"I love records. I wish I still had my old school Hi-Fi from back in the day. I can still hear the needle riding on the vinyl before the song would start. When I play vinyl I feel like I am really listening to music—Isley Brothers, Roy Ayers, the Ramones, Eater, the Damned, Earth Wind and Fire, shit—BAD BRAINS!
Vinyl rules the sonic spectrum of life. My kids have no idea what a album is. I hate CDs. I never respected them. Folks used to bitch at me all the time about fucking up their CDs. At first I thought they couldn't scratch , I'd throw in the back of car like garbage. I never learned.
Tapes sound dope but too problematic to store - vinyl is the answer. I recently saw a album that I wrote my name on like how we used to do - old school. Naw, just school." -dj
The rules for our next seven days of ROIR giveaways are simple—tell us your ROIR story or sell us on why a particular LP should be yours in the comments to this post and the most compelling to any degree will find the record in his or her mailbox in time for the holidays.(Please note - we can only ship within the US.)
We'll close all seven contests on Monday, November 29 and remember to leave us your email/contact info—important!—so we can notify winners!
Peggy Sue return to the States tonight as openers for Kate Nash at the 9:30. While our ticket contest to see them both (on us!) has closed, we thought it an opportune time for a little impromptu 'First Date' with the charming trio.
Do you listen to vinyl? What about its sound appeals to you? What was the last record you bought on vinyl?
Olly: Yes, vinyl is my preferred listening experience. Sonically the sound is much greater than that of CDs and especially MP3s. MP3s have to be so greatly compressed to fit all the data into a file. Someone in a lab somewhere decided what is audibly out of a human's listening range and removed it from the files. For a demonstration of this just turn up your speakers at the end of "Sargent Pepper's..." and your speakers will vibrate with the sound of a dog whistle. You can't hear it but its there. Nowhere to be found on an MP3. Therefore vinyl has far more scope, depth, and warmth than anything digital.
Being on tour in America is great for record shopping because there are so many shops in funny places you would never expect. I have been spending most of my PD's on this eroticism. The last record I bought was Korner Ray and Glover "The Return of Korner Ray and Glover." It was $3.
Where are you drawing your musical inspiration from these days?
Rosa: I've always liked the Breeders but I didn't get into the last album [Mountain Battles] when it came out because a like-minded friend told me it was a real departure for the worse from there previous records, and I hate being disappointed by bands you love, especially bands who release things so infrequently.
However, I bought it the other day on a whim and I really love it, so it's probably proof you should never go on someone else's musical opinion alone. Sonic Youth are one of my two favourite bands, and I think one of the best things about them is that they're so prolific that I'm still buying albums I haven't heard all the songs from. I'm also listening to the Velvet Underground and Nico a lot at the moment because I really want to rip off the durgy sound of "Venus In Furs" on a new song we're writing for our second album.
It's interesting when you're writing songs because you just seem to devour new music looking for inspiration but writing the second album I seem to be doing a lot of looking backwards at music that really inspired me to want to be in a band in the first place.
Any funny stories to share from this Kate Nash tour?
Olly: I vomited and all the crew members stepped in it. Now they call us Peggy Spew. Katy and Rosa drank the bottle of whiskey that turned out to be the tour manager's dad's Christmas present. Much offense was taken to the fact that Rosa had mixed it with concentrated orange juice.
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.
Greetings from Laurel Canyon! Sometimes a song or a voice sticks with me. For many weeks now I’ve been playing a song called “Robbed Blind” written by an old friend, Canadian folk-singer, Hayden. I honestly have not spoken to Hayden for many years. He was once the darling of indie folk but now rarely travels to LA for a show.
This album, Elk Lake Serenade was self released over six years ago to very little fanfare, kind of stuck between retro and ahead of its time makes this an Idelic classic.
I’m calling the week’s Idelic Hour “Here Comes The Chill.” The show really has no musical direction other than the fresh “scent” of a new crop of songs from thoughtful singer-songwriters who share a sense of intimacy, akin to my pal Hayden.
In the mix, rising folk-stars Sarabeth Tucek, Yuck, and Sean Rowe, thought provoking “chill-wave" females Tennis and Porcelain Raft, and old friends Steve McBean and Kurt Vile will keep our turntables warm for the upcoming season.
We spent a week with The Posies in late September to celebrate the release of the brand new (and damn fine) BLOOD/CANDY. Jon and Ken blogged for a number of days here at TVD, waxing nostalgic on well, wax—and some of the records that loomed large in their shared backstory. Hell, we even gave away a few copies of the new one on vinyl.
The one thing we didn't pull off however was tickets to see the band live because—although they've been touring—it was all Europe and far-flung dates to kick off the BLOOD/CANDY promotion.
They're sweeping through the States now however in tandem with Brendan Benson, and better late than never, we've got a pair of tickets to award one of you to Wednesday night's Posies show here in DC at the 9:30.
Let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to see The Posies on 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 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.
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.
I'd like to thank DJ Thompson for featuring TVD on his BreakthruRadio show "Anatomy of a Blogger" which went live yesterday, 11/11.
Head over to Breakthru to catch a chat with yours truly by selecting the Program Guide on the radio dial (top left) and select "Anatomy of a Blogger" from yesterday's schedule.
Update: Aw hell, why make you work for it. Here's the show. My voice is really not that...er, tweaked?
AM concludes his TVD week today with another rummage through his records and a recommendation that really isn't obscure.(At all.)
Thriller was the first album I ever bought (or asked my parents to by me)...I was only 7 or 8 years old. Although I was one among millions who bought that record, it is still one of my favorites. Jackson is at the tip top of his game and Quincy Jones had truly perfected pop production.
I read in Quincy's bio Q that when they turned Thriller in to the record company they sent it back saying that they didn't feel it was done... there was too much going on. So Quincy trimmed the fat and we're left with this masterpiece. This is the inside of the album when you open the double gatefold. I remember thinking as a kid "wow, he has a tiger cub!" Otherworldly.
This year for the first time I had my latest album Future Sons & Daughters pressed to vinyl. It has always been a goal of mine since listening to vinyl was how I was first introduced to music. The sound of vinyl is like no other medium. Full, warm...something special about the highs and something big and cozy about the lows.
Not to mention the visual element which was an exploration in itself. Combining art and song makes so much more sense when the art is BIG. The CD pretty much destroyed that...not to mention digital formats. As a kid I would open up a piece of vinyl like I was entering a magical world.
I hope to inspire that same search with this vinyl version of Future Sons & Daughters. The fans funded this project through Pledge Music which makes it all the more worthwhile. It's good to know there were others that felt the same way I did. We worked really hard to make it the best it could be. Spent a lot of time re-working the artwork, adding the lyrics in a colored sleeve, re-mastering the music at Abbey Road studios, London and pressing it to 180 gram virgin vinyl. The album sounds like it should...finally.
Enter to win a copy of AM's Future Sons & Daughtershere.
Synergy:The Autumn Defense's new LP, "Once Around" is a TVD Fall Giveaway. Serendipity: The Autumn Defense play Iota this coming Monday, 11/15.
Coincidence: The Autumn Defense were with TVD in October (Autumn!) in a special Yep Roc Week feature right here.
Spooky, hm?
To complete the circle, we've got the new LP for you to win and spin and ponder the complexities of life.
Let us know why you should be chosen to receive The Autumn Defense's new 'Once Around' in the comments to this post and the most convincing of the bunch will find the LP in his or her mailbox
We'll close this one on Wednesday (11/17) to give you plenty of time to conjure up your response—and remember to leave us a contact email address with your entry.
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:
The Dark Bob - Uncontrollable Love There’s no real category of artist which fully describes this offbeat, obscure group known as The Dark Bob. The group was essentially the work of one man who had his roots as a painter. With no real musical talent, this eccentric dude embarked on a career as a performance artist and added the musical elements on the way. He performed at such venues as the Portland Center for Visual Arts and the Lhasa Club, Hollywood.
Let’s share some quotes from various reviews of this quirked out artsy showman:
“A compelling performer whose presentation style blends the history of protest art in our time from the beats to the punks.”
“His performance is loaded with anthems and the feel of pageant in the power of the sound, his presence, volume and audacity.”
"One of the first instances of the art of the eighties...Intensely personal at the same time it is intensely political. The Dark Bob is a model actor, a producer, a fledgling saint, a sybarite, a framaturge and a clown."
You have to have an open mind listening to this indie platter, but there are some interesting points within these strange alternative compositions. How about art new wave folk rock...try it...
"Lovely UK songstress" is probably an overused triple word score when it comes to Kate Nash, but it's certainly appropriate.
Kate's on another jaunt through the States in support of her Bernard Butler produced release, "My Best Friend Is You" and as the sprightly graphic above imparts - we have a pair of tickets to to put in the hands of one of you guys for Monday's show at the 9:30.
Let us know why you should be chosen for the pair of tickets to see Ms. Nash 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 Monday 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.
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.
AM returns to TVD today with another eclectic and obscure recommendation from his vinyl vault:
A few years ago I was in Seattle on a day off from touring. The band and I started scouring for record stores and we came upon a very small and humble place called...aggghhhh. I forgot. Which is really unfortunate because the guy that ran the place was really knowledgeable of his stock.
I went in looking for some 60's and 70's Italian soundtracks and he suggested I give a listen to a Turkish psychedelia record called Selda (known as Selda Bagcan - a 70's Turkish singer/songwriter). I bought that right away and noticed that it had been re-issued by a record company called Finders Keepers (run by uber collector Andy Votel and other worldly psych/folk/funk/jazz crate diggers.)
I've been buying much of what they have re-issued since which is how I knew The Sound of Wonder would be amazing...and it is. 60's and 70's psychedelic gems from Pakistan coined "Lollywood". It will blow your mind.
"Most sonic freaks will tell you that the record lives on because everything sounds better on vinyl. But I do not think it will be long before that theory dissolves. After all, only our toes are dipping into the ocean of possibilities that digital technology provides us with. Regardless of this inevitability, I think that vinyl will remain significant to me (and many others) because it still offers something all other formats do not ~ the ultimate tactile experience.
Vinyl has touch.
As one who never knows what record to pick, I leave my choice up to instinct. My ritual is to run my fingertips along the spines of my records until I feel the urge to pull one off the shelf. Once the record is in both of my hands, and I have had enough time to admire any particularly great artwork in all its bigness, I gingerly slip the record out of the sleeve. Because vinyl is easily bruised, there is a care that most take during the handling of them. I’ve witnessed the least graceful, least careful individuals carry their records delicately over to the player like they are holding a sheet of paper-thin ice.
My favourite part of the vinyl experience happens after it’s laid onto the platter...when you lift the arm and the record starts to spin. Call me a geek, I don’t care, but I love how much control I have at this point. It couldn’t be more different than the monster inside my laptop that yanks my CD’s from my fingertips. Every time I put a disc in there I never know if it is going to come back from those depths!
While the record is spinning before the needle has landed, it’s like a little warm-up ~ for me, my ears and for the turntable. It’s all about timing at this point. Once I’m ready, with as much accuracy as I can manage, I slowly lower the arm and gently place the needle into the first groove.
As if all that wasn’t satisfying enough, I get to do it all over again at half time and then at the close! Once the record has been placed back onto the shelf, I feel satisfied not only sonically, but physically as well.
Vinyl makes you work for the tunes… it takes real, tactile effort.
Touch. That’s why vinyl lives on in my world." —kp
