Apparently the traditional method of settling disputes with swords isn't over in Memphis schools. I'm just glad that this article contains the phrase "40 oz. bottle of malt liquor". There but for the grace of God....
** Please note that the above image likely does not accurately represent the sword wielder in question. It is meant for illustrative purposes only.
Saw it last night. It was compelling enough, but the plot had some serious problems. It's pretty clear Marty (I can call him that) is going for some new twists on classic psychological thriller touch-points, which he does well. DiCaprio's not awful, but Ben Kingsley seems to be trying too hard. Worth seeing, but it's not among his best.
From Radiohead et al producer Nigel Goodrich comes "From The Basement," which, according to the never-wrong Wikipedia,
Godrich first conceived From the Basement as a means of authentically documenting music being made. Drawing further inspiration from British television music series The Old Grey Whistle Test, Godrich came upon the idea of a television program. Despite early reports, “From the Basement” would not appear on British television, because of not taking on corporate sponsors.
I haven't had this much fun since I discovered Daytrotter Sessions. The sound and video quality is amazing, and there are some excellent artists on there. Waste some time! You deserve it!
Somehow, Smoking Popes snuck one past us in the summer of 2008. Guess Josh Caterer likes eating more than he likes Jesus.
Full Trumps Piety.
And if any of you bastards has $7.99 burning a hole, there's It's Been A Long Day, capturing the Popes during their formative years. Just came out on the 16th!
I know we're all far too cool to watch television programs, but IF I did watch a show, it would be Psych. I like it for the following reasons:
1) Pop Culture referencing almost non-stop, with a special emphasis on the 80s. 2) Awesome theme song as performed by the show creator's band. 3) Portrayal of male friendship that every male wishes he had. 4) Hilarity. 5) It is set in Santa Barbara but is clearly filmed in Vancouver, BC. 6) Rips mercilessly on the CBS show 'The Mentalist' which was ripped off from the premise of this show.
It's on Wednesdays (info in the above ad notwithstanding).
We looked into going down for Jazz Fest this year, but the ridiculous cost of even invonvenient flights and hotel rooms (and friends houses already full of relatives), $50 no-readmit tickets, and the thought of being stuck out at the Fairgrounds with A2 with nowhere to go cool off, was pretty off-putting. (Also, what the hell do Simon and Garfunkle have to do with "New Orleans Jazz and Heritage"? This is worse than when Phish were the headliners!)
So it is French Quarter Fest for us this year. Better weather, cheaper flights, free rooms, free admission, and pretty much all of the bands I actually wanted to see at Jazz Fest. See you all there.
Friday Big Sam's Funky Nation - Soul Rebels - 101 Runners - Honey Island Swamp Band - Connie Jones & the FQF All-stars - Ingrid Lucia - ZydePunks - Shamarr Allen - The Revivalists - Mark Stone Band - Coco Robichaux - Waylon Thibodeaux - Ensemble Fatien - Russell Batiste & Friends Featuring Jason Neville - Audacity Brass band - Billy Iuso & the Restless Natives - Dukes Of Dixieland - Glen David Andrews - Banu Gibson - Lionel Ferbos and the Louisiana Shakers - Margie Perez - Miss Sophie Lee - Lost Bayou Ramblers - Cullen Landry & Midnight Streetcar - Freddy Omar - Irene Sage - Derrick Freeman & Smokers World - Bone Tone - Original Hurricane Brass Band - J' Monque D Blues Band with Creole Wild West Mardi Gras Indians -TBC Brass Band - The Victory Bells - Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes - the Jimmy Thibodeaux Band - J. J. Caillier and the Zydeco Knockouts - Steve Pistorius and his Southern Syncopators - TORNADO BRASS BAND - Liberty Hall Stompers - Dan Venhettes & The Hot Shots – AND MORE!
Saturday Bonerama - Anders Osborne - Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers - Irvin Mayfield & NOJO All-stars - Little Freddie King Band - Rebirth Brass band -John Mooney & Bluesianna - Christian Serapes & Ghost Town - The Tin Men - Ovi G & the Froggies –Otra - E.O.E. - Talented Music Students of McDonogh # 35 and Warren Easton H.S. - Storyville Stompers - Onward Brass Band - Kora Konnection - Young Fellas - Baby Boyz Brass Band - Tim Laughlin - Wiseguys -Wanda Rouzan - The Ronnie Kole Show - Charmaine Neville - The Nobles - Creole String Beans - Groove Sect - Los Po-Boy-Citos - Soul Project - Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band - Les Freres Michot - Cedric Watson - Donna Angelle and the Zydeco Posse - Sean Ardoin and R.O.G.K. - Heritage School of Music - Bamboola 2000 - Anais St John - The Cotton Mouth Kings - Amy Trail - Lynn Drury - Micah Mckee - Charlie Oxford - Andrew Duhon - John Michael Rouchell - Zazou City - Hot Club of New Orleans - Tony Green & Gypsy Jazz - Tom McDermot & his Jazz Hellions - Bruce O'Neil & the Hard Working Jazz Band - Lisa Lynn - Orange Kellin's New Orleans Deluxe Orchestra - Lars Edegran's New Orleans Jazz band - Some Like it Hot - Rhodes Spedale & Jazz From Congo Square - The Fritzel's New Orleans Jazz Band - New Orleans Jazz Vipers - James Andrews - TORNADO BRASS BAND - Loose Marbles - Dan Venhettes & The Hot Shots - New Orleans Moonshiners - Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band - Opera on Tap - Crescent Woodwind Quintet - Harpist Rachel Van Voorhees - Guitarist John Rankin – Ayla Miller - Talented Music Students of New Orleans Public Schools - Young New Orleans - Traditional Brass Band - Young Sounds of Houston - Red Hots Brass Band - Zohar Isreal Free Spirit Network - AND MORE!
Sunday The Radiators - Joe Krown Trio with Walter Wolfman Washington and Russell Batiste Jr. - Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue - The Bucktown All-stars - Wild Magnolias - Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz – Rockin' Doopsie Jr - Sunpie - Friendly Travelers - Susan Cowsil & Friends - John Boutte & Paul Sanchez - Amanda Shaw & the Cute Guys - Johnny Sketch and The Dirty Notes - Luke Winslow-King - U.S. Army Blues Swamp Romp - Society Brass Band - Treme Brass Band - I'voire Spectacle - New Orleans Night Crawlers - Loose Marbles - Panorama Jazz Band - the Pfister Sisters - Leif Pedersen's 1944 Big Band - Jeremy Davenport - Washboard Chaz Blues Trio - "Big Al" Carson & the Blues Masters - Sasha Masakowski and Musical Playground - Ole Man River Band - Acoustic Swiftness - Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue - Astral Project - Jonno & Bayou Seville - PorcheVide Playboys - Chubby Carrier - Heritage School of Music - Davy Mooney - Cindy Scott - John Autin - Matt Lemmler Quartet - Dancing at Dusk with Rocky's Hot Fox Trot Orchestra - Dana Abbott - Ruby Rendrag - Karen Waldrup - Kristin Diable - Jim McCormick - Jimmy Robinson – Wazozo - Kid Simmons New Orleans Jazz Band - Clive Wilson's New Orleans Serenaders - Duke Heitger's New Orleans Wanderers - Evan Christopher's Clarinet Road - The Last Straws - The New Orleans Classic Jazz Orchestra - Leroy Jones and New Orleans Finest - The Tom Sancton New Orleans Quintet - Jane Harvey Brown - Linnzi Zaorski & Delta Royal - Rick Trolson & the New Orleans Po Boys - TORNADO BRASS BAND - New Orleans Moonshiners - DOC HOULIND JAZZ BAND - Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band - Songs of Paul Robeson Ensemble - The Frenchmen String Quartet – GNOYO - U.S. Army Brass Quintet – AND MORE!
They've refurbished the Overton Park Shell in midtown Memphis and they're rolling out an attractive lineup for the summer concert series. Cowboy Junkies, Joyce Cobb and also some local talent. Anyone want to plan a trip to Memphis?
Remember "We Are The World"? A bazillion stars standing in front of microphones while clutching lyric sheets and looking very stern and serious? Horrible fucking song, huge fucking hit, raised a fuckton of money for Africa? Hold onto your monocles because a whole bunch of newfangled stars have covered the song to benefit the fine folks of Haiti. And it's fucking terrible. Maybe even worse than the original. Once again, good intentions have gone horribly awry. By all means donate money to Haiti (it's a wonderful and worthy cause) but watch this fucker at your own risk. For once seen it can never be unseen (in case you're wondering, Akon did get to use his vocoder).
Gainesville not being a hotbed of live entertainment, I jumped at chances in the last couple of weeks to get to see some biggish names live. Last week it was the great Jonathan Richman who played solo with his drummer (as I think he has been doing for the last 25 or so years) and last night was Evan Dando, late of the Lemonheads. Both shows were at Common Grounds here in Pigville, which is about as good as this town can do for a live venue bringing in national acts.
Jonathan was his usual oddball self with his unique delivery and ironic sincerity. He's very much the entertainer, cracking jokes, making up songs as he goes along, stopping to sit on the stage and talk to the audience, singing in Spanish and Italian, etc. He's also a surprisingly good guitar player.
I was pleased to see that Dando has aged as much as we have, though he's still got the hair. He did a straight-up acoustic set with some of his solo stuff, a few Lemonheads chestnuts (Stove, My Drug Buddy, Down About It), and a couple of covers by Gram Parsons, Townes, whoever originally did 'Long Black Limousine'), and then it was over. He said nary a word to the audience, and I couldn't help feeling like the songs were rushed through. So all in all it was better than another night in front of the tube, and he was in good voice, but I would much rather see him with a band and giving a shit.
I also saw Bill Callahan a couple of weeks ago, but that was so boring it hardly bears mentioning. I should also note that there were a LOT of cute girls at the Dando show and LOT of balding professorial types at the Richman show.
Had I been aware of Album immediately following its September release, it would most likely have made my 2009 Best Of List, alongside The Xx, Visqueen, Tinted Windows (shut it), Heartless Bastards and Jarvis Cocker. But alas, it is only very recently that I have discovered Girls. (Wait, what?) This must be terrible news for Christopher Owens - the songwriting half of the group - but I'm sure he'll find a way to struggle through and make some sense of this cruel, indifferent world ...
Yes, it would have made my list, but Girls's first LP would have taken a rather circuitous path getting there. Just like Transference, something about Album kept tugging my sleeve, and I would find myself listening to it again just when I thought we were done. This went on for at least two weeks before I finally, begrudgingly acknowledged its greatness.
The New York Times describes Girls's sound as a combination of Elvis Costello, Buddy Holly and The Beach Boys, but I would also throw in a favorable comparison to Sonic Youth ("Morning Light," at least) and Jesus & Mary Chain. Oh it's pop alright, but the production - courtesy of the other half of Girls, Chet "JR" White - lovingly wraps these sweet confections in a blanket of shimmery reverb, making them sound (to me, anyway) oddly familiar.
I am required by The Elders Of The Internet to mention that Owens grew up in the Children of God cult, striking out on his own when he was 16. There is, in fact, a thoroughly fascinating interview with Owens at FAQMagazine about this very topic, which you can find here.
So even though you can't Find Them Purely by searching Google, you should still check them out.
Autopsy results released this morning in the death of Memphis musician Jay Reatard reveal that he died from “cocaine toxicity, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death,” according to Shelby County Medical Examiner Dr. Karen E. Chancellor.
Here's part one of a recent interview with Pitchfork. Part Two is here.
Charlie Brooker, who writes for the Guardian's culture section, has the best take I've seen on the iPad.
"At first glance it resembles an iPhone in unhandy, non-pocket-sized form. But look a little longer, and . . Nope. You were right first time.
Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. Apple excels at taking existing concepts – computers, MP3 players, conceit – and carefully streamlining them into glistening ergonomic chunks of concentrated aspiration."
