No Age/DEATH/Woven Bones

Last year I saw No Age in Tampa with Les Savy Fav. I drove all the way from Gainesville so I was pretty stoked to see the band that I'd been in love with for a while. Some local band opened, I didn't catch their name due to the fact there was free PBR around and lots of new people to meet. After the first band set up, I realized that it was taking quiet a while to soundcheck for No Age. 

 

After half an hour or so No Age finally take the stage. It's pretty obvious that they're annoyed with the soundcheck. Their act cool anyway and begin to tear shit up. The sound is off though because they are meant to be heard at higher volumes. I make sure to bitch to my friends around me that this is fucked up. 

So everything is going okay for a few songs with the volume still low. Next thing you know the drum vocals go out (if you've never seen No Age, that's the main vocals). They don't stop playing though and just sing really loud while trying to get a mic off to the side of the stage to see if it'll work. No success. That mic is also fucked. After that it's an uphill battle. All the mics start slowly going out. It's starting to look like sabotage from the sound guys running the show. To me that makes so sense because No Age wasn't even on tour, that got paid by Nike to play the 10yr. anniversary of the Skate Park of Tampa. They flew from L.A. That's fucking ridiculous. 

During the last song "Everybody's Down", the guitarist Randy Randall climbs to the highest part of the stage after he loops the main guitar riff. While this is happening Dean Spunt the drummer starts grabbing the drum mics that are surprisingly still working and starts to sing the words to the song. Dean then starts walking to the front of the stage passing out mics to the crowd who is also singing the words as loud as possible. Then as soon as Dean runs back the drums Randy jumps from where he's at and the song starts. It explodes. The crowd goes nuts into a giant mosh pit and the set is saved. 

After the set I met Randy and told him I'd punch a sound guy in the head for both of us having a having a frustrating night, Randy more so. He laughed and said it's cool. I've still not had a good time in Tampa. Tis had been my 4th trip.

The new No Age EP is streaming for free at Subpop.com, and it's called Losing Feeling. Stream it here for free. 

No Age: "Genie" off the new EP

No Age: "Every Artist Needs A Tragedy" 

No Age: "Boy Void"

When the Beatles played on Ed Sullivan in the 60's, the Hackney brothers were made to sit down and watch the performance as it was supposed to be monumental. Soon after that, the brothers start an R and B band in Detroit , Michigan. Alice Cooper comes to town soon after that and the Hackney's decide they want to be a hard rock band named DEATH (fourth photo from the top). The rest is history.

They didn't have much recorded material, but what they did record was life changing. It was unheard of in 1971 for 3 African Americans to be playing this hard rock/proto punk. It kind of reminds me of a mix between the Clash and MC5, but more intense. 

The band's getting back together and playing Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest. I hope I can go. Shit's going to be nuts if they can still rock. 

Death: "Politicians In My Eyes"

MC5: "Kick Out The Jams"

The Clash: "1977" (demo)

Woven Bones (fifth photo from the top) is an Austin based who loves primitive drums and loud abrasive, fuzzed out guitars. Think of "Sister Ray" by the Velvet Underground or "Rumble" by Link Wray. I actually had one of these guys in my art history class in Gainesville. There are other comparisons such as Jesus and Mary Chain, which I thought of immediately. Either way, the songs are killer. 

Woven Bones: "Your Sorcery" 

Woven Bones: "With You Alone"

My Bloody Valentine Richmond, V.A. July 30th 2009

My friend Matthew and I decide to drive to Richmond, V.A., which is about 10.5 hrs. hrs. away from Gainesville at about 3a.m. Wednesday night. The show was on Thursday night and we didn't want to be late, so we jumped in his car and hit the road. 

Matthew drove first drinking a giant Red Bull to stay awake and I drove second with a Starbucks Doubleshot to keep me awake. He made it 2 hrs. and so did I, leaving us in South Carolina somewhere off 95. 

We slept from about 7 until 10:45, with checkout at 11. To get rid of some boredom, we smoked a little in the car and listened to the new Lee Fields record. My World has never sounded so good.

We arrived in Richmond around 7 with plenty of time to kill.  We grab a few a beers and check the crowd out. It's a mixed crowd of older people, goths, hippies, and hipsters. I guess we're somewhere in between. Close in the back we find a spot that we both agree is safe for our hearing and viewing pleasure. As we go to smoke outside, we ask this geeky indie/hippie kid to watch our spot. DUMB MOVE! When we returned that little fucker wouldn't give our spot back. We could have beat the shit out of that kid, but we're too nice for that. 

As soon as the band starts I have my earplugs in waiting for shuttering noise to burst my head open. I slowly take my shitty cheap earplugs out to test the volume. It's fine. I put the earplugs back in just in case of a sudden burst of noise erupts and I burst something. 

The whole set was quiet amazing with pink and blur lights with a giant screen in the back projecting exactly what you would think MBV would project (check the photos up top for more details). It wasn't until "You Made Me Realise" that the swirling Hurricane Katrina of sound would come and send people to the exit. For 15 straight minutes all I heard was the loudest screeching, I've ever experienced. It was as if I was falling from the highest part of the atmosphere and I could see and feel all the amazing sensations with flashes of white, blue, pink and green without dying or catching on fire. I did feel I might throw up at a point but that's it. Just at the breaking point where I was questioning whether this would ever end, the song snapped back into place and their set was over. No encore, no bows. Go the fuck home. How would you encore that?

After that we drove to DC in an hour and a half with very little words and no music. My body was still filling the effects of the music and so was my brian. I just wanted silence. 

Setlist:

I Only Said 
When You Sleep
You Never Should 
(When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream 
Cigarette In Your Bed 
Come In Alone 
Only Shallow 
Thorn 
Nothing Much To Lose 
To Here Knows When 
Slow 
Soon 
Feed Me With Your Kiss 
You Made Me Realise

S

At about 45 sec. is when the madness starts and my brain starts to shut down or fry a little.

etlist:
1. I Only Said 
2. When You Sleep 
3. You Never Should
4. (When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream
5. Cigarette In Your Bed
6. Come In Alone
7. Only Shallow
8. Thorn
9. Nothing Much To Lose
10. To Here Knows When
11. Slow
12. Soon
13. Feed Me With Your Kiss
14. You Made Me Realise-15 minute Holocaust

Setlist:
1. I Only Said 
2. When You Sleep 
3. You Never Should
4. (When You Wake) You're Still In A Dream
5. Cigarette In Your Bed
6. Come In Alone
7. Only Shallow
8. Thorn
9. Nothing Much To Lose
10. To Here Knows When
11. Slow
12. Soon
13. Feed Me With Your Kiss
14. You Made Me Realise-15 minute Holocaust.

Dam Funk/Flying Lotus/Kode 9/Jazzsteppa

Dam Funk (the first photo form the top) is the newest Southern California space funk master mind on the Stones throw label. Dam Funk specializes in 80's keyboards, drum machines and vintage synthesizers. He brings us into the era of "Modern Funk" and I like it. You can also call his music L.A. Boogie or Electro-funk. 

Dam Funks drums hit hard sounding like early Prince (analog drum machine). The synths sound spaced out, and the vocals are never there to bring you deep lyrics or meaning, but just to add texture to the song. The vocals are not the main melody makers for Dam Funk; heavy synths are key. Dam has promised 3 E.p.'s this year,  let's see how far he gets. 

Dam Funk: "Hood Pass Intact"

Dam Funk: "Galactic Fun"

Dam Funk: "Toeachizown"

Animal Collective (Dam Funk rmx): "Summer Time Clothes"

Flying Lotus (second photo from the top) is an L.A. based producer who's real is Steven Ellison which seems unsuitable because his music sounds pretty ahead of its time when it comes to club music in the states. His first album has 1983 and appears on the label Plug Research and was met with acclaim but not as much as his newer record, Los Angeles which has been met with high acclaim on the international experimental, instrumental, hip-hop, electronic, and Brazilian music scene and was released by Warp Records. He doesn't just make club music though, he makes listening music for you by yourself while you're reading in your room. There is so much to look forward to in FlyLo, the great nephew of the late great Alice Coltrane. 

Flying Lotus: "LTWRMX"

Flying Lotus: "Beginners Falafel" 

Flying Lotus: "Parisian Goldfish"

I heard about Kode 9 2 yrs. ago from a Dubstep compilation I picked up from the Souljazz label. The songs I heard on that comp. were pretty good but it wasn't until a good friend of mine saw him DJ in New York and he told me Kode 9 killed it that I wanted to hear more. I got a hold of the some more of his singles and trying to digest why it was that Kode 9 was so great. I soon found out. I'm not the biggest fan of Spaceape who is a very popular dubstep MC, and he was featured on most of the songs that I heard. 

Kode 9 a.k.a Steve Goodman of Glasgow, Scotland is a dubstep producer along with dancehall, dub reggae,  but has roots in drum and bass, 2-step garage, and jungle. Now he is the owner of Hyperdub records and prominent dubstep producer in London. 

Elucid (Kode 9 rmx): "Laser Days" 

Kode 9 vs. LD: "Bad"

Jazzsteppa, a 3 piece group who range from dubstep, experimental, Nu Jazz,  and electronica. The members are Andea who does vocals, Barbie who MC's, plays trombone and effects, and Xperimentalists who does DJing, drums and effects. There are better tracks by this group but this one's nice. The singer of the group the Kills use to sing in a band from Gainesville called Discount. I saw them play in Miami when I was 15.

The Kills (Jazzsteppa rmx): "U R A Fever"

My Bloody Valentine/Serena Maneesh/Galaxie 500/The Field

I'm leaving for Richmond, V.A. tomorrow morning to see My Bloody Valentine at the National at 8pm.  I've heard about 19 different stories about what to expect. I heard at a show in NYC a kid left the show with blood dripping from his ear lobes. One person told me ear plugs are legally required. One person said the show wasn't that loud at first and then it got to a point where her bones were shaking in her skin and all she could hear were beautiful waves of sound. She was able to make out the songs so I know it's not just pure noise. I'm half way nervous and half way excited. It sounds like it's going to be a swirling pink roller coaster ride of sound. I might piss my pants.

I wish I could see this show my friend Vanessa but she won't be able to make it. I have had a lot of fun times with her listening to M.B.V. though.   

Due to the show tomorrow, I'll make this a shoegaze blog.

My Bloody Valentine: "Sometimes"

My Bloody Valentine: "When You Sleep"

My Bloody Valentine: "I Only Said"

Serena Maneesh, a noise, pop, rock, psychedelic, shoegaze collective from Oslo, Norway. I heard them about 3 years ago and was pretty impressed with the intense rhythm that other noise/shoegaze groups weren't doing at the time. At the time bands were more spaced out and cool sounding. These guys/girls aim to kill. I love them for it. No bull shit! I really don't like their look, but that's why you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I use to play a remix of one of their songs a lot, the song, "Sapphire Eyes High". I still really like that song.  

They are the second photo from the top. Actually the photos go in order from top to bottom of the artist listed. 

Serena Maneesh: "Beehiver II"

Galaxie 500 are perhaps my favorite showgaze band of all time. Pretty much good to listen to all the time. Not too noisy, not too jammy, not too intense. More of a slow core/dream pop band. These guys/girl just wrote really great songs. They were a 3 piece from Cambridge, M.A. who meet at Harvard University. Galaxie started with the band traveling back between New York City and Boston for school and shows.

Their first release was in 1988 with the song "Tugboat" which was produced by Mark Kramer. 

The bands main influences were Jonathan Richman, the Velvet Underground and Spacemen 3. Their sound once described as Jonathan Richman being backed up by the Velvet Underground.

Little Sister, thanks for the Fourth Of July single for Christmas. It's one of my favorites.

Galaxie 500: "Temperature's Rising"

Galaxie 500: "Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste"

Galaxie 500: "Fourth Of July"

The Field is the whole reason I started this blog, and he (Alex Willner) from Stockholm, Sweden might be mentioned a lot. His new album Yesterday and Today is a shoegaze tingled electronic album with hints of minimalism, techno, and other electronic sounds. 

This album he's even touring the U.S. with a live band. I would have loved to go to Miami to see him, but I had a final in school the same night. 

I believe the Field to best while on a long drive or reading in a comfortable place. 

The Field: "The More That I Do"

The Field: "From Here We Go Sublime"

The Field: "Yesterday and Today"

jj/Dum Dum Girls/Washed Out/Joker/Zomby

jj, the first band named in the blog come from Sweden. Usually when you think of Sweden you think of badass metal, the cold and the darkness. Yea, there's the Knife and the Field, but they sound cold and minimal, so it goes with atmosphere. This band sounds mildly cold and not so minimal. 

I heard the whole album, I think pitchfork giving this a 8. whatever the fuck, is highly ridiculous. I thought the whole thing was about as shitty as that new Johnny Depp movie...you know, the one that was a 2 hour car chase. I did however like this one track. It's a sexier female version of "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne, except not about blow jobs, it's about drugs. I dig. 

jj: "Ecstasy"

Dum Dum Girls are the act of one women from L.A.. The music is very reminiscent of Vivian Girls. For those of you who don't t know who that is, they are a lo-fi, punk, noise-pop all girl group whom seem to be getting more popular by the second. Dum Dum Girls just got signed to Sub Pop Records and are now among the same label as No Age and Nirvana. That's pretty rad. Hopefully she's not a one hit wonder and keeps bringing the noise. 

Dum Dum Girls: "Catholicked" 

Dum Dum Girls: "Baby Don't Go (Sonny and Cher Cover)"

From the good old state of South Carolina, Washed Out, a one-man electronic act sounds more like Norwegian filtered disco tinted with lo-fi, shoegaze, than acts like Fleet Foxes. To me it sounds like the Field and Panda Bear got together and made some tracks with maybe some guests appearances by Glass Candy. I'm okay with all of that. It wouldn't be the most entertaining live thing, but it would sure be nice to be good and stoned listening to it. Washed Out is a  good way to end the night or start it off. 

Washed Out: "Get Up"

Washed Out: "You'll See It"

Joker, the 20 yr. old new comer to the dub-step game using elements of funk, soul and r and b to the dub-step game that I've ever heard. Sounding more like a new dub-step producer on Stones Throw than a producer from the UK. His record is coming out in the fall/winter of 2009 and it's sounding to be a real great. If you like these tracks, you should here his new mix he just put out. It's a great study or reading mix. 

Joker: "Snake Eater" 

Joker: "Do It"

Joker: "Digidesign"

Zomby is not as new of an artist as the last few I mentioned, but I have been listening to quite a lot of him lately and wanted to spread the word in case you haven't heard yet.  Zomby combines dub-step, hardcore rave, breakbeat, and the best N.E.S. sounding effects I've heard in yrs. His last LP, Where Were U in '92, was pretty remarkable and he's just about to drop he's new EP, One Foot Ahead Of The Other, and that be released Aug. 25th. 

Zomby: "Spliff Dub(Rustie Rmx)"

Zomby: "Where Were U In '92"

I had to say goodbye to a good friend today. It wasn't all that bad though. She got pulled over on her way out of town driving to Miami speeding around 100 mph, dancing around, and  signing loudly in her car. When the cop pulled her over he asked what she was listening to and dancing along to. 

Her response has "I'm in love with a stripper" by T-Pain.He didn't believe her so she played him the song. He laughed and let her go as long as she didn't go faster than 80 mph.

The best part was that that was the first song on some silly, nasty mix I made her for her ride home. So in tribute to Maria(who I feel bad I couldn't hang with her last night but I had 9 hrs. of sleep in the past 3 days), the first song on this blog is for you. 

T-Pain: "I'm in love with a stripper"

Choice Summer Tracks

So far Jimmy Cliff's movie and soundtrack The Harder They Come has ruled my past 3 summers. The movie reminds me if Martin Scorsese made a movie in Jamaica with a classic western plot as the story line. After watching the movie, you will appreciate the soundtrack even better. I watched this movie before my road trip to Austin, TX, and so the soundtrack became our (my roommate and his girlfriends) soundtrack to Tejas. "The Harder They Come" is the perfect theme for the movie and soundtrack. 

Jimmy Cliff: "The Harder They Come" MP3

The Avalanches Since I Left You is another summer time album that I put on every year and it only gets better with age. The group  is a DJ collective from Melbourne, Australia that started off as a punk band influenced by the Fall. The record Since I Left You contains over 3,500 samples throughout the recording. They haven't recorded their second record yet but maybe it will be released sometime soon. Here's the title track. The song's very disco and it's also a great start to a DJ set.

The Avalanches: "Since I Left You"

El Michels Affair is another group I've been digging this summer. The group was a recording experiment until the group got asked to do some songs for Raekwon from Wu-Tang Clan to tour with because the cinematic funk sound of El Michels Affair was close to that of the Rza's raw production on Enter the 36 Chambers. The group will soon have their own record out with originals. The group is not a one man effort though, even though the name is miss leading.

El Michels Affair: "C.R.E.A.M."

Glass Candy, a 2 piece group from Portland, Oregon is an electronic/disco group who refuses to do the usually 4/4 disco that everyone is use to. The members are Johnny Jewel and Ida No. Johnny started the label Italians Do It Better, due to his love of Italian disco. I first become introduced to the group by watching a midi festival video where I thought they did an excellent job. Here are some choice tracks and a video.

Glass Candy: "Geto Boys (demo)"

Glass Candy: "Miss Broadway" 

Phaseone, a dude hailing from St. Louis, Missouri keeps putting out 

these remixes that are killer. He doesn't take too much away from 

the original song but does change the mood. I opened up a DJ 

set with one his remixes and some hippie stoner kid came up 

and said "dude I'm stoned and I love whatever you're playing."

I Hope his record is as good as the remixes.

Animal Collective: "Daily Routine (Phaseone Remix)"

Panda Bear: "I'm Not (Phaseone Remix)"

Burial: "Archangel (Phaseone Remix)"