BIG STATES

SOMETIMES

2010-10-09T12:42:00.001-05:00

DO THE RIGHT THING

2010-08-04T13:19:00.000-05:00

BOOGIE SHOES

2010-08-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

Alex Chilton -Like Flies on Sherbert Session from Greg Spradlin on Vimeo.

DANCING IN THE RAIN

2010-07-28T15:16:00.001-05:00

FUCK WALKING

2010-07-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

Scoot on the wild side.

SHINDIG!

2010-06-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

COOL WAVE

2010-06-09T12:25:00.000-05:00

Aunt Sally, ca. late 70's

Malaria! ca. early 80's

MORE ASKEW

2010-05-25T13:24:00.003-05:00

After we posted that mysterious Ed Askew track, Ed himself got in touch to explain that the song was titled "Boy in a Hat" from a home recording session from 1984 called Imperfiction. Turns out Ed has quite a few unreleased recordings, some of which, Imperfiction included, may indeed see proper release. Until that happens, he's kindly offered to share a tune called "Mr. Dream," taken from an early 70's radio performance. Listen below.

MORNING DEW

2010-05-04T12:41:00.003-05:00

Written by 21-year old Canadian folkie Bonnie Dobson in 1962, "Morning Dew" was apparently inspired by the film version of Nevil Shute's apocalypse drama "On The Beach." Fred Neil released an appropriately austere version in 1964, followed by Tim Rose's drastic psych-rock/blue-eyed soul arrangment in 1966. From there, "Morning Dew" became kind of rock standard, with versions submitted by everyone from Lee Hazelwood to the Grateful Dead to Nazareth and Devo

Bonnie Dobson's 1962 original:

Fred Neil and Vince Martin:

Tim Rose's definitive 1966 version:

Lee Hazelwood:

Devo:

SHE OWNS THIS

2010-05-03T06:50:00.000-05:00

From the T.A.M.I. Show, ca. 1964.

MISSISSIPPI RECORDS: FIHAVANA

2010-04-30T14:32:00.003-05:00

Recorded by Charlie Brooks in the late 1990's and pressed in a 3-LP edition of 200. Apparently, he kept them under his bed until a chance meeting with the Mississippi Records guys, who agreed to distribute 160 copies for Record Store Day. Mississippi plans to press a single-LP version of this release; it should be available from our friend Adam next week.

Sides 1 and 2. Vocals
Sides 3, 4, 5, and 6. Marovany, Misc. Instrumentals

THE FLYING LIZARDS

2010-04-29T12:59:00.002-05:00

Download here.

LOOK AT EVERYBODY'S FACES

2010-04-23T10:59:00.002-05:00

From the 1994 film Wildwood, N.J.

MASHUP

2010-04-12T13:39:00.001-05:00

FEELS LIKE SUMMER

2010-04-02T12:25:00.001-05:00

ED ASKEW

2010-04-01T10:35:00.004-05:00

Our friends at Monsters & Dust posted this mysterious Ed Askew song a while back. Little is known about Askew; he's from Connecticut, bummed around the NY folk scene in the late 60's, played a 10-string Martin tiple, and recorded two LPs for the legendary ESP-Disk label (only one of which saw proper release). Anyway, here's the song. If anyone out there's got any info (the title would be a great place to start), we'd love to have it.

Download it here.

JIM LO SCALZO: GHOSTS IN THE HOLLOW

2010-03-29T13:12:00.002-05:00

A video/photo essay chronicling the dead mining towns of Appalachia by Jim Lo Scalzo.

SHAKE SUGAREE: ELIZABETH COTTEN

2010-03-26T12:22:00.000-05:00

RIP: ALEX CHILTON

2010-03-18T10:48:00.002-05:00

BAPTIZED: THE CLEFS OF CALVARY

2010-03-15T16:01:00.003-05:00

Save Me, 1962

It's Religion, 1963

DIETER RAMS

2010-03-11T06:12:00.000-06:00

A retrospective of Rams' work is currently showing at the London Design Museum.

SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND OF PEOPLE

2010-03-10T06:38:00.000-06:00

Norma Tanega in the '60s.

JOHN CALE: FEAR

2010-03-05T08:28:00.000-06:00

Live in the 1980's

Studio album: Fear.

LONG MAY YOU BE FOREVER YOUNG

2010-03-04T06:38:00.000-06:00

TOM THOMPSON

2010-03-03T10:06:00.002-06:00

More here.

(via ColdSplinters)

ITALIANS DO IT BETTER

2010-02-25T06:45:00.001-06:00

THE RELATIVES: FOR THE YOUNG KIDS

2010-02-24T13:42:00.001-06:00

KICK OUT THE JAMS

2010-02-19T21:06:00.008-06:00

This is real charming. My whole ill-defined notion of what it means to age with dignity has been blown wide open and now includes chandelier earrings and biker gloves, and particularly in combination with autoharp.

RIPs: DALE HAWKINS + DOUG FIEGER

2010-02-15T12:54:00.003-06:00

Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack, has died of cancer at the age of 57.

Dale Hawkins, the swamp-rock pioneer whose rockabilly ramble "Susie Q" was covered by CCR on their debut album, also died of cancer. He was 73.

KEEP IT WILD: ED ABBEY AND HANG GLIDING THE CANYON

2010-02-12T06:42:00.000-06:00

CHIN CHIN: DON'T WANNA BE PRISONERS

2010-02-11T10:39:00.001-06:00

Swiss punk/new wave/C86 band Chin Chin, ca. 1985

NEEDLES AND PINS

2010-02-01T11:58:00.000-06:00

JAY REATARD: 1980-2010

2010-01-15T13:44:00.004-06:00

I don't know that I can add anything particularly insightful or meaningful to the myriad conversations and remembrances that have been flying around the web in the wake of Jay Reatard's shocking and untimely death Tuesday night. We met a handful of times, but I didn't know Jay personally. I did know his music, and I'll never forget the experience of hearing "Teenage Hate" for the first time, a record I bought before hearing when it came out because it was on Goner and I thought the cover looked cool. We were the same age, and knowing that a 17-year old was responsible for one of the most exciting records I'd ever heard blew my mind. At one point in my early twenties, I sold "Teenage Hate" in an ill-considered bout of record shedding, only to regret it almost instantly and then be relieved a few years later when Goner decided to reissue it.

I got stoned and listened to "Teenage Hate" last night, and I remembered what it felt like to hear great music for the first time. It's an exhilarating and strange experience, realizing that your life until that moment had been lacking something that suddenly seemed so vital. I've paid less and less attention to Jay's recorded output in recent years, but seeing him live was always a treat. The last time I saw him- in Memphis for Gonerfest 5- he was in typical Reatarded form, playing fast and furious and throwing punches at a rowdy audience member who kept trying to sabotage the recording equipment. To think that someone who's been a part of my musical life for over a decade- who I essentially grew up listening to- is gone is, well... I don't know. Unsettling. And sad. Jimmy Lee Lindsay Jr. will be missed.

Waiting For Something - a short documentary about Jay Reatard

Jay Reatard | MySpace Music Videos

MICHAEL HURLEY: SNOCK 'N ROLL

2010-01-11T14:33:00.002-06:00

A short documentary on musician Michael Hurley by Marc Israel.

LOU AND MOE AT AIRPORT: VU PHOTO GALLERY

2009-12-17T13:39:00.000-06:00

More great photos at The Daily Beast.

BETWEEN THE FOLDS

2009-12-16T11:31:00.001-06:00

UNCLE LIONEL BATISTE

2009-11-26T11:00:00.003-06:00

I'm visiting my brother in New Orleans for Thanksgiving. The next couple of posts will feature people I've met and things I've seen during this week in the Crescent City.

Lionel Batiste, known to most folks down here simply as Uncle Lionel, has been an integral part of the Tremé brass band scene for over 50 years. Bass drummer, band leader, and all around NOLA booster, Uncle has been at every single bar I've visited this week, often outlasting revelers several decades his junior. I watched him sing with Kermit Ruffins one night, dance to the music of his own band the next, and then hop onstage at 2:30 AM to sing and sway along to the music of Walter "Wolfman" Washington. New Orleans is full of characters, but Uncle Lionel is a singular presence.

GLEN DENNY: YOSEMITE

2009-11-20T11:30:00.002-06:00

Yosemite in the Sixties is a relatively new book of b+w photography capturing the famous Camp 4 at Yosemite, the epicenter of the climbing world in the 1960s. The book includes a forward by Yvon Chouinard, adventurer extraordinaire and founder of Patagonia.

via Inventory

SWASHBUCKLING, ETC.: WHAT IS FILK?!

2009-11-19T00:22:00.000-06:00

EDWARD WOODWARD: 1930-2009

2009-11-16T12:57:00.002-06:00

Edward Woodward, who played Sgt. Howie in the infamous 1973 film The Wicker Man, has died.

FEELING ALRIGHT

2009-11-08T12:08:00.002-06:00

Incredible early footage of the Jackson 5. Live in their home state of Indiana, 1971.

ANATOMICAL HORROR

2009-11-06T11:07:00.002-06:00

Images from a new book called simply The Anatomy of Japanese Folk Monsters by Shigeru Mizuki.

via Pink Tentacle.

VERBOORT SAUSAGE FESTIVAL

2009-11-05T14:47:00.002-06:00

Every year, on the first Saturday of November, a small Dutch-Catholic farming community 40 minutes west of Portland holds a fund-raiser for the local parish school. Manifesting itself as an all-you-can-eat dinner, craft fair and bake sale, the real reason to go- the reason my father has been taking me here all my life- is the bulk sausage and sauerkraut.

Visitation Parish in Verboot, Oregon

Made on-site and available for sale exactly once a year, the smokey Verboort sausage and fresh, crisp kraut draw hungry people from all over the northwest. The sale begins at 9:00am, but the line begins to form around 6. Shivering and damp, people wait for hours beneath towering century-old sequoia trees to buy a year's worth of meat: the sausage holds up incredibly well in the freezer. My dad came here as a broke college student, and he and his friends would line their pockets with plastic bags so as to better capitalize on the low price of the all-you-can-eat dinner. There's even a beer garden, accessible only by climbing up onto the flatbed of an old farm truck and wishing for the best.

Those massive sequoias framing a sea of automobiles

Another shot of the line

Glory is the bulk sales counter at Verboort

SAM COOKE & THE SOUL STIRRERS: I NEED YOU NOW

2009-11-03T12:22:00.001-06:00

IRIS DEMENT: OUR TOWN

2009-10-31T12:30:00.000-05:00

ROY DECARAVA: 1919-2009

2009-10-29T15:37:00.002-05:00

Jamaican American photographer Roy DeCarava was known for his photography of Harlem life and his collaborations with Langston Hughes. He died on Tuesday in New York.

More here and here.

DUCK STAMPS

2009-10-28T14:14:00.002-05:00

These are "duck stamps," which aren't used for actual postage but instead to generate income for the National Wildlife Refuge System. Apparently, $0.98 of every dollar goes directly to purchasing wetlands and other endangered habitats. The program began in 1934, and the stamps above (top to bottom) are from 1944, 1959, and 1977 respectively. I'm no philatelist, but there's something very nostalgic about these. They remind me of a sign my dad has: it's a painted plywood cut-out of a snow goose emblazoned with an "Open Season" message and riddle with buckshot.

More here.

Hat tip to MAWOI.

A NEW YORK ART

2009-10-26T12:07:00.002-05:00

The Velvet Underground: A New York Art is a new book that collects the promotional detritus used by the legendary band during their early days in 1960's NYC. A jumble of handbills, press clippings, and hand-scrawled lyrics, the book is the first of its kind and presents a pretty comprehensive snapshot of the greatest NY band ever as it figures itself out.

It even comes in a special edition featuring a fancy binding and 7" signed by Lou Reed and Mo Tucker.

PUNK AS FUCK

2009-10-21T14:06:00.001-05:00

The Riot Grrrl Halloweeen Costume. Only 25.95!

SILENT LIGHT

2009-10-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

The stunning first 5 minutes of Silent Light

I watched Silent Light, the 2007 film by Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas, last night. Strange, quiet, and moving, the film is set in a Mennonite community in northern Mexico and tells the story of Johan, a married man with 7 children, who has fallen in love with another woman.

Manohla Dargis of the NY Times describes the film as something of a meditation on "the limits of... faith and... faithfulness," but there is more to it than that. I can't quite put my finger on it; Silent Light is an otherworldly, disorienting, and yet somehow familiar film. I think a second viewing may be in order.

LENNY BRUCE: ALL ALONE

2009-10-12T06:18:00.000-05:00

LET ME ROLL IT

2009-10-10T21:45:00.005-05:00

Man it's pretty tempting to write off allmusic as a once relevant internet left over authored by a bunch of yo la tengo loving dweebs who insist that Genesis' early records are totally worth owning, but then I read something like this--

If Brian Wilson can be praised for his half-assed ideas and execution, then why not McCartney, who has more character here than the Beach Boys did on their Brother records? Truthfully.

Yeah! Lay it down Steve Thom!

Anyway, I was at a party last night and the DJ played Cotton-Eyed Joe. It wasn't like a thrilling Montell Jordan moment where we all looked at each other collectively recalling a thousand junior high lip syncs. It was just a bummer. The ironic DJ is fucking up musical Darwinism. Like we have to keep reminding each other about all the pap we forgot existed because finding the good stuff is just too easy nowadays? Just play some fucking Prince you know?

Someone shot off some mace and the party still went on. So I guess they were doing something right.

IRVING PENN: 1917-2009

2009-10-09T11:36:00.003-05:00

Truman Capote

Pablo Picasso

Colette

Jean Cocteau

More on Irving Penn here.

WARM MOVING BODIES

2009-10-02T13:15:00.002-05:00

San Francisco synthpunk innovators The Units, ca. 1979.

PHILIP KWAME APAGYA

2009-09-29T11:37:00.002-05:00

Ghanaian photographer Philip Kwame Apagya's relentlessly upbeat images of people at play and at rest. Using specially commissioned painted backdrops, the studio portraits depict (literally) the subjects' fantasies and desires. More often than not, these include new televisions or stereos and refrigerators full of fancy food. I like the ones showing less tangible ideals: a picnic on a well-kept lawn, or one's first adventure to the big city.

Hat tip to Weird Friends

DENNIS HOPPER: PHOTOGRAPHS 1961-1967

2009-09-28T13:17:00.002-05:00

Robert Rauschenberg, 1966

Paul Newman, 1964

Ike & Tina Turner, 1965

Signs of the Times, a comprehensive survey of Hopper's work, is up now through October 24th at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery. Additionally, Taschen has released a corresponding book.

BIGFOOT

2009-09-25T10:45:00.000-05:00

Red Wing makes the biggest boot ever.

LIVE AT THE COMPOUND

2009-09-24T11:53:00.002-05:00

Big States pal Joey Mayes is the only punk in Utah, and as such his house functions as a venue for touring bands that in other locales typically sell out shows to 300+ capacity crowds. Anyway, with Memphis' Gonerfest getting under way this weekend, a lot of bands are on the road, playing their various ways to the Bluff City. Quite a few of these bands are stopping at Joey's place, known as The Compound, and some kid bootlegged the recent Fresh & Onlys/Thee Oh Sees show.

Thee Oh Sees and the Fresh & Onlys, live at the Compound 9.21.09

SPIDER SILK

2009-09-23T09:53:00.000-05:00

The first-ever hand-woven brocaded textile made entirely from spider silk. It's 11 feet long.

The spiders.

Fabric detail.

Read more here.

WILLIAM EGGLESTON: STRANDED IN CANTON

2009-09-22T13:03:00.002-05:00

William Eggleston's 1973 video experiment, newly restored by the filmmaker. Available here.

WHITE MYSTERY

2009-09-21T12:37:00.000-05:00

Tonight at the Whistler, in Chicago.

MONDO VISION

2009-09-20T16:48:00.002-05:00

Just discovered this rad Bay Area video zine. The internet is sooo punk.

MONDO VISION

CLOUT

2009-09-19T12:13:00.002-05:00

Hailing from South Africa ca. 1977-81, Clout have been described by my friend Andy as a cross between ABBA and the Chapman/Chinn band, which I think is pretty accurate. It's also the perfect accompaniment to hung-over Saturday morning. Enjoy.

IT WAS A DATE

2009-09-16T10:53:00.000-05:00

I first saw this film in a high school film class. Filmed illegally in 1976, in the hazy minutes before dawn in Paris, Claude Lelouch's C'était un Rendez-Vous is simply nine minutes of reckless, high speed driving. All we can hear is the revving and down-shifting of the engine, the squeal of tires as corners are rounded. The low-mounted camera add to the thrill, allowing us to really feel the swift motion of the car.

The title card at the beginning states that "the film was produced without photographic tricks nor changes in camera speed," and though the consensus is that's true, there has been speculation that Lelouch dubbed in the engine noise from a different vehicle (perhaps a Ferrari of his) to produce a greater range of shifting sounds and engine RPMs. Likewise, various nerds have watched the film with a stopwatch in hand, mapping the route and claiming that Lelouch could have never topped more than 75mph. Whatever the case, Paris has rarely looked as good as it does in the final scene at Sacre Coeur.

MAGIC KIDS / BARBARAS

2009-09-15T06:09:00.001-05:00

Harbingers of the newest strain of mutant Memphis pop, the Magic Kids and the Barbaras (two bands who share a hand-full of members with each other and the current Jay Reatard band) are making waves with their twisted variants of the Ronettes/Beachboys/Specter sound. Nylon Magazine has already announced that it's got a "band crush" on the Magic Kids, and the Barbaras' profile keeps rising with every Reatard tour. Anyway, it seems like both of these bands are always playing whenever I'm in Memphis, whether it's a daytime bbq or a 4am after-Gonerfest house party. If you find yourself in the Bluff City anytime soon, keep an eye out.

Magic Kids: Cry With Me Baby

BAND CRUSH!

The Barbaras' first practice.

THE ETERNAL

2009-09-14T11:57:00.002-05:00

William Blake's World: A New Heaven Is Begun is up now at the Morgan.

AKIO NUKAGA IN LOS ANGELES

2009-09-12T13:51:00.002-05:00

If you're in LA this weekend, make sure to head over Heath Ceramics' LA shop for Japanese potter Akio Nukaga's reception and opening. If you can't make it (it appears the event requires an RSVP), Nukaga is giving a free wheel throwing demonstration tomorrow, also at Heath. More info here.

OPENING/CLOSING

2009-09-11T06:01:00.000-05:00

The beginning and end of Bruce Springsteen's 1972 appearance at Max Kansas City.

MY NAME IS MY NAME

2009-09-10T09:57:00.002-05:00

Below is the short film Five Deep Breaths, responsible for getting Jamie Hector his role as Marlo Stanfield on HBO's The Wire. I don't have a whole lot to say about it- I don't think it's particularly great- but it's always nice to see talent incubate.

PHOENIX COMMOTION

2009-09-05T11:41:00.002-05:00

The work of Dan Phillips.

PASSING THRU THE GARDEN: NIMROD WORKMAN

2009-09-01T11:58:00.002-05:00

Born in Kentucky but a nearly life-long resident of Chattaroy, West Virginia, Nimrod Workman was coal miner for 42 years. After developing black lung in the 1950's, Workman began a nearly-50 year second career as a union activist and folk balladeer, releasing a couple of albums in the 70's and appearing in the documentary Harlan County, USA and in the film Coal Miner's Daughter, about the life of Lorretta Lynn.

Possessor of high, reedy, and strong voice, despite chronic lung problems, Workman's music embodies what I love about the best songs and performers of Appalachia. Mournful but not self-pitying, the songs resonate with all the truth and beauty of life, instantly transporting the listener a place both specific and yet somehow universal.

The funeral scene from Coal Miner's Daughter, with Workman leading the mourners in Amazing Grace.

DIXIE FRIED: NOTES & MUSINGS ON JIM DICKINSON

2009-08-21T15:02:00.002-05:00

It seems like all I do these days is post about the recently-deceased. I had planned to hold off on writing anything about James Luther "Jim" Dickinson (seemingly every other music-related website has churned out an obit, remembrance, or career overview) but I just stumbled across this wonderful bit of oral history on Notes & Musings and can't pass up sharing it.

A long and winding meditation on race, class and music in Memphis since 1950, Dickinson's piece is candid and bare. His life-long attempt to negotiate the subtle nuances- not just musical, but racial too- of the blues, rock'n'roll and hillbilly music is examined matter-of-factly, devoid of the turgid mythology that taints so much of the scholarship related to southern music.

Read the entire piece here.

RIP: BILLY CRYSTAL

2009-08-09T13:57:00.004-05:00

Naw, just kidding.

I figured I ought to post my mix of summertime soul jams before summer passed me by.

HERE

1. Gino Washington - Like My Baby

2. Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions - Seven Years

3. Otis Leavill - I Love You

4. The Miracles - Save Me

5. Stevie Wonder - Hey Love

6. June Conquest - All I Need

7. Barbara & Gwen - Just the Two of Us

8. Jean Wells - After Loving You

I used to live with these two metal-heads who called my soul records Rom-Com music. In which case, this is maybe like the sound track to the next Bridget Jones movie.

These are all songs particularly dear to me, nothing super rare or anything, but music I find pretty easy to love, like Seven Years, which is like a time capsule for my summer of 2005 (when I was living with said metal-heads, who were also, I should mention, really nice people). That was the same year I discovered "urban radio." Or, that is, my girlfriend at the time had a car, and that car had a radio, and so I listened to a lot of it, and the radio station I liked best was Jammin' 95.5 ("Portland's party station"). It was the summer of Curtis Mayfield and the Ying Yang Twins (and also Neurosis, but not by volition).

I thought whisper songs were going to be the next big thing, like auto-tune big. I'm still disappointed. Whispering is only cool if you're talking violence on the pussy? NO! So my affection for YYT was complicated, whereas Curtis kept things easy-- he's a love man, I'm a love man. We weren't about to beat anyone's pussy up.

RIP: WILLY DEVILLE

2009-08-08T12:41:00.004-05:00

The enigmatic frontman of legendary NYC r+b/soul/no-wave group Mink DeVille has died.

Known to the general public as the guy who collaborated with Mark Knopfler on the Oscar-nominated theme song from The Princess Bride, "Storybook Love," DeVille got his start playing the same NY scene that begot the Talking Heads, Ramones, Television and Blondie, to name a few.

Well regarded for his sharp musical acuity and tight pompadour, DeVille synthesized his disparate influences into a seamless pastiche all his own. Full of ethnic phrasing, polyrhythms, and echoes from nearly all aspects of Americana, DeVille's music comes across as a Brill Building James Chance, with a healthy dose of Van Morrison and the Cramps thrown in for good measure.

A truly singular personality, DeVille will be sorely missed.

THE REAL WIZZARD

2009-08-07T13:56:00.001-05:00

Roy Wood's post-ELO freakshow.

R & R

2009-08-06T13:49:00.002-05:00

I will be away from the computer for a while, visiting my brother in The Dalles, Oregon.

The Dalles is about 80 miles east of Portland, just on the other side of Mt. Hood. Home to Celilo Falls (an historically popular fishing spot for various NW Indian tribes) the city's name is derrived from the French dalle, which means flagstone and refers to the many basalt rock formations in the area. Making up the last stretch of the Oregon Trail, The Dalles later became famous as the site of the first-ever bioterrorism attack on US soil, launched by the Rajneeshee cult in 1984.

NW Indians fishing at Celilo Falls

US Army General Jonathan Wainwright with Charley Quetukhin, left, Wyam Chief Tommy Thompson, with whom he is shaking hands, and Thompson's son Henry in 1945.

Four of the restaurants attacked by the Rajneeshee cult. The place in the bottom left, The Wagon, is a favorite watering hole.

RIP: BILLY LEE RILEY

2009-08-02T10:47:00.002-05:00

Legendary rockabilly cat Billy Lee Riley has died.

FAR COUNTRY

2009-08-01T09:22:00.002-05:00

A great compilation of Nigerian country music on the blog With Comb & Razor. It's crackly and sentimental and totally amazing. The kind of songs that get left off all the afro-beat funk heavy Soundway and Analog Africa releases. I SUPER RECOMMEND!

HERE

TROUBLE IN MIND

2009-07-30T11:03:00.002-05:00

Apparently totally shredding in Chicago's favorite pop-garage combo (CoCoComa) and having a really cute three month-old kid isn't enough for Big States buddies Bill & Lisa Roe, as we just got word they're starting a record label.

Trouble In Mind looks to be focused on 7" records for the time being, with the debut release (a CoCoComa single) coming August 13th. Future releases promise international jams from White Wires and Sonic Chicken 4, and showings from Bay Area favorites Ty Segall and The Fresh & Onlys.

2009-07-29T17:54:00.000-05:00

BRING DA RUCKUS: THE WU-TANG DEMO

2009-07-28T14:58:00.003-05:00

The nice boys in the Wu-Tang Clan have made their pre-36 Chambers demo tape available as a free download. Decidedly lo-fi, the recordings are nevertheless exciting in an artifact kind of way; interesting to see a snapshot of future masters developing their craft.

MERCE CUNNINGHAM: RIP

2009-07-27T12:20:00.004-05:00

Legendary avant-garde coreographer Merce Cunningham has died. After forming the Merce Cunningham Dance Company at Black Mountain College in 1953, Cunningham moved to Manhattan, where he lived and worked for the rest of his 70 year career. A tireless collaborator, Cunningham worked with everyone from David Tudor to Robert Rauschenberg and John Cage, his life partner of 50 years. He was 90 years old.

HOWLING: THE POSTER ART OF BRIAN STANDEFORD

2009-07-24T13:30:00.003-05:00

In addition to being a nice guy and an extremely charismatic front man (first in teen-freaks The Catheters, then Tall Birds, and now Idle Times) Seattle's Brian Standeford is one hell of a poster artist. A weird pastiche of 80's DIY and 60's psychedlia, Brian's posters highlight the sinister nature of underground rock'n'roll; his work is both repellent and somehow beguiling.

See more at Gig Posters. And if you're in the Seattle area this afternoon, you can see Brian in action at the Capitol Hill Block Party, where he'll be playing bass for the Dutchess & the Duke.

AMERICAN CRAFT

2009-07-22T15:22:00.004-05:00

A while back Reference Library posted some interesting photos of Paolo Soleri working at Arcosanti that led me to a series of pictures made in the 1970s for LIFE Magazine. Taken by Nina Leen, the photographs document artisan American crafters at work dyeing yarn, spinning pottery and blacksmithing, among other things.

THE NEW DANCE YOU CAN'T RESIST: THIS IS SKA

2009-07-21T06:40:00.000-05:00

The 1962 film This Is Ska- despite its goofy ethnographic dance lesson/artifact pretense- captured some pretty incredible footage of future reggae heavy-weights. Part one focuses on the exotic, "anyone can do it" nature of of "ska steps." Parts 2, 3, and 4 features early performances by the Maytals, Jimmy Cliff and Prince Buster, among others, all filmed live at the Sombrero Club in Jamaica.

THIS IS SKA

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

THE FASCINATIONS

2009-07-20T09:43:00.028-05:00

The Fascinations were, among other things, the perfect vehicle for Curtis Mayfield's pop songwriting. While his songs with the Impressions were getting funkier and more socially conscious, the Fascinations' sides show just how good Mayfield was at crafting straight, buoyant pop. Originally from Detroit, the Fascinations sound less like classic Mayfield soft soul and more like a synthesis of Motown-style ebullience with the nuance of Chicago soul. One gets the sense that he saw them as viable competitors with the Motown Sound™. And while Curtis' role with the Opals and the other OKeh artists was as songwriter or in collaboration with Carl Davis, Mayfield was much more involved with the Fascinations, writing, producing, and performing on their recordings. At times they can sound almost like the Impressionettes.

Hold On

But all the credit shouldn't just go to Mayfield. Lead singer Bernadine Boswell Smith's voice is totally amazing-- girlish and raw and so, so good. Sounding like she's constantly singing in the red, she transforms snappy little teen pop into awesome declarations of love and heartbreak.

Take, for instance, the first song Mayfield cut with them on ABC-Paramount:

The Fascinations - Mama Didn't Lie

Jan Bradley had already scored a hit with the song a year or two earlier (Although the liner notes to the Curtom Story seem to suggest Mayfield originally wrote the song for the Fascinations):

Jan Bradley - Mama Didn't Lie

Where Bradley's voice sounds clear and innocent, Boswell Smith sings with gospel-style force. The Fascinations' version is a more spirited recording, but in an era during which Motown was still coaching the blackness out of singers' voices, it wasn't really "hit material." I will say the Bradley version is beautifully produced-- great bottom end.

For the hell of it, here's a Joe Meek produced version by Flip & the Dateliners:

Flip & the Dateliners - Mama Didn't Lie

Sounds like 70s Cambodian pop. When I hear Joe Meek I think, Timbaland who? If only Meek would've stuck around long enough to record with Beyonce. They would give a whole new meaning to great bottom end. Alas, the world can only sustain so many "king's of men" at once.

Anyway, the Fascinations next single was "Tears in my Eyes." It failed to do much and ABC dropped them soon after.

Tears in my Eyes

When, in 1966, Mayfield formed his own label (Mayfield) he focused on pushing the Fascinations. The first release was the song "Say It Isn't So." It was a hit in Chicago but failed nationally.

Say It Isn't So

You can really hear the Motown influence on the flip-side:

I'm So Lucky (He Loves Me)

Their next single, "Girls Are Out to Get You," was their one bona fide hit, reaching #13 on the R&B charts, and scraping the pop charts. In the early seventies the song was a hit in the UK, inspiring a brief Fascinations reunion for an overseas tour.

Girls Are Out to Get You

b/w You'll Be Sorry

The b-side is one of my favorite Fascinations tunes. I've been listening to it on repeat for the last few days. When I played it for the ol' GF, she looked totally bored and said "I always forget you like this kind of music." So I guess it's not for everyone.

If you like what you hear, an out-of-print compilation is posted over at the blog Soulful Divas ---> HERE

THE OPALS

2009-07-18T11:11:00.004-05:00

The Opals: (from left) Myra Tillotson, Juanita Tucker and Rosie Addison

The Opals were one of the great Chicago girl groups. And while only three singles were released under the Opals moniker they can be heard on songs by Major Lance, Otis Leavill, Betty Everett and Walter Jackson. Next to The Fascinations (who I'll post about soon) the Opals are one of my favorite of the many Curtis Mayfield related groups.

Hailing from East Chicago, IN, they were discovered in 1962 by The Dells while performing in Gary. The seasoned group (together since the early fifties), by Mickey McGill's account, "took them as little kids and showed them how to sing and everything." Most importantly, The Dells brought the girls to Vee-Jay where they sang back-up on several hits -- most notably Betty Everett's smash "The Shoop Shoop Song." Eventually they were presented to Chicago A&R man Carl Davis, who would produce their recordings for OKeh.

Their first single was a Billy Butler authored tune called "Does it Matter."

Does It Matter

b/w Tender Lover

But the next release, in the summer of 1964, "You Can't Hurt Me No More," was their first sizable local hit and a perfect showcase for the mid-sixties OKeh sound-- produced by Carl Davis, authored by Curtis Mayfield and arranged by Johnny Pate. It's a beauty.

You Can't Hurt Me No More

b/w You're Gonna Be Sorry

Their final single was an old R&B number written and recorded by the Dells in the fifties called "Restless Days," backed with a Mayfield song called "I'm So Afraid." "Afraid" managed to chart, but The Opals broke up soon after.

Restless Days

I'm So Afraid

A few years ago, around the release of the film Dream Girls, Dave Hoekstra of the Sun-Times, traveled with Rosie Addison to Carl Davis' home to talk about the OKeh days. Despite some clunky comparisons to Jennifer Hudson ("Like Hudson, the Opals grew up in church"), the piece is pretty charming. Read it here.

JULIUS SHULMAN: 1910-2009

2009-07-17T10:40:00.003-05:00

Famed photographer of modernist architecture Julius Shulman died yesterday in Los Angeles.

What always struck me about Shulman's pictures is their playfulness. Shulman managed to capture the humanity behind the imposing shapes and sharp angles of mid-century buildings, and allowed the structures to seem both otherworldly and remarkably accessible. The inclusion of people, nature, and clutter helps to normalize otherwise alien structures, and at the same time highlights the innovations and creativity on display in the buildings. RIP.

I'M SO GRATEFUL

2009-07-17T06:43:00.000-05:00

Sorry to be so Memphis-centric lately, but Turn It Down just published a great (and LONG!) interview with Greg Cartwright of Compulsive Gamblers/Oblivians/Reigning Sound fame. In addition to the much-hyped Oblivians reunion this summer, Cartwright is reuniting the Compulsive Gamblers in September for Gonerfest 6, and the Reigning Sound have a new album, Love & Curses, out August 11th on the venerable In The Red Records.

For those unable to catch the Oblivians/Gamblers shows or wait for the new record, we've got a string of live recordings the Reigning Sound made at New Jersey's legendary WFMU radio station.

WFMU Sessions, Part 1

1 - Drowning
2 - Since When
3 - I'm So Thankful
4 - West Texas Sound
5 - I'll Cry
6 - I Don't Need That Kind Of Lovin'
7 - Carol
8 - Suspicious Minds
9 - Reptile Style
10 - You Don't Hear the Music
11 - She's Bored With You
12 - Walkin' the Dog
13 - You're So Strange

WFMU Session, Part 2

1 - If You Can't Give Me Everything
2 - Your Love Is A Fine Thing
3 - I'd Much Rather Be With The Boys
4 - Straight Shooter
5 - Darling I Need You Now
6 - When You Touch Me
7 - Two Thieves
8 - Brown Paper Sack
9 - Uptight Tonight
10 - Wait And See
11 - We Repel Each Other
12 - I'll Cry
13 - Tennessee
14 - You Got Me Hummin'

WFMU Sessions, Part 3: Acoustic

1 - As Long
2 - Since When
3 - I Don't Care
4 - Goodbye

A WIZARD, A TRUE STAR

2009-07-16T01:13:00.000-05:00

No Nazz: Todd Rundgren on The Midnight Special

THE MAGIC HOUR

2009-07-15T09:46:00.000-05:00

Dersu Uzala Akira Kurosawa, 1975

Days of Heaven Terrence Malick, 1978

THE VIEW FROM HERE

2009-07-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

As the Goreblivians Reunion Tour (tm) makes its way across the Continent, the live recordings are slowly trickling in.

The Gories - Live in Paris

And stateside, for good measure:

The Gories - Live in Detroit

The Oblivians - Live in Paris

BE A MIND-STICKER

2009-07-13T11:48:00.001-05:00

LEE MOSES: TIME AND PLACE

2009-07-10T11:36:00.004-05:00

Bad Girl, Pt. 1

One of the great under-heard soul records, Time And Place by Lee Moses, saw a pretty deluxe CD/LP reissue a while back. The LP is now out of print (like it was for the 30 years before the reissue) and the CD has been relegated to the high-priced import section of your local Amazon. It's a shame because to my mind, reissues should make the previously unavailable widely available, and not just to those willing fork over the big bucks at Dusty Groove.

Reach Out, I'll Be There- MP3

Thankfully, the internet has everything anyone could ever want, and Time And Place is available right here.

SOY DOGS AND HOT TONGS

2009-07-04T13:55:00.004-05:00

"Parade — Hoboken, New Jersey” by Robert Frank

Van Morrison - Almost Independence Day

I don't doubt fireworks "echoing up and down the San Francisco Bay" could really be pretty evocative, but this Dead Moon song better suggests the atmosphere in my neighborhood:

Dead Moon - Fire In The Western World

The bombs are really bursting. Happy 4th ya'll.

MORE MEMPHIS: BIG STAR IN 1971

2009-07-03T13:54:00.002-05:00

Footage shot by Andy Hummel and Chris Bell, documenting power-pop legends Big Star recording their debut album #1 Record at Memphis institution Ardent Studios.

Hat tip to Ready For The House.

MEMPHIS CREEPS: GORIES/OBLIVIANS RECAP

2009-07-02T13:59:00.003-05:00

Our weekend started off a little rough: Friday morning storms canceled all flights out of O'Hare. Thanks to snap decisions and an intrepid traveling companion, we were in a rental car (mid-size, even!) and flying down I-57 by noon. Nine hours later, we pulled up to the Hi-Tone only to discover that the doors weren't open, and that our friends were drinking at the nearby Lamplighter Lounge. A round or two and back to the show.

The scene inside

The Gories played first, and despite the sweltering mid-south heat, one practice, and a sick vocalist, they did alright. Part of the Gories' charm is the heroic amount of traction they can squeeze out of two chords and stripped-down trap kit. Friday was no different, and though it would have been a pleasure to hear Mick's smooth baritone a little more, the Gories sounded about as shitty as ever; which is to say, pretty great.

Under the beer tent. The guy with the hair runs Rocket Science Audio, the mobile studio responsible for recording everything that matters in Memphis.

The Oblivians took the stage and killed it, running through a set packed full of hits. Robin and Kyle from Rocket Science Audio recorded the whole thing and were kind enough to post a couple tracks:

Guitar Shop Asshole

Mad Lover

Ain't No Sicko

We got to bed at a reasonable hour, as we had designs on touring Memphis Saturday before the day shows at Murphy's. Despite our best intentions, the heat put an end to any real day-time high-jinks. After Bryant's for breakfast we headed downtown to poke around A. Schwab's. Beale Street is a nightmare, sort of like if Disneyland had a section where one could buy those "yard of beer" monstrosities and catch some stinky blooze riffage. The heat and the scene were getting to us, so we ducked into the cool climate-controlled environs of a hotel bar, where we glimpsed the famous Peabody Ducks.

Brynat's famous biscuits

BigStates' co-conspirator at A. Schwab's

Peabody Ducks

We made a quick stop in midtown to poke into Goner Records and the vintage shop next door, then made our way to Payne's for lunch. Our appetites were small, I think due in part to the heat (have mentioned it was hot?) but also because we ate our weight in grits and biscuits for breakfast. Anyway, over to Murphy's to catch Twinkle Van Winkle, Magic Kids, Lover!, Perfect Fits, and CoCoComa. Everyone sounded pretty good, and the back room at Murphy's managed to stay pretty cool. Elspeth (that's her in all the pictures) and I decided to grab take-out from Gus's and head back to the house (and its powerful A/C) for much-needed showers, naps, and general r + r.

Gus's World Famous fried chicken

The second round of shows saw the Gories improve. They seemed tighter and to really feed off the crowd's energy, and though Mick's voice was still a little rough, I think I can die happy. Getting to hear "Nitroglycerine,""Thunderbird ESQ,"and "Feral"-among others-live, TWICE, was a rock and roll dream come true.

When the Oblivians finally started playing, everyone was thinking the same thing: is Quintron gonna play with 'em? A hard guy to miss, I think every Oblivians fan in Memphis had noticed Mr. Swamp Boogie Badass himself wandering around the Hi-Tone on Friday night. Apparently not one to disappoint, he joined the band late in their set for four songs. Like always, Rocket Science captured the magic:

If Mother Knew

Garage Punk Parking Lot

After what everyone agreed was a pretty mind-boggling set, Elspeth and I grabbed Joey and Marni (the Provo Contingent) and headed to the Pancake House out on Summer Ave. for a late-night round of bacon waffles. At about three, we high-tailed it back to the Hi-Tone in the hopes of grabbing a few more cold beers (it was still hot, even at 3:30 AM). Our hopes were dashed temporarily when we realized we were half an hour late for last call, but the indefatigable Robin Pack of the oft-mentioned Rocket Science Audio agreed to lead us to the mythical Alex's Tavern, a bar that apparently never closes.

Me, with Marni, one half of the Provo Contingent

Elspeth with Joey, the other half

This is what Memphis looks like at 6 AM

After about five hours of sleep, Elspeth and I headed north to Carbondale, IL, to visit our friends Rosie and Becky. More A/C, $0.75 PBR draughts, and good times. It was a nice way to wind down and break up the drive, and Rosie and Becky always show us a good time.

Rosie and Becky, the coolest kids in Carbondale

The next morning, thoroughly exhausted, we made our way back to Chicago. All in all, a great weekend. I got to see two shows by bands I never even considered seeing live, ate great food, and did it all in great company. Special thanks to Gina and Scott for putting us up... see you in September for Gonerfest!

Finally, back in Chicago

R. STEVIE MOORE: WHATS THE POINT?!

2009-07-01T12:23:00.004-05:00

Our pals at Felony Fidelity just released a new 7" by lo-fi legend R. Stevie Moore.

A genuine freak with a startling musical pedigree, Moore began his life-long dedication to home recording after leaving his father's publishing company (Moore's father headed up the legendary Nashville A-Team, a group of producers and session musicians who's playing can be heard on records by Elvis, Patsy Cline and Bob Dylan, among others) and releasing Phonography in 1976. Moore himself was a gifted sideman, but abandoned this potentially lucrative career for the green pastures of New Jersey, where he moved in the late 1970s to polish his weird-pop genius.

Moore worked as an on-air personality at WFMU, and set up the RSM Cassette Club, a cassette-only record label dedicated to releasing Moore's musical output (occasionally stretching as far back as the 1960s). Meanwhile, he continues to record for other labels and collaborate with like-minded musicians including Jad Fair and Terry Burrows.

While many of his releases are officially out of print, cassettes and CDRs ("homemade burns") are available at very reasonable prices from the man himself.

WHAT GOES ON: THE FEELIES LIVE IN CHICAGO

2009-06-29T15:45:00.003-05:00

New Jersey's uncomparable Feelies are playing tonight for free at Chicago's Jay Pritzker Pavillion (it's that crazy Frank Gehry job behind the bean). This almost makes up for the Clean canceling their US tour.

The Feelies' first record, 1980's Crazy Rhythms, is a revelation. Get it here.

See you tonight!

PRETTY YOUNG THINGS

2009-06-27T19:49:00.002-05:00

Pre-Motown Jackson 5 on the Gary, Indiana label Steeltown:

Jackson 5 - Tracks of My Tears

Jackson 5 - Big Boy

And here's Michael demoing "Working Day and Night" from Off the Wall:

Michael Jackson - Working Day & Night (demo)

But, you know, rarities sort of miss the point. Thriller is ALL HITS.