With the economy crumbling, layoffs skyrocketing, the Virgin Mary showing up in people’s MRI’s, and scientists discovering fucked up squids with elbows, the last thing you probably want to think about is holiday preparation. If you’re anything like me, you are poor and don’t like a lot of people, and wouldn’t mind if Christmas were altogether cancelled. However, like it or not, it remains tentatively scheduled for the 25th of December, and whether you plan to wait it out in your dank, windowless apartment eating Chinese delivery or stretch your deflated 2008 dollars to cover everyone on your gift list, music will probably improve the experience. Each of the following items (both of the news and material variety) should put a twinkle in someone’s eye, from hardcore rock nerds to cheery tree-trimmers. I, for one, am gifting the humans I care for with meticulously crafted mix CDs, because you can’t buy taste.

Colbert Sings!

As if his Nixmas Tree* wasn’t impressive enough, the king of deadpan satire has released A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All just in time for Nixmukkah. The record features contributions from Feist, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, John Legend, and even Colbert’s faux-nemesis, Jon Stewart. Colbert himself delivers lines like:

Part of the proceeds will go to hunger-relief organization Feeding America.



Also notable is Colbert's “Operation Humble Kanye,” in which he took the “sunglasses display mannequin” down a notch by convincing everyone to buy his Christmas album at the same time on the same day, pushing it temporarily two spots above West’s 808s & Heartbreak on the itunes sales chart.

Colbert started up the beef last week, dissing the self-described “voice of this generation, this decade,” with all the catty wit of a Pitchfork critic. “You’re not the voice of this generation,” quoth Colbert. “With all that auto-tuning, you’re not even the voice on your own album!” After Kanye tweeted huffily in response, he turned it up a notch, retorting, “Why buy Kanye's album? You can basically hear it for free. Just put a tin can to your ear and lean against a Pac-Man machine.”

It's funny cause it's true. Colbert has invited West on his show to settle the score, but he has yet to accept. Here’s hoping this turns into an epic on-air rap battle. Do it, Kanye, or you’re an even bigger pussy than everyone already thinks you are.


Score! 20 Years of Merge Records

Founded in 1989 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Merge Records has put out albums by such indie icons as Superchunk, Neutral Milk Hotel, and the Arcade Fire. On this, their 20th anniversary, they’ve put together a year-long subscription boxed set package, which includes 14 compilation CDs of Merge bands curated by cool people like Amy Poehler and David Byrne, a compilation of remixes, an album of covers by artists like Bright Eyes, Les Savy Fav, and the Dirty Projectors, a giant cover art book, a comedy CD, and more. I’m not usually one to plug products, but Score! is the ultimate object of desire for anyone even remotely interested in independent music this holiday season. I’m probably going to spend many shameful hours finding and downloading everything in it, unless, of course, someone happens to buy it for me (Hint, hint, Mom!). If you can’t afford it but still want to know what Merge is all about, I suggest checking out some of their artists. Here, I’ll help you!

The Arcade Fire--"Black Mirror"

Here's a video interpretation of Neutral Milk Hotel's "The King of Carrot Flowers" that brings me endless, childlike joy:




Of Montreal-O-Rama

For fans of flamboyant, literary, emo-disco-folk, Of Montreal have just the thing. Their new album Skeletal Lamping features a kaleidoscopic exploration of frontman/androgynous heartthrob Kevin Barnes’ alter ego Georgie Fruit, a middle-aged African American transsexual soul singer. With many psychedelic twists and turns, it’s less poppy than Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, but equally brilliant. Adding extra incentive to order or buy the album are the various forms in which it’s being released. Basically, you pay for a digital download plus the physical item of your choice, a creative solution to the previously discussed problem of what to do when everyone's downloading music for free. Besides your standard issue vinyl, options include t-shirts, wall decals, tote bags, and a kick ass paper lantern. Or, for $90, you can get them all. They also have a forthcoming EP of remixes by Jon Brion now available for pre-order.

Barnes and the gang are currently on tour, so check the website to see when their naked sword-fighting stage antics are coming your way. They also contributed a cover of M.I.A.’s “Jimmy” to a charity compilation that also includes Garbage, Radiohead, and Bloc Party, so you can rock out and help kids with cancer at the same time.

Of Montreal — "Id Engager"



Brody's Back!

“Can we make a girl pit? Let’s get some fucking vaginas up in here.” These words made 17-year-old Hunter fall forever in love with Aussie singer/guitarist Brody Dalle as they echoed through the cold, smoky hole that was New London, CT's El 'n'Gee Club (R.I.P.). With a raspy yell, fast picking, and sing-along punk anthems, Dalle led the Distillers to underrated greatness. Now she’s back with a project called Spinerette, which goes the way of her husband Josh Homme’s latest project in that it’s a slicker, more L.A. rock sound than we’re used to hearing from her. Will this disappoint some old school fans? Probably, but I don't care. New music from Brody is the only Christmas present I need.

Fun With Sufjan

Latepass me if you like, but Sufjan Stevens made a holiday album in 2006, and it's still good. It’s mellow enough for grandma, while providing a break from the aural terrorism usually associated with the season. To remind us to buy their music, Asthmatic Kitty Records has made a neat little Christmas website full of diverting activities, my favorite of which is a program that lets you make your very own Sufjan-elf to send to someone as a holiday card. You can’t remove his elf suit (I tried), but beard fetishists will be happy to find that nice white Santa face-fur is one of the options (you know who you are). The site makes no concessions to diversity, but everyone knows that Kwaanza and Hanukkah are made up holidays anyway (j/k j/k pls don’t kick me out of the j00 elite).

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains

Speaking of made up, check out this mockumentary about a fictitious all-girl punk band. Starring a young Diane Lane and an even younger Laura Dern (ages 15 and 13, respectively), the little-seen 1981 film features appearances by members of the Clash and the Sex Pistols, and has acquired enough of a cult following over the years to finally get released on DVD. It’s hardly the most amazing piece of cinema ever made, but nonetheless worth a viewing for its timely snapshot of the punk/new wave scene, its rousing songs, and Lane’s gutsy performance in one of her first starring roles.

Trailer



....And now, because I'm twelve years old, your moment of Zen:



Note
Nixmas Tree*

Source

Nine years since the festival's beginning, ATP returns for what seems the most eclectic edition to date. In September Hunter gave you a review of ATP NY, three months later it's time for another report but from across the globe.

Curated by Melvins and Mike Patton (whoever's idea that was deserves a pat on the back), the three-day rock resort at Butlin's holiday camp would be nothing less than what Thurston Moore once described as "the ultimate mixtape." Ranging from experimental to country to hip-hop, this was well worth making a roadtrip from Amsterdam, The Netherlands to Minehead, UK (wherever the fuck that may be). And with nearly fifty bands playing over the weekend I was sure there would be no sleep for the wicked!

After checking in (visitors as well as artists stay at on-site apartments, hello afterparties!), I headed to the Centre stage to catch the last few songs of Melvins 1983. With a line-up featuring Buzz (a.k.a. King Buzzo), Dale, and the band's original drummer Mike Dillard, the band played songs that have been around longer than I have. I was more fascinated by Buzzo's hair than anything else (it's not unlike a permanent electric gray cloud, and it's all kinds of awesome), but from what I saw and heard the set was good, too.

Big Business sounded colossal as ever. While initially a two-piece, the guitarist for Harvey Milk joined the wall of sound for the second half of their show. (Toshi Kasai who was added to the the band's official line-up earlier this year was nowhere to be found.) Following the stoner sludge, Detroit rockers The Dirtbombs were a sight to see with twice the drums and bass than your average garage band. Frontman Mick Collins' voice oozes soul and is responsible for the lion's share of this band's charm.

On the stage next-door Torche was all stoner and doom, hypnotizing the crowd with their epic riffs. I really dig them, so this caused me to miss most of The Locust's set, but the San Diego quartet decked out in their usual insect costumes still gave me shivers. After over a decade of experimental noise, several line-up changes and side-projects, I am surprised yet stoked they are still doing what they're doing.

As much as I like heavy metal disco, I flee the Irish pub after seeing my friends getting shit-faced on Guinness and playing air guitar to Slayer for some well-deserved rest. The next day is going to be a good one.

Before leaving the apartment on Saturday to check out some music, I watched the 70s horror classic The Omen, as well as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, which gave me the creeps for the rest of the day. I'm into the fact that even the television programming was part of the festival, and can just envision Buzzo sitting in a control room picking out his favorite movies and random video clips. Unfortunately I missed out on country singer and guitarist Junior Brown who I later heard was one of the highlights of the entire festival. I head over to the Red stage to see Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, and although I really want to like them, I can't get into Lydia Lunch's moody and atonal no-wave. Some of my friends are head over heels for it though, so I guess it's a matter of taste.

After an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet (I fail at four slices, by the way) it's time for stand-up comedian Neil Hamburger. This absurd character's jokes are so terrible they're good. Easy targets such as Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and his own audience all get flamed by the bespectacled anti-hero, and even SuicideGirls won't escape his anti-humor. With something along the lines of: "What do a bowling ball and a SuicideGirl in the gutter have in common? You have to clean out all three holes." Hamburger hits a little close to home, but I can hardly take offence.

Fifteen minutes later human beatbox extraordinaire Rahzel, formerly of The Roots, owns the stage like it ain't nobody's business. With nothing more than a voice and a mic Rahzel flawlessly mimicks The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army, Snoop Dogg's Drop It Like It's Hot, and Wu-Tang Clan's Ain't Nuthin' to Fuck With. It's fascinating how when you close your eyes you can barely tell the vocal percussionist apart from a live band. I'm impressed.

As for the last band of the night, Soulsavers (with Mark Lanegan) provide a beautiful atmospheric set laced with electronica and Johnny Cash-esque vocals. I am very happy with the discovery of this UK band and by the time they are done it's three o' clock in the morning. An hour or so later I find myself at a party at Mastodon's apartment with members of The Locust and some girls who don't look amused having their party crashed. Time for bed I say, and shortly after my departure the rest of the party gets thrown out so I can't say you missed much.

On day three the first band that can keep my attention is the Butthole Surfers (sometimes just referred to as the Buttholes) from Austin, TX. This band has been around forever (1981 is forever in my book) and acquired somewhat of a cult status in the past few decades, which I totally get after an hour of punk rock psychedelia.

Next up is Mike Patton's brainchild Fantomas, performing The Director's Cut which is truly beautiful and haunting. The band's take on soundtrack theme songs from movies like Rosemary's Baby and Twin Peaks are nothing short of genius. But that's no surprise with a line-up consisting of Patton, Buzzo, Dave Lombardo and Trevor Dunn, is it? Meanwhile in the Red room ambient hip-hop crew Dalek (MC Dalek and producer Oktopus) are busting out their intelligent rhymes and hypnotic verses, but I don't stay long because Mastodon are ripping the Centre stage to shreds and this I need to see. With guitarist Bill Kelliher missing (he was hospitalized about a month ago due to an unidentified illness) but replaced with Buzzo and two (!) extra drummers (Coady Willis and Dale, both from Melvins), the Mastodon/Melvins formation fucking killed it. I am not even a huge fan of the so-called "new wave of American heavy metal" (that is a real term) but this was definitely one of the highlights of this year's ATP.

Before the highly anticipated Melvins set I managed to catch the first couple of songs of The Black Heart Procession. The violin, keys, and singing saw (!) added to singer Pall Jenkins' melancholy voice and moody melodies are exceptionally beautiful. Although I would have loved to stay, I could not be at ATP and miss out on Melvins so I join the masses for a great half hour of sludge / grunge / rock. Buzzo's appearance may be reminiscent of a wizard in his black cloak and cloudy hair, but his guitarplaying skills are extraordinary. Backed by double drums and Jared Warren's (Big Business) basslines, Melvins are in excellent shape.

The Damned is another band I'm looking forward to see in the flesh, but the 70s UK punks can't seem to convince me that they haven't passed their prime say, thirty years ago? (Circa Smash It Up, before their goth phase). Their "fuck the system" speech doesn't work in their favor either. Luckily Kool Keith and Kutmasta Kurt have a better idea. With a blinged-out scarf (?) draped around his head and shoulders, the eccentric MC that goes by many names (Dr. Octagon, Dr. Dooom, Black Elvis, Spankmaster and Mr. Nogatco, respectively) keeps it real, flowing rhymes to the beats of his masked counterpart behind the turntables. For the last band of the night (and this weekend, sadly), North Carolina hardcore band Double Negative proves to be an excellent choice. Loud, fast, and pissed off (I think they like Black Flag), frontman KC is raging in the crowd more than on stage.

Around four in the morning Tomorrow's Parties suddenly seem to be tonight's, but thankfully the next edition of ATP (The Fans Strike Back) is already taking form with names such as The Jesus Lizard, Devo and Sleep. I daresay the party isn't over yet.

Over this last weekend, through personal experience, conversations out in L.A. at the Remix Hotel and at Swingers restaurant with my friend Ken Lopez, and input from some of my students regarding the Taylor Swift marketing campaign, I realized there's a whole new area opening up. After spending years trying to perfect songwriting, studio and production techniques to plant hooks (it is a seven hour lesson in itself) in people's brain to get 'em to buy music, I've found a whole new way of doing it. With Rock Band or Guitar Hero a song becomes deeply embedded as gamers play along because the brain is open and fully engaged in the ego driven task of beating the computer. The hooks in the music seem to bury themselves twice as deep, twice as effectively, and, after a few sessions on an Xbox, it is now twice as impossible for me to stop singing "Hungry like the Wolf." (Is that possible?)

The financial impact of a song succeeding on Guitar Hero for instance, is already well documented. A band in the UK jumped from 55,000 to over 624,000 units (I was reading about them in The Economist). However, the long-term impact of deeply embedded hooks is yet to be felt.

In the future, perhaps the bands that do the most business live won't be those you heard on the radio during your first illicit backseat kiss. Nor will they be playing the songs selected by you and your friends after a discerning, broad, sometimes heated discussion of the their merits, techniques, and studio production of one artist over another. Perhaps our arenas and stadiums with be filled by an assemblage of the bands who perform the songs that the largest percentage of people found challenging on their Xbox (but not so difficult as to seem impossible — at least during the first half).

And will the feelings you get as these bands come out on stage be true joy, or just an echo, a memory marker from the day you beat the song — the day it became a meaningless, discarded talisman of something you used to find fascinating and frustrating. Will the chords and riffs they play evoke real life memories or a distant goal achieved &mdash something whose completion would mark accomplishment? Ultimately, will our once favored Guitar Hero and Rock Band songs simply be placed on a memory shelf in an "ego bin," like a notch on the butt of Wii rifle or the yellow belt from karate hanging in the closet?

Are we set for new genres and divisions, the ultra elite, maybe more dexterous in hand and quick with a non-color blind eye who will naturally gravitate to see the bands perform, to continue to out-wit them in some kind of bizarre Dungeons and Dragons mutated arm wrestling contest? Do we want to laugh and discard a Tool song triumphantly as we rise up the skill levels on to King Crimson and perhaps Zappa?

Where is this all going? And, more importantly where artists' bank accounts are concerned, what are these bands going to sell at their merch booth in the future? Books containing technique tips and game cheats? DVD lessons? HeadOn for joint pain to soothe arthritic fingers? And never mind an autograph or a meet and greet with the band, I want Yngwie Malmsteen's guitar tech for the afternoon. The only constant thing, it seems, is change.



What else is going on in my world? Well, the newest Pigface album is going to be available on 8 track cartridge soon. I'm mixing amazing music from China and finishing up the sequel to my Tour:Smart book. You can help with my "market research" by filling out a survey HERE. I want to know: What is the ONE THING you wish you could tell a band, a singer, a radio station, etc.? We'll pick some of our favorite responses to include in Band:Smart and we'll send you a free Tour:Smart e-Book if your survey is chosen.

Peace, love and happy holidays to all

Martin Atkins
Chicago Illannoys



Martin Atkins has drummed with PiL, Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and The Damage Manual, among others. As owner of the now 20-year old Invisible Records, he has worked with artists such as Thrill Kill Kult, Einsturzende Neubauten, Chemlab, Chris Connelly, Sheep On Drugs, Murder Inc, and Psychic TV. Martin teaches a course on Business of Touring at Columbia College in Chicago, IL, and has written a survival guide for touring bands, Tour Smart: And Break The Band, which features contributions from Henry Rollins, Cynthia Plastercaster, The Enigma, the Suicide Girls, Zim Zum (formerly of Marilyn Manson), Kevin Lyman, and various other managers, journalists, venues, agents, sponsors, radio personalities and the like.

This is the first installment of Sound Advice. As your mixstress, I hope to build a space where you may discover new (or maybe just new to you) sounds from across a wide sonic spectrum.


Late of the Pier

I recently met Late of the Pier, a quartet from the small Northern English town of Castle Donington, on their first trip to New York, where they were greeted with their hotel block cordoned off by police in riot gear and helicopters hovering overhead. Sadly the crowd control precautions were not for the band, but instead intended to preserve a crime scene. And while the band is used to rousing receptions back at home, where their debut album Fantasy Black Channel was released last summer, this was still a bit of a shocking start.

"A very American welcome," says keyboardist Jack Paradise. "Thank you, America!"

American music lovers will get a chance to more properly greet Late of the Pier when they release Fantasy Black Channel domestically in the U.S. via the Astralwerks label in early 2009, but you can check out their videos on YouTube in the meantime. The band classifies themselves cheekily as "Latin/glam/thrash" on their MySpace page, but are really a smart synthesis of rock and electronics. Their wild imagination has garnered a notable underage following, and they've played at several under-18 clubs to court this über enthusiastic demographic.

"The way we do things is with a sort of childlike wonder and energy, so kids can definitely relate," says bassist Francis Dudley Dance. "They wear their hearts on their sleeves a lot more and they're a lot more instinctive crowd and they're a lot more open minded in a lot of ways."

"And they're no way cynical, either," adds lead singer Samuel Dust. "They really go for things that are exciting and are not afraid to stand out. They really embrace that."

So do we. Check out "Heartbeat" to see what we mean:




Kristeen Young

St. Louis native (and now New York resident) Kristeen Young has built up a loyal and growing following largely due to her arresting live performances. With drummer "Baby" Jeff White, she's known as the conveniently named kristeenyoung, a band with five independently released albums under their belt and one on the way. A collaboration on that forthcoming release is with Fall Out Boy lead singer Patrick Stump, which should provide exposure to a whole new group of potential listeners.

She has toured extensively with Morrissey (and released singles on his Attack label) and made many fans out of his followers, but she ultimately parted ways with the British crooner last year after making a sexually suggestive remark about him on stage in response to a heckler that was poorly received by Moz. Someone outspoken enough to make that charming man blush certainly has our attention.

Perhaps the miserable one should get over himself and realize "Life's Not Short" to hold grudges:




Janelle Monae

Like Young, Janelle Monae also originally hails from the Midwest - in her case, Kansas City, KS - but has come to be associated with the envelope-pushing sounds of her adopted Atlanta home. This honorary ATL-ien is like a sister to OutKast, appearing on their Idlewild soundtrack and working extensively with that group's Big Boi. She was signed to his Purple Ribbon label and he executive produced her Metropolis: The Chase Suite, a concept EP dedicated to Fritz Lang's 1927 expressionist silent film Metropolis. That project was co-released by her own independent label Wondaland Arts Society in a unique partnership with Diddy's Bad Boy empire, and will be followed up by Part 2 and Part 3 in the new year.

"Although it didn't have any words, it really spoke out to me," Monae says of Metropolis. "It reminded me that there's a constant struggle between the haves and the have-nots, between the oppressors and the oppressed. I was raised in Kansas City and there are still members of my family there that are kind of like the walking dead. I thought it would be great to elaborate on that story a little more, to make it my own and to use a parallel that I thought of when I watched the film. I'm a huge science fiction head; I love Octavia Butler and Isaac Asimov and films like Blade Runner and of course The Matrix. It's a very compelling story, I feel like it could be very life changing if you allow it to, as it is for me."

A young lady making art inspired by obscure silent films would be enough in itself, but Monae is a study in beautiful extremes, as she demonstrates in her live shows, where she's been known to stage dive and crowd surf some impressively lengthy audience waves.

"You know you have great supporters if they always are there to hold you and uplift you," she exclaims.

It's been "Many Moons" since we've seen such an original musical and visual talent combined:




Tamara Palmer is SuicideGirls' New Music Editor. During a decade and a half of DJing and writing about music professionally, she has found particular pleasure in championing new artists and sounds. Her work has appeared in outlets such as the Associated Press, Wired, and SF Weekly. She is a former editor of URB and the author of the book, Country Fried Soul: Adventures in Dirty South Hip-Hop.

Music moves fast. In the time I've spent recovering from All Tomorrow's Parties, countless tours, albums, and hijinx have gone down against a distracting backdrop of financial meltdowns, wildfires, and the election of a guy named Barack Obama (perhaps you've heard of him?). It's impossible for one short post to catch everything, but as part of my new duties here at the ever-evolving Newswire, I'm going to give you my monthly picks of the most exciting things happening in rock (and I use this term loosely). "But Hunter, what about the gonzo journalism you sacrifice body, soul, and basic human decency to deliver us?" Not to worry. The Weird Turn Pro as you know and cherish it will reappear in the next few weeks. I may be expanding my coverage of music news, but the kooky stuff is here to stay. Now let's get down to business.


Punk's Not Dead

Still riding high on last spring's Nouns, Los Angeles noise/art/pop punks No Age are touring the U.S. and Canada before heading to the land down under for heaping doses of punk rock and Vegemite. With feedback squalls and quiet/noisy interludes, they may not sound exactly like the punk bands you're used to, but their innovations help the genre stay alive and artistically relevant in the post-CBGB era. And unlike many young artsy bands, they carry the banner of political engagement. I found it especially endearing when guitarist Randy Randall got into a tussle with a staffer on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson over his Obama t-shirt, which he was asked to remove. The resourceful rocker obscured the candidate's name but wrote "Free Health Care" on his shirt, which got the point across well enough. They also pitched in and wrote a statement for the underground DIY site Noise For Obama:

They may not be the most articulate folks ever to speak about politics, but they get the point across in a way fans can connect with. They're not afraid to talk about veganism and animal rights, either, a subject near and dear to my heart. Thank you, No Age, for showing you can take the sneering, postmodern "whatever shrug" out of noise rock and still be cool.

Here they are performing "Boy Void" live in Philly. I like this video because it shows how hard Dean Spunt hits his drums:



And here is the official video for "Eraser," in which the boys frolic through a backyard party. Feel free to pause and rewind the part where Randy is getting hosed off:



They released "Teen Creeps," a relatively poppy single, in October, so don't be surprised if a video for that pops up soon.


The Boss and The Boy Genius

Accompanying No Age on tour are New Jersey's Titus Andronicus. One of my favorite bands as of late, they sound like a cross between Conor Oberst's now-defunct punk project Desaparecidos and fellow Jersey boy Bruce Springsteen, which means you can enjoy them with your dad. With lines lifted from Shakespeare and Camus alongside peppy, anthemic repetitions of nihilisms like, "Your life is over!" they may actually get you excited that everything's falling the fuck apart.

Here's the video for "Titus Andronicus," a single off their debut album The Airing of Grievances, to be re-released in January of 2009 in remastered form by XL Recordings.



Psych-Pop Returns

Enigmatic Deerhunter/Atlas Sound frontman Bradford Cox has had quite a year. From angry blog posts, to Converse ads, to piggy back rides on half-naked Bollywood soul singers, he has done some stuff. To top it all off, the band finally released the much-anticipated (and much-leaked) Microcastle, which incorporates enough pop sounds to make it their most widely appealing album yet while keeping enough weird psychedelia to satisfy fans. They're now performing with new guitarist/former cheerleader Whitney Petty for lucky people all over Europe.

Here's a video someone made of single "Agoraphobia" which features some rousing interpretive dance culled from a Pedro Almodovar film:



And here's a dreamy unofficial video for the album's dreamy title song, made by friend and former band member Adam Bruneau:




Post-Post-Punk?

If you can get past the whole "crystal is the new bear/wolf/deer" nonsense, you will find Crystal Stilts play excellent stripped down post punk that's more than a little reminiscent of great bands of the 80s like Joy Division and The Jesus and Mary Chain. Not to be pigeonholed, they also incorporate elements of garage, psych, and straight up jangly pop, and singer Brad Hargett slouches through each song with the depressed charm of Ian Curtis at his darkest. They've recently been joined by ex-Vivian Girl Frankie Rose on drums, and are currently touring North America in support of their debut full-length Alight of Night.

"Departure":



"Shattered Shine":




M.I.A. ≠ Missing In Action

Despite her recent announcement that she's taking a short break to gestate a baby, my number one girl crush is busier than ever. Following the appearance of "Paper Planes" on the soundtrack (and in the trailer) for Apatow-helmed stinker Pineapple Express (fun fact: she almost bailed because the producers of the film "which is all about weed" tried to censor her references to weed), the mainstream hip hop world has finally noticed her. She's being remixed like crazy, and has contributed some tracks to the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire, a Danny Boyle directed bilingual action romp through the slums of Mumbai that melds cultures freely, a natural fit for the genre-straddling star. She's also released a cover of Tom Waits' "Way Down in the Hole," currently best known as the theme song for HBO's amazing show The Wire, featuring Blaqstarr. As with all good covers, she really makes it her own, even changing the meaning from the drug-laden opening sequence of the show to � well, you decide. Here's what she wrote on her myspace page about the video, which supposedly cost $10 to make:

"Way Down in the Hole"



Thank fuck indeed.

Architecture in Helsinki

As someone who tends to listen to depressing music, I like an aural pick-me-up once in a while. Purveyors of cheesy, fun, 70s and 80s-style dance grooves, these Aussies are hard at work on their fourth LP and have just released a single, "That Beep," which you can listen to in its entirety or watch in video form over at ThatBeep.com.

They're touring Australia right now, so if you're all moshed out from seeing No Age, stop by for some restorative booty shaking.


Cheer Up, Emo Kid

Isn't it weird how the late nineties were already ten years ago? It's enough to make a girl feel old. Jimmy Eat World's Clarity formed the soundtrack to countless nights spent cruising the empty playgrounds and 7-11's of my stupid suburban town, falling in love with and subsequently crying about boys, and getting as high as possible in order to forget that life is pain (and other existential revelations sparked when my parents took my car away). To celebrate its tenth (tenth!) anniversary, the band will be playing the album in its entirety at ten select U.S. dates.

In other emo news, The Get Up Kids are reuniting to play a single gig in their native Kansas City to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Something to Write Home About. Dust off your chucks (or if you're like me, chances are you're still wearing them), drink a few Redbulls, envision your worst heartbreak, and get ready to jump up and down while crying your fucking eyes out. If I somehow manage to make it to this show, I think I might actually die.

Play me out, boys.

Jimmy Eat World-"Your New Aesthetic":



The Get Up Kids-"Action and Action"

Break out the Tripp pants and chain wallets, Chigaco heavyweights Disturbed have scheduled a fourth outing for their Music As A Weapon package. This time around the band will be bringing along Massachusettes' own Killswitch Engage (who had a suprise hit last year with a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver") and Five Finger Death Punch (who have spent the better part of two years playing just about every festival you can think of).

Although it had been known for months that Disturbed was planning to revive their Music As A Weapon touring umbrella, this past week Killswitch Engage's management company confirmed that the band was commited to the package.

Earlier today Philadelphia radio station WMMR confirmed this, and revealed the addition of Five Finger Death Punch to the lineup. It is unclear whether more acts will be added but the tour will kick off in March 2009.

Disturbed hit the road to support last year's Indestructable release, which was their third album to debut at number 1 on the Billboard charts. The band previously headlined the Music As A Weapon package in 2001, 2003, and 2006 (with music and film of the 2003 tour being released on CD and DVD). Past incarnations of the tour have featured such acts as Stone Sour, Taproot, Drowning Pool, Nonpoint, Chevelle, Adema, Unloco, Systematic, Steromud, and Flyleaf.

It's been a while since my last Tour Smart post, so, welcome back me! I actually didn't feel like I had left.

What's happened since we last spoke?

Well, I've been back to China and had another baby boy -- bringing the total up to 4! (Boys -- not trips to China.) Let me stress the importance of that number and prevent anyone from changing it, just like on a major record label contract, by writing it thusly: XXXFOURCHILDRENALLBOYSXXX. I'm also teaching much more at Columbia College here in Chicago, and am having an F-ing blast!

I hope that you are also doing well amid this horrible economic downturn. We'll all be re-defining the meaning of essential vs. luxury items over the coming months. It'll be interesting to see where music is on that list. Since life is likely to be even tighter on the road for gigging bands, I thought it was high time I hit the SG Newswire with a few pearls of wisdom on how to keep food in your mouth -- and more importantly beer in your glass -- as you gig your way to glory.

Do this today to make more money on the road tomorrow:

1. Start a donation bucket -- or, if you are feeling less ambitious -- a donation jar. Place a large label on a big bucket saying something that is honest. Sheep on Drugs said, "Alcohol fund -- please give generously!" It made them about $20 a night. I put this anecdote in my book as an example of being able to learn something from anyone, thinking outside the box, and being honest.

A band just wrote to me and said that this tip was the difference between eating most nights....or not. They described this as one of the factors that enabled them to complete their first ten day tour. It's also a great illustration of what my shit is about. It's NOT about making more money -- money on its own is meaningless. It's about surviving and sustaining because NONE of the other things affecting your career can kick in if you give up, implode, or explode.

The honesty component of the donation jar is just as important as the jar itself. This is the same philosophy that gets the homeless guy who directly asks for money to support his drug habit a little bit more than the guy who's asking for "food." People respond to honesty. It's the time between smile and laugh that opens pocketbook (not that there's anything in anyone's pocketbook anymore, but...).

2. Look at upcoming events as your granddad would -- be skeptical. Take off your rose colored, positive vibe glasses. Take care of the one crazily obvious thing that you have forgotten! Don't be afraid to say, "This won't work, this will be a catastrophe." By jumping into your granddad's persona, you can alert yourself to possible real dangers. But make sure to exit your granddad's body before you shave -- he probably only used a razor with one blade (can you imagine that!) instead of the nine blade skateboard motherfuckers we're using now! How on earth did they ever manage it?

3. Check the facts. Take the time to check on anything verifiable and objective. There are so many things up for grabs -- the fickle nature of people, the economy, the weather -- you should do your best to examine and quantify anything that isn't. For example, are you "hoping" that the opening two bands are really going to pull a crowd? Instead of hoping, check the facts. How many people are on their Myspace? (Note: divide by 4 at least!) When was the last time they played? Last week is a problem and so is next week �¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ especially if these are free shows �¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ be careful! Just because something is crazy and doesn't make sense doesn't mean it isn't going to happen. In fact �¯�¿�½�¯�¿�½ think the opposite.

4. Take care of all that you can before you leave: Vehicle maintenance, oil changes, spare tires, blown out tires, peanut butter and cheese crackers, a triple A card, and whatever else you can think of -- you know, the boy scout badge stuff. Nothing is obvious, take NOTHING for granted. Watch Apollo 13; you know, the space mission that ended with the crew creating oxygen masks out of cardboard boxes and belly button lint. Think of yourself as the crew of Apollo 13. (Except don't shit in your pants unless you are wearing NASA approved adult diapers or sleeping in your girlfriend's bed. It's not very nice -- but you'll laugh about it for years to come.)

Leave comments with ideas to share and any questions you have. I'm out on the road, up on the web and doing my thing -- see you at a guitar center near you sssssssoooooooooooon

Currently reading: Bruce Lee
Current watching: Dexter and our newborn baby Cole Vincent
Currently listening to: 24 hours and Snapline from CHINA!

Upcoming Events:
Tour:Smart DIY Summit - Band Survival in the New Economy
Learn how to make $7,500 more in the next six months!
Saturday, November 8, 2008 12:00pm - 6:00pm
Invisible Records Offices: 3319 S. Lituanica Ave., Chicago, IL
$50 registration (includes 50% coupon off of mastering at Mattress Factory Studios). For more info go to:
TourSmart.wordpress.com/events/ or InvisibleRecords.com.

P L R
MA

Martin Atkins has drummed with PiL, Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and The Damage Manual, among others. As owner of the now 20-year old Invisible Records, he has worked with artists such as Thrill Kill Kult, Einsturzende Neubauten, Chemlab, Chris Connelly, Sheep On Drugs, Murder Inc, and Psychic TV. Martin teaches a course on Business of Touring at Columbia College in Chicago, IL, and has written a survival guide for touring bands, Tour Smart: And Break The Band, which features contributions from Henry Rollins, Cynthia Plastercaster, The Enigma, the Suicide Girls, Zim Zum (formerly of Marilyn Manson), Kevin Lyman, and various other managers, journalists, venues, agents, sponsors, radio personalities and the like.

William Control (a.k.a. wiL Francis from Aiden) has dropped a special Halloween treat for fans on his website. Click HERE to view the twisted and gorgeous gothic splendor that is the video to his first solo single, "Beautiful Loser."

And, in case you missed it, click HERE for SG's exclusive interview with the sexy man in Control.

Instead of blowing a pile of cash on a music video the usual way, DJ, producer, musician, and left field thinker Moby decided to offer a $10,000 cash carrot to aspiring and upcoming filmmakers. He launched a competition for the video for his new single, the disco-electro-pop "Ooh Yeah" (from the album Last Night), in June via his Moby Gratis site (which offers free music for independent and non-profit filmmakers). The winning entry selected by Moby, which was directed by Matteo Bernardini, was recently unveiled. On his website, Moby warns viewers, "if you're watching at work your boss might think it's porn" -- which is reason enough to give it a watch.

An outspoken political, environmental and animal rights activist, the video shows the lighter side of Moby, who spends much of his energy campaigning against serious shit, and blogging to promote his enlightened agenda, and the Democratic cause.

Shortly after Barack Obama won the Democratic nomination, in one of his entries Moby said, despite the tawdriness of the nomination process, that "Obama has run one of the best presidential campaigns in memory." I dropped Moby an email to find out why he thought that. He responded by saying:

I followed up by asking Moby if, given the confines of our current system, he thought Obama could really enact the level of change we need. He said:

And, knowing the bald one lived next to the Bush compound in Connecticut in the mid-80s, I asked Moby if the Bush family made better neighbors than leaders. He told me:

Reports are coming in that former Marilyn Manson band member Brad Stewart (a.k.a. Gidget Gein) has died. His body was apparently found at his Burbank home yesterday (Thursday, October 9). An overdose is suspected to be the cause of death, but the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office isn't issuing any details until his family have been notified.

Stewart played bass with Manson from 1989 through 1993. He was fired from the band, and was replaced by Twiggy Ramirez, however his influence remained apparent in Manson's style and music.

Stewart moved to New York in 1996, pursuing art and music through his own band, Gidget Gein & the Dali Gaggers. He returned to Florida in 2000 (he was born and raised in Hollywood, FL), and took a job as a "bag boy" with the South Florida Medical Examiner. In 2004 he moved to Los Angeles, resuming his career as an artist under the GOLLYWOOD moniker.

Represented by UnPop Art, on their site Gidget lists "Drivers in Florida. Overweight dead people. Decomposing Dead people" and "Being on call" as his pet peeves, and says one of his long-term goals was "Going out in a blaze of glory on a wave of mutilation."

R.I.P.

Image courtesy of UnPop Art.

Bob Gruen didn't just experience life with the New York Dolls, he photographed it -- a lot. The legendary rock photographer first captured the seminal glam-cum-precursor-to-punk band at a gig at the Mercer Arts Center on New Years Eve in 1972. He continued hitting the shutter right through the band's bright but brief career, documenting their demise in '75 while wards of punk rock impresario Malcolm McClaren, and their resurrection nearly two decades on.

"They were living a decadent life, and I joined right in, but I always knew when to get the photos," says Gruen, who has compiled images of the band for a new book, New York Dolls: Photographs by Bob Gruen. Like the band, the book is clad in glamorous and sexy attire, the pages being bound between hot pink satin covers.

Lying alongside Gruen's gorgeous images are quotes from Joe Strummer, Debbie Harry, Johnny Ramone and Iggy Pop (to name just a few), and interviews with New York Dolls singer David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain. The Q&As were conducted by Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith Group, who also introduces the book. Appropriately Morrissey, who persuaded the band to reunite for the Meltdown Festival he curated in 2004, contributes an afterward to the book.

"


An exhibition of Bob Gruen's work opens on October 11 and runs through November 2 at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in Los Angeles.

SoCal rocker's Lit are organizing an all star auction to raise funds to cover medical expenses incurred by their drummer Allen Shellenberger, who was diagnosed with a grade 4 malignant brain tumor in May of this year.

Items on sale include Les Paul guitars signed by Sugar Ray and Staind, an amplifier autographed by members of No Doubt, Sugar Ray and Lit, a guitar lesson with Grammy-award winning axeman Steve Vai, a drum lesson with top session player Mike Levesque, a custom tattoo session by Aces High, and a chance to chop off Lit guitarist Jeremy Popoff's goatee. Also among the 168 lots on Ebay's virtual auction block are items donated by Queens of the Stone Age, Linkin Park, Stewart Copeland (The Police), Aerosmith, Buckcherry, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stone Temple Pilots, Disturbed, The Offspring, Kathy Griffin and Pierce Brosnan.

Allen has malignant glioma, the same highly lethal form of cancer that Senator Edward M. Kennedy is currently battling. Despite having health insurance, Allen, who enjoyed multi-platinum success with his band, is now dealing with heinous bills for treatment and expenses not covered by his plan, hence the need for the fundraiser. (If you think our health care crisis won't affect you, think again, clearly even rock stars aren't immune.)

The auction is sponsored by The Make A Noise Foundation, and has been organized in association with Ebay's Giving Works Program. All proceeds will benefit Allen and Cedars-Sinai's Maxine Dunitz Neurosugical Institute in Los Angeles. Click HERE if you'd like to make a purchase (bidding on many of the one-of-a-kind items starts at just $10). Further information can be found on Lit's MySpace page.

The Crystal Method have released a seasonal remix of their classic dance anthem Now Is The Time. Their rather excellent Vote '08 Remix features samples from Obama's inspirational DNC acceptance speech, and is available as a free download from the band's website. To promote the track, Shepard Fairey has done a similarly-styled reworking of one of his iconic Obama 08 campaign posters.

"Like 38 million other Americans, we were transfixed listening to Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. It reminded us of the creative process we went through all those years ago, listening to samples of inspiring old civil rights speeches and creating the original 'Now Is Time,'" say Crystal Method boys Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in a joint statement. "We don't often revisit old songs but we've been spending so much time looking forward as we work on our new album it seemed appropriate to take a minute to look back at the beginning. Plus, right now no American could be hurt by hearing another inspiring message."

What happens when you take a crumbling mountain resort, cram it full of the best depressing music of the last twenty years, invite the mid-thirties hoodie set, make sure nobody has to drive, then douse it in ten Woodstocks’ worth of booze and drugs? For some, this is a recipe for suicide. For me, it was every fantasy I’ve ever dreamed up about rock camp, minus the part where I shred out a solo so awesome it brings about world peace and wins me the heart of Steven Malkmus. Curated in part by My Bloody Valentine, the 2008 All Tomorrow’s Parties New York Festival took place over the course of three days in the cool, piney folds of the Catskills.

I could talk about the retro-creepy location (think The Shining), the substances ingested, the pool parties, the hotel room parties, Steve Albini’s all night poker table, or the crazies who skinny dipped in the slimy lake one night, but at the end of the day, I was there to rock, so let’s get down to business.

Being disgustingly young, I was too busy pooping in diapers and learning to tie my shoes to see many of the bands during their first burst of relevance, but I’d read/listened/learned enough to know their significance. The weekend functioned partly as a rock and roll primer for me, and partly as a testing ground to see who still seemed to give a shit, and who just wanted to hang out and watch My Bloody Valentine. Some bands seemed awkward, burdened by the years, while others felt as fresh as if they were just being introduced to the world (and a few, in fact, were).

Friday was packed with competent performances from The Meat Puppets, Tortoise, and an apathetic Thurston Moore performing Psychic Hearts (but that's why we love him). I also caught most of Patton Oswalt’s comedy act, which made me laugh until my belly hurt. The real prize for the day, though, goes to Built to Spill’s performance of 1997's Perfect From Now On (plus a few extra songs).

Out of all the bands who performed classic albums that day, Built to Spill felt the least like I was watching a historical re-enactment, and the most like I was simply checking out a band I’d recently gotten into (if only every great album I discover could pass through a similar time warp…someone reanimate Nico, and Lou Reed too, while you're at it). I’ll admit I even got a little verklempt during the biting strains of “I Would Hurt a Fly” and then again during “Velvet Waltz.” Whether this was due to the band’s gorgeous cello lines and timeless ability to exude pathos, or my recent heart-stomping by another stupid boy, it was powerful stuff. I half expected someone to pat me on the head and go “cheer up, emo kid,” but looking around, many in the audience seemed equally affected. I dabbed uselessly at my vanishing eye makeup and headed up to my room, where a party had already begun, and stopped sniffling long enough to drink a fun-sized bottle of Jack Daniels –– because I like to have fun.

Saturday brought a packed, all day schedule of music old and new. The noisy / spacey / mathy undulations of Brooklyn's own Growing are usually contained within small, DIY venues, but proved epic enough to fill the large room they played. Fuck Buttons walk the line between droning ambience and developments interesting enough to inspire active listening, and while their live performance is essentially two guys bobbing their heads while they fuck with their buttons (harr) and play their excellent album over a booming sound system, that was enough for me.

Next, Harmonia (featuring former members of Cluster and Kraftwerk) continued the instrumental electronic trend with some classic Krautrock rife with synths, loops, beats, and space noises. It was nice to not have to listen to words reminding me how much love sucks for a little while, sinking instead into the comforting abyss of an electronic dystopia. Some hits off a fellow journalist’s joint further calmed my nerves. Machines feel no pain.

Polvo’s dreamy jams helped me to continue on this path. My head kept trying to float away, so I untied it for a bit and let it wander through long complex riffs, delicate dissonant passages, and invigorating crescendos and switch-backs.

After a wee rest by the lake and the best smorgasboard of crunchy/salty/sweet snacks I've ever crammed into my mouth, I changed over to stimulants in preparation for Les Savy Fav. I’ve written about them before, so I will simply say that Tim Harrington is one of the best front men in rock today. Anyone who can pull off multiple costume changes, outwit security to get to the back of the house, command the audience to carry him around on a ladder, and then magically summon the first five rows of people up onto the stage, all without missing a note, has probably got something going for him. By the time it was Shellac’s turn, everyone was sweaty and tired, but that didn’t stop them from pumping fists in the air for angry classics like "Prayer to God", as well as laughing at Albini's stage banter.

By the time the third day rolled around, I’d grown accustomed to a constant barrage of sound interspersed with calm strolls in the sun. The Lilys delivered their cool Brit pop with a slightly off-kilter demeanor, Gemma Hayes crooned more of those sad words I dislike (but it hurt so good), Mercury Rev’s David Baker slithered around the stage to skillful, sprawling jams, and Yo La Tengo and …And You Will Know us By the Trail of the Dead rocked me hard enough to induce an unpleasant, throbbing sobriety. Mogwai was an exercise in loud-soft dynamics, and the songs off their new record thankfully didn’t suffer too much in comparison to their older material. Dinosaur Jr. were sort of "meh", and then it was time for the legendary shoegazers.

I realized I was high again, this time on sheer physical exhaustion. Parts of my body hurt that I didn’t even know I had. However, seeing My Bloody Valentine made it all worthwhile. Taking many cuts off their consummate 1991 album Loveless, the band got everything right: the pitch-bent guitars, the dreamy vocal effects, those heartbreaking hooks, that brutally loud mix. As the band’s first U.S. performance in 16 years, the thing had been hyped to hell, but Kevin Shields and company delivered the crowning performance of the festival with their signature "no big deal" composure. Following a twenty minute long wall of noise, the band waved sweetly goodbye, and that was it.

Desperate for my own bed, I drove directly home with the beautifully dense, crushing riffs still ringing in my head (literally; that shit was loud). It was the perfect counterpoint to the previous weekend spent “studying” their music while "emoting" in a shoegaze-y fashion in my bed all day and night. My big, comfy bed, to which I returned triumphantly at 5:30am to lie down and sleep, my thoughts calm at last. Sticking in the edges of my mind even as I lost consciousness, My Bloody Valentine, at least for the moment, was the only lover I needed.

The ever-fabulous Margaret Cho has released a single on iTunes this week. The track, "I Cho Am A Woman," was produced by the man behind Cher and Ricky Martin's greatest hits, Desmond Child. Though it was recorded as a one-off for a recent episode of VH1's Cho Show, the inked-up comedienne plans to return to the studio once her Beautiful tour wraps up in December to work on an album which will be released in 2009.

The song is a Britney Spears pastiche, which riffs off her 2007 release "Gimme More." Kicking off with the line "It's Margaret bitch," Cho takes potshots at the fallen idol during a song which on the surface sounds more Britney than Britney. It's kinda scary! (Click HERE to listen to the full single, which was previewed by Perez Hilton). Personally however, I feel the song doesn't quite match the lyrical depth of Cho's November 2006 YouTube release entitled "My Puss," which has a message I can really get down with (see video below).

An email randomly popped into my inbox posing the question: Elsiane...Next Bjork? After checking out the Canadian outfit's debut album, Hybrid, and seeing the band live at the El Rey last night, I consider that statement to be somewhat of an insult. Though their talent quite possibly equals that of the quirky Icelandic princess, Elsiane's music is far less annoying (admit it, no matter how much you love Bjork, her stuff can be bjollocks at times).

Elsiane consist of chanteuse Elsieanne Caplette and drummer Stephane Sotto. Live, the duo are augmented by Jeff Feldman (electric double bass/keyboards) and Philippe Look (guitar/keyboards). Caplette's ethereal voice is both breathy and breathtaking. Soaring over the band's shadowy soundscapes with ease and control, she uses her body to create unique natural vocal effects.

Musically Elsiane carry the torch of downtempo bands like Portishead, Morcheeba and Massive Attack, but they're no mere imitators, having a warmth, depth and fidelity all their own. Caplette, a self-taught classical musician, composed and arranged the album's signature lush strings, which were laid down with a little help from legendary producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd's The Wall).

Check out "Vaporous," the lead song from Hybrid below.

Orange County’s Spare The Air was the music festival that made bus passes cool. Held at the Fullerton Transportation Center, headliners included SoCal rockers Saosin, Lit, Death By Stereo and Sugarcult, alongside Utah’s The Used and Seattle’s Aiden. The event aimed to introduce the generation next demographic to the delights of public transportation. Entry was a very reasonable $10.67 or was free with a flash of a bus pass.

Things got seriously rockin’ around 2.30 pm when Street Drum Corps hit the stage, though somehow we doubt they used the 721 bus to transport themselves and the assortment of drums, oil barrels and power tools they use to make noise. (We’ll give ‘em a free pass in this regard since the express LA to Fullerton OCTA service doesn’t run on weekends.) Having just signed to Interscope, the collective have had a plethora of writing teams coming up with material for their first major label release. The process is starting to pay off, and their set showed improvement when compared to earlier recordings posted on their MySpace page. The boys also deserve major props for using and abusing a theremin, which added geek power to their otherwise testosterone-driven antics.

Aiden were the next band to rock our world, with lead singer wiL Francis indulging in, and orchestrating some extreme audience sports while delivering a rock solid show. But the day belonged to the most local of bands, Lit. They had no need to utilize public transportation to cover the distance from the Transport Center adjacent Slidebar, which serves as their second home and is co-owned by guitarist Jeremy Popoff, to the main stage at the other side of the parking lot-cum-venue.

Lit are going through a particularly tough time right now due to drummer Allen Shellenberger’s recent brain cancer diagnosis. Sadly he’s suffering from the same type of vicious malignant glioma that struck Senator Edward M. Kennedy. But while fighting bravely on with double-doses of chemo, Shellenberger and his fellow band mates continue to play the gigs that are important to them. Pal Adrian Young (from No Doubt) was on hand to take over the drumming duties when exhaustion got the better of Shellenberger. On a couple songs they made a powerful team, playing in tandem on kits set up side by side. Fellow No Doubter Tony Kanal came out to show support, as had much of the crowd. Our love and best wishes go out to Shellenberger and his family.

Though the South Coast Air Management District-sponsored festival won't be able to repair the systematic damage done to our public transportation system by oil-loving corporations overnight, the event did achieve its objective: to raise awareness for the need for public transportation. And as the patrons of the local bars staggered out after what was a very long and thirst-making day, one can hope they didn’t reach for their car keys for more reasons than one.

Attention Weezer fans! Hot on the heels of the band's "Pork and Beans" music video crammed with YouTube celeb cameos comes another video for the new single "Troublemaker." Weezer is currently looking for fans, fans, and more fans to come out this Thursday August 21st in Los Angeles to participate in the shoot. Check out the info below courtesy of the band itself:

Have fun! And if any of you SG members make it in the video be sure to let us know how it goes...


Check out Weezer's "Pork and Beans" video here.

I steal music on the Internet. Chances are, you do, too. It’s 2008, and every music fan under the age of 30 knows how to download the latest MGMT album in under 30 minutes. Whether you access them or not, the songs are out there in little bits and pieces, waiting while you eat, sleep, read, and do whatever else you do while not stealing music on the Internet. For a financially challenged youth whose goal is to learn everything she can about each noise that’s been made by humans since long before she was born, someone seeking an antidote to the demographically-calibrated sludge blaring from commercial radio and TV, someone searching for that needle in a haystack that is that one, perfect album she’ll play on repeat while she eats, sleeps, and reads, the temptation is too great to resist. Is it wrong? Technically, yes. Perhaps she even feels a little guilty. But the benefits outweigh the possible costs so heavily that she hardly thinks of them. It’s a clichéd truism that music feeds the soul; without it, one goes mad in subtle ways.

What, then, is to be done about naughty folks like you and me? The ever clearheaded Recording Industry Association of America has decided to sue people. Now, normally, this would be a good idea for them. Lawsuits usually work wonders when a powerful corporation wants to get people to stop doing things that piss it off, especially when the law is on its side. Unfortunately, you can only sue so many people at once, and in order to eradicate file-sharing, you’d have to sue every single person who uses bit torrents, FTP clients, and other illegal means of downloading; as of 2003, an estimated 60 million Americans used file sharing programs, which means the current number is probably much higher. And that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the vast networks of piracy in places like China, where attitudes towards the ethics of “sharing” are decidedly nonchalant. In Communist China, files share you!

Ethical or not, file sharing is an inexorable force. While the RIAA continues its futile attempts to halt it, music purveyors of all stripes have come up with creative ways to make the public’s hunger for free music work for, not against them.

First, we have the rock stars who have already made more money than they could ever possibly spend on hookers, blow, designer coffins, monkey skeletons, and, in Thom Yorke’s case, plates of baked beans on toast. Radiohead made a groundbreaking move in 2007 when they announced they would release In Rainbows electronically on a pay-what-you-wish model, with an option to order an expensive physical version containing two CDs, two vinyl LPs, a hardcover book, photos, and other goodies. As they did not have the backing of major label money, all of the physical copies were paid for in advance by fans, then made to order and shipped to them. Other artists had been giving away songs for years, but as one of the biggest bands in the world, Radiohead was in a unique position to draw attention to the practice. Yorke foreshadowed the choice in a 2003 interview with Time:

Shortly thereafter, Trent Reznor followed suit and released Ghosts I-IV on a similar model to Radiohead's: free electronic downloads, accompanied by physical versions of increasing levels of deluxe-ness, depending how much NIN fans were willing to pay. Ghosts I-IV pulled in $1.6 million in its first week, not bad for a “free” album (especially considering Reznor didn't have to share the fruits of his labor with a record label). By cutting out the middle man, NIN, Radiohead, and others are declining to give a large chunk of their profits to labels in exchange for performing services they could better provide for themselves: marketing, radio play, etc. They also show a genuine concern for their fans, i.e. the people who made them stars to begin with, by responding to their downloading habits with an improved product they'll want to buy, rather than with lawsuits.

To be fair, NIN and Radiohead didn't take over the world on their own. In the absence of other options, they relied heavily on the traditional system to get where they are today. However, many independent bands and labels are using free albums to build careers from scratch. Little-known bands have always given out free CDs and tapes in the hopes of winning over new fans, and it would be remiss not to mention that hip hop has long been ahead of the curve in this area. The hip hop mixtape, pioneered by artists like Grandmaster Flash, was essential to the birth of the genre, and has often been used by artists and labels as a promotional tool as well as a way to release new songs rapidly and informally. (Despite major labels' prevalent use of them, the RIAA still views mixtapes as illegally pirated records.) Now, other types of labels are employing their own version of this practice in the hopes of drawing enough funds to support themselves. Indie rock boy-wonder-turned-thoughtful-scene-custodian Conor Oberst is testing the waters with his Team Love label, which he founded in 2003, by offering all of its albums for free in mp3 form. Oberst elaborated on his theory in an interview with BusinessWeek:

Judging from the success of Team Love bands such as Tilly and the Wall, Jenny Lewis, and Willy Mason, Oberst’s hippie-dippie “social contract” model seems to be working. Another factor to consider is that true music fans, the ones who spend all day hunting down obscure mp3s of bands they read about in obscure blogs, do more than download albums. They attend shows, buy t-shirts, purchase their favorite records on vinyl, turn their friends onto what they like, get in flamewars about bands on messageboards, and yes, often blog about them. CD sales are only part of the big picture.

Does that sound too grass-roots to you? Are you wary of music without major corporate backing? Then check out Rcrdlbl, which has harnessed the power of corporate youth-lust for the noblest of purposes. Part label, part mp3 blog, this site offers free, well-curated mp3s of both in-house bands and artists from other labels. Rcrdlbl relies on the appeal of its product to attract (young, hip) traffic, which in turn attracts advertisers eager to place their name next to something cool in the hopes that people gleeful over the free album they’re downloading will form some sort of positive association in their heads, heretofore looking upon their brand favorably. It seems to be working on my own porous brain… after several hours of pillaging Rcrdlbl, the Cold War Kids’ "Hang Me Up to Dry" now awakens in me the sudden, violent urge to own a Lexus. (Sponsors be wary, though: whenever I hear any band that played McCarren Pool last summer, I have the sudden, violent urge to vomit Dewars and Redbull all over my shoes.)

These are only a few of the 80 dillion ways artists and labels both large and small have been using the internet to suit their individual needs and those of their fans. More free downloads can be found on mp3 blogs like Gorilla vs. Bear, Stereogum, and appropriately-named mp3 blog-aggregator The Hype Machine. With the plethora of new platforms in existence, soon greedy, artist-gouging majors will be a thing of the past, and former executives will be reduced to busking in the streets for change. A girl can dream, anyway.

And how was the Summercase on Saturday???

I can't tell you the 100% of it because I drank too much. Nah, it's never too much.

I arrived at the end of "Shout Out Louds", so I can't tell you anything about them.

First band I really saw was "Los Campesinos!". With a name like this they could be Spanish, but they aren't.



The singer is an angry version of Daniel the Menace and Macaulay Culkin, really crazy on stage and funny. 2 Guitarists + drummer + 3 hot girls, a blond with the bass, red haired with the sweetest voice ever and xylophone and a brunette with a viola = REALLY fun. They had a really good time playing.

Biffy Clyro was playing later in that scenario, so I didn't move because I wanted to see them really close, my friends left to see Kings of Leon and I stayed. It was totally worth it.



Have you seen that effect? I love it. And I love that double speed he does while playing. Awesome concert, without a doubt


This is my fave song by them until today. Don't they remind you of the Foo Fighters?

So it ended and I went to find my friends and drink something. The guy who was selling the tickets for drinks gave me 2 instead of 1 because he said I was beautiful. And that's where the drunkenness starts.

Next thing I remember was the Sex Pistols. Johnny Rotten looked more like a Krusty Rotten. Did it sound good? Well yes... there's lots of money involved, and Sex Pistols is not hard to play. But the staging was terrible. We know you are super punk Mr Rotten. But hey, can you stop making that same face that you used to do when you were younger? It has rained a lot since that you know? And no need to spit or to spit with your nose every time a song ends. It looks repetitive and, let's say, staged. (no video deserved)

Yes, I went for another drink. Drink and forget.

(Insert forgot space in time here)

Last thing I remember was dancing like crazy with a dj playing and getting home by almost 7 am.

I loved it!

MUAH!!