So the Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem have been confirmed to play a Red Rocks show seriously 2 days after the Monolith Music Fest. That is going to be one hell of an extended weekend. Do I even need to say I've all ready got tickets? Anyway, because of this incredible development, I will now host a live set by each of these groups.
The Arcade Fire have somehow become living legends. I don't know if it's because they rarely play shows (anymore), or that when they do play, it's in venues that hold about 30 people, or, simply, because their music is radically spectacular. My money's on the latter.
If you don't know about them yet, you've all ready missed out. Here's a refresher course for those of you not willing to accept that you've missed out. But now, onward and upward. Here is a fairly recent live set from our Neon Bible-toting boys and girls in black, white and red all over:
Band: The Arcade Fire Date:2007-01-20 Venue: The St. Michael's Church (Secret Gig), Montreal, Canada
(btw, I'm using mediafire for the time being, so left click of the files, the d/l from that page :) )
This live set is actually the first thing I ever heard by LCD Soundsystem, and was, thusly, rather disappointed with the group's studio recordings. There is so much energy and life in this recording that it feels as though LCD Soundsystem is playing at my house ... my house. This is what I consider the "best of" by LCD, even if it doesn't have their best studio stuff. Whatev, you get what I'm saying, enough jibber-jabber, on with the you know:
That is a map that my buddy Tom Wallingford made of all the artists on anticon. records, just to clear up any confusion. I recommend clicking on the image to see it at it's full power (mostly because when scaled down, you can't see a damn thing). Anyway, that was related to the last blog, now, on to the new one:
Mmmm, that sad, soothing, gorgeous Great Lake Swimmers sound, I can hardly get enough.
I saw Great Lake Swimmers last week at the local pool (i.e. the Hi-Dive [which, is actually not a pool at all]), and I might just have to say that I had a damn good time. Opening for them was a dude named Jason, who, to my knowledge, has not released any form of his music, or really even named his project. This, however, doesn't mean he wasn't a splendid opener. His music reminded me of the saddest of sad Radiohead songs drawn out to the point of no return. This boy could wail from a soul more troubled than good ol' Thom. I wish I would have found out more about this guy, but, alas. No worries though, a talent like this is sure to surface again.
After Jason finished up (in place of Porlolo I might add [I was rather looking forward to seeing Porlolo again]), Horse Feathers formed on stage and proceeded to woo the audience. 3 members were they, and quite the power trio they were. Justin taking up the mic and his guitar, Peter his violin, banjo, mandolin, saw, and make-shift drum set, and Heather her cello and celeste. The general arrangements sounded like, well, just that (classical arrangements that is) (thanks mostly to the violin and the cello). Then the three hunkered down and got all sorts of folky on us, which was welcomed by the friendly crowd. Lots of spunk, energy, and fun ... Horse Feathers ... what more can I say?
The 4 memebers of Great Lake Swimmers gracefully scurried their way onto the stage, and into our hearts (man that was cheesy). Really I can't say much more about them than that, and, of course, what their music says about them. So, listen up:
That video above was made by Ravi Zupa. The song was Rubber Traits by Why?.
I recently ran into a guy (Ravi Zupa) who was wearing an anticon. shirt, so I told him it was awesome, because, well, it was. He went on to inform me that he makes music videos for them (or, at least, has made at least 6 videos for a few of the artists signed to anticon.) [check his other stuff out either at his website, or on his (presumably) youtube account. it's well worth it]. This comes at a pretty pertinent time for me, as I've recently been getting really into the anticon. artists again.
The anticon. artists are, really, just one big orgy of musicians who constantly collaborate. My theory is that they simply like to title things, so they create as many side projects as possible so they can. I don't even want to attempt to help people understand the web they've woven. Check out the Wiki for that. For some awesome music by a few of my favorite anticon. artists:
Quite possibly the best thing to happen to the internet, RagTag Films, has offered your humble blogger an interview (via internet [because they live in NY, and I in CO]) regarding the best damn TV show not on TV, We Need Girlfriends (see the bottom of this blog for videos) We Need Girlfriends follows three best friends, fresh from college, entering into a whole new learning environment: dating in the city, after college, in the YouTube/Myspace era. Sound familiar? It ought to. It's pretty much the most relevant comedy today. They're 8 episodes in, with a few holiday specials, and going strong. I had a few concerns and questions, so I figured I'd just ask :). These guys were super awesome to offer the interview in the first place, and they got back to me really quick, so, without further ado, here it is:
LUKE HUNTER: Steven, Brian, and Angel, how are you prepared to respond to the possible drop in viewers after an excessive period of seeing the characters go through multiple attempts at courting and dating which ends in failure? It's just my assumption that this is where the show is going, but I may be entirely wrong. If that isn't the plan, are you clever folks willing to divulge any information on the fates of the poor boys? Will they ever find "the one?" :)
STEVEN TSAPELAS: Geez, do you know something we don't? I'm honestly not anticipating a drop in viewers. And actually with each subsequent episode, the hits on our website get larger and larger, so I hope that trend continues. I think the audience genuinely likes the characters and that they are willing to stick with them through their trials and tribulations because A) they're funny guys and B) we're rooting for them. Through the course of the series, there will be ups and downs, the characters will fail and occasionally succeed. However, they can't have too much success because then the show wouldn't be "We Need Girlfriends" it would be "We Have Girlfriends," and where's the fun in that?
BRIAN AMYOT: I agree with Steven, I don’t anticipate a drop in viewers for very similar reasons. I think people have become invested in these characters and they want to watch them, whether they succeed or fail, or both. I also find much of the failure very funny, and I hope the audience does. I tune into “The Office” every week knowing that Michael Scott will do something stupid, I’m not expecting him to get any smarter. Also, I think people will enjoy the way the series progresses, we have a lot more in store for these characters and its going to be exciting to see where life leads them.
ANGEL ACEVEDO: I agree with Brian who agrees with Steven. Obviously the show is about guys looking for new girlfriends, that's the drive of the show, that's their goal. And if they reach their goal there wouldn't be a show. So we have to cleverly write stories that see the characters closely reaching their goal of finding new girlfriends. But to keep the excitement and fun of the show, we can't make it too easy for them. It would be like if in LOST they got off the island the first season.
S: In the way of spoilers, I will say this: In Episode 9, someone will finally have sex. I'm not saying who.
LH: Steven, as the writer, I'm curious about how much of this show is based on real-life events and people. How much of this show comes from personal experience, and how much is pure fiction?
S: The three characters are based on us and our personality traits. Some of the the things they do are from our lives. For instance, we spend a lot of time on MySpace, we play psych out rules during game night, and we've been using the term "squirrel" and "scamming on squirrel" for years. Obviously, things are mashed together and dramatized, but I think the real core of the show is things we find funny about each other. The point is to make each other laugh while being honest about ourselves and our lives.
LH: Brian and Angel, what equipment and programs you guys use to shoot and edit? Who mixes the music, and, for that matter, who is in charge of tracking down the tunes you guys use?
B: We shoot on MiniDV on the Panasonic DVX100A. We edit on a PC using Avid Xpress Pro. I typically have edited the sound/music for every episode, I do the mix on Avid. All three of us have tracked down the music. MySpace has been instrumental (no pun intended) in finding music. We posted a bulletin on MySpace as well as other sites for people to submit music. We received many submissions, and as the show got viewed more, more people submitted because they want their music featured. It has been beneficial for both sides because we get great music in our show, and the musicians get more exposure. Steve, Angel, and I will sort through our submissions and search for new artists to find what will work best for the show.
LH: Steven, Brian, and Angel, I'm sure that what everyone really, truly wants to know ... is whose team are you on?
S: Team Ragtag!
B: TEAM WNG!
A: Team Rod!
Thanks guy, you rock :).
Episode 9 is out on July 1st. Personally, I couldn't be more excited. If you're interested in watching this show, head on over to their website, their myspace, or their YouTube account. To save a little time, here are trailers for the first and second half of their ... "season" I suppose:
It's come to my attention that there have been some new additions and subtractions from this list. I'll have updates with new mp3's and links when I find out there have been changes. As far as subtractions, I'm not certain on any of them yet, but here are some new additions to the line up:
(note: none of these mp3's are in the .rar'd collection posted above)
That's a fan-made music video set to the music of The Moldy Peaches. Much like the lyrics of the Moldy Peaches, Kimya Dawson's solo material is often laden with surprising vocabulary, which is a fancy way of saying "I wouldn't expect, from the sound of her music, that she would say the word 'fuck.'"
Kimya got her start in the music biz, to my knowledge, by performing with her male counter part Adam Green (the musician, not the panda bear) in their justforfun band The Moldy Peaches, which, despite contemporary music critics, was a great band. They make me smile and dance. Here they are making you smile and dance:
Sometime shortly after the release of the Moldy Peaches LP and a whole heck of a lot of touring, Kimya and Adam both decided to do their own solo stuff. Then, shortly after she started her solo stuff, she got pregnant. But, like the trooper she is, she still performed, making her performances even more adorable and heart warming.
That last one was kinda short, so here's another one. A Pre-Pregnancy Live Set: Band: Kimya Dawson Date: 2005-05-19 Venue: The Bike Barn (not this Bike Barn, but one in MA I think. Though I don't really know)
This is the LAST AND FINAL installment of the my Metalocalypse series, which is going to have all of the Metalocalypse series from where I left off until the end, because I'm sick of doing it ... :) the New Season starts September 17, 2007, season 1 is released October 2, 2007, and DETHALBUM will be released Sept. 25, 2007 :)
"If I just stand here, and act like nothings going on ... then I can't possibly get in trouble for this..." (pic by Jonpaul Douglass)(stupid quote by me)
You might ask yourself, "another Jonpaul Douglass photo? How peculiar..." Well I'm putting another one up because in the last blog I made reference to the fact that that Douglass picture reminded me of country livin', which reminded me of two artists, one being Jandek, and the other I left in the air. Well now's the time to reveal the other person: why it's Sufjan Stevens!
I didn't really fall in love with Sufjan until I heard this live set (that I'll be providing at the bottom). I felt like he was, at best, all right. Then I heard how much soul he puts into his songs (song which I'd actually yet to hear truthfully) and I was hooked. I searched short and soft to find what CD the songs he performed were on, discovered it was Illinoise, then promptly scooped it up, and fell in love with that as well. I listened to it over and over again, as I'm sure many other people did.
So, anyway, here it is, Love It:
Band: Sufjan Stevens Date: 2005-07-23 Venue: the Triple Door, Seattle, WA
This picture makes me think of country livin', which puts me in mind of two people (at the moment that is [and no, there's really no rhyme or reason to my thinking {as usual}]), the first being Jandek (the second will be in a blog in the near future).
Jandek, despite popular belief (ha, "popular." anyway...), is not a real person. There is a lot of mystery around the Jandek project, and a lot of it can be cleared up by simply going to the "About Jandek" section on his notorious fan site (ha, "notorious." I say these things as though 1 in 100 people have heard of Jandek). The basics one needs to know is that Jandek has recorded 1 or more albums every year since 1978, rarely missing a year, and didn't many any public appearances as Jandek (the performer) until 2004, and has since played about 20 shows, all of which sold out, despite many concerns that it could, each time, be a con (I am referring to Jandek as though he were a real person because it's just easier that way).
What does this Jandek sound like? Glad I asked. Here are a few of my favorite cuts (I put a bunch because there are like a billion Jandek songs):
I really don't think I'm a true Jandek enthusiast because, out of all seriousness, I think his stuff is so bad it's hilarious, and that's how it hooks me. I usually end up listening to Painted My Teeth 10 times before I can stop.
All MP3's hosted here are purely for promotional purposes. Buy music, see bands live, be cool like that.
If you'd like to submit something for me to write about, e-mail me at theeluke@gmail.com. I read every e-mail I get. I may not be able to respond to your e-mail. Please don't take offense.
(Photo by Elizabeth Weinberg)
