Saturday, March 31, 2007
Your Scene Sucks.
You snicker when you see them at Urban Outfitters and American Apparel, you speed up your "just browsing" when you see them at the thrift store, you grudgingly accept their presence at vegetarian restaurants, and above all else, you feel curmudgeonly and confused when they're at the same shows as you.
It's the cycle of life. The wheel of hipster dharma. The not-so-sad realization that you can't relate to these spry little douche piles, which in turn leads to the painful, ironically adult realization that they're the ones that will have to save (or not save) your bitter, wrinkled ass in the next 30-40 years, since by then your parents' generation will have long since bankrupted Social Security.
But there's a way out of this.
I propose we pool the oldster resources of our slightly gainful employment and develop cell phones that are powered by the kinetic energy generated by text messaging and mobile web navigation, and by the absorption of thermal energy from grubby little scenster hands.
The phones, of course, will connected only to a virtual internet inside Second Life. If you stop typing, your phone dies and you lose all of your (virtual) virtual assets like Myspace booty calls and Flickr accounts. Excess power generated by the phones will be sold back to the grid. Web 3.0: The Matrix, bitch.
All proceeds will then be invested in a blanket IRA account for anyone that's ever owned a Ned's Atomic Dustbin album.
www.yourscenesucks.com
Friday, March 30, 2007
WB Brings Reaping Marketing Push To New Level With Real Life Plagues
Warner's marketing department, smitten with the power of achieving one miracle promoting the release from the increasingly choosy actress Hilary Swank announced that next week Century City can expect their water supply to turn to blood unless the film opens to at least 30 million.
LIVE: Brush Fire Burns In Hollywood Hills
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Datarock Says Party Like It's 1993
currently rocking Europe has brought back the 90's in all of its day-glo glory and one of the bands getting NME love along with the Klaxons and Shitdisco right now is the Norweigian band Datarock. They played the increasingly cool club Safari Sam's on Tuesday to a crowd, putting on a fantastic set full of dance-worthy tunes from their self titled album.
They're playing a sold out show with Scanners tonight at Spaceland, there are still a few tickets for sale at the door so be sure to get there early. The tour continues on for a few more dates, with more to be announced.
28.03, USA, Los Angeles, Spaceland
29.03, USA, San Francisco, Mezzanine
30.03, USA, Philadelphia, Pure
31.03, USA, Brooklyn, Studio B
Fa-Fa-Fa
Computer Camp Love
Datarock - official site
www.myspace.com/datarock
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
IAMASUCKER4GUYSWHODNTEATNWEARMAKEUP
There are times when we need to be sold on a band...other times those of us with say, David Bowie fetishes and an extensive collection of Anais Nin books are simply won over without question by any artist who manages to combine good looks with a lack of nutrition, sexual ambiguity, a British accent and a few synths. And today's winner is IAMX AKA Chris Corner, formerly of the Sneaker Pimps.
Is his music great? Yes. Is that the main point. Nope. The point is Corner is the kind of guy/thing/creature who makes us want to do bad things to electrical objects. Well, not really, because then we'd electrocute ourselves - but what we mean is...it doesn't matter...he's just hot. And if we were younger and not concerned about things like "ethics" or "the clap", we would certainly make an effort to star fluff him.
In the meantime, we'll just stare at Corner and imagine what it feels like to be the razor that shaves his chest. Here are some photos from the L.A. show on 3/26 at Safari Sam's. Fans were crazy, we were drunk, it was fab. Ps. you can see Bill Gates ghost in the blue picture. Yeah, he's that good.
America's Favorite Aging Alternative Icon Returns.
The new season of the Henry Rollins Show on IFC kicks off on 4/13.
Guest interviews will include Marilyn Manson, Iggy Pop, John Waters, and Ben Stiller in addition to musical performances by Iggy & The Stooges, Mars Volta, Ryan Adams, Placebo, and Peaches.
Rollins fanboys should also set their DVR's for the 4/13 airing of Henry Rollins: Uncut From Israel on IFC, which will document two nights of spoken word in Tel Aviv.
Hank will also be involved in a "cultural commentary performance" with actress/comedian Janeane Garofalo entitled It's Not A Play And There's No Music. I think they might talk about George Bush.
The show will run for six nights at New York's Gramercy Theatre (April 10-15) and at Los Angeles' Silent Movie Theatre (April 24-29).
You like how I just gave up on trying to marginally reword the NME article at the end there?
http://www.nme.com/news/iggy-and-the-stooges/27389
"The Point Here Timmy...
and then the dinosaurs ate everyone.
And also, contrary to popular belief,
people who drive Fords apparently
do have a sense of humor."
Man, are we good at educating, or what?!
Check out that sweet, succinct critical pedagogy...
Chomsky, watch out...
Prada Tastefully Tells iPhone To Suck It
Realizing that there are some phone shoppers that may need something-a-little-less-Scarfacey, Prada announced that they will be gracing the mobile market with a new, completely unrelated to the iPhone, sleek device.
Retailing for between $400 and $500, the phone will hit the US market later this year. At least this phone will make for a nicer-looking snack after a few drinks.
The PRADA phone by LG
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Hot Hot Heat post new track on Myspace.
What worse fate could there be than to toil in a band forever chasing that elusive post-ironic, pseudo-indie crossover dance hit?
Perhaps being in said band, fronted by a guy with quite possibly the most infuriating white boy afro this side of Wolfmother?
Now that's some fucking whack ass 2002 shit. Here's how the white boy afro is done in '07. Take notes.
http://www.myspace.com/hothotheat
http://www.myspace.com/wolfmother
http://www.myspace.com/mikamyspace
http://www.supercuts.com
Motorola to introduce the iPhone's slutty friend.
Hoping to capitalize on some of the pent up sexual frustration of all you iPhone lusting geek chics, Motorola could introduce the hotter, cheaper, less sophisticated, and more er... available LAZR as soon as next week.
Just imagine how foxy you'll look nonchalantly chatting on one of these while rubbing your thighs together at the clinic. RAWR.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/24/the-motorola-lazr/
The Offline Guitar Archive
In an effort to spite aspiring musicians that can't learn things by ear, the National Music Publishers Association has served up a cease and desist letter to the user-generated guitar tab repository, OLGA.
People that spend hours butchering Metallica solos at Guitar Center are bummed.
http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/03/music_publisher.html
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
B@mbi Like You've Never Seen Her Before!!!
Which means we're not "asserting" anything,
we're just "juxtaposing"
which is like
"totally legal"
as opposed to
"barely legal."
Thursday, March 15, 2007
I Am Not In Austin
Sellin' Out...
Now would someone please tell me what the electro track playing on the new Cadillac Escalade is?
Thanks, mgmt.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Jake Gyllenhaal to Prove His Manly Hetrosexuality In New Spandex-Intensive Role
Gyllenhaal will finally have a chance to put behind him the Lance Armstrong-loving, baby-hating, drag-wearing image that he's spent the last few years developing and find that tough guy that he's been looking for.
This takes us all one step closer to seeing Jake swooping in to save his Katie Holmes-annihilating sister in some on screen magic that would elicit a mix of wonder and "Aww.." from an audience blown away by just how darn cute those Gyllenhaal kids are.
Unicorns Get D.U.I.s Too
Monday, March 12, 2007
Love Of Diagrams Prep New Album, Tour With Ted Leo
Tourdates (all shows w/ Ted Leo And The Pharmacists):
03-28 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
03-29 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
03-30 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
03-31 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
04-01 Orlando, FL - Social
04-02 Miami, FL - Studio A
04-04 Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea's Cafe
04-05 Houston, TX - Numbers
04-06 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Ballroom
04-07 Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
04-09 Tempe, AZ - Clubhouse
04-10 San Diego, CA - Epicentre
04-12 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
04-13 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
04-14 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
04-16 Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
04-17 Seattle, WA - Showbox Showroom
04-18 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
04-20 Boise, ID - Venue
04-21 Salt Lake City, UT - Club Sound at In the Venue
04-22 Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre
04-23 Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
04-25 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04-26 Madison, WI - Club 770
04-27 Iowa City, IA - Picador
04-28 Chicago, IL - Metro
04-30 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
05-02 Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club
05-03 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa
05-04 Boston, MA - Avalon
05-05 New York, NY - Webster Hall
Listen: Love Of Diagrams - "The Pyramid" (from their forthcoming album Mosaic)
http://www.loveofdiagrams.com (Official Site)
http://www.myspace.com/LoveOfDiagrams (Myspace)
Matador Records
Black Sheep Moan
Following in the great tradition of films from New Zealand, the New Zealand Film Commission is going to take the zombie film in a direction that had only previously been suggested by British scientists with the release of Black Sheep.
From the movie's synopsis: "On a vast New Zealand sheep station, a reckless genetic engineering experiment goes horribly wrong, turning sheep into bloodthirsty killers." This may not seem especially scary in parts of the world such as Los Angeles where sheep per capita is relatively low, but in places like New Zealand, where sheep outnumber people 12 to 1, or in sheep-baiting vehicles parked at the drive-in, it's a real cause for fear. The synopsis didn't mention if a zombified Chris Farley ends up as delicious sheep fodder in the flick.
Check out the trailer for all the fuzzy frights.
Black Sheep - trailer
Black Sheep - official websiteFriday, March 9, 2007
SXSWould You Pls Stop Emailing Me
Also, you're probably reeeeeeallly annoyed by now as you get your 5,000th p.r. email detailing what crappy bands are playing which crappy showcase. It almost makes you want to set your email to autorespond with: I'M NOT GOING OK?
Keeping that in mind, our own Bryan IS actually going (and a total sell-out) and will be posting later on re. our official Stereofork activities at SXXXSW.
Dudes, We Are So L337
Now give me a trillion dollars."
1f ur a web g33k, u'll f1nd th1s h1lar:
web 2.0 generator
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Average attention span of Italian GNR fans? 13 Years.
Italian GNR fan site, www.gnronline.it, is shutting down in protest of Chinese Democracy not being released on March 6th as previously promised by Axl Rose, citing a "lack of respect, clearness, and mutual loyalty."
However, teaching Axl such a hard, albeit well deserved lesson comes with a steep price. The "community of 3500 users who have been maintaining daily relationships and friendship through this website for many years" will now have to seek refuge on the hundreds of other GNR fan sites on the web.
But more interestingly, are these guys all just hanging out pissing on a wall or what?
http://www.nme.com/news/guns-n-roses/26931
Menudo: Parte Dos: Mas Tripa, Menos Musica
I'm sorry. I can get down with Maná or whatever...but Menudo? It's a soup with parts of cow or pig that most people normally don't like to eat (except my dad...and this guy).
Who started that discussion y'know?*
I can see it now...cue dream sequence...
Drunk underaged teenage guy: Oye hermanos, tengo un idea gran por un nombre de banda...
MENUDO. Entiende? Es como sopa pero...es sexy tambien.
No, it's not sexy. Not sexy at all.
Anyhow, long story short, MTV thinks it is and is launching a search for the next Menudo. I like the part that says that participants have to be 15 and "appear to be less than 19." I'm sure that'll get interesting.
*Ok, actually one of the dude's sisters did but I like my version better: "At the group's second rehearsal Díaz's sister entered the driveway of the house the group was rehearsing at, and puzzled by finding five young boys dancing and singing in the garage, she loudly exclaimed: '¡Qué mucho menudo hay aqui!' ('What a lot of young folk we have here!'); the phrase stuck, and the group was thus named Menudo."
**My friend Jimmy adds that if you combine the stories then you could get something like "Young boy soup." Well, well, Ricky Martin...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070308/music_nm/menudo_dc
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
New iTunes 7.1 Features Full Screen CoverFlow
iTunes
New Uffie Track - "Dismissed"
Dismissed
*from her earlier Hot Chick ep here a few more
US Government Condemns Real Country's Former Actions Against Fake Person From Different Country
The long standing oppression of Borat by the Kazakh government will not be unavenged by the US, who have vowed that they will not stop until every single Kazakhstani man, woman, and child has heard "Very nice!" screamed by a drunken frat boy at least 200 times, bringing them up to the level of first-world Borat over saturation.
Borat seen as human rights victim by U.S. government
It's Just A Flesh Wound
Listen: Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"
Aesop Rock (Definitive Jux)
http://www.myspace.com/aesoprockwins (Myspace)
Guess You're Stuck With Hearing Common People On Your iPod
Here's your dreams for a Pulp reunion. Here's Jarvis Cocker smashing those dreams into a million pieces or...making a catchy statement for rhetorical effect just so NME will cover it. Here's me having his babies anyway. Don't hate.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Cold Case Files: The Big Bopper
The remains of the Big Bopper were recently exhumed and an autposy performed to dispel the rumor that he had actually survived the plane crash and died looking for help.
Jay Richardson, aka Big Bopper Jr., was on-site and not only watched forensic anthropologist, Dr. Bill Bass, open the coffin, but subsequently observed his examination. "Dad still amazes me 48 years after his death, that he was in remarkable shape," Richardson said. Um... Creepy?
Said Bass, "There are fractures from head to toe. Massive fractures. (He) died immediately. He didn't crawl away. He didn't walk away from the plane."
Now, I'm no expert, but do you think anyone could have walked away from this?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070307/ap_en_mu/big_bopper_autopsy
Jarvis and Beth Ditto at the NME awards.
Cursive premieres "Big Bang" video.
Aging indie rockers are stoked. Oh, er... And I'm stoked too.
http://www.spinner.com/2007/03/06/video-premiere-cursive-big-bang/
Catch Cursive with Mastodon, Against Me!, and lots of goatees, facial piercings, and body odor in the perhaps the strangest tour of the spring:
May 1 - Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern LG
May 2 - San Francisco, CA @ Warfield
May 4 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Ballroom
May 5 - Seattle, WA @ The Fenix
May 6 - Boise, ID @ Big Easy
May 8 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
May 11 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Myth
May 12 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
May 13 - Detroit, MI @ State Theatre
May 14 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
May 15 - Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus
May 17 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
May 18 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
May 19 - Boston, MA @ Avalon
May 21 - Columbus, OH @ Lifestyles Pavilion
May 22 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s
May 23 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
May 25 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
May 26 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Voxtrot To Release Full Length, Tour US
Catch them if you can:
03/12 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
03/14 - Austin, TX - SXSW (inside Emos)
03/15 - Austin, TX - SXSW (outside Emos)
03/22 - Mexico City - Pasaguero
05/25 - Austin, TX - Emos
05/27 - Phoenix, AZ - Anderson's Fifth Estate
05/29 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey
05/30 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
06/01 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
06/02 - Seattle, WA - Crocodile
06/05 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
06/06 - Grand Rapids, MI - Intersection
06/07 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
06/08 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dees
06/09 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
06/10 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
06/11 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
06/12 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
06/13 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
06/14 - Boston, MA - Middle East
06/15 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
06/16 - Philadelphia, PA - Pure (Making Time)
Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives
Massive Mothers (mashup) - mashup of above song with Teardrop, amazing!
Monday, March 5, 2007
Fountains of Wayne aren't ones to mess with semi-success.
Denise, Stacy's Mom, and now... Yolanda Hayes?
The unholy trinity of almost charming singles with women's names in the title is finally complete.
RIAA bitch slaps internet radio.
According to a recent decision by the US Copyright Royalty Board, webcast royalty rates will increase by 37.5% in 2007 and there will also be a $500 per station minimum fee.
So what does this mean?
Essentially, say goodbye to Pandora, Radio Paradise, Live 365, and pretty much any other internet radio station operating in the US.
But all is not lost. Last.fm is UK based, so they'll still be more than happy to host your shitty internet radio feed that nobody listens to. Cheerio.
http://www.kurthanson.com/archive/news/030207/index.shtml
Make My "Volta" A Venti, Please
"Because I'd done two or three projects in a row that were quite serious, maybe I just needed to get that out of my system or something. So all I wanted to do for this album was just to have fun and do something that was full-bodied and really up."
Maybe if we stop taking her seriously (as she is imploring us to do), it'll all make sense. Until then, one can only imagine that "Volta" will be the perfect morning compliment to a cruller and a copy of the New York Times.
Bjork
Geico Abandons Insurance Altogether For Shot At Small Screen
It will show the cavemen living in Atlanta, dealing with normal everyday problems like holding a job, figuring out relationships, and trying to follow the dialogue of Studio 60.
Variety
Hey Choir, Check Out This Sweet Sermon
Sunday, March 4, 2007
NAACP Gives Award To White Guy Who Isn't Bill Clinton
Ps. How stoked is Arnold Schwarzenegger that Bono ain't an U.S. citizen. I mean, for reals. The guy lobbies, minorities (do we still use that term?) like him, he's got an intelligible accent, a relevant music career, no apparent sex scandals and a line of clothes at the Gap. The guy is more wholesome than the whole Christian coalition AND he's partied with Prince.
Simply magical.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Subliminal Posting
The Blow
Mar 2 2007 8:00P Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, New York
Mar 3 2007 8:30P Fordham University Bronx, New York
Mar 5 2007 10:00P Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts
Mar 6 2007 7:30P Alumnae Ballroom Wellesley, Massachusetts
Mar 7 2007 7:00P NYU - Shorin Auditorium New York, New York
Mar 8 2007 10:00P Haverford College - Lunt Haverford, Pennsylvania
Mar 9 2007 7:30P First Unitarian Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Jealous Girlfriends
The band defines their sound as "Elmo-Porn Yatch Rock", which comes across in their songs as a type of genre-crossing shoegazing rock that endears and sticks with you. Fans of Matt Pond PA and the Rosebuds should take note of this band.
You can find their first EP on CD Baby and their new full length via paypal. They have a new 7" coming out via these are not records which can be purchased through either their website or at their upcoming shows.
4/11 Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY
4/14 Maxwells, Hoboken, NJ
4/20 Glasslands, Brooklyn, NY
5/2 Mercury Lounge, NYC, NY
5/16 The Khyber, Philadelphia, PA
The Pink Wig To My Salieri
Hyrogliphics
The Jealous Girlfriends
The Jealous Girlfriends MySpace
Pearl Jam invents time machine.
First stop for these intrepid time travellers? Lollapalooza, 1992.
Clad in his 14-hole Doc Martens, cut-off jean shorts, thermals, and flannel shirt "time suit," Eddie Vedder proclaimed at a press conference yesterday, "After millions of dollars in funding and countless sleepless nights, we're finally ready to go back and make things right. For us."
"The notions of temporal paradox and the uncontrollable spawning of alternate realities ripping the fabric of the space-time continuum was definitely a concern, but we've already sent the Counting Crows back to Woodstock '94 and all signs are positive." Added a noticeably giddy Jeff Ament.
The band declined to comment on whether or not their monumental breakthrough would ever help them make a decent follow up to Ten.
http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/music/archives/112229.asp
Just Like My Little Pony...Minus The Pony
We'd add more info. from their website except we can't read Chinese so just check out this track and go look at how cute they are.
Recommended track: Victor, Fly Me To Stafford
My Little Airport
iPod coverflow update coming soon?
Wasn't even close, actually.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
We're not calling it a comeback.
Even after releasing a capitulatory Greatest Hit album last year, it seems that somebody thought for some reason that the Jamiroquai guy was, like, an active musician or something and that he was going to retire, but, like, he's really not on either count or something.
It's like the walls are falling in my mind. And the couches are moving, and there's a crow on the ceiling and bugs on the floor.
It's like things are big that should be small. I can't see. I can't breathe. It’s a crazy world we’re living in.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/launch/20070301/en_launch/40342145
Samuel Jackson Breaks Stereotype By Making No Effort To Defeat Snakes In New Film
New White Stripes album in the can, as it were.
At first blush I thought it was going to be called Icky Lump. I'm sure I'm not alone in my disappointment upon reading it correctly. But I digress...
http://www.whitestripes.com/lo-fi/news.html
Check out this highly informative video preview, too:
Lazy Journalist Inserts Cheeky Drug Reference Headline Here
Anyhow listen, Placebo's new album Meds is stellar (it features duets with Alison from the Kills and Michael Stipe from you know what) and it's been grossly overlooked here in the States. Listen to tracks and their brill take on Kate Bush's classic "Running Up That Hill": here. Trust us.
As for the tour, here are the dates where you can expect to see me, Ryan and a bunch of 17-year-old girls in the front row ready to offer Brian Molko, Stef Olsdal and Steve Hewitt our virginity* and eyeliner.
PLACEBO TOUR DATES, SPRING 2007
Fri Apr 6 Roxy Boston, MA
Sat Apr 7 Metropolis Montreal, QC
Mon Apr 9 Guvernment Toronto, ON
Tue Apr 10 Theater of the Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
Wed Apr 11 Roseland New York, NY
Fri Apr 13 House of Blues Chicago, IL
Wed Apr 14 Beaumont Club Kansas City, MO
Sun Apr 15 Pizza Hut Park Frisco, TX
Wed Apr 18 Fillmore Denver, CO
Sat Apr 21 The Fenix Seattle, WA
Sun Apr 22 Roseland Portland, OR
Mon Apr 23 Fillmore San Francisco, CA
Thu Apr 26 House of Blues Las Vegas, NV
Fri Apr 27 Marquee Theater Tempe, AZ
Sun Apr 29 Empire Polo Field Indio, CA
*That should just say my virginity, Ryan's kind of a ho.
Underrated Goodness
A.) We read so much $#!t on 30 Rock that when we actually bothered to watch the show and discovered it is quote "rad" - we wanted to impale bloggers. Now that we're bloggers, we can simply impale ourselves and encourage you to check out the show. Oh, and look, we have no advertisers so you know this is legit.
B.) The Gray Kid's song "Oh My" will be featured on tonight's episode and his rhymes are sweet like cotton candy. Plus, he's deft at double fisting and flexing biceps which is always a key trait in artists we endorse.
Thanks,
Mgmt.