Side 45

Music news by Myra X var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-37660651-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[side45x]

Side 45 Has Moved

Same URL, separate page, you can access and re-follow it here: http://side45.tumblr.com

Posts, though now on the newer site, will remain here for reference.

[side45x]

Rhys Chatham Asks Guitarists to Jam in Richmond

On November 17 experimental post-punk icon and producer Rhys Chatham ('Reese Chattam,' if you're wondering) will be bringing his guitar army to Craneway Pavillion in Richmond, CA, for an evening called A Secret Rose for 100 Guitars

--and you're invited. to shred. "Calling All Electric Guitarists!" the Secret Rose team beckons in title format on their website. "[Music community] Other Minds Invites You Onstage to Perform." That is, you can apply to be a working artist who's one of 100 curating an epic wall of sound, mentored by the guy who kind of inspired Band of Susans,

From Rhys's Website: High on New York (1981), courtesy R.C. Road Crew. (l-r) Rhys Chatham, Tim Schellenbaum, Michael Brown, Karole Armitage, Joe Dizney You'll also probably get to show-for in front of an audience of thousands of people if not just the ten of your friends and relatives--a range in numbers that Chatham's used to manning. The premise behind Chatham's 100-guitar exercise in syncing-up is not unlike his G3 number, which was renamed from its original "Guitar Trio" title for its addition of a few more guitars and rhythm instruments. Arts organization The Lab on their website describes the makeup and historical importance that classic, monochromatic score, which has been in performance since 1977 and just happened in Richmond this June: "G3 is Rhys Chatham's signature composition, and with good reason. With a single, repeated chord, Chatham permanently altered the DNA of rock by splicing the gritty, overtone-drenched minimalism of John Cale and Tony Conrad with the elemental fury of the Ramones." Tonight's performance teams Rhys Chatham up with some of the best musicians in the Bay Area."

This time around, that accomplished musician could be you.

Scroll down to apply on Secret Rose's website via the embedded form, after considering a list of six rules, including "each guitarist must bring his or her own equipment for all rehearsals and performance," with specs like no acoustic guitars, and no hollow body electrics. And definitely leave vibrato or whammy bars at home next to your air guitar. Tune into KALX Sunday, June 16 at 9:00 pm to hear Chatham talk about the event with DJ Home Alone. And for further history on Chatham's guitar orchestras check out this Consequence of Sound retrospective, which covers his history in the No Wave scene a little further, and notes that he is the contemporary of avant garde composers like La Monte Young, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Glen Branca, and has commissioned artists like Tortoise and the members of Sonic Youth to play his "Guitar Trio" piece. "When you see a musician pick up a guitar onstage, nine times out of 10, you have a pretty good feeling as to what it’s going to wind up sounding like," writes Adam Kivel in the October 11 article. "[But] Rhys Chatham has something completely different to say when it comes to that six-stringed constant." Rhys Chatham, "Die Donnergötter" ("The Thunder Gods,") 1985:

[side45x]

Speedy Ortiz's 10-Ton Mixtape, Pending LP, and Current Tour

Photo by patthickey Hot off being awesome on last year's Sports, Speedy Ortiz let out a limited edition two-song 7-inch this April that wasn't as critical, but at under five minutes total, still served as a solid interlude between releases.

"Ka-Prow!" b/w "Hexxy" by Speedy Ortiz

It seemed. They slowed their stampede and drifted more into singer-songwriter territory (jangly Giant Drag-y), minimizing reelings/magnifying feelings with this month's single "No Below" in preface of their pending full-length Major Arcana, out July 9. Which means their best offering lately comes from a Soundcloud mixtape hosted by label Carpark Records, revealed just today--mixtape as in playlist of artists who've influenced the band (versus just building a hook over already established tracks). It might sound pretty nice on a Saturday evening with a couple of porched-out friends stirring beers while hairplay and sketches of concept drawings bond the throb of competitive-slash-friendly conversation. It's also a total nod to their locality. "It compiles a bunch of our favorite songwriters, bands and songs from Massachusetts (our state of origin)," said the band this afternoon.

Speedy Ortiz posted the mix link and set list on their Live Journal (really, except yeah why not), and it goes something sharp, guitar-heavy, fuzzy, and unaffected like this:

They don't forget to levy the grunge with variety like The Gutters' synth-textured, spoken-roboticist track called "Lobotomy," which urges masturbation and pants-pissing; Bell Biv Devoe's cluttered harmonious post-Chronic "Gangster;" and Morphine's floaty violin- and sax-tinged "I'm Free Now." 1. Deluxx Folk Implosion “Daddy Never Understood” 2. Swirlies “Pancake” 3. Big Bear “Song 16” 4. Come “Secret Number” 5. Heatmiser “Busted Lip” 6. Drop Nineteens “Winona” 7. Sneeze “Dark Elf” 8. Grass Is Green “Somebody’s Something” 9. Sebadoh “Punching Myself in the Face Repeatedly, Publicly” 10. The Gutters “Lobotomy” 11. Blake Babies “Girl in a Box” 12. Bell Biv Devoe “Gangsta” 13. Helium “Pat’s Trick” 14. The Cars “My Best Friend’s Girl” 15. Morphine “I’m Free Now” 16. Wicked Farleys “Fitchburg, MA” 17. The Barbarians “Moulty” 18. Cave In “Moral Eclipse” 19. Spore “Number One” 20. Jonathan Richman “Twilight in Boston”

Review the entire post for spot-on descriptions.

Notable cuts that missed the bill (from their we-love-you-too/afterthoughts list) are Pile's "Big Web," the always-good "Academy Fight Song" by Mission of Burma and Galaxie 500 jam "Fourth of July." Despite a recorded shift in direction, a good mixtape is telling of decent taste in all things and attention span, so initial impressions of said band's other latest stuff could benefit from a subsequent shift in listening context/perspective, you know, if you're snide sometimes. Speedy Ortiz are on tour around North America for the summer. They're unfortunately missing the Bay, hitting up San Diego's Soda Bar; a Colorado venue even farther away; and a coolly named but we don't care cuz it's not here bar in AZ instead.

[side45x]

To Watch For: Hausu - Total (Hardly Art, 2013)

Bearing the same name as a '77 Japanese terror movie, Portland rock quartet Hausu aren't all that scary (and relievingly their album cover isn't as blatantly startling as that poster). But they are worth freaking out about enough to mark your release date calendars for.

After finally signing to Hardly Art within a few years of songwriting for 5-track tapes and local gigging, their completed record will be available for public review and pleasure listening the 25th of this month.

Photo via Hasu's Facebook Hausu gives a pensive history of Total and an its sort-of manifesto on their label page: Our band was born between March 1991 and July 1992 but formed in 2010 while attending college in Portland. We started as many do, with a desire to write and play songs to and for our friends, evolving slowly, ever-mediated by our academic schedules. What Hardly Art will release this summer is a collection of songs written step-wise in Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles between March 2011 and January 2013, recorded at YU Contemporary in Portland by Dylan Wall.

Total then serves to document the evolution of our experience, to be understood in spite of and indebted to our time in school. Our tastes have changed and the emotions that informed earlier songs have faded into memory. In any case, music listening and playing has always remained crucial. As a result, our record is an assemblage of observations made by four different people collected in one place. Pop Reviews characterizes Total as "dense, complex and freaked out," a;so calling the "nervous and edgy record" post-slacker rock.

Think Sebadoh, Minutemen, Mudhoney.

Check the opening track, which Spin calls "a sweetly sour mix of Dischord-ant post-punk drive and vintage alt-rock gnarl (via Dinosaur Jr. et al.):

Hausu - Total track list: 1. Chrysanthemum 2. Leaning Mess 3. 1991 - 2091 4. Gardenia 5. Recovery 6. Tetsuo 7. John Codeine 8. Vasari Joust 9. Kool Off 10. Bleak A solid show to catch, they're playing the Bay Area's Hemlock Tavern July 7th. Browse their other North American tour dates on their website.

[side45x]

Kimya and Aesop's The Uncluded - Hokey Fright (2013, Rhymesayers)

Washington state songwriter Kimya Dawson's discernible twee voice and vulgar sense of humor has charmed listeners since the late 90s with her many, mainly acoustic singer-songwriter endeavors: as half of the Moldy Peaches' via self- and K Records releases, on lo-fi home-recorded solo efforts, and with her one-off children's record characteristically titled Alphabutt. Lately, sans Adam Green and Third Eye Blind, she's been creating under a project called The Uncluded with fellow alto and conscious rapper Aesop Rock. And even if you'd never read about their lightly promoted new album Hokey Fright, you'd guess the whispery, tuneless twang to be Dawson's as soon as it enters in the first eight seconds of anti-folk album opener "Kryptonite." And Aesop equally holds it down narrating the album's uneasy stories with his own recognizable, purposed bravado. Both sporting hoodies and Aesop Rock a week-old beard (Dawson in floral bandana), the pair sat down for a video interview with their label Rhymesayers to talk about the process of creating their April release, as well as how they got their name, and the noticeable carry of Kimya's vocal persuasion.

As the camera pans in, Rock pitches up his voice and closes his shoulders demurely to mimic Kimya's response to his praise for her music. "Cool," he says, poking fun at her in high-tone. "Thanks." "Keep in mind that I had just given birth or something," retorts Dawson, alluding to the time frame of their partnership. Though Dawson's child, Panda Delilah, was born over half a decade ago in 2006, she started collaborating with Rock only a little later after, releasing songs with him under the name Geniusis; Rock also played a Daytrotter session with her and guested on her 2011 solo Thunder Thighs.

Hokey Fright, a half-rapped, half-sung cohesive pack of moderately paced, informed and silly music, is their first full collection of songs together, finally out. And their band name has just as much meaning as the record's individual track subjects, which tell about natural disasters, the physical and mental pain of literal headaches, and losing yourself with the loss of someone else. In the Rhymesayers clip, Rock reads the definition of his inspired band tag from an art book of made-up definitions called Imaginationally, which is "alphabetical," Kimya notes. "Unclude," Rock announces, holding up the leftmost white page of the bright blue, hardback book for the camera's convenience.

"Keeping things you don't appreciate out of your life. Example. I drinked milk once and it made me sick. So for now on I will unclude milk from my diet like forever." Whatever the duo are hoping to edit from their life, the weighted pair's word selection "unclude" may subsequently be dubbed a bigger statement than curing your name from drive-by bathroom wall graffiti because Kevin O'Neil Is A Dead Boy sounds cool.

And as aforementioned, that thoughtful moniker choice trickles down to the album lyrics. 

In "Delicate Cycle," Aesop narrates a story about shipping out your own severed limbs and torso to friends who may need them as cathartic canvases for their impending skull drawings.

"Earthquake" strays Kimya from her kids-themed songs to recognize the detriment and reflective power of death. "Cuz his mother died the other day," she sings in layered vocals and a light instrumental backing chug, describing a three-year-old boy's sudden loss. "Her body's gone but her soul is here to stay." Kimya and Aesop aren't the only ones serious about what they're saying. Half the tracks labeled "explicit" on Spotify, fans are still enthusiastic about the writing. "Lyrically the best album of the year so far," said listener Jason McFarlane on the Youtube video for track seven of Hokey's "Jambi Cafe." An Uncluded enthusiast like McFarlane [if not just this site] might ultimately call Hokey Fright a dense record of beats, ideas, everyday stories and sometimes fun that reveal the glory and gory of life, and keep you interested with its details for more than a few listens. And the details may come from the variety of mediums used to create the record.

"The Uncluded's debut album," says their Rhymesayers page, "was recorded over the course of a year using a variety of locations and devices, from voice memo recorders to fleshed-out studios. Aesop and Kimya wrote, performed, and recorded the whole album." Yo La Tengo Drummer James McNew also adds drums to track two of sixteen, "Delicate Cycle." The Uncluded are currently on tour, mostly around the West Coast. 06.22.13 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's 06.23.13 Austin, TX Central Presbyterian Church 06.25.13 St. Louis, MO The Firebird 06.26.13 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar 06.28.13 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest (Harley Davidson Stage) 06.29.13 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon 06.30.13 Minneapolis, MN The Cedar Cultural Center 07.01.13 Des Moines, IA Wooly's 07.03.13 Omaha, NE Waiting Room 07.05.13 Denver, CO Marquis 07.06.13 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep 07.23.13 San Diego, CA Irenic 07.25.13 Los Angeles, CA First Unitarian Church 07.26.13 San Francisco, CA Slim's 07.29.13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom 07.30.13 Seattle, WA Neumos 07.31.13 Vancouver, BC Fortune Sound Club 08.02.13 Missoula, MT The Palace Lounge 08.03.13 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court Spotify's carrying the entire explicit album, and listen to the skittish, synth-driven "Tits Up" below (NSFW):

[side45x]

Wolf People Release New Video

Yesterday Jagjaguwar's most soulful sixties-inspired prog band (Renaissance jam band) Wolf People blogged a new video for "Empty Vessels" from their latest record Fain, released at the tail end of April.

The video was directed by London's Phillip Poole, whose resume includes a recorded conversation with John Cage, live film of Jarvis Cocker, and behind the scenes pieces for The Gossip. Jagjaguwar correspondent Katie explains Poole's inspiration for "Empty Vessels": "Inspired by the artwork for their Fain album, the video is a collage of live performance and album imagery. [Poole] created the video “as an abstract piece exploring the many layers and depths to the track, through a combination of unorthodox visuals and motion graphics.”"

And if the song (and album) sounds like a dreary storm, the lore surrounding the recording process may further explain Fain's washed-out overcast tone. "It rained constantly throughout the recording process," reads the Fain promo on the UK quartet's one-page, "and the house was so packed with gear and recording equipment the band were forced to sleep in tents and caravans parked outside." The band also released a handful of American show dates to supplement their European tour. Pay homage to Wolf People's creative process by lining up in advance with your tent at a venue near you (more dates TBA): 07/05/13 Paddock Wood, UK - Hop Farm Festival 07/27/13 Slaidburn , UK - Cloudspotting Festival 08/18/13 Skipton, UK - Beacons Festival @ Heslaker Farm 10/14/13 Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra 10/15/13 Montreal , Canada - Cabaret Mile End w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra 10/16/13 Toronto, Canada - Lee's Palace w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra 10/17/13 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick Lounge w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra 10/18/13 Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra 10/19/13 Pittsburgh, PA - Altar w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra 11/29/13 Camber Sands, UK - ATP ~ End of An Era Part 2 11/30/13 Camber Sands, UK - ATP ~ End of An Era Part 2 12/01/13 Camber Sands, UK - ATP ~ End of An Era Part 2 Also check out the full album on Spotify, or via Soundcloud below:

[side45x]

This Week's Bay Area Show: Parquet Courts @ The Rickshaw Stop

Parquet Courts playing Bunk Bar in Portland, Oregon, January 18, 2013. Photo credit: Darcy Dubose On Friday, June 7, "not from New York, but of it" Brooklynite-Texans Parquet Courts will be headlining for local acts Cocktails and Pang at the Rickshaw Stop, 9 p.m. A hardworking quartet forebearing alt-rock acts like Pavement, Lifter Puller, and Dismemberment Plan, Parquet Courts are fresh at the start of a U.S. tour for their 2012 debut LP, Light It Up Gold. They released the LP's second pressing at the start of the year in all black vinyl with a new center seal for "collector scum." "If you were lucky enough to get the first pressing note that it has gold labels," writes the band on their Wordpress, "and the 2nd pressing has a lovely baby blue center label." Check the tenth track from the record, "Stoned and Starving;" a non-romantic, two-chord foray into hanging out and in there:

Front guy Adam Savage and his brother Max (drums), guitarist Austin Brown and Sean Yeaton on bass will play through June to a stop in Buffalo, NY, before attending a string of overseas festivals like What We Do Is Secret Festival in Göteborg, and then seeing out the rest of the U.S. from July through September.

Parquet Courts at South by Southwest. Photo credit: KEXPLive

The band are big supporters of their tour and label-mates prompting, "buy this shit you fools," of stuff like Smart Alec Kid and Olympia's Naomi Punk. Return the favor/enjoy them this Friday or on any other of their many tour dates. They're also playing 1-2-3-4 Go! Records Sunday in Oakland.

[side45x]

Felt - "Penelope Tree"

[side45x]

Pitchfork Sells Out 3-Day Passes; Single-Day Tickets Left

Indie website Pitchfork announced today in an email to fans that 3-day passes to their annual music festival in Chicago's Union Park have disappeared due to people who listen to stuff and like to do things deciding that they want to go. At 10:22 a.m. on June 3rd, Pitchfork addressed the message to friends that "three-day passes to this summer’s festival just sold out." To compensate any sadness about possibly missing Bjork and Solange during the July 19-21st gig, Pitchfork reminded audiences that, "Single day tickets are available for $50 each, but going fast!"

Among the aforementioned artists, the full lineup includes bands like  M.I.A, Joanna Newsom, Wire, The Breeders playing Last Splash, Frankie Rose, Yo La Tengo, Woods, Parquet Courts, Savages, Lil B, Swans, Killer Mike, Low, Waxahatchee, METZ, Julia Holter, Tree, and "dozens more."

Pitchfork boasts the festival as an "independently run, three-day event" that is "one of the most inviting, reasonably priced and exciting weekends of music around." "In addition to its musical offerings, the Pitchfork Music Festival features a wide array of other activities. The fest not only supports local businesses and economy with its 50 individual vendors and specialty fairs, but also promotes the Chicago arts community as a whole to its 50,000 attendees of all ages from all over the world." Fans can purchase single-day passes via ticketweb, and in the meantime waste more time at work browsing soon-to-be-launched The Dissolve, their new movie review site.

[side45x]

Triage

Tranquil Eyes - "Television"

Portion Control - "Swerve"

Vicious Pink Phenomena - "Je T'aime"

[side45x]

Mainliner - Revelation Space

"Can you listen to something a bit more. . ." said the bearded guy with the Phillip K. Dick t-shirt in the after-hours lounge, trailing off. "It's just a bit much for two in the morning." I nodded, and neglected my Macbook speakers for a pair of over-the-ear headphones. ------ Not everyone will enjoy the loud and dirty recording levels, senses-stunted atmosphere and muddy garage distortion of Revelation Space by Tokyo's Mainliner at two in the morning, but the few who do are likely already inclined to listen to the 70s proto-metal of Bulbous Creation and authentic 60s psychadelic acts like Glass Sun.

Revelation Space by KAWABATA MAKOTO'S MAINLINER

Known also for his guitar work in the dreamy jam-rock group Acid Mothers Temple, Kawabata Makoto has been siring bands since the 70s with a formal accreditation of at least nine to his name, not including solo work. Makoto formed Mainliner about twenty years into his axe-wielding career in the 90s with bassist Asahito Nanjo. Both wanted to continue their journey into sound with the Psychadelic genre, and Nanjo, who'd already been noodling around with his own unstructured psych band High Rise was a fitting counterpart to Makoto's "soul collective" sounds.

Nanjo acknowledged his 70s punk influences in a 90s interview with New Zealand's Opprobrium, explaining why the psychadelia of Mainliner may sound less three-chord than his other projects: "Mainliner is like a more-condensed version of the High Rise aesthetic. I want it to sound huge. The main difference between the two, and I think that this will begin to become apparent in the future, is that Mainliner will attempt some compositions." He also challenged future Mainliner cover bands, have you the passion: "If you listen to the first track on the CD, it sounds really simple but there are a lot of subtle rhythms in there. It would be impossible to copy. We use a lot of strange open chords on the guitar too, almost unconsciously. So the bass part is really hard to play." Having contributed to Mainliner's critically acclaimed releases since 1996, Nanjo has since left the band, replaced on Revelation Space by Kawabe Taigen. Revelation Space marks Mainliner's fifth recording after a 12-year release gap and according to their press packet, a return to form. "All said, 'Revelation Space', is a comeback statement of intent... firmly in the same 'in the red / raw' camp as the original trio's classic 'Mellow Out'." Order Revelation Space on Riot Season.

[side45x]

KALX Myra X DJ Set, Wednesday, May 28, 2013

Myra X DJs at UC Berkeley’s student and community run radio station KALX 90.7FM. She’ll be posting short recaps, head-shakingly off-center banter, and all-her-fun-band set lists once, twice, or thrice a month (more or less.)

Myra X KALX Set List for Wednesday May 28, 2013, 1:00 a.m.-3:30 a.m. Claque - "Carve Out Spaces She Said" - Untitled (Big Deal, 2002) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfhUttaXDHw Levellers 5 - "Walking On Fire" - Springtime (Probe Plus, 1990) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar-n0UTuEmo Kurt Vile - "Pure Pain" - Wakin' On A Pretty Daze (Matador, 2013)

Patrik Fitzgerald - "Safety-Pin Stuck In My Heart" - Safety-Pin Stuck In My Heart (Small Wonder, 1977) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMENZkL6hBo Tropical Popsicle - "Queen of New York" - Dawn of Delight (Talitres, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yus40SHXQvQ The House of Love - "Money Man" - She Paints Words In Red (Cherry Red, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mFzosijO5c Zounds - "Knife" - The Curse of Zounds (Rugger Bugger, 1982 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEyGLBAfvo Los Abandoned - "Stalk U" - Mixtape (Vapor, 2006)

Rational Youth - "City of Night" - Cold War Nightlife (Yul, 1982) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgHP2J93Rfw Near Paris - "Ceiling" - Visions (Imperial, 1985) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_PnuDDxWJY Cheick Hamala Diabate - "Tagamba" - Tagamba (Electric Cowbell, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxTGr6DGdTI Ron Miller - "Till The End" - Till The End (Second Culture, 1986) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M95hsOs4FPM The Need - "Majesty/D.P.D.T./Crush" - The Need (Kill Rock Stars, 1997) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XDTtkIZ6zE Henry Wagons - "Unwelcome Company" (ft. Alison Mosshart) - Expecting Company? (Spunk, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXZ7NzGtZu0 Lisa LeBlanc - "Cerveau Ramolli" - Lisa LeBlanc (Bonsound, 2012)

Geater Davis - "My Love Is So Strong For You" - Lost Soul (Luv 'N Haight, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbROrIGFqs Brother John Rydgren - "The Happening" - Silhouette Segments (Omni, 2012)

Donovan - "Season of the Witch" - Donovan (Supraphon, 1977) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92HjH1GG3ro Dolly Mixture - "Our Tune" - Everything and More (S/R, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VT82yIvSXA Steve Earl & The Dukes (& Duchesses) - "Remember Me" - The Low Highway (New West, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRQZnhgVgC8 Valérie Lagrange - "I Love You So" - I Love You So (BYG, 1970)

Kristin Hersh - "Like You" - Strange Angels (4AD, 1998) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-xUS5b0j1o Crime & The City Solution - "Goddess" - American Twilight (Mute, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8kpy15K14k Sleater-Kinney - "The Professional" - All Hands On The Bad One (Kill Rock Stars 2000) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpcgEEkSGUM Snakefinger - "Kill The Great Raven" - Kill The Great Raven (Ralph, 1979) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqXxFfh-lqQ The Swirlies - "Give Us Moonrocks" - Cats of the Wild, Vol. 2 (Bubble Core, 2003) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KWrNFVu7eg Squirrel Bait - "Rose Island Road" - Skag Heaven (Homestead, 1986) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk_25qR8unI The Charlottes - "We're Going Wrong" - Things Come Apart (Cherry Red, 1991)

Pasteboard - "Breakbeats" - Glitter (abcdefg*, 2005)

Frente! - "Bizarre Love Triangle" - Bizarre Love Triangle (Mushroom, 1994)

Solid Space - "Tenth Planet" - Space Museum (In Phaze, 1982) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Amcuyzd54s Hormones in Abundance - "Rubinoos T-Shirt" - Hit Music Only (Heavenly Pop Hits, 2002) Crucial Bunny and Scientist - "No Animosity" - Dub Duel (Hawkeye, 1982) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewc-Mshlo8w Dandy Teru - "Fragile Things" - Fragile Things EP (Ubiquity, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSsaAU5ScEU Ben Goldberg - "The Because Of" - Subatomic Particle Homesick Blues (BAG Production) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onhsfqLeQmo Majesty Crush - "Grow" - Love 15 (Dali, 1993) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-TsbhKCHnE Crush - "Everything To Lose" - Crush EP (S/R, 2011)

Belly - "Angel" - Star (4AD, 1993) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1dYEOXp4w4

[side45x]

Subhumans, Total Chaos, Conquest for Death and Kicker @ Oakland Metro Operahouse 5/24/2013

"Yeah, two bands are called Subhumans," I explained to Mike and Neil with a nod. "The Oakland Metro Operahouse website didn't really say which band was on tonight so I had to do some research... It's definitely the UK group from the eighties though."

Apparently, we found out the next moment, the right band.

The four of us--Mike, Neil, Harold and I--were sort of huddled together for warmth (because even in May the lack of Northern California humidity relieves just enough of the daylight heat with sundown to shiver you in) while waiting for the 8pm doors to see Conquest for Death and Total Chaos open for the Subhumans. But mostly the Subhumans.

The nomadic-looking girl ahead of us in line, much more adorned for inclement nights than us, might've double-checked the bands too.

She turned her wide, well-read blue eyes and studded nose at us.

"The Canadian Subhumans fuckin' suck," she assured her comrades.

Sporting a mess of blonde, medium-length tangled dreads that complemented her army green patched-up coat, her opinion was legit.

She leaned back, bending her rolled-up jean leg and footed the wall with her dirt-scuffed black sneaker.

"I know. I'm from Canada."

We chatted a second--'glad we got to miss that'--before turning back to ourselves, not blowing the moment.

A Japanese kid walked by in full Hot Topic attire--studded pleather jacket, zippered two-tone red and black pants paired with scarlet Docs, and clean spiky dark hair. He was followed by his quiet, un-accessorized girlfriend in a contrasting innocent white frock. She swung a pink, Forever 21 satin purse in stride, and so did her her fashion-matching, similarly demure best friend.

Later that evening, two tall Hollywood punks with leather chokers and exploding, jet-black hair band hair amassed the teeming crowd who'd waited outside with us to catch the headliner, gawking and surveying their peers as the Subhumans plugged in their stuff on stage.

As the energy of the show crescendoed to match their aquanetted hair levels, the pair watched, unmoving, while lead man Dick Lucas, in a tattered blue anarchy tee, no makeup, inspired the pit at his justified whim.

---------------------

Everyone was there, meticulously outfitted or not.

---------------------

Finally moving toward the building, a fifty-year old dude who'd gelled and twisted his short grey hair into Hellraiser spikes stamped our hands. Mike and Neil moved into the show room, and the last of us beelined for the reasonably priced merch table.

We picked some stuff with the help of Conquest for Death's incredibly bearded bassist; at least a foot long of coned, blonde hair hung from his sun-desisted chin.

Harold held up a sample shirt and I discerned my entire face, but mostly the eyes.

"Yeah the yellow one's cool, as long as you don't wear it at the show."

Harold layered his new purchase under his purple Chelsea Light Moving tee to appease me.

And because he didn't want to look stupid.

------------------

First opening act Kicker.

Conquest for Death

Seriously, if you have a child, don't border the pit--where everyone is letting the bullshit of their bad day/life go--with him or her perched on your shoulders. The security rightly escorted the sir elsewhere. i.e. First rule of Life Club: being smart is being cool, not the other way around.

Total Chaos

Subhumans

[side45x]

Collective of Impassioned 'Idiots': Tony Wilson's Last Interview with Q Magazine

Journalist Anthony "Tony" Wilson, co-founder of Factory and famous for documenting the Manchester scene with a focused flare, respectable mug, talks the leftfield roots he once prided, Jimi Hendrix, and his reporting career in this final 2006 profile of him for Q Magazine before he passed away the following year. Wilson: "I always say that in the early ’80s when we built the Hacienda we thought we were idiots, just individual crazies for some strange obscure reason in love with our city and putting some of our money back into the city. It was only by about ’84, ’85, that we realised there were a lot of other people doing exactly the same thing, also individually, on their own, separately thinking they were just the same idiots. Our city fathers, council leaders, were doing, and we all thought it was in isolation, and suddenly by the mid ‘80s were realised we were all doing it." Take in his wit and the rest of his personality with the full article here.

[side45x]

Bay Area Show Tip: Subhumans, Total Chaos, Conquest for Death

On-again off-again for the pass 33 years, anachro-punks Subhumans have banded once again--boasting ALL ORIGINAL MEMBERS--to play a few dates this May, including a gig this Friday May 24 at the Oakland Metro Operahouse.

Formed in 1980, their demo was out by '81 and impressed members of Flux of Pink Indians enough to help them get signed to Spiderleg, where they released several extended plays and their 1983 debut before forming their own record label, Bluurg. From 1983 through 2007 Subhumans released five more studio albums and singles records, reuniting for a handful of live shows in 1991, 1998, and a 2007 tour.

Also joining them on this live jaunt are--straight from '89--street punks Total Chaos and millennium band Conquest for Death, a united front of states as promised on their website: "Many Nations, One Underground is the manifesto, for lack of a better word, that Conquest for Death adheres to."

Tickets here. May 24, 2013 Oakland Metro Operahouse 8pm

Catch them while you can elsewhere: MAY 23 THE ALLEY, SPARKS, NV MAY 24 OPERA HOUSE, OAKLAND, CA +TOTAL CHAOS MAY 25 THE VEX, L.A. MAY 26 THE OBSERVATORY, SANTA ANA, CA +TOTAL CHAOS MAY 27 15th ANNUAL PUNK ROCK BOWLING FESTIVAL LAS VEGAS, NV, All Ages JUNE 8 PIPELINE, LONDON JUNE 9 VICTORIA INN, DERBY JUNE 10 WAGON + HORSES, BIRMINGHAM JUNE 11 THE HORN, ST ALBANS JUNE 14 AMNESIA ROCK FEST, QUEBEC JUNE 15 NEW YORK Bowery Ballroom JUNE 16 NEW YORK Music Hall of Williamsburg AUGUST 2 or 3 NORWAY KANALROCK FESTIVAL AUGUST 9 BLACKPOOL WINTER GARDENS REBELLION FESTIVAL

[side45x]

KALX Myra X DJ Set, Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Myra X DJs at UC Berkeley’s student and community run radio station KALX 90.7FM. She’ll be posting short recaps, head-shakingly off-center banter, and all-her-fun-band set lists once, twice, or thrice a month (more or less)

  Myra X KALX Set List for Wednesday May 22, 2013, 1:00 a.m.-3:30 a.m.  Barn Owl - "The Long Shadow" - V (Thrill Jockey, 2013)

Black Pus - "1,000 Years" - All My Relations (Thrill Jockey , 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNjFP4uJXeQ METZ - "Wasted" - METZ (Sub Pop, 2012) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yDXtDHNRsU Myra X - METZ Interview (2013)

Paula - "Even If It's True" - Relaxed Fit (Arbutus, 2011)

Lusine - "By This Sound" - The Waiting Room (Ghostly International, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoUIpkU3aGA The Knife - "Ready To Lose" - Shaking The Habitual (Brille, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-BEOABbIbE Unwound - "Disappoint" - The Future of What (Kill Rock Stars, 1995)

Veruca Salt - "Number One Blind" - American Thighs (Minty Fresh, 1994) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHG5P9xFyhI Honcho Overload - "She" - Smiles Everyone (Mud Records, 1993) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EdtvvX8tJA Narcis - "Pretty Little Woman" - Narcis (2006)

Beat Happening - "Pinebox Derby" - You Turn Me On (Sub Pop, 1992) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D6lJbFdXdc Void - "Who Are You" - Void/Faith (Dischord, 1993) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozr4MJ7C1Yw Ut - "Griller" - Griller (Blast First, 1989) Portion Control - "Demo" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vdb2i8cUz8 Venus in Furs - "Memento Mori" - Extended Play (Movement, 1983)

My Bloody Valentine - "Tiger In My Tank" - This is Your Bloody Valentine (Tycoon, 1985) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97EjHX63ZRQ Adorable - "Vendetta" - Fake (Creation, 1994) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcNS0tkzv50 Wire Train - "Chamber Of Hellos" - In A Chamber (Columbia, 1984) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw08G9oAB5k Nena - "Willst Du Mit Mir Gehen" - Willst du mit mir gehen? (WSM, 2005)

Capital Cities - "Love Away" - Capital Cities EP (Lazy Hooks, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID8OdlBnDDY Charles Bradley - "Hurricane" - Victim Of Love (Dunham, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-zTw7TWWws DJ Day - "Boots in the Pool" - Land Of 1000 Chances (Piecelock 70, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYtODUd8sd4 Blawan - "Getting Me Down" - Getting Me Down (S/R, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIkhewd69SE Beth Ditto - "I Wrote the Book (Original Mix)" - Beth Ditto EP (Columbia, 2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiaFj7MMUdY The Bunch Of No-Hopers  - "Virgin" - ID (Popron Music, 1994) Ettil Vrye - "Did the Flash Catch It In Time" - Ettil Vrye (Moganono, 1998)

German Shepherds - "I Adore You" - Music For Sick Queers (M&S Music, 1981) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duxhXVJmWPk Devendra Banhart - "Für Hildegard von Bingen" - Mala (Nonesuch, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqGUM1TrJgk Kurt Vile - "Shame Chamber" - Wakin On A Pretty Daze (Matador, 2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQIQRLqzJY8 Cocteau Twins - "Violane" - Milk & Kisses (Fontana, 1996)

[side45x]

"Big Machine" Sung By Mark Duplass In Safety Not Guaranteed

More renowned for his mumblecore movie aesthetic than his tweemo-core symphonic chops, the present Internet doesn't give Mark Duplass as much credit for his musicianship, which often gets trumped by his movie success.

But after this clip from 2012 Indie sci-fi flick Safety Not Guaranteed starring Aubrey Plaza among Jake Johnson and others, you may center your gaze on his scene-stealing Slovenian lap-axe and let his string-sliding skills beguile you into seeking further conclusions.

Who is this dude and how have those skills not translated into something more get-noticed? Is he really from the rough, the kind of guy who's in for one of "those nights where you break off from your friends, buy some cheap wine and stay up watching old movies and listening to records?"

In this scene near the third act, Duplass's character performs an impromptu serenade on ultimate love-interest Plaza's oddly-named Darius.

Duplass, present frontman of Austin-slash-Brooklyn's Volcano, I'm Still Excited!!, has been touring in beat-up eight-seat doors-not-working multipurpose Ford vans since 1998 when he released his solo record Small Hands and got signed to Mercury. Accounting for his less-than presence on your favorite music blogs may be a bout of tendinitis that toned him down to the organ and other less strenuous instruments.

Volcano, now on hiatus, made its debut in 2002 and got an eponymous release on Polydor.  Get a whiff of moderately-tempoed Weezer-esque powerpop from the release's track "2nd Gun," which pronounces frankly, "I miss you, and that shit hurts. Poetry has given way too this":