The Moog – Razzmatazz Orfeum – MuSick Recordings

So I browsed these cats on the interwebs. They’re from Hungary. And they got some comparisons to Gogol Bordello. So I figures, “Hey. They’re probably a gypsy-folk-punk thing-a-ma-jig band too.” Nope. Not even.
These guys are pretty much what “alternative music” is today (and I’m still unsure what that is). Meaning? They sound like some new wave, pop-rock band like The Strokes or Frans Ferdinand with a touch more electronics involved. In fact, they will soon take the wrestling title championship belt as the heirs to the “Frans Ferdinand Crown For The Angst-y Young Black Clothing Crowd”. Their stuff is infectiously upbeat (even the slower stuff), has the correct influences (some Pulp, some Bowie, some of that 80’s new romantic stuff…you get the vibe), very slightly “gothically enhanced” (their 7-inch single of the tune ‘You Raised A Vampire’ has a b-side of the Bauhaus tune ‘The Passion Of Lovers’ and cover art by creepy-kids artist Gris Grimly) and they have the seemingly mandatory flouncy clothing. It’s a fine temporary listen for that week, y’know? Fans of those Twilight books and movies will be all kinds of fired-up.

Ciao My Shining Star:The Songs of Mark Mulcahy is a tribute to acclaimed Miracle Legion, Polaris front man, and Connecticut indie legend Mark Mulcahy, in memory of his wife Melissa who passed away in 2008. The interpretations of alternative songwriter Mulcahy’s music by Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Dinosaur Jr., Mercury Rev, The National, Frank Black, Josh Rouse, The Butterflies Of Love and many others will ease Mr Mulcahy’s financial burden of raising a family as a single parent. This collection of new music is available in three configurations: a 21-track CD, a 21-track digtal download, and a 41-track deluxe download on iTunes. I would strongly urge you to pony up the extra money and buy the 41 track download which has terrific not to be missed performances by The Gravel Pit, Dumptruck, Laura Veirs, and Buffalo Tom among others.

l_21bb810378cb41268c23a7ba50159161

On Sunday, September 20th, 2009 there was a benefit for Mark and his family at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 66 North 6th St, Brooklyn, NY. Guests included Mark’s former Miracle Legion bandmate Ray Neal along with Frank Black, the late Vic Chesnutt, The Autumn Defense, David Berkeley, Chris Harford, The Butterflies of Love, BP Helium, The Gravel Pit, Winterpills and many more. Also on the bill was the World Premiere of the Thom Yorke music video “All For The Best.” There was also readings by Graphic Novelist Ben Katchor.

The Woods – EP Logue – Plug Research

The Woods - The EP Logue

Three years ago, this artist dude from Florida named Ian Dudley gathered up a gaggle of his artsy friends and recorded a self-titled LP called “The Woods”…’cause the collective was called ‘The Woods”.

The idea behind the recording was this fictional kid who lived in Florida had an air conditioner that was on the fritz. The lack of cool air makes him head out onto the big, blue ocean and have adventures and whatnot.

After that the group kinda moved around a bit. But Dudley felt that the tale was not complete. So he had Woods members record their parts which he then compiled and edited and all that sound-guy stuff. And the end result is this musical continuation. It’s minimalist without being sparse, y’know? The elements that exist are very swirling and interwoven giving a feel like some childrens’ books where adventure and environment are essential parts of the story (Think books by Maurice Sendak like In The Night Kitchen for example).

The disc plays on the ear with a hint of “odd”; a bit wavering in a mildly surreal fashion. The tone is solid throughout and if this were any longer and had more tunes on it, it would suffer from a sameness. But in this short format, it really works nicely-nicely.

The whole five-song e.p. can be downloaded for free at the website as well and a video for the tune Final Breaths of a Main Character from the first L.P. Can be scoped-out there too.

Okay now. So let’s say you’re in a band. And let’s say you’ve been going at it for a while now. You’ve moved out of playing in the garage or basement or attic and you’ve actually played out at a few places that weren’t your little sisters birthday party. You’ve recorded some of your stuff, burned some discs, had your drummer do up some cool-assed covers and all that. But now it’s some time later and all you’ve got to show for it is a couple boxes of CD’s with cool-assed covers and a “no thanks” from your little sister to play her birthday party next year.

Where’s the cash? You dig playing but damn!…it would be nice to get some gas money once in a while, yknow? Or a burrito? Or a pack of gum?

The place to get some coin for your toil is in the tribute band circuit. Now before you get all fired up and just run out into the street and start up a tribute band, there are some minor guidelines that must be adhered to. And these rules came right from the mouth of God so don’t dick ‘em up, okay? Good.

The Ten Commandments of Tribute Bands

1. Thou shalt be known as a “tribute band” only if thine musical set consists of selections by or known to one artist. Nay shall there be any intermingling of artists unless there is a personal tie-in. Black Sabbath/solo Ozzy tribute acts are deemed acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. Black Sabbath/ABBA acts, though perversely amusing, are right out. Playing Nirvana songs with Soundgarden tunes and then tossing in that one Candlebox croaker-of-a-tune and billing thyselves as a “Seattle Sound Tribute Band” is wrong. Ask that Aaron guy from Staind ’bout that (hint: they were reportedly a grunge tribute band before they whined their way to rock-stardom).
2. Being a “tribute band” extends beyond the realm of thine music. Thou must make noticeable effort to resemble the band thou art aping in physical appearance as well as fashion. If thine band art playing the songs of The Mamas and the Papas and there is no large woman singing, thou art wrong. If thou art playing the sonic collections of DEV-O and thou hast no red pyramid hats nor yellow jumpsuits, thou art wrong. If thou art a KISS tribute act without make-up, thou art only to play the songs that KISS produced during the time they did not sport make-up (from 1983 AD to 1996 AD).
3. Thou must make a concentrated effort to bestow a name upon thine tribute band that will allow possible converts to recognize which group thou art paying homage to. Album or song titles of said band being tributed are acceptable in the eyes of God (eg. Eye Of The Tiger = Survivor tribute band. Surfer Rosa = Pixies tribute band). Random, obscure lyrics and trivia are not acceptable as band names. Just because thou hast knowledge that singer James Hetfield enjoys creamy, spoonable, Latin desserts does not give allowance for thine Metallica tribute band to be named “FLAN”. Just as if John Cougar Mellencamp has uttered the word “chili dog” in one of his songs, that doth not make it a tribute band name.
4. If thine band doth pay tribute to a band still actively touring and/or producing albums and can be heard on popular radio, thou art full of suck and wrong unless said band doth NOT play out live with any regularity OR thine band doth reside in a region where the band of thine tributation would never tour in a million years. A Black Eyed Peas tribute band in Centerville, Maine (population 20) may be considered. An Arctic Monkeys tribute band in New York City may not. A Tool tribute band may be considered where ever.
5. “Cover band” doth not equal “tribute band”. Even if thine set list has more than three (3) songs by the same artist, thou art a cover band until a full set of one artists songs is performed….along with the following of the above mentioned decrees.
6. Thou must wait two (2) years after a bands demise to start a tribute act of said band. Then thou must wait another year……and a half.
7. No more than two (2) tribute bands of a specific demised group may exist within a twenty-five (25) mile radius at the same time. More than two (2) will result in a battle of the bands where the bands in question must perform the same song set of no more than three (3) songs for a full audience and a distinguished board of experts. Then the band deemed least like the famous band copied is to be put to death, never to be heard of again. Ever.
8. Thine tribute band shall not ever record “thine material” ever. If thine tribute band produces CD’s or tapes of thyselves performing the songs of the band that they imitate for sale and or distribution, thou shall be put to death immediately if not sooner.
9. Much thought and prayer must be used in the selection of which band thou should pay tribute to, paying attention to the element that “popular” may not be the most solid foundation for tribute band building. For “popular” is fleeting. Pink Floyd or T. Rex may be considered for tribute. Alien Ant Farm may not. Waylon Jennings may be considered for tribute. C.W. McCall, though amusing, may not. Parliament may be considered for tribute. T.I. or Sisquo may not.
10. Thou shalt NEVER start a Motorhead or Public Enemy tribute band for that is blasphemous and offensive in God’s eyes.

Cormorant – Metazoa – CD – Saturnine Media

The new CD. Ooooooh...purty.

These San Francisco cats gather up a metric shit-ton of metal influences and styles and squeeeeeze ‘em all together in one, big ole, metalli-whatever. And honestly, it doesn’t suck or get all bogged down in itself.

First off they have a cornerstone sound that is all black metal (think a little along the Enslaved lines). They also have some 2009-ish death metal sprinklings in there (a la Amon Amarth), moments of acoustical, Euro-folk metal (a bit Agalloch-y), some good ol’ power metal swaggering and a decent-sized dollop of prog metal time changes (impressive and tight musicianship without the “I went to Berkeley and can play Flight Of The Bumblebee backwards with my penis” pretension). Hell. It wouldn’t shock me if they probably have a whole mess more styles and sub-genres incorporated into their sound that I just have no idea about because of my limited metal knowledge or my lack of hair).

And hey. If you gots a slew of different blends of styles all working together, you really can’t have just one vocal sound, correct? Cormorant understands this as well. Throat dude uses his larynx to go from death-y gurgling goonings to actual singing to screamin’ demon black metal wails to “I’m so creepy and scary” whisperings (that don’t come off as totally corny, might I add) to moments where he actually kinda sounds like Tom Waites (the tune Hole The Sea).

Now…all those ingredients together would normally put a disc like this so over the top that it would completely suck nards. But these guys pull it off and do it fairly impressively. Not one of the styles dominates over the others allowing for the tunes to work well and offer up some diversity at the same time (Shit. The song Hanging Gardens has strings in it[!], a whole truck full of wah-wah and is clockin’ in at about 11 minutes long. And it is still pretty metal.).

When the same-old-same-old gets,…well, “same” and um, “old”, bands love to meld some favorite/popular musical styles and make something “new”. And that many times leads to an ugly, unlistenable, cluster-fuck of “awful”. These guys don’t fall into that realm.

Metavari – Be One Of Us And Hear No Noise – CD – Crossroads Of America Records

Get out your 3-D glasses

Hmmm. First and foremost we gotta punch some kind of ear tag through the lobe of this release. How’s about “Indie-neo-folk-instru-tronica”. That actually works.

These fellows have some moments that may remind of other bands like Maserati (minus some of the ‘rock’ vibe) and Six Parts Seven (but with a hint more electronics going on) and Explosions In The Sky (just not on as much cough syrup). But they are not clones and have a definite sound that is Metavari.

Movie soundtrack bites mix in with lap-top beats and stir it up with instrumental overtones. Not all synth. Not all band. But a decent blend. Very atmospheric and flowing like water. Not a sense or sound of same-ness with slight mix-ups that keep the shit moving and avoiding the “stale-ies” (The track ‘Cerulean’ is a straight-up pop tune that does it pretty well amidst all the slightly more ethereal tracks). As Chef Boy-Ar-Dee has said; “Eet’s-a nice-a relaxin’ leesten.”

Father Murphy – …and he told us to turn to the sun. – Aagoo Records

If you were expecting an 80's show starring Merlin Olsen, this ain' it.

Hah! This is odd….and well done too. Three or so bandmates from Italy doing some minimal acoustic stuff here. Mostly vocals and guitar with snippets of other sounds and organ work. It’s angular and shadow-y and a bit dire at times…like a dark, low-fi soundtrack to a modern take on The Good, The Bad and the Ugly…with a zombie.

Simple, cathedral-like chant harmonies add to the creepy vibe of the vocals (the track “Go Sinister”). “Hide Yourself In The Woods” is a funeral procession led by Nick Cave through the streets of a Sergio Leone/David Lynch short film. All round? If it were a canned pasta meal it would be a tasty bowl of Berthold Brechts’ Spaghetti Western-Styled Dirge-ee-Oh’s.

Even if you aren’t making a whole lot of dough at first, as long as your baby is being transported in the back of an old Astro Van or in the trunk of your ride gig after gig, your amp’s exterior and unfortunately interior (tubes, springs, delicate electronic components etc.) are going to take a beating. Even if it’s not noticeable the first few outings with your amp, you will begin noticing marks, scratches or tears that you know weren’t there before, and then you get sort of bummed out because you liked the way your amp looked without the big scratches or dings in it.

In my case, the tolex (finished black material covering the amp) was in perfect condition of this vintage late 1960’s, hand-wired SANO amp. Now it’s all ripped up along the bottom and sides, and even though I had road cases for all my other gigging amps, I thought I could take care of this amp without a proper case. I used towels, blankets, cardboard, and pillows all at different points to try and keep it in mint condition. But after a few weeks of gigs I noticed some light scratches and tears. And after a few months, larger scrapes and scuffs. To a lot of people and punk rockers, it’s not a big deal, but to a collector, condition is everything, and I happen to be a collector of sorts. I’m an optimistic guy, and I think of those scratches and tears and dings as “character marks” and they remind me of how much fun all those shows with that amp were. But if I could do it again, I would have gotten a road case for it, but for more than just the aesthetics and collectabilty. I like having road cases for several other reasons:

FOUR WHEELS ARE BETTER THAN TWO

Before my first road case for my main gigging guitar amp, I used several different brands and models of fordable, collapsible dollies. They worked, but not great. They’re good on space, but bad for balancing the 50-60 pound amp with a guitar on your back, and a pedal box in the other hand. Curbs on the street were always tough to hop over. My tubed Fender Deville 212 amp at a cost of around $800, took a few spills over the years because of curbs, uneven street corners, and cracks in the sidewalks.

Another problem with using a two wheeled dolly instead of a four wheeled road case is the wideness factor when engaging in forward motion. When using a dolly you are forced to load it with the speakers facing either forward or reversed, and some amps are a bit wide. This leaves it somewhat troublesome to get though certain narrow doors of the bar or club because of such a wide load. Once you finally squeeze through the door, you have to wheel it past all the patrons in the bar, usually saying “excuse me” or “coming through” and usually getting caught up on the corner of at least one or two chairs in the dining area to get to the stage.

Also, with road cases, you can push it forward and keep you eyes on the traffic ahead of you at all times. When pulling your amp, you always have to look at the amp behind you to make sure its not tipping over or getting caught on something that can tip it over all while looking where you are going.

WEATHERPROOF-ISH

Now that I’m in Los Angeles, this isn’t such a problem, but when I’m in any other part of the world with possibilities of rain and a gig to play, I’m so glad I have my road cases. Rolling up to the side of the club in poring down rain, and having to wait for the stage hand to open the door could be pretty rough as is, but imagine only having a blanket or garbage bag to stop your amp from getting soaked. The Blanket gets only slightly more drenched than your amp does, or you roll up with your $800 amp in a trash bag—classy.

INSTANT RESPECT

When you show up to a gig with a road case, you are automatically taken seriously. Even if you suck at your instrument, you will have respect from the time you load-in up to at least your first few notes of the night. Like my uncle told me about golfing. “Always show up with nice clothes, shoes, but most importantly a really nice bag for your clubs, and everyone will say, “He must be good, he looks the part and has a really nice bag.” The only the people in the country club that actually know you suck are you and the 3 other hacks in your foursome.” Moral of the story, look good and people will think you are good. This impression may be short-lived, but if you actually are good, people will certainly respect you more with a road case in stead of high quality rubbish bags! First impressions make a huge impact.

Believe it or not, it may translate into a sale of merch at the end of your gig. “Wow! That band last night was so sick. They sounded pro, and looked pro too. They had professional cases and lighting. I bought both their CDs and a shirt from them! You should check them out in town while you have the chance before they blow up and tour the world!” I’ve sold CDs in places I never thought people would ever care about an up and coming band. But we had pro cases and a tight sound. And every bit of professionalism adds up even subconsciously in the minds of new potential fans of your sound.

THICK PADDING AND PROTECTION

Road cases offer several layers of protection. Steel corners and edging are riveted to about a quarter inch plastic sheet reinforced with industrial strength glue to about a three quarter inch thick cut of wood or plywood forming a box frame. A medium firmness foam lines the inside of the box giving your amp a nice shock absorbing cushion strong enough to support the weight of the amp and soft enough to absorb any shock en route to a gig or back home. You can whack it with a baseball bat as hard as you can a bunch of times, and your amp will remain safely nestled in the depths of your road case, and it would be protected from the blows not just aesthetically, but internally too because the thick foam will absorb the shock from the blows. I don’t recommend this, as your case may take a beating, but that’s its purpose in life.

CONVENIENCE

Before I got my road cases, loading everything in the vehicle was so time consuming and nerve racking. I grew weary of always having to be super careful not to scratch this amp with that mic stand or covering this piece of gear with that pillow or stacking things only a certain way just to keep other things from getting nicked up or punctured. Now that each piece of all my gigging gear has a road case, the order I stack stuff up doesn’t matter rendering a faster and easier load in and load out.

“Easier” is debatable because a road case adds extra weight to the piece of gear. In our case an amp which is usually heavy if it has tubes and more than one speaker. The only tough part is getting it in and out of the vehicle. And that can be solve by:

• 1. At home before the gig, ask someone else in the home with a little muscle. Maybe a brother, a cousin, a dad, or a manly mom
• 2. If you are by yourself, depending on weight and dimensions, you may be able to tilt the amp in and have it rest on its side, tall ways, with the wheels now facing you. (that’s what I do loading my heaviest box in the van)
• 3. At the gig, ask your band mates or stage hand to give you a quick lift-
• 4. For loading both at the gigs and at home, if necessary, make a simple ramp out of some wood and rubber or metal edging (I’ve seen this mostly with vans or anything with a tailgate or hatchback). The longer the better, but remember you may have to take the ramp to the gig too. So account for the space your ramp will take up in your gigging vehicle while designing your ramp. I personally don’t need a ramp, so I don’t have much first hand experience, but I know, to prevent slipping, you may want to include some sort of rubber stoppers or triangle supports at the ends of the ramp.

STACKABILITY

Another nice thing about road cases is once you aquire a few, chances are you can stack some of the smaller ones used for pedals, merch, guitar stands, Echoplexes, etc. on the larger wheeled case making less trips to the stage and your ride. Less trips is good!

DOUBLES AS AN AMP STAND

Keeping the amp in the tray usually works for me. The tray is the bottom part of the case where the wheels are attached and the lower latches are found on the case. The lip of the tray doesn’t really block the speakers because its shallow enough. But if the stage has a slope (mostly at temporary festival stages on uneven ground at peoples back yard parties), you risk your amp rolling away. But my amp never rolled away. The most my amp ever vibrated away was probably only a few inches. For a super tilted stage, I’ve seen guys take the lid or the top of their case, turn it flat speaker side down so to speak, and place their amp on the edge of the case. I don’t suggest this as an everyday practice, because the open end of the case gets slightly crushed and after a couple years of heavy use, the case gets a little bow in it, and the side you have been putting the amp on has trouble closing without having to kick or smack the case into place to get the latches to line up. But depending on the size, you may be able to still use the top without turning it to the side. It won’t do any damage to the case, and it allows you to hear your amp a little better than when it’s on the floor. This added height allows your ears to hear your amp better than your feet and the back of your calves hearing it on the ground,

There are a few downsides to owning road cases, but they aren’t so bad upon further investigation:

COST

Usually they are expensive brand new. There are many companies that make them. The most famous is Anvil. They are indeed the most expensive that I know about, but I don’t have anything by them. When I need any new cases, I personally prefer to order them through Get Off My Case Co. owned and run by bassist Hank Rafetto of Elwood City, PA. because they are more affordable, his cases demonstrate amazing hand-built quality, and I like to give my business to local folks as much as possible. I also bought a few used cases I found at yard sales and flea markets for under $40 (just randomly- not even particularly looking for them) since living in Los Angeles, the land of both dreams and broken dreams. Some one else’s trash or “broken dream” can be your treasure. So, don’t let cost intimidate you, good deals are out there.

WEIGHT

Road Cases are heavy. But most good things in life are heavy… Les Paul guitars, Hammond organs, and women. (Just foolin’- I like my women slender and gorgeous- personal preference- don’t take offense- plus I’m not even in the market- I already have a beautiful gal on my arm!). Road Cases can definitely be heavy depending on the size of the case and the size of your arms, but you must think about how much you are going to actually lift it. Keep in mind, after a certain size, you automatically get wheels. You will be pushing it around on the 4 ball-bearing caster wheels most of the time, not carrying it. So if lifting it into the gigging vehicle is your main concern, just remember how we tackled this issue above with ramps, friends, muscles, etc.

BULKINESS

Road Cases are bulky and take up a little space. But if music is your life, then those road cases should be a welcomed addition to your life. Make room for them. (actually an upside is, the medium sized ones make for a nice temporary end-table and accents the room with a rugged touring musician vibe (much more welcomed than some cheaply assembled IKEA bullshit!).

STAIRS

Stairs can be rough with a big case. Here’s a few way’s I tackle the occasional, dreaded staircase:

• 1. Look for an elevator.
• 2. If no elevators are available, ask a friend, band mate, or stage hand to help you.
• 3. If you are by yourself, have no friends, and are desperate, you can take the amp out of the case, carry them both up the stairs separate one at a time, and reunite the two at the top.
  Nothing is Impossible!

So, go get the dimensions of your amp and order yourself up your first road case! You will be so glad you did in the long run, because you will be able to roll up to a gig with a sharp looking case (gaining you respect), set up the amp on the lid or the top of the case (using your free amp stand), and finally be able to relax and play the best gig ever (winning you fans, women, money from merch) all because you aren’t dreading loading out now with your new protective, wheeled, and cherished road case!

west-swift-lead

Beyonce, later in the evening, won for video of the year and she brought Taylor Swift up to the stage saying, “I remember being 17 years old, up for my first MTV award with Destiny’s Child, and it was one of the most exciting moments in my life. So, I’d like for Taylor to come out and have her moment.” Taylor began her second acceptance speech, “Maybe… Maybe we could try this again…” The crowd went wild and the incident was resolved by Beyonce’s class.

The next few days, Kanye apologized several times, several different ways to Taylor, her mom, and her fans, and she publicly accepted his apologies on ABC News Radio. She also appeared on The View and recounted the events as they unfolded in a humorous way saying, “I think my overall thought process went something like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I won. This is awesome. Don’t trip and fall. I’m going to get to thank the fans. This is so cool. Oh, Kanye West is here. Cool haircut. What are you doing there? And then ouch. And then, I guess I’m not going to thank the fans.’ ”

Since then, all youtube videos of the incident have been quickly removed due to a ” copyright claim by Viacom International Inc.” but I found one that’s still out there. (has advertisements in front of it, but that’s the internet for ya!) Video here.

So, what did we all learn from this? I’m not sure, but I’m glad to see that there are still some stand-up people in the pop world. Any thoughts or comments?