Monday, June 13, 2005
Make sure you pick up the Wednesday, June 15 issue of Seven Days — I did a bitchin' interview with Sleater-Kinney's drum goddess Janet Weiss. We talked about politics and Led Zeppelin; two of my most beloved topics.
They play Higher Ground on June 21.
Oh, and their new album The Woods is worthy of the hype it's been getting.
My old pals at Pure Pop Records in Burlington probably have it on sale, so pick it up and start memorizing the songs.
Friday, June 10, 2005
I do. Lead singer/guitarist Eugene Hutz (formerly Nicolaev) left Burlington several years ago to seek fame and fortune in the Big Apple. Guess what?
He found it.
Eugene has been featured as a model in the New York Times Magazine (sportin' a huge handlebar 'stache, I might add) and his band Gogol Bordello have several releases under their belt and fill rooms wherever they go.
Now he's a movie star.
Yep, Eugene has TOP BILLING alongside adorable hobbit Elijah Woods in the film adaptation of "Everything is Illuminated," a best-selling novel by precocious boy-genius author Jonathan Safran Foer.
Fellow Burl. ex-pat Jason Cooley (who used to play with Eugene in The Fags) told me in an e-mail that he caught a brief glimpse of the rising star on a busy city street. According to Cooley, Eugene was being trailed by a documentary crew, who were following him to Kiev, where he was to DJ his old haunts.
Anyway, I'm s'posed to do an article on Eugene Hutz sometime in August. That is, if he isn't too huge by then.
He used to call me "Mussolini" back when I was a rock star.
check it: Gogol Bordello
Oh, and I'm not making this stuff up!
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
You may or may not be aware of Beck's lifelong involvement with Scientology. You might not care. You might be afraid that you'll be taken away in the night if you talk about it. Well, I'm not frightened!
The worldwide web might eventually prove to be the cult's undoing, as more and more information about their manipulation techniques becomes available. And we all know how reliable a source of information the internet is.
Anyway, I found this incredibly comprehensive account (perhaps the only account) of Beck's secret background. It's long, it's dense, but it deserves to be read.
Check it out:spooky stuff.
My frequent e-mail buddy Colin Clary has a few weblinks you might want to check out. I wrote up a big 'ol chunk of news about him for next week's paper, but I figured, why not drop a few URLs on my hot new blog?
First up, check out out his new tune “Loneliest on Weekends.” You can get for free right here: MundaneSounds Compliation .
His long-awaited full-length solo album is also out, available from CDR label Asaurus Records. It's called Sweater Weather or Not, These are the Songs I Got, and it's cheap!
Clary's goin' on a big house tour, as well, joined by pal Kevin Huelbig, Jr. Tourdates are on Kevin's site.
I was recently asked why Seven Days hadn't covered a certain specific band all that much lately. Said band is of the "jam" variety, and are one of the Green Mountains' biggest musical exports.
The answer I gave was simple: I rely on the bands (or their representatives) to send me news. My Sound Bites column is an open forum designed to keep the community up to date on local musical goings-on, space and deadlines permitting, of course. But I need you to keep me informed. I ain't no psychic.
As far as feature articles are concerned, those get hashed out between myself and my editors. It helps when I've taken a particular shine to a group, but I've covered everything from a capella to punk rock. Yes, even jam.
That having been said, part of this gig is being a critic. I know some folks don't take kindly to anyone harshing on a local band, but, having seen nearly every side of this freakish business, I have to say it's better to take your lumps here before getting completely torn apart in a larger, more competitive and less forgiving market.
I personally enjoy lots of music -- from the Allman Brothers to Black Metal, so keep working at whatever you do, and I'll do my best to get you some press.
It appears that the Zooma festival -- which was to feature Trey, Ben Harper and Jurrasic 5, among others -- has been cancelled due to lack of interest.
Meanwhile corporate country music packages and generic hard rock fests continue to earn huge revenue.
Check it: guess it's Ozzfest for y'all
Yeah, yeah. it's from Pitchfork. They're still good for news, at least.