Solid State

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Solid State! In honor of this most ridiculous of fake holidays, I'm writing this entire post in an annoyingly green font. And no, I'm not drunk. Yet.

This was a pretty quiet weekend for yous truly. Aside from Thursday night's Moses Atwood show at The Skinny Pancake — which was incredible — I made a point of staying in, getting lots of rest and experiencing South By Southwest vicariously through Paste magazine's online coverage. Here me now and believe me later: next year, I'm going.

Within four hours of each other last Friday, My Morning Jacket, Del The Funky Homosapien, Spoon, Yo La Tengo, Jay Reatard, Bon Iver and Mark Kozalek all played shows in various locations around Austin. And that was just Friday. The keynote speaker of the day? Lou Reed at — drum roll, please — 10:30 in the morning. Does anyone else think this one probably got a late start?

I discovered some other interesting tidbits while geeking out. For example, Tom Waits is touring this summer. I would kill everyone reading this post for but one ticket to any of these shows. OK, maybe not everyone. But two or three of you anyway. I'll even take standing room. When the tour dates are officially announced, watch your back, Solid State.

In other news, Weezer is planning to release its sixth album later this Spring. This of course begs the question: why?

Weezer is one of my all-time favorite bands. I firmly believe that Pinkerton is one of the greatest albums ever recorded and defy anyone to prove otherwise. But frankly, Rivers Cuomo hasn't written a good song in, like, 10 years. I'll admit, The Green Album had its moments. But everything after that, including the gag-inducing Maladroit, has been an affront to the delicate sensibilities of wuss-rocking nerds everywhere. That said, I'll still probably buy the album, 'cuz I'm a sucker. And a wuss. And kind of a closet nerd.

Finally, here's a site guaranteed to waste more of your time than Scramble on Facebook — or I suppose, Solid State (rimshot!). It's called Songkick and it might just usher in the next generation of web-geekery. The premise is basically that the site functions as one-stop shopping for music fans to keep tabs on their favorite bands. You can subscribe to feeds and receive updates whenever your favorite artist does anything. Want to know what Colin Meloy had for lunch? Sign up and find out.

OK, it's not that comprehensive. It does, however, let you know when major artists are swinging through your area. I'm guessing they haven't invested much energy in places like Burlington yet, because all they have for upcoming VT shows are: 311 at Memorial Auditorium (yawn), ZZ Top at The Champlain Valley Fair (I take it The Moody Blues were busy?) and — are you sitting down? — Toby muthafuckin' Keith! I'm working on getting an interview as we speak. No really, I am.

But back to wasting time. The real draw is the site's "Battle Of The Bands" feature which allows you to pit virtually any artists you can think of — provided they have some degree of online presence — against each other to see who is more successful/generating more buzz, either via Amazon sales, blog mentions or MySpace plays and visits. Want to see how Grace Potter stacks up against Vampire Weekend? (hint: not well) You can do it.

I believe it was about a month ago that I suggested MySpace plays are becoming more relevant than chart success in the music biz. Nailed that one!

Before we part ways for the day, I'm pretty sure I promised a podcast debut for last weekend. Um, yeah, about that . . .

I'm still working on it. I'm not what you would call "technically savvy." And even though podcasting is super easy, I'm still working on mine. It's a-comin' though. And it's gonna be good. I promise.

Top O' the evening, folks!

Because of some unavoidable confusion, this week's issue of Seven Days contains no listings — beyond typical weekly events — for everybody's favorite hipster haunt, Radio Bean. In my column, I promised online updates as they became available. Well here we are on Friday afternoon and I finally have some info to pass along.

The Radio Bean music schedule for this weekend is: Absolutely nothing! And that includes residencies such as Irish Sessions and Honky Tonk Tuesday. The slate, this week anyway, has been wiped clean.

I wish I was joking, but alas, the Bean has scaled back its schedule from now until Sunday, March 23. I'd rather not get into the particulars of why, exactly, the change was made — I'm sure the more able-minded among you can figure it out on your own. But I will tell you what Lee Anderson and Co. have lined up in the interim.

Here's a snippet of an e-mail I received from the man himself:

The scene at The Bean is going to be totally different for the next 9 days. We're not going be having any music at all, including our usual residencies. We're calling it "The Aye-Yi-Ides" and it can be listed in the paper that way. Basically, we're going to be serving dinners, home-made ice cream, having an open discussion salon every night with different topics, and generally see what happens. Then, Sunday 3/23 everything goes back to 'normal' (whatever that means around here).

So there you have it.

On the plus side, this is the perfect opportunity for the jackasses who like to go to The Bean and talk through entire sets to gab to their hearts content, without fear of drawing the ire of folks around them who actually show up to listen to music. See? There's always a silver lining.

You are all aware that I am a fan of Journey. And in fact, have on more than one occasion, judged another person's worth based on whether or not he too was a fan of Journey. But today could very well be the day that my love affair with Journey must come to an end.

According to the news ticker over at Rolling Stone online, the band plans to release a three-disc CD/DVD package featuring one CD of re-recorded classics, one CD of newtracks, and a live DVD. The package will be available June 3... exclusively at Wal-Mart.

Um... seriously?

First off, can we all agree that the concept of a "re-recorded classic" is a total oxymoron? It's a classic for a reason. Don't mess with it. Especially if messing with it means changing the vocals from that of Steve Perry to one of his many replacements. They could never do those tuxedo tails justice.

I also cringe at the idea of a whole new CD. New Journey songs should only be created in late night karaoke bars when patrons get too drunk to follow their video prompts and instead sing their own lyrics to the rock ballad backing track.

And finally... Wal-Mart?

Actually, no wait. As much as it disappoints me, the Wal-Mart angle is the one part of this story that I kind of understand. I mean, let's be honest here. The only thing more American than singing Journey in a karaoke bar has got to be singing Journey in the karaoke machine display aisle at your local area Wal-Mart.

With some fast food in one hand.

And the keys to your SUV in the other.

The part that really finds me conflicted though is the supposed plans for a 2008 tour with the new lineup.

AHHHHH! STOP! YOU'RE RUINING IT!

For the record, Perry's latest substitute, Arnel Pineda, notes on theband's web site that he "is looking forward to the scrutiny he will getfrom Journey fans," and also acknowledges that "there's only one StevePerry in this world."

Whether or not the rest of the band agrees, is unclear. After all, guitarist Neal Schon was so desperate for a new singer that he actually found Pineda after spending days perusing Journey cover bands on YouTube.

DAYS, people.

Hey, Schon! If there are enough bands covering Journey out there that it takes you DAYS to watch all of the resulting YouTube clips, then I really don't think there's any need for Journey to claim 'reborn' status and start covering... itself. With the singer of an actual Journey cover band.

The whole thing just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I may have to change my ring tone.

Have you guys seen Air Guitar Nation? I haven't yet, but Seven Days staff writer Ken Picard was kind enough to send along the following clip from the film, featuring Air Guitar World Champ C-Diddy. Frankly, I'm salivating. Check it out:

Yikes, sorry for the lack of posting. I got the flu. Nuf said.

I assume you've all heard by now that Phish will be receiving a lifetime achievment award from the Jammys. Wow. I can't even type Jammys with a straight face, let alone say it. Stick me at that awards show with a couple people playing a game of Risk next to me and Lord of the Rings on the big screen and you've officially created my own personal ninth circle of hell.

Which is not to say I don't appreciate Phish, I just don't listen to them. Or any jam band actually. Although I did really enjoy The Casual Fiasco while they were stationed in Vermont.

I will always be humored by the expectation that if you live in Burlington, you like Phish. This is not an expectation held by actual Vermonters, but rather by the brand new trustafarians that infiltrate UVM each fall and take over our town with their dreadlocks and SUVs.

My favorite Phish story has got to be the time my friends and I crashed a UVM party, and after surveying the apartment's classic college posters, indie-film boy James asked, "Who's Trey Anastasio?"

Did you just hear the record stop? It was like a bad college movie with the big dramatic silent pause before the onslaught of ratty-haired boys slinging around bad keg beer and screaming, "WHO'S TREY ANASTASIO!?"

Poor, James. He had spent his college years listening to Tom Waits. What did he know?

It's not clear whether or not all members of Phish will even attend the May 7 awards ceremony, and at this time there are no plans for a reunion performance.

Maybe they'll pull a Madonna and have Iggy Pop and The Stooges do a couple covers instead.

Man, The Radiator is freakin' awesome!

Last night, I made my debut appearance on everybody's favorite local low-power FM station. I was a guest host for Jim Lockridge's totally ass-kickin' local music hour, "Rocket Shop." If you haven't listened, or at least seen the playlists he posts after each show, you're missing out. Especially if you remember "the good old days" when The Pants, Envy et al. ruled the scene. Every week is like a trip back in time, as if Club Toast is somehow inhabiting your transistors. He plays a bunch of newer stuff too, from a wide array of genres. Where else would you see Romans and Guppyboy in the same setlist?

Anywhoo, yesterday I couldn't share the exact tunes I'd chosen since that would have violated FCC codes. Some sort of protection against recording songs and distributing them to 50 million of your closest friends, I suppose. But that was then and this is now.

I started with "Dreams of Lisbon," by dynamic NEK hip-hop duo, Algorhythms. The tune was one of my favorite tracks from the recently released Projectivity/GTD comp, Projected Vol. 2. Take a listen here.

Next up, from his debut disc, Gringolandia, Mickey Western's "Las Vegas." Solid cut from a solid disc. Even if he does sound like Bob Dylan.

Following Mr. Western was maybe the prettiest song I've heard since Weezer's "Butterfly," "Seventh Sin" by Moses Atwood. I kinda bent the rules on this one, since Atwood isn't technically a VT product. He did spend last summer living out of a van in a friend's B-town driveway, so I think that almost counts, right? The dude is playing something like five VT shows in the next 10 days, so do yourself a favor a check him out. Listen to the track here.

Finally, I closed the set with Paddy Reagan's "Coffee & Cigarettes" from his nifty debut EP, Hey! Hi! Hello! While the tune was playing over the studio monitors, Kelsey Hanrahan, who does the "Weekend Update" — a run down of upcoming shows not to miss — remarked "Oooh. I like this one." Me too, Kelsey.

Hopefully, this will become a regular gig or at least happen as often as I have good tunes to share.

Thanks again to Jim Lockridge and crew. I had a blast, guys.

So my car broke down Tuesday night. Which, considering my not-so-central location combined with my crippling fear of walking alone at night is really just... totally awesome.

A situation made all the more awesome by this week's icy rain.

All I could think when I looked out the window Wednesday morning was that if I still lived in Connecticut, it would almost be spring.

Of course there is an upside to walking everywhere. That is... ipod time! Because as much as I dislike icy puddles, I do love tuning out the world for a half hour to listen to music I forgot I even liked.

You know when you fall in love with a song and you listen to it over, and over, and over, and then eventually stop, and then four years later it randomly shows up on your shuffle playlist and you almost fall over with the brilliance of the tune you had long ago forgotten? Well, the brilliance... and the ice?

That happened to me yesterday with "Something Vague" by Bright Eyes.

The song appears on the 2000 release, Fevers and Mirrors, and I still remember the winter in Maine that my friends Erin, Laura, and I discovered it. When it suddenly came into my earphones yesterday I was instantly brought back to the Halloween that our plans to go to Salem were ruined, and we instead drove around the backwoods of western Maine listening to that one track over and over again. You know, right after we stopped at the local tattoo shop to get Erin's lip pierced. All hail my extremely emo college years.

I love that the song has a definite crescendo and a definite resolution, and while I know Conor Oberst has his share of haters, I've always been a fan of his lyrical ability. The way his voice cracks over "And I'll hang like a star, fucking glow in the dark" gets me every time.

I realize the song is pretty depressing, but sometimes when life sucks, the only thing that helps is to listen to a story of someone whose life sucks even more. I'm certainly not saying Bright Eyes can cure Seasonal Affective Disorder, but if you just feel like moping because you're sick of being iced over, this could be the song for you.

Ooooor you could just head over to the Monkey tonight around 8:00 for the benefit show I'm hosting in support of the fight against Crohn's and Colitis. Gregory Douglass is playing. And Paddy Reagan, and Colin Clary and A Magog too!

No, seriously, do you want to go?

Because this really isn't a shameless plug. I just really need a ride.

It's Wednesday night. Do you know where your local music critic is? On The Radiator, that's where.

Tonight I'll be making my debut appearance on Big Heavy World's "Rocketshop," hosted by Radiator co-founder Jim Lockridge. And I'm pretty psyched about it, I am. 

Here's the gist: I show up with a few select cuts from records recently reviewed in the esteemed pages of Seven Days and play them on air. Simple, no?

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you guys don't run out and buy every disc that gets ink in the paper. So the idea is to afford our readers — and Radiator listeners — the opportunity to hear some of the more interesting music they've (hopefully) been reading about. Kind of put a face (or ear, I guess) to the words.

Because of some predictably silly FCC regulation, I can't tell you exactly what I'll play. But I can tell you who.

This week, you'll hear music from Paddy Reagan's new EP, Hey! Hi! Hello!, Mickey Western's debut full-length, Gringolandia, the hip-hop comp Projected Vol. 2 and Moses Atwood's eponymous debut, which, if you haven't read today's paper, I really, really, really liked. A lot. Really.

Anyway, tune in tonight. 8 p.m. 105.9 FM.

PS- along similar lines, I'll be releasing podcasts featuring local music in the not-too-distant future. Or, as soon as I figure out what the hell a "podcast" is and how to make them.

A few months ago, I requested the assistance of the loyal denizens of Solid State to help me craft the ultimate iPod mix for my bowling league. I'm not sure that I've ever quite nailed it, exactly. But over the last 12 weeks or so, my partner-in-crime, Jeremy Gantz, and I have come awfully close. Currently, my iTunes library runneth over, so this could be the week. We'll see.

Believe it or not, this week is basically my last chance at perfection, both in terms of actual bowling and ultimate iPod mix wizardry, as it's the final week of regular season play for the Whiskey Ball Gutter League. We do have two weeks of playoffs lined up, but this is likely the last hurrah for the whole crew. Sniffle. By the way, we're taking applications for next year's league, so if you're interested, let me know.

Anyway, as tonight marks the end of arguably the coolest thing I've ever done, I though I'd pass along this YouTube clip that was sent to me by a WBGL member. It's pretty much the greatest clip ever.

It does however, contain a remarkable amount of profanity, so if foul language ruffles your feathers, fuck off.

In honor of the 2007-2008 Whiskey Ball Gutter League, I present "The Big Lebowski: The F*cking Short Version." Enjoy.

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Winooski's Monkey House. Good people, good music, and conveniently located on the same roundabout as a slew of dive bars, which keeps my favored hangout creep-free.

"Of course no creepy men are going to bother you when you sit around eating sauerkraut all night!" Tyson the bartender tells me.

Oh yeah, did I mention the amazing Sneakers sandwiches?

Anyway, Monkey+Me=LOVE. Which is why I really really love their new e-newsletter, designed to keep all us Monkey-dwellers in the loop as to who's playing on which night.

The Monkey House Mailer is yet another project of enterprising local musician and booking-guy, Paddy Reagan. It's pretty simplistic - no fancy html here - but thorough, with links to everyone scheduled to play, as well as commentary on what Paddy is personally excited about.

Want to sign up? Send an email to monkeybarmusic at gmail dot com with "subscribe" in the subject.

Yeah, that should do the trick.

And while you're at it, you can also bookmark the Monkey's blog which can be found here. The rest of the staff seemed to jump on board with a New Year's Resolution to keep the blog updated, but like many New Year's Resolutions, it seems to have been abandoned. As someone who enjoyed those few posts, I'm hoping this will serve as the kick in the pants needed to bring them back.

Now get out of here and go vote!