Solid State

This just in from the folks at Ye Olde North End Ramble (July 30), the deadline to sign up to be involved, whether as a performer, host venue, volunteer or sugar daddy financier, has been extended to this Friday, July 15. You can pick up forms at variety of Burlington locations, including Radio Bean, Jamba's Junktiques and Viva Espresso. 

There is also now a Ramble Kickstarter page, which features the promotional video below. A nine-minute-long promotional video. Nine minutes. Seriously. Anyway, they need to hit a grand in the next 16 days. I'm betting they get there.

Yeah, yeah. I know. It's been a while. I could make excuses for the dearth of posts this past month. I could offer sincere regrets, guarantees it will never happen again, solemn vows to be a more vigilant blurbsmith. But we both know such promises would, while well-intentioned, ring hollow, much like Hank Moody apologizing to his eternally wounded and increasingly jaded daughter, Becca, for the thousandth time: sincerely remorseful, yet fully aware — as she is — that he will inevitably fuck up again, most likely in boozy and spectacular fashion. (Yes, I've been on a "Californication" kick lately.)

Anyway, in the interest of playing catchup/stopping the bleeding/not doing other work, I thought we'd bust out an old fashioned smattering of randomness to get us relatively up to date. Here goes.

- This just in from Higher Ground: LoCash Cowboys have cancelled their appearance at the club scheduled for this Sunday. Figures, the one time I throw airbrushed pop-country a rhinestone-studded bone, I jinx the show. My bad.

- Wanna see some naked musicians? Local videographer Matt Day, on the heels of a successful opening at the BCA Center last month, finally has an online home for his Naked Musicians video project, nakedmusicians.com.  It's an interesting project, showcasing (mostly) local tunesmiths playing (clothed) in casual surroundings. It's also very well done. Plus, bonus points to Day for the lurid website title, which will undoubtedly draw a bazilion extra hits from pervy Googlers. Well played! Anyway, here's a vid from the project featuring Paper Castles.

naked musicians - Paper Castles from Matt Day on Vimeo.

- Any Amerpunkgrassrockjazzicana fans in the house? Go see the Defibulators at Nectar's on Thursday. Trust me.

- Remember back in February of 2010, when Rapper Big Pooh and his crew nearly died on I-89 when their van flipped en route to a show at Club Metronome? No? Well, they did. Not only that, they still played the gig. Anyway, it seems Pooh's group, Little Brother, recently broke up under some unfortunate and convoluted circumstances, as detailed in this excellent article in North Carolina's Independent Weekly by Grayson Currin, which leads with a description of the accident outside Randolph. (Full disclosure: this story is up for an AAN award this year, which is sort of like the Oscars for alt-weekly journalism. A story I wrote is actually nominated in the same category. But were I a betting man, my money would be on Currin. This is a prime example of arts-related alt-journalism at its best.)  

- I was on vacation when this was announced, but I couldn't be happier about Gillian Welch coming to the Flynn in October. As an aside, Welch's Time (the Revelator) remains the only album my dad has ever borrowed from me and never returned. I don't blame him. Tix go on sale Friday.

- Conan O'Brien gave James Kochalka some love recently.

- Burlington's e-sk (Slanted Black Records) was recently featured on Beatport.

- And last but not least, BURNTmd's track "Smuggler's Notch," featuring Keith Murray was just named a "Banger" by noted hip-hop rag XXL Magazine. I believe that's a good thing … (Seriously though, congrats, B)

Hey ho, Solid State.

It's time once again for your friendly neighborhood alt-weekly to compile the ballot for this year's Seven Daysies Awards. And, as we do most years, we're looking for ways to mix up some of the categories. This being a music-ish blog, I'm specifically looking for ways we can better represent the scene as a whole, and maybe introduce a few new faces into the winner's circle along side the perennial favorites — Higher Ground, Grace Potter, etc.

So, if you could, what categories would you add to our existing awards? Which existing ones would you eliminate altogether, or perhaps alter? Inquiring minds want to know.  

The countdown on Langdon Street Café closing stands at t-minus three days and change, which … well, absolutely sucks. The quirky java joint is closing for financial reasons, and even after Boston-based circus punks Cirkestra draw the curtain for the last time on Saturday night, the cash-strapped café will long be dealing with the financial fallout of a rocky final few months.

To help out, the fine folks from the Golden Dome Musician's Collective in Montpelier and State and Main Records have put together a stellar new compilation, State and Main Records: Volume 1.5 — A Benefit for the Langdon Street Café. The download-only comp is a followup to the label's debut offering, State and Main Records: Volume 1, released in February to rave reviews — at least from me. After a few cursory listens, I'm finding Volume 1.5 just as entertaining.

You can grab the comp here, for a measly $10, proceeds of which go directly to LSC. To wet your whistle, here's a snippet, "Sticks and Stones," by Simple Heart.

State and Main Records - LSC-GDMC Benefit - 08 Sticks and Stones

This just in from the fine lads at Angioplasty Media, the new video for "Plenty Hands" by Parmaga, from their excellent debut EP, Ghost Pops. Dig it.

Parmaga - Plenty Hands from Geoffrey Klane on Vimeo.

I'm usually not much for reality TV unless it involves Padma Lakshmi, but this is kinda cool. Or horrifying, depending on how you feel about Radiohead.

It seems a UVM pre-med student, Devon Barley — who is also the music director of UVM a cappella group the TopCats, of which I was a member, many years ago — is doing quite well on NBC's latest Star Search ripoff, the Voice. For the unfamiliar, the show, hosted by Carson Daly, is a reimagining of a Dutch TV show of the same name, in which aspiring pop singers compete for the right to be on American Idol. Or maybe to win a ton of money and a record deal. I can never remember.

The contestants are judged by a panel of pop stars, including Cee-Lo Green, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera and Maroon 5's Adam Levine. In tonight's episode (NBC, 10 p.m.), Barley squares off against another hopeful — on a stage that vaguely resembles a boxing ring, no less — to move on to the next round. This particular contest seems loosely based on the rap battle concept, with contestants alternating verses of a song. Except that instead of freeestyling, they tackle a poppy karaoke rendition of the radio edit version of Radiohead's "Creep." (video below) Thom Yorke must be rolling in his grave.

All kidding aside, congrats on your success so far, Devon. And best of luck tonight. 

Today's missive comes by way of local indie-folk outfit Osage Orange. It's a nifty little video for their song, "Alchemy," that fairly screams Burlington bohemia. You've got yer ragtag dancin' fools clad in vagabond chic garmenture, lots of pointy facial hair, a healthy dose of rambling accordion and, of course, Phinneus Sonin juggling. It's like a night at Radio Bean delivered straight to your computer screen. Enjoy.

This just in from 4-Word Presents: An open letter to the Prez, hip-hop style.

Signed, Nastee

There is no possible way I could write with any sort of objectivity about the Lazy Songwriter, or the fact that today marks the tenth anniversary of the band's first show.

For starters, both of my siblings were in the band. I've known front man Arthur Adams since he was in, like, fourth grade. LS lead guitarist David Stockhausen would later be my partner in crime in my last serious musical endeavor, the Middle Eight — as was occasional LS contribtor Mike Duplessis. In fact, I basically just stole Art's band when he left for San Francisco and I moved back to town. And to be honest, were it not for the Lazy Songwriter, I may not have decided to return to Burlington at all.

During their heyday, I was living in Boston under the auspices of making my way as a songwriter. In reality, I was a bartender who spent far too much time on both sides of the wood — usually babbling about how I was totally gonna make it in music, man. Then promptly ordering another round. Or eight. Ah, Boston.

I came home to visit Burlington fairly often in those days. And when I did, I found myself incredibly envious both of Art's band and how much more of a community Burlington's music scene — and, specifically, the burgeoning little scene orbiting the then-new Radio Bean — seemed to be compared to what I had found in Beantown. Maybe I had just been looking in the wrong places. But the Lazy Songwriter and Radio Bean, generally, epitomized what I had hoped to find by moving away. So I came home. 

Aaaaanyway, as I mentioned, today is the tenth aniversary of the Lazy Songwriter's first ever show at (where else?) Radio Bean. In celebration, Adams has posted the entire LS canon on his website, Blammos.com. And, personal biases utterly intact, it's pretty great, especially if you loved that band back in the day. And really, for a supposedly laggard tunesmith, dude was pretty prolific. Enjoy.

And thanks, Art.  

Man, I hate being the bearer of bad news. And this is seriously bad news indeed. The following is an email that went out to various press outlets this morning from Meg Hammond and Ben T. Matchstick at the Langdon Street Café. 

To all the friends, family, community, and performers of the Langdon Street Café,  

After doing business in downtown Montpelier for six and a half years, the Café has faced a difficult decision.  Due to increasing financial difficulties and circumstances, the Langdon Street Café will permanently close its doors on May 28th.  This decision has not been an easy one for us.

We would like to thank everyone who has participated in the Langdon Street Café over the years—especially the Café’s founders and all of the employees past and present who have worked so hard and volunteered extra efforts to keep it going.  We would also like to thank our families, tenants, and volunteer crews who have helped reinvent the space numerous times.  A big thanks goes out to all the Café’s customers for feeling right at home, keeping us afloat, and for recharging our spirit.  Finally, thank you to the downtown business community and to the City of Montpelier for making this town the most brilliant little star on the map.

We will greatly miss hosting you at the Café.  Please come in and enjoy the Café throughout the month of May. Visit our website and Facebook pages where you can share your photos and stories.  langdonstreetcafe.com 

Sincerely,

Meg Hammond, Owner/Manager

Ben t. Matchstick, Booking & Events