Solid State

To some, they invented shoegaze. To some others, if it weren't for band in-fighting they could have beat Nirvana to the punch and brought slacker rock to the masses. To Wikipedia, "their distinct sound, characterized by high gain, extensive use of feedback and distortion . . . and melodic guitar solos, were highly influential in the alternative rock movement of the 1990's . . ." To me, Dinosaur Jr is just a great fucking band and anyone who loves great fucking music ought to check 'em out!

Our brothers from Amherst bring their gargantuan rock to Higher Ground on Saturday, April 4. Tix are 20 bucks and include a free tour only 7" or digital download! 

With an upcoming jaunt across the pond for a slew of shows that all seem to employ some version of the word "pop" in the title — usually with an exclamation point! — those wascally Smittens are as busy as ever. Somehow, in the midst of all the Smittenly madness and his Let's Whisper bedroom popping — that reads much more luridly than it sounded in my head — Colin Clary has found the time to release yet another solo album, Every Little Thing Counts, a followup to his remarkable 2007 effort, Apocalypse Yow.

The disc is available now on WeePop Records. But it's a limited edition, so get it while you can.

And here's a sample:

Priced out of this weekend's Phish reunion? Hosed by the lottery? Did you recently awake from a wiggle-induced coma and only now found out about the shows? Take heart, dudes. Trey loves you. And to prove it, Phish is releasing FREE MP3 downloads of each Hampton concert the day after each show. Really.

In a statement released two minutes ago, Anastasio states, "We really wanted to show our gratitude to all the Phish fans for their support and the overwhelming response they've had to these shows. It's going to be an amazing celebration and we only wish everybody could be there."

Awwww. Thanks, Trey. Maybe you really are a Jedi after all.

You can download the recordings — available for a limited time! — here.

No, really. The announcement literally just showed up in my inbox two seconds ago.

And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead. Free show. Tonight. Wasted City Studios. 10 p.m.

You're welcome.

(Editor's Note: Bryan Dondero, Solid State. Solid State, Bryan Dondero. This is the last time I'll introduce you to each other. Anyway, today Mr. Dondero takes a slight detour from musical ramblings and gets down to some monkey business. -DB)

The latest headlines in the New York Times show that the monkey debate (don't say "trial," that's completely different) still continues. Let me just say that "I get it."  If it weren't for the whole throwing poop thing, I would totally want a pet monkey. But really, when you think about it, throwing poop is a symbolic gesture that states the underlying truth about monkeys here. THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO BE DOMESTICATED!  Sure, I know a little about evolution and the natural order of things. And yes, given several hundred years of domesticating and breeding, maybe monkeys could be on par with dogs. But I've seen Planet of the Apes. I know what happens if we do that.

Alas, people still love their monkeys. Given last week's tragedy, where some old lady's chimp nearly mauled her friend to death and consequently ended up with the chimp being shot and killed, one would think that the lesson would be learned. Hmmmm . . . maybe I shouldn't be trying to raise orangutans in my living room.  Bob, the monkey owner featured in the above Times article, when asked about last week's monkey mishap succinctly observes, "she was delusional.” He continues, “she anthropomorphized the primate to such a degree that he was more human than chimpanzee.” This coming from a man who's own monkey nearly gave him a vasectomy. They just can't let their beloved primates go, “He bit my arms, legs and face,” another monkey owner claims. “It was terrifying, but I still love him.”

Maybe Heston was right. Maybe we are destined to be outsmarted and overthrown by primates some day.  Maybe our moronic tendencies to value things that are cute and cuddly over the natural order of things will eventually be our demise. Perhaps we should have seen that huge stinking glob of feces being hurled right at our faces . . . and ducked.

This just in from Bill Simmon's Twitter feed: The Radiator has pulled its internet stream due to funding shortages. Sigh.

Do your daily good deed and donate here.

On a related note, does anyone ever post good news on Twitter? Sheesh.

I think I need a few minutes and a bottle of Pepto to digest Pitchfork's review of Death's . . . For the Whole World To See. (One critique that springs immediately to mind: in order for an album to be a "re-issue," doesn't it have to have been "issued" first? Granted, some of these tunes were pressed to vinyl as singles, but they were never presented together before now.)

I'll try and weigh in on this later. But for now, check out the review and let's hear what you think . . .

Just kidding. Burlington doesn't suck. But now that I have your attention . . .

In a couple of weeks, Seven Days will be running a cover story concerning ways to "make Burlington better." The piece is still very much in the planning stages. But a brainstorming session earlier today kind of got my juices flowing. So I thought, why not ask you, denizens of Solid State, for some music-y suggestions?

A few that jumped immediately to my mind were:

1. A Rock club (capital R). No offense to any of the existing area venues, but there's no denying there's been a void since Toast closed (which filled the void left when Hunt's closed). Nectar's and Metronome are great at what they do. So is Higher Ground, but you have to drive there. The Monkey Bar is close — but again, you gotta drive. And the recent rise of alt-venues has been a fun development. But we're missing the happy medium in Burlington proper. That dive-bar-meets-juke-joint kind of place that draws up-and-coming rock bands and established touring acts who don't quite fit the Nectar's bailiwick, are probably too big for the Monkey or an alt-venue and are too small for destination venues like HG. I know the Toast era is often viewed through rose-colored glasses. But there's a reason for that.

2. A Waterfront Amphitheater. Sure, we could really only use it for a few months a year. But it would be a hell of a lot better than the existing proposals for the Moran Plant.

3. More local music showcases. They're awesome. They always draw. And they don't happen often enough.

4. Mandatory showering policy at all venues. Bouncers would be required to smell all patrons before they enter. I'm serious about this one.

And some non-music related suggestions:

1. More trashcans outside of the Church Street district. I've logged more miles on foot clutching plastic bags filled with dog poop because I can't find a trashcan until I get downtown than I care to count.

2. A commuter rail. Lessee, we've got high gas prices, an imploding economy and state full of supposedly progressive thinking environmental types. Screw the Circ. Sure the Champlain Flyer didn't work. But it only served folks on the state's West Coast and only like twice a day. Extend the rails throughout Chittenden County and run it all day long. If we want to be a big boy city, we've gotta have real mass transit. Monorail!

3.  A weatherproof bubble over the city with a retractable roof. I'd say I'm kidding, but I'm seriously all set with winter. Enough already. 

4. More/better bars. The current crop is enough to drive a man not to drink.

5. A pool hall. I miss Cherry St. Billiards. A downtown bowling alley would be pretty rad too.

6. Fewer chain stores/eateries on Church Street. Remember Chassman & Bem's? Cassler's? Those places were great. But hey, at least we're getting a bigger Urban Outfitters! Gee, swell.

I could go on. But enough of my ramblings. I want to hear what you would do to improve Burlington. And yes, wishful thinking is wholeheartedly encouraged.

(Editor's Note: This just in from erstwhile Nocturnal's bassist Bryan Dondero, who is gettin' bloggy with it during some well deserved down time. -DB)

What better way to clear up those winter blues than to treat yourself to a Leonard Cohen show this Spring? Okay, maybe that's not the best antidote for seasonal depression. But a chance to see one of the greatest singer/songwriters of all time would turn any frown upside down. Hell, even Kris Kristofferson declared that the opening lyrics to "Bird on a Wire" would kick off his epitaph! Folk's poet laureate has lined up a string of shows across North America for the first time in 15 years. Surprisingly, Burlington is not included on the tour — come on Flynn, step it up! 

Sir Cohen does, however, include a stop in his hometown of Montreal on May 21st at the Pavillon de la Jeunesse. Hey, it's just a short drive and a brief cavity search away. So worth it in my opinion. You may want to double check the dates on his tour page though, as the first date says "Austin, TX, Canada." That's really going to throw off the whole NXNW/SXSW thing! Incidentally, if anyone is interested in starting a folk militia to kidnap L.Cohen and force him play a solo show at Parima (nothing compliments Folk Noir like a nice steamy Shu Mai . . . yum), a signup sheet will be attached to this blog.

(Editor's Note: The following comes in from factory fresh Solid State blogger Marc Scarano. This is only his second post. So I promise I'll stop introducing him soon. Anyway, the floor's all yours, Marc -DB)

Here are a few impressions from Friday night at the Monkey House. In order of appearance (as well as the number of band members):

1. Ryan Power- If I had to come up with a mashup to describe Ryan Power's sound, it would be Flaming Lips vs. Frank Zappa. On whippets. He's like a slacker rapper, taking the stage by himself and singing along to pre-recorded music. Despite the karaoke format, I enjoyed his set.

2. The Vacant Lots- Lou Reed vs. Moe Tucker, in a death cage match. But they're on the same team, fighting against a giant sitar. That's what they sounded like. They kind of reminded me of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, but with good songs. Ouch!

3. The Cush- Neil Young vs. My Bloody Valentine, with a touch of The Breeders. The spacey modern Breeders, not the punky old Breeders. They take it slow, using the space between the notes as much as the notes themselves. Male and female voices blend nicely in the mix. Guitaris t Burette Douglas has a secret weapon: a big black magic box on a stool in front of him that he was plugged into. I'm not even sure what that thing does. But his guitar sounded really cool, at times all trippy and echoed, and other times just thick and nasty. It's hard for a band to live up to the hype surrounding them. But for me The Cush did.