This past Tuesday night, I had the great pleasure of seeing Rilo Kiley live in Orlando, and I can confidently say that they put on a hell of a show. Even if I didn't have a heterosexual bias towards the cutiest of cute, Jenny Lewis, I believe I would say the same thing. The crowd at House of Blues was a good one, and they knew all the songs. It was a special treat when they played "Dejalo" and "Smoke Detector", because they apparently hadn't played those songs for the past few dates of their tour. Also, they threw giant balloons filled with gold confetti onto the audience, which were soon popped on balcony lighting. One of the amusing highlights was when Jenny said "You guys are fucking awesome...sorry to cuss." The audience giggled. Here is a song that they didn'y play live called "Jenny, You're Barely Alive". It's a non-album track from the stellar "Saddle Creek 50" compilation.
Rilo Kiley- "Jenny, You're Barely Alive" [Removed]
Art In Manila opened for Rilo Kiley, and I had never heard of them before. I didn't have time to do my usual research before the show, because I got a ticket unexpectedly the morning of. Anyway, I didn't know what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed their set. It was very chill, and the guitarist's subtle approach to lead guitar kept the music very interesting. After the show I looked them up and was suprised to learn that the singer was none other than Orenda Fink of Azure Ray and Now It's Overhead fame, also wife of The Faint's Todd Fink. Their debut album is decent, more so if you're already a fan of Orenda's sound. My only dissappointment is that the studio recording doesn't quite capture the energy of the live performance. The song "Spirit, Run" from "Set The Woods On Fire" does the best job of displaying their live abilities.
Art In Manila- "Spirit, Run" [Removed]
For those who don't already know, Bloc Party has a new song, and it's got me psyched! Produced by Jacknife Lee (just like "A Weekend In The City"), it's heavy on synth with a fast dancable beat, and Kele's got vocoder effects. Set for release on November 12. Good Weather For Airstrikes had a radio rip of the song that I would love to share with you.
Bloc Party- "Flux [radio rip]" [Removed]
Always happy to hear news about former Unicorns members, I smiled upon hearing of Alden Penner's new group, Clues, and their upcoming album, "Rad Boo Horror & the Glory". The album title seems fitting of a fomer Unicorn. The album's release is scheduled for "soon", so be on the lookout for that one. Here is a montage preview of tracks from the new album that has my ears tickled with delight.
Clues- "Rad Boo Horror & the Glory preview" [Removed]
Stereogum recently featured a tribute to R.E.M.'s "Automatic For The People" featuring covers of each track. Entitled "Drive XV: A Tribute To Automatic For The People", it features covers by Figurines, The Veils, Rogue Wave, Meat Puppets, and many more. I'll share with you the Shout Out Louds' cover of "Man On The Moon". It's delicious, with a nice conga thing going on. The entire tribute is available for free over at Stereogum.
Shout Out Louds- "Man On The Moon" [Removed]
I apologize yet again for another Thursday post on Friday, but I was distracted by It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and late night swims. Hope you enjoy the tracks.
Labels: art in manila, bloc party, clues, live reviews, rem, rilo kiley, shout out louds
Tigercity - "Powerstripe" [Removed]
Tigercity - "Solitary Man" [Removed]
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The Milk Lounge - "Interview: Tigercity" [Removed]
Pipe- Is there a reason why you chose to release on iTunes?
Joel- We chose a digital release because we had a slew songs we needed to get out in some way, we didn't want to pay to do our own physical copies. Where all of the sudden we have 10,000 copies and we have to work by ourselves to get them all to stores or wherever we are touring. Versus a simple digital release; where it can still be treated as a real release, like as it has been. More and more people don't real care, they get their music. Go listen to it and throw review up. So it's the easiest thing we could do, for where we're at. We don't have a label.
Pipe- Do you guys ever plan to release a physicial copy of the album?
Joel- Yeah! I mean we have pro cd-r's that we made, with nice graphics and pictures and such, we sell them at shows.
Aynsley- If someone would've wanted to put it out we would've taken the deal. Or if the timing is not right and we have more music by the time we get in touch with a label that is going to be a good situation for both parties, it might just be new music.
Joel- And the other thing is that we've been offered a couple of deals and they're just shitty. And there is no reason to sign five years of your life away for something thats just not right.
Bill- We had already gotten the work done and stuff. So with the means that we have, it was the easiest way to do it. And get it to the most people.
Pipe- Being unsigned... Where are you guys most excited to go or where have you been most excited to be?
Bill- This tour has been awesome 'cause its been all about swimming in peoples pools and the ocean. So I'd have to say that I'm liking the East Coast tour better than going to the Mid-West. Not that to diss the Mid-West or anything. We did a West Coast tour back in June, that was awesome 'cause a bunch of us had never been to California... It was also our first expensive tour. So it was just a really awesome expierence and we got to see a bunch of friends we haven't seen in a long time... I don't know; do you guys have any one place?
Aynsley & Joel - Well, Miami.
Bill- Miami was fuckin' awesome.
Aynsley- Miami has been good to us. We went there before, we have a friend there who threw good parties. We're confidant that shows going to be the best show so far.
Pipe- Something I've just got to ask... Your album cover is four white stallions galloping on a beach, what drove you guys to choose that?
Bill- Actually our friend CAS who's done all of our design work... showed it to us one day - he's like, "I think I just found the cover of your album." We're like, "Fuck yeah you did!"
Pipe- You guys are currently unsigned, how much longer do you plan to stay unsigned?.. What would your dream label be?
Joel- I think its about the terms of your agreement. Could be an unkown label... it doesn't matter... It could be a major label or totally unknown... Working with the right people... the right personalities... people who understand what you're doing, and meeting good people.
Pipe- ...How's it been touring with Stylofone?
Bill- Dude their awesome, their amazing. First of all their not only one of our favorite band in New York, but their some of our best friends in New York. Their an absolutely amazing band. For that reason this has been my favorite tour.
Pipe- You mentioned the West Coast-California, so you have no intentions of leaving the East Coast to go to the West?
Bill- ...Well when we get our huge acting contracts and movie deals, then we'll definantly move to 90210. I don't think we have any plans right now. We dream about pretty much about every nice place we visit, we're like, "Yup we'll have a house here" so far we have no houses anywhere. [Laughter]
Pipe- You guys list influences such as Prince, Daft Punk, Chic... if you could share the stage with anyone who do you think that would be?
Bill- Current band? I'd say Daft Punk, for me.
Pipe- Each song has its own unique stylings, does the album have a specific theme you were trying to follow or does the theme differ from song to song?
Bill- I feel like there's actually a trend that runs through all of them... Joel and I wrote pretty much all the lyrics together... we didn't start off with them like "this will be about that" It was just kinda what we were thinking about... It's about living in New York being single... Just dealing with the ridiculous New York lifestyle. Just the way relationships come and go, the different kind of modes your in throughout that track.
Joel- A lot of the lyrics kind of reflect a fantastical-exgeration of that.
Pipe- What do you guys have planned after your final tour date?
Bill- We go back to New York, and we're gonna record some stuff. We have a bunch of CMJ shows... a show in Boston.
Joel- A couple of one off shows, we're recording a new track or two. One of the songs we play "Red Lips" has yet to be recorded.
Bill- We're gonna work on that. We'll be back during October, and then we leave again for all of November.
Pipe- Would you ever like to do a European tour?
Bill- Of course!!! Fuck yeah. No... I've heard that place is lame and doesn't believe in freedom... [Laughter]
TakeoffZebra- I don't wanna fool any suprises but do you guys play any kind of cover songs or anything like that?
Bill & Joel - We have. But not so much on this tour.
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The conversation went on for some time after that and even after the recording. These guys were great to talk to and they put on one hell of a show. Guitarist Andrew put on an excellent performance. Bassist Joel not only could slam down some great bass lines but also proved that he, like Bill, too has a remarkable singing voice. Drummer Aynsley's preformance cannot be described in words, just go see them LIVE, NOW!!! (Their myspace for tour dates). They may be from New York state, but they made some friends in Florida and hopefully they will return.
Cheers,
Pipe
Pipe
Labels: interviews, live reviews, tigercity
Well, I was a little wiped out yesterday, but I think I've recoverred enough to write a review of the Modest Mouse concert I attended saturday night in Atlanta. The trip from Jacksonville to Atlanta is no simple drive, especially when mapquest sends you to an elementary school playground in the ghetto instead of the actual venue. But having the hookah in the car was very enjoyable and got Khalid and I a lot of suspicious looks from passers-by. Damnit people, there is a big difference between hookahs and bongs. Anyway, did I mention the funny street names? While smoking banana, we passed Zebulon through Mt Zion to Masquerade and started the pregame. Moonshine, orange juice, lemon juice, and sprite combined very well with a grape hookah, and as we blasted my Mash-Up Mix-up Mix I made for the trip, people came by to say hello. Kayla and Kayla were passing out flyers and decided to hang out until the show started. We discussed the necessities of life as we looked for lost keys and made our way to the field for the show. Advice to "tough guys": If your girlfriend can't hold her own in a crowd, don't bring her into the middle of a crowd and elbow everyone that gets within 2 feet. She's scared and you're more concentrated on your baby than you are the music. Besides, it hurts when someone has an elbow wedged into the soft part between your hip and ribs as you jump up and down. I've got bruises. Well I made my way to the front and enjoyed the incredible view that was Modest Mouse. Isaac Brock was strumming and singing so forcefully, with his usual stomp-to-the-beat. Johnny Marr was playing guitar in a cool, casual manner, and the speakers exploded sound everywhere. Mr. Brock stated that he would "Fuck up a song for amusement" as Marr power stanced with his back to the crowd. By the end of the show, a bunch of fans (+ Khalid!) were getting on stage and dancing. I had serious plans for the gomp and the mc hammer, but then I saw several fans on stage get pummelled by security and tossed off the stage like crash dummies. Maybe I'll get on stage next time. I was a little dissappointed that they didn't end with "The Good Times Are Killing Me", but they may have ended the show early. When they finished, Johnny Marr was yelling at security for hitting fans. But no matter the somewhat sad ending, the show was loud, noisy, and bright. Isaac was funny, and everyone was pumped. It was a great show. Kayla and Kayla were standing on a wall telling everyone about the free after party in the club. We met up again and a few peices of tape and some discarded wristbands later, we had ourselves some liquid cocaines, hardcore ciders, and tequila shots. The times got better as we danced on the dancefloor and only reasserted that I prove the white race white. The DJ didn't have any of the songs I requested, but did end up playing "Thriller" and stuff later. The rest of the night was really a blur of an expensive hotel room, hotel security, getting kicked out of expensive hotel room but moved to another, and me being exhausted. When Khalid and I woke up around 1:30 the next day, he had ripped his clothes and body from what we later realized was a barbed wire fence and that way too much money had been spent in one night. But Khalid said it best: "Bar tab: $100+, tickets: $67 each, gas: ~$70, food: $30, seeing Modest Mouse live? Priceless." All of it was worth it, even the 700+ roundtrip driving I had to do.For download this time, I have the amazing Fergie vs. Bloc Party (DJ Schmolli) mash-up that was oh-so-popular in the pregame parking lot, and 2 tracks from Modest Mouse's "Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again", which is MM's first unofficial concert bootleg available for purchase here. "Paper Thin Walls" is a great upbeat track, and in this recording, someone yells "Freebird!" and Isaac reacts. It's priceless. Then I have "The Good Times Are Killing Me" from the same recording, which they should end every show with. Please enjoy.
Fergie vs. Bloc Party- "Blocalicious (DJ Schmolli)" [Removed]
Modest Mouse- "Paper Thin Walls (live)" [Removed]
Modest Mouse- "The Good Times Are Killing Me (live)" [Removed]
// Modest Mouse Merch //
Labels: bloc party, fergie, live reviews, modest mouse
After stuffing my disc changer with happy mix CDs, I picked up several friends to drive to Gainseville. Could anyone possibly go wrong with a free outdoor Flaming Lips show? Especially when The Rapture openned, allowing everyone to get their groove on before the main event. Pipe, Khalid, some ladies and I pre-gamed in the parking lot before the show, slightly dissappointed that Gainseville would not sell the ingredients for white russians on sundays. We made the best of it however, and put on a pre-concert show for curious onlookers as we blasted some Simian Mobile Disco, A-Trak, YACHT remixes and, of course, the Captain Planet Theme Song. Because we had not finished our drinks when The Rapure began setting up, we poured out the gallon of milk we'd purchased for mixing and refilled it with a six-pack of beer. (Inspirado for our blog name?) Anyway, The Rapture openned with "Get Myself Into It" and dancing ensued. Their guitar work is even better live and really added to the toe-tappin' tasty good time. When "W.A.Y.U.H." came on, everyone was jamming and the sun began to set. People were dancing and jumping and laughing and screaming, doing anything to prove the lyrics wrong. I believe we succeeded. When dusk was gone and the night was upon us, The Flaming Lips took the stage. People in animal and santa claus suits got movin' on the sides of the stage, the bassist came out in his skeleton costume, and Wayne walked on top of the crowd in a giant plastic bubble. Confetti exploded into the crowd, smoke machines plumed, lasers rained red and green death and The Flaming Lips proved themselves even more ridiculously entertaining than their reputation would lead one to believe. Highlights of course were "She Don't Use Jelly" and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" when everyone sang along at the top of their lungs. Despite a few whiny pre-teens that wanted to fight me, I think everyone there was making memories they won't soon forget. The air was happy and so were we.The mp3 below is a live version of "She Don't Use Jelly" from the upcoming DVD "U.F.O.s at the Zoo: The Legendary Concert in Oklahoma City". I'm saving up for it when it comes out July 10th. Won't you do the same?
The Flaming Lips- "She Don't Use Jelly" (Live) [Removed]
Sidenote: I sang Karaoke for the first time monday night. If you ever want to get an entire restaurant pumped for the night, get a group, introduce yourselves as The Backstreet Men, and sing the Boys' "I Want It That Way". That is all.
Labels: live reviews, the flaming lips, the rapture
