The Raleigh News Blog (New Raleigh) asked a bunch of us to write out what we’re hoping to catch at Hopscotch this year. I decided to deprive myself of a little sleep, have a beer or two and see where my fingers would take my thoughts on the subject. It was a fun assignment! Thanks to New Raleigh for asking me to do it, I was honored!

Read it here.

Other contributors: The New Raleigh writers and editors of course (Ladye Jane, Jedidiah, Stacey, Khaner, Acree Graham), Kelly Crisp (of the Rosebuds), Brad Cook (of Megafaun), Ross Grady (of WXDU/TriangleRock) and Grayson Currin (of It’s Reigning Men, Man Blossom…oh, and one of the curators of the fest).

Thanks!!

Last night, at Black Mountain’s recommendation, I watched Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point.

In their press release, the group rattles off a list of influences including King Crimson, Alex Chilton, Shirley Collins, Please Kill Me (the book, I assume), Dennis Wilson and among others, “the house blowing up in the desert at the end of Zabriskie Point.” Well, I love Black Mountain and I like all these other things they list, but I’d never heard of Zabriskie Point, so it sounded like I had my evening planned.

Luckily Avid Video, the video rental shop below mine, had it sitting on the DVD shelf so I snatched it up to take home. Apparently the movie, which was released in 1970 to much controversy, has been tied up in some kind of copyright issue (perhaps due to the Pink Floyd soundtrack? or maybe a Rolling Stones song that appears on it?) and just came back into rentable existence within the last year or two. Score.

In more turbulent, uneasy moments during the film, the music is abrasive and squelchingly psychedelic, but as the camera pans around barren, beautiful desert scenes, the music drips into more melodic, drifting soundscapes. It was a surprisingly daring psychedelic score for 1970. Maybe I’m wrong in that though, any suggestions for exploring this? Goblin didn’t start their soundtrack work until the mid-70s, right? The movie itself is a cultural study and time-capsule glimpse at student unrest (through following two young characters) in the late 60s and hints at the fact that you’re given the option to control our own paths. It comes across as very anti-attachment and establishment. That’s all I’ll say on that as I’m no movie critic. I did really enjoy it though. Go rent it from Jason or Paige at Avid Video!

The scene of the house blowing up is pretty epic. It’s definitely the focal point of the movie as it drags on in all its exploding glory and is wonderfully gratuitous. I’ll post more on the amazing new Black Mountain LP later, but here’s something to tide you over. It comes out September 14th and you’re gonna love it! Sweeping, ethereal space-twang with ominous riffs and heavy vibes. It’s desert rock for sure…I can see where this movie would click in with their mood.

Black Mountain – The Hair Song
Opening track on the record.
[Downloaded from Jagjaguwar's site]
Out 9/14 on Jagjaguwar Records.

In honor of the upcoming Layabout and Churchkey Digital sponsored Hopscotch Day Party, WNnG (The Bull City Records Blog) will be hosting a handful of shows taped over the course of a couple years at Craig’s house. I’ve also got a show or two packed away featuring some of the scheduled bands playing other venues in the Triangle that I’ll try and toss up as well. Yesterday saw the openers of the July 12th show at the Layabout, Jeremy Blair from Effingham, so today I’ll post the second band in that night’s lineup – The Dry Heathens.

House shows can turn out to be some of the most exciting shows to commit to tape. If it’s a good night, you can catch a band at their most raw, most enthusiastic, most raucous, most comfortable and usually most drunk levels. In a house show environment, garage bands and the show-goers are in their element, kind of their natural habitat. When all these elements align, you can potentially witness a band giving one of their most fiery performances in years. In addition to that, you can also trap the time, place and mood to tape, almost time-stamping it, through the audience chatter, exclamations and clinking bottles. The result here is an example of that fire and perfection.

Anyway, that being said…

The Dry Heathens.
Monday, July 12th, 2010.
The Layabout, Durham, NC.

01. tuning/warm up
02. Lose It
> 03. (cut for now)
04. Monkey Song
05. Pieces
06. Her Daddy Hates Me
07. Sociopath
08. Splendid Little War
09. Just As Well

Noah (ex-Tooth, current-HOG) was sitting in to offer his support in the devastating drums department. I think they practiced once, maybe twice together before taking the stage? The sound is loose, exciting and completely blown out in every element that you’d want. The vocals are buried behind two crunching, wailing guitars, rumbling, staggering basslines and thunderous drums. This is friends playing music for friends on a Monday night and it could not have been more perfect.

Stay tuned yet for the Goodnight Loving show!

Back in July on a muggy, rainy Monday night, Jeremy Blair took center stage in a dining room tucked away into a modest, Durham residential neighborhood. Walking up to the house, with the doors shut, windows down and AC humming, you couldn’t even tell there was something stirring just over the threshold beyond the porch. This unassuming house has become a meeting spot for Triangle indie pop and garage curiosity-seekers as the booker and resident has never disappointed in his delivery of solid touring musicians to the Durham area. From the kitchen, folks watched the backs of the band and the living room crowd, as we stared back through the band at the kitchen dwellers.

On this night Jeremy Blair (local), the Dry Heathens (local) and The Goodnight Loving (Milwaukee) were gracing us with their versions of twang-inspired rock and roll at Craig’s house, The Layabout. It takes a couple of brave bands and an even braver booker to piece together a Monday night show in the Triangle. With such a vibrant live music scene between the three cities, it’s not an easy task convincing folk to pry themselves off their couches directly following the weekend. Surprisingly 50 to 60 people or so seemed to be milling about over the course of the night.

Here’s the second half of Jeremy Blair’s set, with the other acts to follow at a later date. Blair actually is from a town called Effingham, and no, the irony of growing up in a small, slow town with a name like that is not lost on the teenagers. I was a little late in showing up, so I only caught about half the set, but I was incredibly glad I caught any at all. Blair’s writing has a distinct dreary, sad twang to it, but the songs are delivered with a rock urgency lending the music a rawer, driving edge. Stories wind and ramble through the verses, but each chorus offers a break and allows Blair a chance to explore his knack for writing a moving pop hook.

Give these tracks a listen:

Monday, July 12th, 2010.
The Layabout, Durham, NC.

Jeremy Blair – Song 1 (partial?)
Jeremy Blair – Song 2
Jeremy Blair – Song 3
Jeremy Blair – Song 4

Go out and see them on Sept 9th with Magnolia Collective at the Station in Carrboro or on September 30th with Le Weekend and Wembley at the Pinhook in Durham! Pick yer city.

Stay tuned for recordings from Dry Heathens and The Goodnight Loving from this night too.

7″s:

abe vigoda – throwing shade (ppm)
coasting – the one we both like (m’lady)
no age – glitter (sub pop)
wild america – the sea (freedom school)

CDs:

!!! – strange weather, isn’t it? (warp)
animal collective – merriweather post pavilion (domino)
autolux – transit transit (tbd)
bobby bare jr – a storm, a tree, my mother’s head (thirty tigers)
bowerbirds – upper air (dead oceans)
beach fossils – beach fossils (captured tracks)
best coast – crazy for you (mexican summer)
big blood – dead songs (time-lag)
black keys – brothers (nonesuch)
black tusk – taste the sin (relapse)
the books – the way out (temporary residence)
s. carey – all we grow (jagjaguwar)
chatham county line – wildwood (yep roc)
clientele – minotaur EP (merge)
cotton jones – tall hours in the glowstream (suicide squeeze)
dum dum girls – i will be (sub pop)
endless boogie – full house head (no quarter)
espers – III (drag city)
fever ray – fever ray (mute)
flamin’ groovies – shake some action (aim)
serge gainsbourg & jane birkin – s/t (light in the attic)
grass widow – past time (kill rock stars)
grizzly bear – veckatimest (warp)
high on fire – snakes for the divine (e1)
howl – full of hell (relapse)
brad laner – natural selections (hometapes)
dylan leblanc – pauper’s field (rough trade)
magic kids – memphis (true panther sounds)
cass mccombs – catacombs (domino)
megafaun – gather, form & fly (hometapes)
misfits – walk among us (rhino)
mogwai – special moves CD+DVD (rock action)
national – high violet (4ad)
new pornographers – together (matador)
joanna newsom – have one on me (drag city)
a place to bury strangers – exploding head (mute)
iggy pop – raw power (columbia)
quest for fire – lights from paradise (teepee)
ra ra riot – the orchard (barsuk)
jay reatard – watch me fall (matador)
school of the seven bells – disconnect from desire (vagrant)
soviettes – lp III (fat wreck chords)
sunset rubdown – dragonslayer (jagjaguwar)
tallest man on earth – shallow grave (dead oceans)
tallest man on earth – s/t EP (dead oceans)
teenage fanclub – shadows (merge)
kurt vile – childish prodigy (matador)
white stripes – white blood cells (warner bros)
wild nothing – gemini (captured tracks)
wolf parade – expo 86 (sub pop)

LPs:

!!! – strange weather, isn’t it? (warp)
a-frames – 333 (s.s. records)
ariel pink’s haunted graffiti – before today (4ad)
beach fossils – beach fossils (captured tracks)
bikini kill – pussy whipped (kill rock stars)
the books – the way out (temporary residence)
boris – absolutego (southern lord)
boris – amplifier worship (southern lord)
bowerbirds – upper air (dead oceans)
isobel campbell / mark lanegan – hawk (vanguard)
s. carey – all we grow (jagjaguwar)
clash – london calling (epic)
coil sea – coil sea (thrill jockey)
de la soul – is dead (4 men with beards)
descendents – i don’t want to grow up (sst)
gayngs – relayted (jagjaguwar)
grass widow – past time (kill rock stars)
harlem – hippies (matador)
richard hell & the voidoids – blank generation (sire)
jay-z – blueprint 3 (roc nation)
john wilkes booze – five pillars of soul (kill rock stars)
brad laner – natural selections (hometapes)
dylan leblanc – pauper’s field (rough trade)
magic kids – memphis (true panther sounds)
hamper mcbee – the good old-fashioned way (drag city)
megafaun – gather, form & fly (hometapes)
menomena – mines (barsuk)
mv & ee – liberty rose (arbitrary signs)
nerve city – sleepwalker 12″ (sacred bones)
oneohtrix point never – returnal (editions mego)
ozzie – parabolic rock ‘75-’82 (s.s. records)
the parasites of the western world – s/t (de stijl)
gram parsons – gp (warner bros)
les rallizes denudes – blind baby has its mothers eyes (phoenix)
les rallizes denudes – heavier than a death in the family (phoenix)
rangda – false flag (drag city)
rangers – suburban tours (olde english spelling bee)
ra ra riot – the orchard (barsuk)
elliott smith – either/or (kill rock stars)
elliott smith – from a basement on the hill (kill rock stars)
spacemen 3 – perfect prescription (fire)
sylvester anfang II – s/t (aurora borealis)
tool – undertow (volcano)
v/a – palenque palenque (soundway)
v/a – saigon rock & soul (sublime frequencies)
v/a – the world ends, vol. 1 (soundway)
kurt vile – childish prodigy (matador)
kurt vile – square shells 12″ (matador)
scott walker – scott I (4 men with beards)
wild nothing – gemini (captured tracks)

Something’s afoot at Bull City Records. Today seems to have a mission.

Hmmmmm.

I’m staring at the future. A comic of its bony, contorted chest happens to be spread out in front of me on my desk. And it’s way less bleak than it was only 10 minutes ago. Slotted for a mid-October release date is a shining, beautifully remastered version of a sadly under-pressed classic…Iggy Pop and James Williamson’s 1977 masterpiece, Kill City. Recorded after the hurricane of bad times that resulted in the collapse of the Stooges and in the midst of the two or three decade long mental and physical downward spiral of one, James Osterberg, who was in a perpetual choke-hold identity crisis from the day he donned himself Iggy Pop, Kill City was meant to be a triumphant reuniting of Stooges heavyweights. But guess what. They still had a hard time getting along. Not only this, but the Asheton brothers still wanted nothing to do with it. Soupy Sales’ kids stepped in to provide the rhythm section. No joke. And not only were they amazing, they could handle Pop’s shit.

The recordings were rough, flat, paranoid, problem-filled, coke-fueled, tense, sloppy…but the sessions and what they potentially captured were breathtaking. Diehard fans and some curiosity seekers have owned this piece of history for years (thanks to Bomp’s wisdom and perseverance), and now it’s hitting the market again with wider distribution and a renovated sound. The sound is 100% clearer, the levels are pushed and the instruments stretch and slide at higher, bulkier levels. This is a Detroit rawk muscle record as it was meant to be heard 33 years ago. All raucous garage born out of sweat, blood and bad times.

Just wanted to write a quickie today as it’s almost getting a little late. The listening station is back up and running with a handful of releases that came out yesterday. Up this month are four brand spankin’ newbies and one sneak preview of something that’s coming out mid-September. Knowing a lot of my regulars and friends, the preview might be of some interest. While these guys are up on the listening wall, they’re all sale-priced a couple bucks below their suggested retail prices.

No blog mp3s on these, gotta swing into the shop to hear them!

This month:

Brad Laner – Natural Selections (Hometapes)
A stunning solo record of lush psychedelic sunshine pop. Interesting confusion of Beatles pop and Elliott Smith paranoia. Layered to perfection.

Cotton Jones – Tall Hours in the Glowstream (Suicide Squeeze)
Swooning lofi twang. There’s a slight, slow psych bend reminiscent of Wooden Wand and associates. The folksy male/female harmonies are beautiful and moving. Queue this one up for a roadtrip, you’ll smile the whole way there.

Grass Widow – Past Times (Kill Rock Stars)
Punchy, agitated and catchy post-punk. With lofi tendencies. And a great knack for melody. Having made the jump from underground hitmakers Make A Mess Records and Captured Tracks, it’s exciting to see them settled in with the ever-amazing and respected Kill Rock Stars label.

Magic Kids – Memphis (True Panther Sounds)
Grandiose Bowie/Beach Boys/Talking Heads-esque pop from some Memphis ex-garagers. Extremely more focused and finely constructed than their previous efforts. Yes, this is the same label that has brought us Girls, Delorean, etc…that is to say they’re trustworthy in the pure pop department.

New Rough Trade artist, Dylan LeBlanc is setting out in early September on a small stint of record store only tour dates. Somehow luck would have it that he’s drifting through North Carolina on a Saturday afternoon. As even more luck would have it, my Rough Trade/Matador rep contacted me to see if the shop wanted to host him that day. So let’s give it a shot. Since the Record Store Day instore went so well, I figure it’s about time to start testing out the ol’ shop floor again.

LeBlanc sounds like a man who has been collecting sun bleached dust on his worn down jacket for fifty, wandering years. With a haunting pedal steel on which to lay his head, the man eases clenched-jaw tales out in deep-drawled whispers. This is a man you’d expect to find huddled quietly and reflectively around a campfire in any Cormac McCarthy or Jim Thompson book, only giving way to his own dark tales when the fire’s almost burned out. The songs are dark, moving and pretty with that hopeless, lost western twang creeping through their centers. If you can remember back to those early days of haunted My Morning Jacket twang or the despair of Phosphorescent, you’re getting close to the sound of this record.

Remember:

Saturday, September 4th. 4pm. FREE
Stripped down, acoustic instore performance.
(@Bull City Records.)
Facebook Event Page.
Probably even have some cookies’n'drinks.

I’ve been on autopilot for the last few days. This is a bad place to get stuck as a record store clerk. Once you’re on your third straight day with the same 3 CDs in the 5-disc changer the entire time, you’re officially in a rut. You start to enter that dark, dark, “everything sounds the same” place. Because, let’s be honest, it does. Does it? I pulled through my pile of promos behind the counter and put on and pulled off a few of those. As I flip one of the promos over, I see a familiar logo and smile.

Enter…the new Brad Laner album coming out this Tuesday on Hometape Records (Megafaun, Bear in Heaven). Natural Selections is Laner’s second solo record, though he’s been on countless other records by countless other bands. He’s been active in the LA indie/DIY/shoegaze scene since the early 80s. On this stunning record, Laner has woven together layer upon layer of atmosphere, melody and space, creating an intensely rich pop record. We’re talking about some Brian Eno-level shit right here. The slippery hooks and overall psychedelic weirdness of the record are entirely worthy of nods from the Beatles camp. Just sit back and listen to those guitar lines. This is some other-wordly, ethereal pop here…my day is now complete. Thanks again Hometapes!

Brad Laner – Throat

Just a quick one today, time to close up and head home. Thanks for reading!