Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus

Saw this documentary today in West Hollywood. Alt-country musician, champion of the redneck-underground, Jim White steers us through the deep South connecting the various threads that make this part of America such a potent, fertile, ground for music, literature, and art. Pure Southern Gothic. Picked up the stellar soundtrack in the lobby immediately following the film. Highly reccomended.

Searching For The Wrong-Eyed Jesus

"An amazing piece of work. The film essentially follows one man, Jim White, as he deals with both his own, and the South's demons...and in the process we are given a tour of another planet. Beautiful dark and weird stuff."

- David Byrne

Jay Farrar - Newsweek Interview

"As Son Volt returns with its first album in seven years, its frontman discusses his ambivalence about being known as an 'alt-country' pioneer and his split with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy."

Newsweek reports...click HERE

spinning: primal scream - vanishing point

Neil Young vs. Built To Spill

Neil Young is the man, but damn if Built To Spill don't just kill it here. "Cortez The Killer" off Young's 1975 album Zuma, is the topic of part IV of the cover wars.

Download:
MP3: Neil Young - Cortez The Killer
MP3: Built To Spill - Cortez The Killer (cover)

New Order vs. Galaxie 500

Part III of the covers war. Ceremony was the last Joy Division song the band wrote before the death of frontman Ian Curtis. No "dancey" New Order vibes to this one.

Galaxie 500 does a really nice version of the song in their own narcoleptic way.

Download:

MP3: New Order - Ceremony

MP3: Galaxie 500 - Ceremony (cover)

Brunettes - Loopy Loopy Love

Thanks to You Ain't No Picasso, I can't get this song out of my iTunes, let alone my head. This whimsical pop couple hails from New Zealand and make sweet, sweet light-hearted noise.

Click on the track below from their album Mars Loves Venus for a taste.

Download: Brunettes - Loopy Loopy Love

JAMC vs. Pixies - Covers II

A truly inspired cover can sometimes trump an artist's original vision for a song. In this ongoing series I'm interested in which version (or versions) you prefer. The song: The Jesus And Mary Chain's "Head On" off their 1989 album Automatic. The cover: The Pixies version off their 1991 album Trompe le Monde.

Download:

MP3: JAMC - Head On
MP3: Pixies - Head On (cover)

The Jesus Lizard...be afraid

There are only two camps when it comes to the Jesus Lizard. Those who love them and those who really don't like them. There is no middle ground. Perhaps that is part of the attraction.

I got this album as soon as it came out, and went to see the band shortly afterwards at the Masquerade in Atlanta. My memories are of a wild-eyed, drunken, shirtless, David Yow writhing around stage in black jeans and cowboy boots. Excorcising his demons in front of us. Howling. I went home and immediately sought out the band's back-catalog.

Here are two tracks off the album, Liar, which first introduced me to these animals.

Download: The Jesus Lizard - Boilermaker

Download: The Jesus Lizard - Puss

Nick Hornby Talks With The Boss

Author/fanboy Nick Hornby chats with Bruce Springsteen in the UK's Observer newspaper.

"Nick Hornby has always been a Springsteen fan, and listened to his music every day while writing his latest bestseller. But he never had the chance to meet his hero - until The Boss came to London for his recent Royal Albert Hall shows. In this OMM exclusive, the star reveals how he keeps abreast of modern music via his son, and why the likes of 'Born to Run' continue to inspire."

*thanks to Glorious Noise for the link

Letting Up Despite Great Faults

i heard about these guys on one of the mp3 blogs earlier this week...can't remember which one. very cool sound, reminiscent of the postal service/dntel thing if that's your bag. indie-electronica.

i'm posting one of their mp3's on the radio-to-the-right, but be sure to check out their site for more tunes and L.A. dates.

Download: I Hear You Drowning But I'm Tied

Sugar Smacks Ain't This Sweet

So I just bought this Brendan Benson album in May, but damn if it's not going to make my top 10 of 2005 list come December. Actually, in truth I hadn't heard of this dude at all until I got this. I've since learned that he has some sort of "indie-rawk-detroit-street-cred," but don't hold that against him -- this one's too good to miss. "Power pop" is too overused, so I'll just say it's sweet candy and leave it at that. Two tracks off his new album to download below.

Benson plays The El Rey Theatre Tuesday night. If you're an L.A. denizen you should check it out...I'm going to.

Download: Brendan Benson - Cold Hands, Warm Heart

Download: Brendan Benson: Alternative To Love

ryan adams: pitchfork interview # 2

7.25.05: Pitchfork, again, has a candid interview via telephone with Adams.

Blow Up & Stroll On

A) If you have not seen the 1966 film "Blow Up" I recommend checking it out. A dash of murder, mystery, and mayhem, all served up amid '60s swinging London.

B) The Yardbirds fill in as the house band in the film. PLEASE download the song below that they perform. It's shit-hot. Actually this is a great opportunity for me to use the adjective incendiary. Yeah, it's on fire.

Download: The Yardbirds - Stroll On

*thanks to suddenly last summer for the song title

Nada Surf: new mp3 download

nada surf's upcoming album "the weight is a gift" will be released september 13, 2005. download the first single below.

Download: Nada Surf - Do It Again

Save CBGBs

I've never been to CBGBs, but they helped break one of my all-time favorite bands (Talking Heads) -- so they must have been doing something right the past 31 years. Apparently "the man" wants to shut it down due to the club not owning it's space.

To sign the online petition to urge support of a renewal of CBGBs lease, click HERE.

spinning: kcrw - weekend becomes eclectic

Lazy Sunday Listening

This is a very different kind of Love & Rockets album. Dark and hungover, but hopeful. Oxymoron? Maybe.

Download the album's opening track to see what I mean. It's been a constant play in my iTunes the past week.


Download: L & R - Sweet F.A.

*Buddyhead.com inspired post

Rewind '97: Catherine Wheel

the great texan singer/songwriter holden rushing introduced me to this song and it's album adam & eve. i have since read, that upon it's 1997 release, it was severely overlooked due to the ok computer fervor at the time.

if you, like me, did not give this album a chance in '97, download the below track for a taste.

Download: The Catherine Wheel - Future Boy

Stone Roses: B-Side - "Tell Me"

If you like The Stone Roses, you had best be downloading this song immediately, cuz.
"Tell Me" was the b-side to the band's single "So Young," back before the band tore itself apart. The sound of inevitability, rock & roll.

Oh, and Joey, this is where "the rubber meets the road," my friend.


Download: "Tell Me"

The Killing Moon

In honor of tonight's full moon, the drunkard is offering up two appropriately evil tunes for download. First up -- the Echo & The Bunnymen classic "Killing Moon." The second -- Pavement's worthy cover of The Bunneymen's song off their Major Leagues ep.

Download: Echo & The Bunnymen - Killing Moon

Download: Pavement - Killing Moon (Cover)

On The Midnight Radio

The Aquarium Radio has been updated...all new playlist including:

star room boys, gillian welch, son volt, magnolia electric company, michael stanley band, bloodkin, patterson hood, bob dylan, bonnie 'prince' billy, george harrison, lucinda williams, neil young, steve earle, rolling stones, bruce springsteen, whiskeytown, my morning jacket, ryan adams, mazzy star, josh rouse, iron & wine, taj mahal, daniel hutchens, gram parsons/byrds, alejandro escovedo

spinning: bob dylan - wedding song

Soul Meets Body- Mp3 Download Here

I uploaded the new Death Cab For Cutie single, Soul Meets Body, in mp3 format: download here

CUTTERS

Inspired by an Impervious Surface posting, I am reminded of the classic '70s cycling epic "Breaking Away," or more famously known as "Cutters." If you haven't seen this, I implore you to queue up that Netfix account immediately. Witness the awe inspiring tale of a wannabe-Italian-cyclist, his roughneck "cutter" friends, and their townie vs. student class struggle.

spinning: bloodkin - liquor ain't love

"NYC Cops Beat The Shit Out Of Me"

Broken Social Scene's Dave Newfeld allegedly had the "shit beat of" him by New York's finest this past weekend while buying grass in Washington Square. See Pitchfork for more. Will reportedly sue the NYPD according to the article.

Strangeways, Here We Come

A musical based on twenty Smiths songs will take centerstage titled "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others."

The New York Times reports:

""Some Girls" seeks the spirit of the Smiths' songs by transforming them. The arrangements are not for rock band, but for string quartet with electronics. Morrissey's heartsick legato croon is reassigned to four women and two men, who deliver anything from keening, primal unaccompanied wails to swing-era harmonies. "

Neutral Milk Hotel: Live Videos

You Ain't No Picasso is hosting live Neutral Milk Hotel videos on his site. Check it out.

FUGAZI - Archived Live Series

Listening to The Evens debut album recently re-sparked my interest in the Dischord label. One of the more interesting finds while browsing their site is the Fugazi Live Series.

"This site is a way to offer our audience access to selected tapes from that bank of recordings. We have digitally transferred to compact disc an initial sampling of twenty of these shows from various points in the band's career and outfitted each with a uniform generic cover with individual concert information and a track listing. Shorter shows that fit on one disc are available for $8 postpaid. Longer sets are on 2 discs and are available for $10 postpaid. "

A real treasure trove of material here, and as with all Dischord output, reasonably priced.

spinning: uncle tupelo - march 16-20, 1992

Steve Albini: Post-Punk Foodie

Chicago Indie rock engineer (rock snob/icon) talks about food, music...and musicians who cook food with the Gourmandizer.

"Many rock musicians are excellent cooks, I've found, and those that are prefer to eat their own cooking in the studio. I encourage this behavior as I also enjoy the benefits of fresh food. The best rock music chefs follow,in descending order of excellence: Laura Fuckin' Carter (Jack o Nutz, also Bar b que Killers) is a head chef at a gourmet restaurant in Athens, Georgia. Her best dish is Trout Wellington, which she invented and perfected. It is a whole brook or large rainbow trout baked in a puff pastry and served with light sauces. David Yow (The Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid) who has been a chef at several restaurants in Austin, Texas and Chicago. His best dishes are Whiskey Chicken and Large Number of Vegetables Soup, both of which he invented. "

spinning: built to spill - center of the universe

Hey Rube - Remembering Raoul Duke

For the past 13 years I have steadily tread my way through a good portion of Hunter Thompson's gonzo canon. Presently, I am reading the reissue of The Great Shark Hunt, a collection of "tales" roughly spanning 1965-1975.

Reading this reminded me of Thompson's 2003 collection Kingdom of Fear, highly recommended to both fans of HST as well as those who despise the present administration. Thompson's insights are spot on and his delivery is that of a razor-sharp snarl.

One last plug: Be sure to check out the Hunter Thompson ESPN.com archives. His ongoing column for the sports website were fantastic right up until the end.

"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me. "
- Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (1939 - 2005)

spinning: the smiths - that joke isn't funny anymore

Radio Update: New Playlist Spinning

New tunes added to the radio to the right. Rock on. More importantly, I've been looking for an excuse to use this BJM photo a pal emailed me.

selections: thad cockrell, television, yo la tengo, Ivy, talking heads, stephen malkmus, sonic youth, five-eight, whiskeytown, shins, travis, drive by truckers, morrissey, loretta lynn, nada surf, kathleen edwards, built to spill, daniel hutchens, bloodkin, iggy pop, galactic, evan dando, galazie 500, fugazi, the evens, spoon, flaming lips, strokes, brute, cat stevens, blur, pulp, the catherin wheel, the smiths, luna, silver jews, bmrc, wilco, brian jonestown massacre, ryan adams, my morning jacket, elliott smith, neutral milk hotel, silver jews, dandy warhols, badly drawn boy, gorillaz, the new pornographers, pj harvey, pavement, rem, simon & garfunkel, rolling stones, UNKLE, warren zevon, uncle tupelo, postal service

Feel free to email me with questions/comments about the origin of the tracklist, e.g. the source: album/outtakes/session material, etc. Enjoy.

*check out the "pop up" feature. let's you listen once you navigate away from page.

Harold & Maude: Cat Stevens...Soundtrack??

after watching harold & maude tonight, the mrs. and i were surprised to learn that there is no official soundtrack available. cat stevens' music is used throughout the entirety of this 1971 hal ashby film, and it would seem like a big $$ geyser to compile the selected tunes into one package. one can only assume there is a legal hurdle. anyway...here is the tracklist should you want to create your own uncomissioned soundtrack:

Harold and Maude Songs by Cat Stevens

1. *Don't Be Shy
2. On The Road To Find Out
3. I Wish, I Wish
4. Miles from Nowhere
5. Tea for the Tillerman
6. I Think I See the Light
7. Where Do the Children Play?
8. *If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out
9. Trouble

* taken from Footsteps in the Dark/Greatest Hits Volume Two

spinning: badly drawn boy - about a boy

Son Volt: Okemah & The Melody of Riot

Picked up the new Son Volt yesterday. Heads and tails above anthing I've heard from Farrar since "Trace." FYI...all new band members, none of the original line-up.
spinning: drunkard radio

It's Here: Aquarium Drunkard Radio - LISTEN!

The bar is now open. The staff here at the Aquarium have been working overtime to figure out the technology behind bringing you the tastiest (yet not riaa-kosher) streaming online radio possible. Think "Pump Up The Volume" only without Christian Slater...and I don't live in my parent's basement...and I'm not in high school.

Still working the bugs out (i.e. artist/track nametags) but the basic idea is here. This first batch is a random grab-bag o'tunes. Look for future playlists by genre, guest DJ's, & my inevitable musical mood swings.

• HUGE word of thanks to R3E for his support, technical guru-ness, connections, music-taste, etc. without him there would be no Drunkard Radio.
  *Birdsong Productions, inc. 2000-2005
  
  spinning: built to spill - keep it like a secret

Bar Affinity

The bar can be a beautiful place. The Aquarium Drunkard has saddled up to many a bar on many a barstool on many occasions. But there are two watering holes that keep him coming back and will always have a special place in his heart.

• The Roadhouse - Athens, GA - zod grant me the courage to change the things i can and the fortitude to drink through those things i cannot. so yeah, that was basically my motto/creed in school. the roadhouse abides. this is my all-time favorite bar in one of my all-time favorite towns. no frills, dark, dank, rock 'n roll, no bullshit, all bar. the bartenders (at least in the mid-late '90s) had impeccable taste in music.
• Boardners - Hollywood, CA - moving to plastic-fantastic land led me to my 2nd favorite bar. same qualities above except not quite as dark, serve food, relatively cheap swill, and equipped with a great jukebox. some of my best nights in l.a. have started and ended here.

spinning: nada surf - blizzard of '77

Raleigh NC's High Lonesome Sound - Thad Cockrell

while attending a cookout at Not Jack Kerouac's venice abode yesterday i was introduced to a phenomenal north carolina singer/songwriter working the twang -- thad cockrell. i hate to make comparisons, but imagine the quieter moments of a young whiskeytown-era ryan adams sans hubris.

further whiskeytown comparisons will surely be made with the recent release of thad and caitlin cary's joint duets album "begonias."

plans to tour are in the works, one can only hope some west coast dates are in the mix.

spinning: thad cockrell - warmth & beauty

Why Ian MacKaye Still Matters

i'm just really content *right* now. why? i'm listening to The Evens cd I bought a few weeks ago and it's just perfect. but that's not the only thing ya see. the Evens are Ian Mckaye and Amy Farina. ian's first couple of band's -- Minor Threat and Fugazi -- helped steer my 15 year old ass away from listening to the likes of pearl jam and their ilk. not to mention a completely mainstream suburban mindset. to hear him moving in a different direction (with fantastic results) just...well, just kicks some ass. way to go. long live dischord. come play l.a. soon.

ps - here is their video that they did for a children's D.C. public television show for the vowels of the alphabet. ian is kind of a menacing/stoic looking dude even when trying to keep it "light." truly odd.

spinning: the evens

Friday Nite: L.A. CA, July 8, 2004

It's a Friday night and lo and behold my teammate Martin McFriend & I are both staying in tonite. That's a 1st since Charleston adventure methinks. Mrs. Satisfied and I are "nesting" in the pad. She's across from me scripting while I read useless nonsense online. She did just pass me a Bohemia w/ lime though - word. So I again did not make it out to Hollywood for the 2nd and final L.A. Built To Spill date. Ah well, they'll be back barring some sort of Buddy Holly/Skynyrd incident, right? Right.

Some things to do before I die:

• develop a serious recipe for brunswick stew
• drive from california to the tip of south america
• drive from l.a. to canada via hwy 1, pch
• quit smokin while out drinkin
• fuckin' jam with holden
• attend mardi gras ball in new orleans...possibly ride float
• visit ancestor's haunts in french countryside
• write/record/perform album
• buy home & settle in charleston, sc w/ the mrs.
• stick it to the man

spinning: spoon - girls can tell

Too Much Going On, Not Enough Energy

So I really wanted to go check out Built To Spill tonight at the House of Blues. But between the continued exhaustion of the post-birthday weekend debauchery, and working my tail off/travelling this week it just didn't happen. Maybe 30 is old....neah. Any of you L.A. freaks wanna go to the Friday night show let me know. I may just have the energy.

spinning: built to spill - perfect from now on