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arizona, general

Go Vote 2008: Calexico and Jim Adkins

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There are important shows and there are Important Shows. The 2008 version of Go Vote, put on by Stateside Presents, would obviously fall in the latter, capitalized category.

In conjunction with congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, Calexico, Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World and Mariachi Luz de Luna will perform Sept. 20 at Rialto Theatre in Tucson as a way to encourage young people to get out and vote.

You’ll recall a similar show a couple years ago in Tempe with Jimmy Eat World and the Format in support of congressman Harry Mitchell, who later won his election.

Tickets ($15-$35) are available at Giffords’ Web site. Ticket sales benefit Giffords for Congress.

From what I’m told, Giffords used to go see Calexico at Solar Culture Gallery back in the day. She’s the one also responsible for sending the Calexico tune Crystal Frontier into space.

More to come, as I’m working on a freelance story about this, but I do know Calexico will be backing up Adkins for some songs.

  • Calexico | Two Silver Trees
  • Jimmy Eat World | Electable (Give it Up)

    • Promotional video for the show:

hip-hop, video

Incoming: Common, Sept. 13

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Pretty sure this is a newly announced show — and not much time to prepare for it. Common is slated to hit Marquee Theatre on Sept. 13. Ironically, that’s just 10 days after Ice Cube rolls through the same venue; if you recall, the pair once engaged in a little beef.

The timing of this is also coincidental in that I was chatting last week with Angela, who said she’s listening to Common’s entire catalog. When she said she was about halfway through, I believe my reply was: “Stop right there.” That was only a partial joke because I liked most of 2007’s Finding Forever, even (surprisingly) Drivin’ Me Wild with Lily Allen.

And if you didn’t know, my recurring hip-hop feature, I Used to Love H.E.R., is named after a classic Common track (the one that allegedly sparked his beef with Ice Cube, actually).

Tickets for the show are $29 in advance. Get ’em here. No support acts have been announced yet.

Let’s keep it old school (that is, his pre-Gap-hawking days … no, I can’t let it go). Common’s video for Resurrection:

hip-hop, Sundays with Tribe

Sundays with A Tribe Called Quest: Vol. 8

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Q-Tip wore the above shirt from Alife during shows for the Rock the Bells tour.

I want one. Anybody who goes to an Alife store and sends me one gets, um, something … I don’t know what yet. But it’ll be great.

And if you don’t know where that verse came from … better ask somebody.

Also, did you know Q-Tip is on Twitter (via)? Most recent “tweet”, 27 days ago: “I left my obama fleece in my hotel room in TORONTO!!!!! Dayum.”

general

Rodriguez: Cold Fact

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It’s easy to like just about everything the wonderfully eclectic Light in the Attic puts out. But when someone there told me about the label’s latest reissue, Rodriguez’s Cold Fact, and that one of the tracks had been chopped up and sampled on Nas’ You’re Da Man … well, then, you had me at hello.

Now, I can’t stop listening to Cold Fact, what Light in the Attic is calling “one of the lost classics of the ’60s, a psychedelic masterpiece drenched in colour and inspired by life, love, poverty, rebellion.” In truth, it’s hard to write anything more colorful than Rodriguez’s own bio.

In short: After Rodriguez dropped out of sight – rumored to be dead – Cold Fact became a cult classic among South African armed forces. Read all the details for yourself.

The album is peppered with shades of Dylan’s anti-establishment tones, appropriate for its original release date of 1970. Meanwhile, Sugar Man, the leadoff track and the aforementioned sampled song by Large Professor for Nas, is like Rodriguez’s hazy answer to Curts Mayfield’s Pusherman.

There’s also some truly great lyrical gems in there: “And don’t try to enchant me with your manner of dress, ’cause a monkey in silk is a monkey no less,” on the Byrds-esque Like Janis. “Soon you know I’ll leave you / And I’ll never look behind / ’cause I was born for the purpose / that crucifies your mind,” on my personal favorite Crucify Your Mind.

The reissue on Light in the Attic, which was mastered from the original tapes, comes out Aug. 19 (pre-order here). A deluxe LP package ($15) includes 180-gram vinyl, a bonus 45 and 50 of the 1,000 LPs will include a signed poster by Rodriguez (guess that means he’s not dead). Order that right here.

  • Rodriguez | Sugar Man
general, video

Incoming: Frightened Rabbit, Nov. 6

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And now for the encore … Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit returns to Phoenix after the band’s triumphant first stop here in June. I believe singer Scott Hutchison called it one of the best nights of the tour.

Show is on Nov. 6 with the Spinto Band at Rhythm Room. As of now, I’m unsure which band is the headliner. It looks like a co-headlining bill, per the Stateside Presents Web site. Tickets ($12) on sale at Stinkweeds or TicketWeb.

Remember how great Frightened Rabbit was in June? Of course you do. I took that video below as proof. And I interviewed Hutchison. The Midnight Organ Fight still stands as my favorite of the year. (Get it at eMusic.)

general

SoCo Music Experience in Phoenix canceled

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This unfortunate press release landed in my inbox. Too bad because we had a great time last year, and this year’s lineups – at least in Madison – were looking stellar.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

SOCO MUSIC EXPERIENCE TEMPE CANCELLED

August 12, 2008, LOUISVILLE, KY – Southern Comfort has announced that the SoCo Music Experience scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 18 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium has been cancelled due to an unexpected escalation in production costs. At this time, there are no plans to reschedule the event this year.

hip-hop, i used to love h.e.r.

I Used to Love H.E.R.: Aaron LaCrate

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The 31st installment of I Used to Love H.E.R., a series in which artists/bloggers/writers discuss their most essential or favorite hip-hop albums and songs, comes from Aaron Lacrate, an influential piece in the ever-popular Baltimore club scene who recently has contributed to the Delicious Vinyl RMXXOLOGY compilation. He’s also teamed up with Delicious Vinyl to form the new record-label imprint Delicious Gutter.

Eric B. and Rakim
Know the Ledge
(Don’t Sweat the Technique, MCA, 1992)
Know the Ledge defined the era of the early 90s Bomb squad classics. It also is one of the best uptempo hard hitting lyrical records of all time. Playing both hip hop and club stuff growing up in Baltimore, this was also a very important transition record between those 2 genres. Its had a load of influence on me as a producer with the kind of records that (Debonair) Samir and I make. It has all the best elements of hip-hop but at a dance tempo, without any of the less interesting elements of dance music – just a monster club record. Also a great forward thinking NYC party record – not to mention its on the classic Juice movie soundtrack. I went to see Juice the day it opened at 9:30 am, just for the record and watched it twice. Also I’m a huge fan of wordplay and the title / hook really nailed that for me. Not to mention the bassline is just retarded when you hear that in the club, a timeless banger. Shout out to Rakim Allah, God Mc still holding it down. I got to open for Rakim in Baltimore no too long ago and that was one of my favorite gigs in a minute. Just rowdyness.

general, live, video

Elbow: Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver (live)

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I just finished watching Elbow’s turn on Sundance Channel’s Live from Abbey Road series. I still have little doubt that The Seldom Seen Kid ends up in my Top 5 (probably Top 3) albums of the year. It just stands a classic/timeless album, pretty much like every Elbow record before it.

Not sure how I missed this earlier, but the band offered a live recording of one of the album’s outstanding tracks, Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver, as a free download on its MySpace. It comes from a recent sell-out show in Manchester.

  • Elbow | Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver (live)

Performance clip of One Day Like This from Live from Abbey Road. Hell, this song is beautiful:

Related:
Elbow: One Day Like This (video)