Category Archives: general

Incoming: Calexico, April 4

January 20, 2009 Kevin 1 Comment

Tucson’s Calexico will make a visit to the Phoenix/Valley area for the first time in more than two years when the band plays April 4 at Heritage Square, an outdoor city block in downtown Phoenix that should make for an amazing evening.

Also on the bill are 12-piece Latin jazz ensemble Sergio Mendoza y La Orkesta and longtime Calexico collaborator Salvador Duran.

Tickets ($20) for the 21-and-over show go on sale Thursday (Jan. 22) at Zia Records, Stinkweeds, Hoodlums, Pizzeria Bianco and TicketWeb. Doors for the show open at 7 p.m. and it starts at 8 p.m. According to Stateside Presents, the concert will be over before the final light rail departure, which gives people a great chance to test out the newfangled public transit system in our city.

Calexico (follow ’em on Twitter) currently is touring overseas behind 2008’s Carried To Dust, an album to which I didn’t give as much attention as I would have liked when it was released. But I’ve since purchased it on vinyl and have enjoyed taking some well-deserved time with it.

Calexico | Two Silver Trees

general, hip-hop

Z-Trip: Victory Lap â€“ The Obama Mix (Pt. 2)

January 19, 2009 Kevin 1 Comment

In the heat of the presidential election, DJ Z-Trip dropped the Obama mix, an inspiring message through music that encouraged people to vote and take action. Now that our man is about to take office, Z has followed up his first mix with Victory Lap: The Obama Mix (Pt. 2). As Kyle said, if you need a soundtrack for Inauguration Tuesday, this is it.

Z-Trip explained the origin of the mix:

“Last week I was contacted by MoveOn.org to put something together for an email blast they are doing for the lead up to the inauguration. This one is called â€œVictory Lap: The Obama Mix Pt. 2â€. It’s my way of congratulating all of us for electing what I think is the right person for the job. We made history and I’m proud to be a part of that. Yes, my friends, it is time to celebrate, but please don’t lose sight of the mess we are still in, there is plenty of work that lies ahead.”

As usual, Z-Trip does a masterful job of mixing music with a message, blending Obama sound bites with fitting song choices (Rare Earth’s I Just Want to Celebrate gets the ball rolling.)

[ZIP]: DJ Z-Trip | Victory Lap: The Obama Mix (Pt. 2)

general, year end

Guest list: Snow Songs

January 19, 2009 Kevin Leave a comment

~~This~~ Last year, I asked a few Phoenix-area musicians/people of interest for their year-end, best-of lists for 2008: albums, songs, whatever. This installment comes from Yolanda Bejarano, a longtime Valley musician who now performs her indie-folk stylings under the name Snow Songs.

1. Dr. Dog — Fate
2. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson — self-titled
3. Fleet Foxes – self-titled
4. Lucinda Williams – Little Honey
5. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
6. Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak
7. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals – Cardinology
8. Lykke Li – Youth Novels
9. Department of Eagles – In Ear Park
10. CSS – Donkey

general

New Handsome Furs: I’m Confused

January 15, 2009 Kevin 1 Comment

About the only thing more titillating than those Handsome Furs promotional photos is the mere fact that a new album, Face Control, is on its way, due out March 10 (via Sub Pop).

My friend Royce basically nailed it when he recently said Dan Boeckner was the guy keeping Wolf Parade focused, preventing Spencer Krug from taking the band into the proggy Sunset Rubdown arena. I couldn’t agree more.

Here’s the tracklisting for Face Control:

1. Legal Tender
2. Evangeline
3. Talking Hotel Arbat Blues
4. (Passport Kontrol)
5. All We Want, Baby, Is Everything
6. I’m Confused
7. (White City)
8. Nyet Spasiba
9. Officer of Hearts
10. (It’s Not Me, It’s You)
11. Thy Will Be Done
12. Radio Kaliningrad

Handsome Furs | I’m Confused

arizona, general

Jan. 23: Art One benefit show

January 14, 2009 Kevin Leave a comment

Local artist and art teacher Chad Knapp is organizing a benefit show to help keep Art One gallery open in Scottsdale.

In Chad’s own words:

“The gallery has helped countless young artists and schools, please come down and see the bands and the art work. The gallery is going to start setting up shows and you are more than welcome to contact them about setting up shows. It’s going to be run similar to the way the Modified is run.”

The benefit starts at 7 p.m. and costs $5. Scheduled bands include Source Victoria and Art for Starters; one more band will be announced.

The gallery is located at 4120 N. Marshall Way in Scottsdale.

Source Victoria | Miss Spiritual Tramp of 1948

general

New Neko Case: People Got a Lotta Nerve

January 14, 2009 Kevin 2 Comments

If it’s not enough that we’re getting a new Neko Case mp3 from her forthcoming album Middle Cyclone, Neko and her label, Anti-, will donate five bucks to Best Friends Animal Society for every blog that posts this new track, People Got a Lotta Nerve.

Read the Anti- blog for more details. Needless to say, as a huge animal lover â€“ and the owner of one mean machine of an English bulldog â€“ I highly encourage the posting and reposting for this mission. And, oh yeah, that track is pretty outstanding, too.

Neko Case | People Got a Lotta Nerve

general, video

N.A.S.A.: Money (feat. Z-Trip, Chuck D., etc.) (video)

January 13, 2009 Kevin 1 Comment

DJ Z-Trip updated his site with some news, including his brush with a bomb threat (and DJing shortly thereafter), his posting of a new Obama mix (saving that for another post) and this new video for the N.A.S.A. track Money on which Z provides some cuts.

This particular track features Z-Trip, Chuck D., David Byrne, Seu George and Ras Congo (did I forget anybody?). Shepard Fairy and Syd Garon (director of DJ Q-Bert’s Wave Twisters) created the video.

By the look of it, the N.A.S.A. album, The Spirit of Apollo, has guest spots from just about anyone you can imagine (Chali 2na! There’s a shocker.) In all honesty, I know little about N.A.S.A., but Z-Trip’s involvement usually means I’ll give it a chance.

Stereogum also posted a new N.A.S.A. track.

general

New Elvis Perkins in Dearland: Shampoo

January 13, 2009 Kevin Leave a comment

Waaaaay back in 2006, I told you that Elvis Perkins’ While You Were Sleeping (off the outstanding Ash Wednesday) was my favorite song of that year.

Earlier in 2006, Perkins played a studio session at KEXP, and one of the four tracks he played was Shampoo, an old/new song that will appear on his March 10 self-titled album under the name Elvis Perkins in Dearland, on XL Recordings. The album, recorded in upstate New York in late 2008, includes a full band, the same group that joined Perkins on the road in support of Ash Wednesday.

Here’s the tracklisting for the new album, which I’m excited to hear in full band glory:

Shampoo
Hey
Hours Last Stand
I Heard Your Voice in Dresden
Send My Fond Regards to Lonelyville
Iâ€™ll Be Arriving
Chains, Chains, Chains
Doomsday
123 Goodbye
Howâ€™s Forever Been Baby

general, video

A.C. Newman: Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer

January 12, 2009 Kevin 4 Comments

I’ve had A.C. Newman’s forthcoming album, Get Guilty (out Jan. 20), on repeat the past couple weeks — not only because I’m writing a review of it but also because it’s really, really good (I hope to be more eloquent with my vocabulary in the review).

Pitchfork’s Forkcast caught up with Newman and his band for a video of Like a Hitman, Like a Dancer for something called the “DUMBO Session.” (That’s short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Cute.)

While you ponder if Newman ever will write a bad song (he won’t), check the stick work on the drums. More drummers should make use of the rim on the snare drum â€“ a totally underrated piece of functional hardware on a kit.

general

Bon Iver: Blood Bank (mp3)

January 12, 2009 Kevin Leave a comment

Bon Iver found a place on many a year-end list in 2008 (including mine), even though For Emma, Forever Ago was technically self-released in 2007.

In a smart move of striking while the iron is hot, Justin Vernon will release the four-song EP Blood Bank on Jan. 20 via Jagjaguwar. The label released an mp3 (192 kbps) of the title track today but stated: “No promotional copies will be available until that time (Jan. 20).”

Bon Iver | Blood Bank