Category Archives: general

contests, general, sports

The Baseball Project offers contest

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I talked a few times earlier this year about The Baseball Project, the collaboration of Scott McCaughey and Steve Wynn (check a Q&A with Wynn here).

What better time to discuss the band again than during the playoffs? To that end, the group is putting on a pretty cool contest: They want you to predict the World Series winner (and in how many games) for a chance to win a Baseball Project T-shirt and baseball and a copy of J.C. Bradbury’s The Baseball Economist.

E-mail thebaseballproject@gmail.com with the subject “World Series Pick.” Go here for more.

general

Monday night: Birdmonster at Yucca Tap Room

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Don’t forget Monday night’s show I’m putting on: Birdmonster, Kinch and Miniature Tigers at Yucca Tap Room in Tempe. What else are you going to do on Columbus Day?

Remember, there’s no cover at Yucca, but it is 21 and over. Hope to see you there. If we’re lucky, the boys in Birdmonster will drop a nice mention of our fine town in their tour diary at Paste Magazine.

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Frightened Rabbit to play Stinkweeds in-store

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I’ve already told you that Frightened Rabbit is returning to Phoenix on Nov. 6 for a show at the Rhythm Room.

Well, the news just keeps getting better: Earlier that evening (5:30 p.m., to be exact), they’re gonna do an in-store performance at Stinkweeds in Phoenix.

And if it wasn’t enough that the band has released an album that is, in my opinion, tops of the year, a live, acoustic album is coming out Oct. 21. Remember?

So, hopefully, the in-store will sound a little something like this acoustic album. Here’s a sample from it:

Silver Platter has more tour dates for Frightened Rabbit.

general, hip-hop

DJ Z-Trip: Obama mix (free download)

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After rocking Denver at Unconventional ’08, DJ Z-Trip is now offering his 54-minute Obama mix as a free download, encouraging people to share it and its message.

From the man himself:

“I encourage you to download it and pass it along to anyone you think should hear it. Feel free to burn copies, share it with friends, family, co-workers, strangers, and especially anyone you know is on the fence about this election. I’m also putting out a radio friendly version, in case anyone wants to broadcast it.”

Nobody is going to mistake Z-Trip for Chuck D here – though you know he included Public Enemy in this mix: I got a letter from the government the other day – but this is the most political I’ve seen Z-Trip get, and you gotta applaud him for taking action and asking others to do the same.

[ZIP]: DJ Z-Trip | Obama mix

UPDATE: So you know that Giant Sand show that was supposed to happen Friday night at Modified? The one Catfish Vegas wrote up this great, lengthy post for? Yeah, well, it’s been canceled. Tickets can be refunded at the point of purchase, though Catfish can never get back that precious time he spent writing a post for me (and you). It matters not: Take a few minutes and give it a read. Canceled show or not, it’s worth your time.

general, remix, video, vinyl

The National on Bandwidth podcast

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Strong as the San Diego Street Scene lineup was, there was little doubt that seeing the National was my main event. (Side note: After Black Crowes canceled as the Saturday headliner, why not bump the National into that role instead of adding an old, withering Devo? Seriously, now. Devo?)

There’s really little doubt at this point — my fourth time seeing the National (though not once in my own home state) — that this is my favorite band, though I take some exception to the group all but abandoning pre-Alligator songs in its live set. At least give me Murder Me Rachael.

For what it’s worth, singer Matt Berninger looked like your college geology professor when they took the stage in San Diego — dark-rimmed glasses, navy blazer. It all looked very studious, until, of course, he became a tad unhinged during Abel.

For a more composed picture of Berninger, check out these performances from the Bandwidth podcast (via Stereogum). Here, Berninger remains calm — perhaps because he’s in a kitchen? — wearing dark glasses, like he’s singing himself out of a hangover.

Apartment Story:

Slow Show:

general

azcentral.com preview: Sea Wolf

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I spoke to Sea Wolf’s Alex Brown Church for a story to advance his show opening for Okkervil River on Thursday at the Clubhouse in Tempe.

He was about as nice and pleasant as you can expect in discussing his living in Montreal half the year and his conflicted feelings about his home base of Los Angeles.

I did ask him about You’re a Wolf being used for a car commercial that aired during the Olympics. His response (which didn’t make the story):

“I haven’t seen any bad feedback, which is good because I was a little bit hesitant to do it. … Everybody I know told me that everybody they know saw the commercial. Exposure is good. In today’s music climate, it’s just one of the ways, if you’re a small band, to get music out there. It’s not necessarily way I would like it to be. But I hope it ends up being a good thing.”

  • Sea Wolf | You’re a Wolf

Here’s the aforementioned commercial:

general

This week in Phoenix/Tempe shows

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It’s not going out on a limb to say this week of shows in the Valley might go down as one of the busiest/best. Sadly, work won’t allow me to attend just about all of them (but we did hit the San Diego Street Scene this past weekend, and that was a blast).

Check out the schedule of shows this week (already missed Beck/MGMT on Monday night):

TUESDAY
My Morning Jacket at Marquee Theatre.
The New Year at Modified.
Hot Chip/Vampire Weekend at Rialto Theatre in Tucson.

WEDNESDAY
Vampire Weekend at Marquee Theatre.
Sera Cahoone at Modified.

THURSDAY
Okkervil River with Sea Wolf at the Clubhouse.
Tilly and the Wall at the Rhythm Room.
Fake Problems with Cobra Skulls and Frank Turner (the reason I’d go) at Modified.

FRIDAY
Dear and the Headlights CD-release party at the Clubhouse.

SATURDAY
Edgefest 2008 with Airborne Toxic Event, Atmosphere, the Kooks and more at Schnepf Farms.

MONDAY
Ra Ra Riot with Walter Meego and the Morning Benders at Modified.

ALSO:
You can check out a couple stories I wrote that were published last week at The Arizona Republic’s Web site. The first was on famous pizza chef Chris Bianco designing a T-shirt logo for local band Kinch. The other was a preview of Saturday’s Go Vote show with Calexico and Jim Adkins (more on that soon).

general, video

Travis: J. Smith (video)

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On the heels of that last Frightened Rabbit post, let’s keep the Scottish theme rolling.

Travis has released a second video (here’s the first) for the band’s upcoming album, Ode to J. Smith. (If you recall, this is the song that got me in a little bit of hot water.)

According to Travis’ YouTube page, the video shows a man trapped in an elevator car “for days.” That puts a new spin on the desert-island discs debate … what albums would you most like to have if you were stranded in an elevator car for 41 hours?