Long night, no post. Don’t ask.
Anyway, CNet’s download.com (who are the ad wizards who came up with that name?) is offering a full-album stream of Jon Rauhouse’s Steel Guitar Heart Attack, which we prattled on about a couple weeks ago.
Heart Attack comes out Tuesday. To celebrate, Jon will be playing a free in-store at Stinkweeds in Phoenix at 6 p.m.
Tally up another show I’ll miss because of work. If only I didn’t have bills to pay.
In any case, Birdmonster will play with or without my attendance at Modified tonight. And a little, um, bird (ok, sorry) told me some new songs will be tested out. And, no doubt, you’ll hear all your favorites from No Midnight. (No promises on the 500 Miles cover, though.)
I urge my fellow Phoenicians to head over to Rhythm Room tonight to check out Aqueduct, whose latest LP, Or Give Me Death (Barsuk), I have been wearing out for the past two weeks. Unfortunately, I work and will miss the show. Boo.
Or Give Me Death should be the constant companion of anyone in the post-breakup confusion of anger and regret, resentment and resolve. Just sayin’, I’d hate to be the girl on the other end of missives like Keep it Together: “You’ve been flying blind / people never change / bitch, don’t even try.”
Annuals and Bark Bark Bark (from Tucson) open.
You can also stream Or Give Me Death in its entirety at Barsuk.
If ever there was proof of Jonah Matranga’s prolific output, it’s all here in one nice package on The Three Sketchys, a collection of three homemade EPs that were self-released and distributed in various ways.
This release combines all three (19 tracks) and includes a bonus remix of The Big Parade by Ian Sefchick, formerly of Creeper Lagoon. For some reason, the eMusic version includes a 20th track 14-41 (Prom-style)+Thoughts that doesn’t appear to be on version at Jonah’s store.
And if we weren’t already aware of Matranga’s keen ability for choice cover songs, he adds three more here: I Want You Back (Jackson 5), Got My List (7 Seconds) and, my favorite, Savory (Jawbox).
The Three Sketchys collection is available at eMusic or through Matranga’s online store, where he allows a very progressive and fan-friendly “pick your price” purchasing plan.
Also, Matranga is at Modified on March 18 with Frank Turner and Joshua English.
Previously:
I Used to Love H.E.R.: Jonah Matranga.
Jonah Matranga/Frank Turner split 12″.
Lupe Fiasco/Jonah Matranga: Never Lies.
Jonah Matranga live CD/DVD: There’s A Lot In Here.
I’d love to stay and chat, but I’m off to see the A’s and Angels at Diablo Stadium in Tempe.
In the meantime, Wilco has made a new track, What Light, available from its forthcoming album Sky Blue Sky. At first listen, it feels like Jeff Tweedy and Co. are traveling back to a Being There-era sound, with just a hint of the mild twang of A.M.
I am so glad Richard Buckner has a beard again.
If any man’s face belongs behind a beard, it’s Buckner’s. For starters, he’s a large man. Not overweight or anything, just burly. And he’s got that voice – husky and full. (Though it sounds far less imposing in conversation, actually.) Judging by the picture (perhaps not the most flattering), his gray, unruly whiskers just fit a man whose music connotes all the sorrow and depression of a back-country dive bar. This, my friends, is the stuff beards are made of.
Everyone has their reasons to grow a beard. I let mine go a few years ago when I went on a fantasy football winning streak (probably not why Buckner grew his), and I haven’t shaved it since. Mine comes in a little brown, a little red and with a serious cowlick near my right upper jaw if I go awhile without trimming.
At this point, I’m hesitant to get rid of it. I remember once when I was young and my dad, whose mustache I simply recognized as an inherent part of his face, shaved. It sort of freaked me out.
Facial hair just belongs on some people. As My Morning Jacket’s Jim James told Filter for its fall issue, “Every man looks best with his God-given beard. God gave us beards for a reason. End of story.”
Richard Buckner, live on MPR’s the Current, 2/28/07:
Note: Thanks to Largehearted Boy for the reminder of this set.
Previously:
Richard Buckner on Friday Night Lights.
Richard Buckner and Jon Langford
Richard Buckner/Anders Parker.
Dios (Malos) — nee, Dios — has made a new, unmastered track available as they hit the road with the Spinto Band and the Changes.
The new album — no release date yet — appears to be named Life Between the Tides, if the album tag is to be believed after download. And this new track, In Control of the OJ, is pretty much everything we’ve come to expect from Dios: hazy, trippy, psychedelia-inspired pop.
On that note, Dios has one of the most scatterbrained, unorganized and, well, kinda compelling Web sites around. (I mean, really, what the hell? The weed must be pretty strong out there in Hawthorne, Calif.). Anyway, in “new news,” they are asking for suggestions on new band names … perhaps facetiously? Nobody knows.
The Spinto/Dios/Changes tour hits Phoenix on Monday at the Rhythm Room. Local favorites Asleep in the Sea also are on the bill. Advance tickets at Stinkweeds.
I’m sure you already know I’m a fan of Baby Dayliner. So to see not one but two new songs up there hopefully is an indication that a new album is in the works.
Are You Looking at the Same Stars? shows Baby Dayliner in all his pompadoured coolness. He’s a hopeless romantic here, looking back with regret and longing on a relationship that didn’t work.
“Sometimes you catch yourself in a moment/
when you think about that woman/
how good she was to you/
when you were down and out and giving up.”
Check out Baby Dayliner’s catalog at eMusic, including last year’s great Critics Pass Away.
It’s always a pleasant surprise to swing into a record store and find something new that you never even knew existed. That was the case yesterday, when I found Josh Ritter’s Live at the Record Exchange EP at Stinkweeds.
I’ve been pretty wrapped up with all things Ritter since I finally wisened up and became attached to Animal Years. This EP, as its name might suggest, is a live recording from the Record Exchange in Boise, Idaho. (On a side note, I’ve been to Boise; very cool city.)
The EP has six tracks, including the previously unreleased Bandits and a John Prine cover of Daddy’s Little Pumpkin. According to Pitchfork, the EP is available only from Ritter on tour or select independent music stores. Um, yeah, or Amazon. Of course, the Record Exchange has it, too.
Ritter also is making available to stream “backstage recordings” he’s performing with support acts from his current tour.
AT CIRCA 45: A live Guns N’ Roses B-side of It’s So Easy.
Good news and bad news.
First, the bad news: Apparently, the Richard Buckner show with Six Parts Seven has been canceled. Too bad because I was really looking forward to seeing Buckner perform with a full band.
Now, the good news: Silversun Pickups are playing May 4 with Elf Power at Clubhouse in Tempe. (Get tickets.)
Speaking of Silversun, Spinner has live footage on its 3×3 series (if you can get past the annoying credit card advertisement first).
And in absolutely unrelated news, here is the video for k-os’ Sunday Morning, which I previously wrote about here.