live recording

Rob Dickinson, live in Scottsdale, Part I

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Thursday’s Rob Dickinson show at Anderson’s Fifth Estate in Scottsdale, Ariz., felt strangely like a time warp. People in line outside the club were talking about Catherine Wheel’s Tempe, Ariz., concert in 1995 (my God, has it been 11 years?), and the once-hip kids are now parents who made baby-sitting arrangements before the show. Man, back in the day we’d be pre-show drinking.

That has to make a curious crossroads for Dickinson, whose trying to attract new fans to his solo work while appeasing the Catherine Wheel old-timers. Dickinson, who played solo and acoustic, seemed acutely aware of his CW faithful by playing a pretty balanced set, explaining that a couple of songs from his solo debut Fresh Wine for the Horses had “the ghost of the Wheel” in them.

I admire that Dickinson appears to accept his past instead of stubbornly refusing to acknowledge that the 100-plus fans at the show were there, at least in part, to hear some Catherine Wheel. (I, for one, was thrilled he played Black Metallic.) At the same time, Fresh Wine is growing on me and deserves to stand on its own merit.

Dickinson was kind enough to chat, sign autographs and take pictures with fans after the show. It seemed odd that the man behind Catherine Wheel would be standing in a meet-and-greet line. Regardless, I used the opportunity to ask his permission to post mp3s of the taped show; he kindly obliged.

For more on Rob Dickinson, check out Chromewaves today.

(Fair warning: One guy, bless his heart, kept yelling “We love you, Rob!” To his credit, Dickinson seemed somewhat amused.)

Rob Dickinson, live at Anderson’s 5th Estate, 1/26/06:
1. Heal*
2. The Storm
3. Oceans
4. My Name is Love
5. Ma Solituda*
6. Handsome
7. Eat My Dust You Insensitive Fuck*

* – Catherine Wheel songs.

(Note: Recording was made with my Sony MZ-M10 minidisc; imported as WAV with Hi-MD WAV importer for Mac; enhanced, converted to mp3 using Audio Hijack Pro. Do you see how much I care for you? … Where appropriate, I left banter/discussion from Dickinson, who has a very down-to-earth demeanor on stage.)

general, samples

Post #200!: Tim Fite resuscitates Trunk Federation

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One of the painfully obvious disadvantages of buying music digitally is the lack of liner notes. So it was only recently that I learned that Tim Fite sampled two Trunk Federation songs for his fantastic 2005 release Gone Ain’t Gone. In fact, Fite used samples only from albums he salvaged from the dollar bins.

As fate (Fite?) would have it, Trunk Federation got its start in the 1990s in Tempe, Ariz., which always seemed on the cusp of breaking out in the 90s as The Next Big City. Never quite worked out that way, but Trunk Federation gained a bit of cult following with three full-lengths: The Infamous Hamburger Tranfer (1997); The Curse of Miss Kitty (1998); and Lay the Hip (2000).
The band faded into oblivion (and, apparently, the dollar bin) after problems with their record label Alias, internal issues and substance abuse. (Phoenix New Times article here.)

Trunk Federation never quite fit the conservative pop sounds coming out of Arizona at the time (think Gin Blossoms, Refreshments); its style was a little quirkier, which seems to lend itself to Fite’s cut-and-paste experimenting. I just wonder if he heard of Trunk Federation prior to finding The Curse of Miss Kitty in the dollar bin.

Regardless, below are the two songs Fite used (quite liberally in the case of Levitations and Disappearances) and his interpretations of them for Gone Ain’t Gone. (For those in Arizona, Fite will be in Tucson on Feb. 26 at Plush.)

Trunk Federation | Apples
Tim Fite | A Little Bit

Trunk Federation | Levitations and Disappearances
Tim Fite | Forty-Five Remedies

Also …

This was Post No. 200 since starting last July. We’ve come a long way, and I truly appreciate the readers and other bloggers who have encouraged and linked me. Leave your questions, concerns, congratulations or criticisms in the comments below.

On a personal note … when I started, I couldn’t have made it without the generous linking of others, and I’m trying to return the favor and give back what I can. A few of the big guns out there (Gorilla vs. Bear and My Old Kentucky Blog, specifically) couldn’t have been nicer and more supportive. On the flip side, some of the arrogant and holier-than-thou attitudes of a few sites (which shall remain nameless) really grate my nerves. Nobody is cooler or better than the next. I’ll leave it at that, without getting into specifics.

I encourage you to visit any and all sites on my roll, and here are a few new (or new to me) blogs that have been added to the roll or will be in the near future:

One more note: Thanks to my wife for allowing me to obsess over this blog, come to bed late and for giving me the knowledge to know that I’ll always have at least one reader.

radio rips

Cloud Cult on KEXP

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Led by Minnesota farmer Craig Minowa, Cloud Cult produces nice music that would best be described using a long, hyphen addled word.

When Cloud Cult visited the KEXP studios for a live set, they stripped down some of the electronic elements of their sound and let the folk shine a little brighter. All in all, a nice recording of a band doing interesting things.

Cloud Cult, live on KEXP, 6/24/2005

1. As Long as You’re Happy
2. Bobby’s Spacesuit
3. Lights Inside My Head
4. Washed Your Car
5. Breakfast With My Shadow

hip-hop

The Procussions

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On Wednesday, the reunited Digable Planets return to Arizona for a show in Flagstaff. We’re debating about whether we’ll take the two-hour drive north for the show, which also costs a steep $25. Having already seen the DPs last summer, I’m not so hot on spending 25 bones. BUT … it is the Digable Planets.

Last summer’s excellent show was where I first heard about the Procussions, who opened that tour and apparently made such a good impression that they’re on the road with the DPs again. (Arizona’s own Drunken Immortals also are on the bill.)

I can vouch for the Procussions’ energetic live set, and the Colorado trio’s full-length As Iron Sharpens Iron is a lively throwback of emcee interplay and bouncing beats.

The Procussions are touring behind the news of a recent deal with Rawkus and expect to drop their next LP – 5 Sparrows for 2 Cents – early this year. All I can say is hallelujah for groups like the Procussions for revisiting hip-hop’s glory days without sounding stale or like copycats.



The Procussions | Wegotta
The Procussions | Make it Happen

radio rips

The Magic Numbers on KEXP

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Thanks to Jax, the self-titled full-length debut by The Magic Numbers has been my most recent obsession. I first heard a couple of songs on Sirius’ Left of Center, and then I turned into this raving lunatic, foaming at the mouth, fiending for more. Such is the irresistible pull of the catchy pop they create.

While I guess the comparisons to the sunshiney pop of the Mamas and Papas are inevitable, I was pleasantly surprised by some of the lyrical depth of The Magic Numbers.

“That I’m a no-good, used-up, bruised and fucked-up boy /
Who gets beat up just by looking at you /
I’m a lonely soul, lost every single thing I ever did own /
But I never owned you”

This five-song set also includes Gone Are the Days from Help: A Day in the Life, a War Child benefit, which is available at eMusic.

The Magic Numbers, live on KEXP, 11/7/05:

1. Forever Lost
2. Don’t Give Up the Fight
3. Love’s A Game
4. Love Me Like You
5. Gone Are the Days

general

Sunday Grab Bag: “God Bless Bloc Party” review

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View trailer here.
Find an independent retailer to purchase.

Before I write anything about this DVD, I should mention: I like Bloc Party. Silent Alarm was in the top 5 of my favorite albums list of 2005 (I’m sure they’re flattered) and their set at ACL was the first time I’d seen the band live, and I was mightily impressed.

That said, the release of God Bless Bloc Party made me question how vulnerable (gullible?) we are as fans. An LP is never enough. To sate our thirst for more (or is that the record label’s thirst?) we open our wallets for a remix album and DVDs, these stopgap measures to tide us over until a new album is released. (Full disclosure: I was sent a review copy at no cost to me; however, I would have purchased this DVD otherwise.)

God Bless Bloc Party is a two-part DVD: about an hourlong documentary (filmed around June 2005 shows at the El Rey in LA) and about 20 minutes of festival footage from Belfort, France. The live footage from France is fantastic. Multiple camera angles and polished production pretty much tip you off that this DVD was in the works when they filmed the show in July. Matt Tong’s amazing work on the drums is enough to hold my attention.

My beef comes with the so-called documentary portion of the disc. Ideally, a documentary (in its truest sense) has a story to tell, some compelling reason a camera is trained on a band or person. God Bless left me feeling pretty empty. Ask yourself (honestly): Is Bloc Party, one album into its career, a worthy subject for a documentary?

Maybe it’s unfair to compare, but the Wilco movie I Am Trying to Break Your Heart set a standard, in my mind, for music documentaries. This isn’t just a about a band, but there was a story to tell, about Wilco’s struggle within the industry.

God Bless is nothing of the like. This documentary is more or less backstage footage – look, drummer Matt Tong is making a backstage sandwich! – spliced around a live concert. Worse, the guys in Bloc Party look terribly uneasy and/or uninterested at times when the camera is rolling. Scenes of the guys being interviewed by journalists in green rooms and trailers are almost unbearable to watch. (To wit: when a journalist is stumbling, trying to ask singer Kele Okereke about sounding British when he sings; Okereke’s response: “Really? I sound British when I speak as well.” Gulp. Next question.)

Maybe the mistake is in the packaging. Why promote this as a documentary? Just call it what it is: Bloc Party, live in concert. Labeling this a “documentary” feels too self-important (as if titling it God Bless Bloc Party didn’t already), and there’s nothing I gleaned from God Bless that I couldn’t have learned in an in-depth magazine article.

I think the most enlightening words come early in the documentary, when Matt Tong is talking about being “on the other side” – as in, being in the band and not as a fan subjected to the constant blitz of consumerism: “Hopefully, people see beyond the hype, really, and appreciate us for what we are.”

Bloc Party | The Answer
(downloaded from Bloc Party Web site)

radio rips

The National on WOXY

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A request came last week to convert The National’s in-studio performance on WOXY into mp3s, and who am I to deny such a worthy suggestion? After all, I believe in a democracy. I also believe in The National, which happened to own the top slots in my favorite albums and songs lists of 2005.

The set contains four songs, including an outstanding and energetic rendition of Abel. Also, I’m curious as to anyone’s interpretation of the song Secret Meeting. (Get the lyrics here.) In two interviews I’ve heard, both interviewers talked about listening to that song quite a few times before it really hit them. I have an idea of what I think the song is about, but I’m wondering about anyone else’s translation of the lyrics. Fire away in the comments.

The National, WOXY.com Lounge Acts, 9/22/05:

1. Secret Meeting
2. 90-Mile Water Wall
3. Looking for Astronauts
4. Abel

Also …

  • I’ll likely offer up my two cents on the Bloc Party DVD, God Bless Bloc Party, for the Sunday Grab Bag. In the meantime, you might wanna hit the group’s Web site for some pretty excellent mp3s.
  • You need some more style in your life. You do. So hit my friend/co-worker Carrie’s blog, Spinning Wheels, through The Arizona Republic’s online arm.
  • The awesome Brooklyn Vegan has been kind enough to link to this site in the past couple of days, so I just want to return the favor, though my traffic is probably just a drop in the bucket by comparison.
  • Special thanks to Dodge (he knows why) for being like a big blog brother to me. He’s got two contests you can enter.
  • I Guess I’m Floating is a new addition to the blog roll and for good reason. Those guys are killin’ it over there! You’d do yourself a favor and jump on their 100th post extravaganza.
  • With the NFL season dead to me (thank you, Bears) I look forward to baseball: less than a month to pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training. The Cactus League has its own Web site now.
hip-hop

Fatlip “The Loneliest Punk”

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Funny story: So I’m digging through my random odds and ends in my music collection when I stumble across a Delicious Vinyl sampler from 1998. The disc has tracks by Born Jamericans, The Whoridas, The Flys, etc.

There’s nine tracks in all, and there’s supposed to be a 10th. Except the 10th track says “Fat Lip … is currently on a walkabout and could not be reached for comment at this time! Check for the Fat Lip album Revenge of the Nerd in summer ’98.”

Well, by now you probably know we finally got that Fatlip album … seven years later. The Loneliest Punk (NOT Revenge of the Nerd) was released this past November. As a big Pharcyde fan I was a bit wary about solo Fatlip (kinda like solo Phife Dawg), although it couldn’t be worse than the Pharcyde being reduced to two members.

Anyway, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what I’ve heard, especially Writer’s Block, a bit of a self-deprecating jam in which Fatlip raps about the long-awaited album:

“One out of every two people that see me in industry /
Ask me about my CD /
What style will I create /
And what’s the delay on the release date?”

Fatlip | Writer’s Block

BONUS (from Delicious Vinyl ’98 sampler):
Pharcyde/Sublime | Summertime in the LBC (remix)

arizona

New (near-final) sourceVictoria songs

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Because I have deep connections (OK, bloodlines … whatever) I’ve got my paws on four new sourceVictoria tracks. For a little history, backtrack here.

Anyway, these songs are near-final tracks, being mixed and produced by fellow Arizona son Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World. I’ve devoured these songs, and it’s become abundantly clear that my brother hoarded all the talent genes in this family. I’m only a little jealous … and very much in awe.

I was already impressed with their work on the EP, but the new material represents a major leap forward. The End is Just the End is, no doubt, my favorite sourceVictoria track now and (in my little opinion) their best. The sound is big, and the drums come in flourishing waves that lure you in. Though I must admit: I’ve yet to attempt to dissect my brother’s writing, for I’m fearful/curious if I’ve somehow inspired a scribbling session on a notepad somewhere. (I know, don’t flatter yourself.)

sourceVictoria | Burn the Pianos
sourceVictoria | Heartless Boy
sourceVictoria | The End is Just the End
sourceVictoria | The Fast Escape

general, radio rips

Tom Vek on KCRW / new Built to Spill track

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I gotta admit, it’s really tough being this far behind the indie-rock curve. I mean, I just picked up Tom Vek’s We Have Sound at eMusic last week. Last week! No, really. It’s just painful how unhip I can be.

Add that to the fact that I also just bought The Hold Steady’s Separation Sunday, and I think I need to create a Best of 2006 That I Missed in 2005 Because I’m Just Not That Cool list.

That doesn’t change the fact that We Have Sound is a precise, swift kick in the butt that my music collection needed. I mean, how often is the bass guitar the star?

So, here’s Vek’s KCRW performance from (ahem) September, in conjunction with CMJ. (Beware: MP3s are a measley 48kbps … you can blame KCRW for that.)

1. If You Want
2. A Little Word in Your Ear
3. C-C (You Set the Fire in Me)
4. If I Had Changed My Mind
5. Nothing But Green Lights
6. I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes

Also …

In news that I’ve eagerly anticipated, Built to Spill’s new album, You In Reverse, is due out in April. (Billboard story.) That’s five long years since Ancient Melodies of the Future, which Doug Martsch tells Billboard he wasn’t satisfied with.

I was totally bummed by their mediocre performance at ACL, but this new track gives me hope. Although I’m not much into Martsch’s penchant for jamming (Goin’ Against is nine minutes), I can overlook that in the tradeoff for something new (finally).

(The mp3 is a rip from the stream at Built to Spill’s MySpace page.)

Built to Spill | Goin’ Against Your Mind