Professional Workshop Tuesday, May 19

Don't miss the free professional workshop next Tuesday at 7:30 in Page Hall, room 0010. MEISA's consulting team has gathered four professional speakers to give advice and answer questions about studio engineering, booking shows, managing artists, and music journalism. Each speaker is active in the Columbus music scene; the speakers' professional ties range from Central City Recording to publication Columbus Alive. Check out the workshop and invite musicians, bands, and any friends who have interest in the music industry. Remember that the workshop is in Page Hall, not the normal MEISA meeting room in Scott Labs.

Check out the Facebook event page (search artist workshop, MEISA).

After a MEISA professional workshop, your band can be as successful and well-organized as Electric Mayhem.

Double Nickels on the Dime by the Minutemen

Wow.  Double Nickels on the Dime, might be one of, it not the greatest punk album to come out of America in the 1980’s.  I inform you of this partly out of jealousy, because my two friends, who I jam with back home, happened to see the Minutemen bassist, Mike Watt, perform last night up in Cleveland (darn you, OSU quarters).  For those wondering their thoughts on the show where, “That concert was fantastic!” and “It was fabulous!!!!”  Due to emotional weakness I do not know if I can comment on the show any more…

Double Nickels on the Dime is one of the most unique albums to ever have reached my eardrums.  Comprised of 45 songs (or 44 or 43, depending on the reissue and joining of tracks on the CD version), with only about 5 of them surpassing the two minute mark, the album is meld of genres ranging from punk, rock, funk, jazz, country and spoken word all smashed on to two LPs or one CD.  It would be impossible to review a single song from this album that sums up what the album is all about; all I can do is recommend that you check out this album, and listen to it all the way through.  Driven by Mike Watt’s unique bass lines, and D. Boon’s jangly guitar the album is a stand out from much of the other hardcore punk albums of the 80’s, and is still certainly a stand out today. 

The Minutemen are also one of the most interesting bands that I have ever listened to, partly because they have pure D.Y.I. punk ethics.  One of the more famous things the band would do is actually write and rehearse all of their songs to the finished product prior to booking a studio.  They could then go in and record their songs straight though without wasting any tape or time to re-edit the order for the final records.  (if you are fan I’m sure you are aware of that, but if you’ve never checked them out I would google them and certainly check them out) Sadly, D. Boon would be killed in 1985 in a van accident; he was 27.

Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley would continue on in fIREHOSE, and Mike Watt has also formed a successful and prolific solo career, most notable would be his work on Ball-Hog or Tugboat?  that featured collaborations with J. Mascis, Eddie Vedder, Thurston Moore, Lee Renaldo, Dave Grohl, Kris Novolesic, Flea, Frank Black, and many others.  He also frequently collaborates with many other musicians and played bass for the reunited Stooges.

With all that being said Double Nickels on the Dime is an album any music lover should check out. 

Sh*t You Kids Should Check Out: Land Of Talk

Land Of Talk-Some Are Lakes

Sh*t's produced by J Verne (AKA Justin Vernon AKA Bon Iver)
And this girl, Elizabeth Powell, has got some F*cking pipes.
Amazing voice, and as you'd expect, J Verne's production is nice and simple. It lets her voice do the talking... or singing...

Myspace

Got A Call
Give Me Back My Heart Attack

Sh*t You Kids Should Check Out: Sic Alps

Sic Alps

I don't get it. I figured Sic Alps would get tagged with all the other fuzzy, “noise pop” bands of the last two years, and I figured they would blow the f*ck up. But no... they're still a relative unknown, making way better music than most of their peers. They make music that doesn't exist only as a novelty, like much of the lo-fi stuff recently. The songs stick in your head, not the fuzz. While they do their fair share of noise experiments, they have plenty of immediate garage pop gems that people need to get familiar with.

Bells (With Tremolo and Distortion)
A Story Over There

Sh*t You Kids Should Check Out: Gun Outfit

Gun Outfit-Dim Light

Gun Outfit- Dim Light

While they've recently got some love, and are signed to LA label Post Present Medium, which is home to No Age, Wavves, Abe Vigoda, and plenty of other trendy f*cks, this album deserves much more attention, and should be on some year end lists, even though it was released in February. The publications that have reviewed Gun Outfit have dropped some very flattering comparisons. I've heard Meat Puppets, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr., all in the same sentence with this band. They don't have a bassist, and the sound is really interesting. The pounding drums drive the music, and Dylan Sharp's brooding, mumbling baritone is a the perfect complement to the distorted guitar licks that give Gun Outfit's take on punk a melodic edge. Enough description, these guys have that ever elusive quality of sounding familiar, but original at the same time.

Troubles Live Mine (live)

Sh*t You Kids Should Check Out: Blank Dogs

Blank Dogs

You may disagree with me that Blank Dogs is underhyped (I say is instead of are because it is one dude). But, since so much of independent music success is regrettably based on getting a Pitchfork review, and more importantly a positive one, for me, Blank Dogs are underhyped. I think Pitchfork will probably review Blank Dogs' latest full length “Under and Under” which is due out in early June. It's awesome by the way. But so was his 2008 LP “On Two Sides,” which didn't garner a Pitchfork review. Blank Dogs can get lumped into the Brooklyn lo-fi “loft-pop” scene with Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts, Cause-Co Motion, all those kids. But he sounds waaaaay different, and sh*ts on all those bands. He uses synths in addition to guitars, and the vocals are mad fuzzed out. Some songs almost sound like Joy Division in a blender. The guitar riffs make me melt, and he puts out a whole bunch of music. But seriously though, Blank Dogs is the t*ts of lo-fi. He's on the top tier of current bands who subjugate sound quality for nostalgia's sake, and he hasn't gotten enough love for it. Like I said, I think that'll change in June, but for now he deserves more attention.

Pieces

Leaving The Light On

Myspace

Sh*t You Kids Should Check Out: Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars-Why There Are Mountains

While they did make Pitchfork's Best New Music, which basically dictates whether people listen to you or not in the jungle that is independent music, the hype can not live up to Cymbals Eat Guitars. While they got positive reviews across the board, too many people wrote them off as just a revivalist band, celebrating the sprawling sound of Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, and some Pavement. Bullsh*t. First off, the indie road trip record has only really been done by a few bands, and there's plenty of trail to be blazed in that realm. And CEG hold their f*cking own. With killer riffs, no identifiable song structures, and lyrics that were originally poetry separate from music, they go from, screaming to whispering, ferocious guitar to gentle electric piano, and from nothing to something with their self-released album. It is literally impossible to overhype this. For me, it slides right in at number 2 behind Merriweather for albums of the year.

Wind Phoenix

And The Hazy Sea

Sh*t You Kids Should Check Out: Lotus Plaza

Lotus Plaza- The Floodlight Collective
(This link is actually very nice)





---These posts are specifically for bands, or albums that the hype machine aka blogosphere/pitchfork didn't do justice to.---



Oh, it's another release from the Deerhunter family, let's write it off, assume it's decent, and not listen to it. I am completely dumbfounded as to why this didn't get ecstatic reviews. This album was amazing. From just the first track... the guitars sound like ripples on the surface of a moonlit lake. Everything is so well produced. "Sunday Night" may be my favorite song of the year so far. I feel like this album really got overlooked. It's probably better than Microcastle, but I'm not sure about that... I still haven't decided. Either way, if you dig shoegaze you'll absolutely love it. The Floodlight Collective is lush as f*ck.

Different Mirrors

Who just saw Big Baby push that f*cking kid (at about a 1 minute)

Cows, Tiny Towns, and Incredible Music

Since I'm a rational college student, I figured instead of studying, the best way to spend my Tuesday night was to drive two and a half hours through farm country to a small arts college to hear one of my favorite bands...for the second time. I mean, no biggie- Oberlin is in the same state, the ticket price was an incredibly low $5, and no amount of blogging can express my creepy passion for this band - it's Deerhoof!

What I didn't count on were the miles and miles scented with the delicate aroma of cow and horse, a miniscule central town with nowhere to eat and blunt dead-ends reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, and a combination of the most aggravating openers and the pushiest crowd I've ever experienced. But really, it was totally worth it - it's Deerhoof!


Oberlin is the alma mater of drummer and founder Greg Saunier, and also the home of lots of weird arts kids. I should not have been surprised that the local opening bands were more performance than music, and that the crowd of excited Oberlinites savagely pushed my friend and me into the metal fence protecting the meager stage, crushing us more and more throughout the show and endangering our lives (or at least invading any and all crevaces of personal space) along with endangering the Oberlinite's many piercings and pairs of Buddy Holly inspired, thick-rimmed glasses.

But let's forget about the pushy crowd, the opening band with a bunch of chicks making noises and cross-stitching, and my inability to speak normally when I bought the signed Offend Maggie sheet music from guitarist John Dietrich, who was nice enough to knock off $5 for my friend buying a bunch of Deerhoof vinyl. The show itself was incredible.

Armed with talent, experience, and the adoration of the Oberlin crowd, Deerhoof played their third homecoming spectacularly. Their thrilling experimentation and manipulation of their songs was seamless - it felt as if I were at a giant band practice after the big show, and they casually decided to tear everything apart and musically paste it back together. The Tears and Music of Love, Offend Maggie, Snoopy Waves - Deerhoof sought out each layer of instrumentation, each technique, each phrase from every song, stretching and pulling them like taffy before turning up the volume and slamming them back together. For example, Fresh Born, greater than the sum of its parts, was alternatingly hesitant and ferocious.

The show was heavy with Offend Maggie tracks, but Deerhoof brilliantly performed some older selections. A few singles from Milkman were especially impressive. The verses of Giga Dance were dissonantly beautiful and delicately eerie, but were followed by powerful, metal-infused choruses. My favorite selection of the night may have been Milking, which eliminated any reservation or restraint used for the recorded version. This performance of Milking was the most alive and exciting any song has ever been played.

Besides album favorites, Deerhoof pulled a few surprises out of their magic setlist. Along with a few new songs (which I can't remember enough to describe except to say they were fantastic), Deerhoof miraculously played two or three cover songs. Needless to say, it was almost unbelievably goofy when John started singing the opening "Gabba gabba" of the Ramones' song Pinhead.

Each member of Deerhoof has his or her own unique stage prescence. John and Ed hop around over wires and amps, shaking excess music out through their feet. Satomi's kicks and jumps are adorable, particularly when she wears her oversized fluffy tiger mask. However, for me, Greg is the scene stealer. Pounding away and snapping drumsticks on his itty bitty drumset, he makes more noise than I ever thought humanly possible. More importantly, Greg listens with impenetrable focus and gives each song whatever it requires, moment by moment, to make it great.


I can't say enough great things about Deerhoof. It's so inspiring to hear a band whose core, underneath experimentation, rock, and a sense of humor, is true musicality. If they are within a state-wide radius to you, seek them out immediately.

I bet some of these songs are better than you!

So I was out all day yesterday, and had no time to do a post. But I've had a thing or two in mind that I'll now share.

Few have heard of these artists and some are a lot more obscure than others.
But I dug up some interesting songs, most of which I bet you've never heard otherwise.

1. Calamity Jane - Outta money (with official music Video)



This one is easily my favorite song on the list. Bitter, but soulful. I feel it's a terrific get-you-through-things song.

They were an early 90's Grunge Era band from Portland, Oregon.
There are very few songs available from them, and getting your hands on those would be very hard. I can bet most of the tracks are just generic dirty garage sound of the time. 'Outta Money' is really the only one I'd care about.

2. Timoth! - Thought I'd Call
MySpace Playlist link

Thought I'd put it here coz it's a nice tune no one will ever hear.
He is from Baltimore, and I see he has "No Thank You" under his record label. Is that an actual label? Haha.

3. Jim ether - G00d Morning Jessica

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyuU31GV6k8

Random unofficial video, did you catch the sublimal message popping up?
Jim Ether is a lot more famous than the above two. He came out with the movie ALERT! in 2006. Indie film for people who like trippy art movies; that includes stoners. Good Morning Jessica is the only accoustic song I know by him. His other music seems to be electronic, and he's made dozens of albums.
Onward to Calgary is his second movie. From the trailer, it looks less weird than ALERT! and funny? I don't know... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzN7t-z1cE8

4. The Fugs - I Wanna Fnck You Baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV_o2bEfzRI

These Guys were active in the sixties, and returned in the 80's, hanging around to this day.
This sixties song is almost impossible to find. But yeah, they were pretty outrageous, and heavily slammed - among other areas, as you now heard - the area of politics.

5. Dan9erwanc - Ballad 0f Peter Atkins0n Dell

This song was available several years ago on their website, fat-pie.com. Make sure to put the dash between fat and pie, or you'll get a surprise! Don't know what happened to it, but the song is awesome and a must hear for the college student. It may be hard to catch all of the lyrics, but the beginning says it all, and the screams reinforce his point.
Here, here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di45jH-TjX4

On fat-pie under music , you can check out more of their work. I like the songs they have as Grape Digging Sharon Fruits. http://www.myspace.com/grapediggers


6. One D0llar Crime - NYG

This is a gangsta rap that was also on their website for a while. Don't know who done it.. Come on though, you know it sounds tight, even if you can't take those explicit gangsta rap lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw8oqF81kyc

Wait, is Bugs Bunny allowed to do that?


7. Hinterlander - Blood Bright
Myspace link

Her band from Portland, Oregon is pretty cool. Deja vu. It's signed a major label according to MySpace.

A while ago I somehow found this song, Paper Crane, still available on their website that I thought was a nice tune, that simple underground sound, but well made. And now I came back and found more songs, and I'm not disappointed.

8. Paper Owls - Spooky Song
Song's off their website

More paper things, huh? paperowls.com gives a link to their MySpace too.
An unsigned band from Nebraska you may or may not like.
The song I featured is interesting though. That's a fact.

9. Jonny 5 + Yak - The Form

Before the Flobots had their name, they were an underground rap duo with beats spinning to rhymes that were hard to beat.

I heard this song a several years before I heard Flobots on CD 101 FM, and only now did I find the link between Flobots and this song.

Till next time.