APB Playing 4 NYC Area Dates...New Album On The Way

Although many bands have attempted over the years to marry punk and funk, very few were even close to successful. Scotland's APB were able to get it right.

In the Eighties, APB made a very unique and funky dance-rock, and made a pretty significant name and following for itself in the New York and New Jersey area. Their songs were spun on new wave radio giant WLIR/WDRE the same way Z-100 plays Justin Timberlake now.

I loved that band, had the records, spun the singles at parties, but most of all, I was amazed at how good they were live.

Their shows at The Ritz and Club Malibu were legendary groove-fests, and I even remember watching a girl dance so hard to them at a show at City Gardens in Trenton, she passed flat-out as the band left the stage at the end of the set. OK, I'm sure lots of $2 cocktails were involved as well, but you get the picture.

I got a nice surprise earlier this year when I learned that Young American was re-releasing the nearly-impossible to find Something To Believe In compilation, complete with a second disc of b-sides, live tracks, and unreleased cuts, as well as The Radio 1 Sessions (Live at the BBC), including all of the band's Peel Sessions...all-in-all a treasure trove of APB goodness.

But perhaps the best gift I'm getting from Scotland this year is the announcement of a handful of live APB dates in the NYC area, including a stop at the tiny and cool Loop Lounge in Passaic Park!


Here are all the dates:
Dec 9 2006 9:00P
THE LOOP LOUNGE Passaic, New Jersey
Dec 14 2006 10:30P
UNION HALL Brooklyn, New York
Dec 15 2006 10:30P
THE KNITTING FACTORY NYC, New York
Dec 16 2006 10:00P
SUBCULTURE @ Molly Blooms II Amityville, New York

It also appears they've got an album of all new material coming out shortly. That I've gotta hear.

APB - "Shoot You Down" mp3 buy

"Shoot You Down" live at The Ritz (now Webster Hall), NYC, 1986:

Hanson AIDS Relief Single Out Today

Hanson were recently praised by New York's Village Voice as "secretly the finest straight up rock band in America"...and don't be frontin' like you don't totally still sing "Mmm-Bop" in your head every once in a while. The boys are doing something noble here...check it out:


HANSON TO RELEASE INTERNET EXCLUSIVE TRACK
FOR WORLD AIDS DAY

All proceeds from track will go to HIV Research Unit in Soweto

November 28th, New York: HANSON announced today that they will be releasing a special internet exclusive track in recognition of World AIDS Day on December 1st. The song, "Great Divide", features a South African children's choir and was recorded on the group's recent trip to Africa. In July, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson traveled to South Africa and Mozambique in an effort to learn more about the issue to see firsthand the devastation of AIDS on the continent and what can be done to join those already working to bring relief to the millions suffering from the disease. The band were accompanied by DocVia, a healthcare technology company based in the band's home town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who produce mobile technology to connect remote patients with regional medical providers and who donated all of their technology to the Perinatal HIV Research Unit at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa.

"Our trip to Africa was a personal awakening," says Taylor Hanson. "Our experience there made clear that the fight against AIDS is an urgent cause that requires action whether you're in the ghetto's of Soweto or suburbs of America. That is the message we want to help deliver through whatever means we can amass and encourage others to do so as well."

The coming track "Great Divide" is a hopeful yet intense rock anthem that inspires a call to action. Explains Isaac Hanson, "Great Divide is about facing what seem to be insurmountable tasks, and the hunger we all have for a glimpse of hope. When you hear the voices of African kids, singing along to the words 'I find hope' in their native languages, it makes the message of the song that much more poignant and chilling."

The track will be released across the world on Tuesday, 28th November by iTunes in an exclusive arrangement and 100% of the revenues derived by the sale of the song will be donated to the Perinatal HIV Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa. PHRU co-founder and pediatrician Dr Glenda Gray was excited to receive the news. "It's amazing to see musicians genuinely committed to understanding the challenges our patients face. Their talent and support are greatly appreciated and will go a long way in helping us prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission in South Africa and around the world."

By supporting companies like DocVia and donating their music's proceeds to AIDS relief organizations, the band hopes to encourage other artists and companies to engage in a more active role in the fight against AIDS in Africa.

The band are completing a companion music video for the song that contains footage from their trip to Africa that will hopefully serve to increase awareness about the urgent need to confront this issue. Further information on the release of the video will be made available shortly.

Hanson were recently praised by New York's Village Voice as "secretly the finest straight up rock band in America" and their documentary film, Strong Enough To Break, was honored last week as an official selection at the Hollywood Film Festival.

Read the AOL Music News story here

To buy, preview and watch the video for "Great Divide" - click here.

We Give Thanks For Dolly, Lady Sov, and Gabriela

Since I'm in Charlotte for Thanksgiving with the in-laws, besides the mad delicious deep-fried turkey I had, I'm thankful that Priscilla emerged from her cranberries-coma to send this column in:

3 Women I'm Thankful For:

1. Lady Sovereign. Or perhaps, in this case, we should be thankful for
the production crew who FINALLY got her album out after all these
years. Hasn't it been way too long since someone rhymed "bikini" with
"Lamborghini" and got away with it? Public Warning is the disc I've
been waiting for since hearing circa 2004 that Jay-Z had found the next
Eminem, except, you know, funnier and 5' tall and British. And female.
I really have no idea where the Eminem connection comes in, honestly.
Sov's delicious upbeat album has top billing in my ride these days, as
I cruise down the city streets to her throwback Easy E beats and
infectious voice, triumphant that short white girls can finally have
their day in the hip-hop sun. I'll admit it, the Queens in me wants to
take offense at her hilarious tirade against fake tanners, but she
makes it up to me by bringing in another favorite lady (Missy Elliot)
for a worthy "Love Me or Hate Me" remix. Side note for NYC carnivores:
Lady Sov's sticker is already slapped up on the walls of the Burger
Joint. Is there a better sign that this album is beloved?

Lady Sovereign - "Gatheration" mp3 buy

2. Dolly Parton. I had one of the best Thursdays in recent memory last
week when I trekked out to Mohegan Sun to see Dolly, her sequins and
her wig perform in concert. Told unintelligibly to expect a
"honky-tonk good time!" by a Good Ole Boy at work, I was on the edge of
my seat as Dolly entered the stage on a rising platform in a plume of
smoke and fog. A self-proclaimed "sexty" years old, Dolly Parton is
more energetic than I've ever been, and belted out almost 2 hours'
worth of her hits in a voice that hasn't changed since she was 20.
She's irresistible and adorable, poking fun at her cartoon self and her
love of plastic surgery, giggling through sweet stories about her
backwoods family of 14, and giving us the dirt on whether Kenny Rogers
had ever made a grab for "the girls." My favorite part? Like all good
rock stars, Dolly employs eye candy to hop around on stage, all muscles
and overalls, to dance and play-act and bow at her feet, etc, even
though she's "old enough to be that boy's mm.... lover?" Sigh. I WILL
always love you, Doll.

Dolly Parton - "Jolene" mp3 buy

3. [Rodrigo y] Gabriela. Alright, fine, it's not just her, they're a
co-ed acoustic guitar duo. Two metalheads from Mexico City who
hightailed it to Dublin (oh, THAT old story) where they write inventive
folk-rock instrumentals with flamenco-esque intricacy. Rodrigo's
speedfreak finger-picking is flawless and beautiful, almost enough to
make you forget that his partner's beating the crap out of her own
guitar in the background. Gabriela's contribution is insane, as she
uses every part of the guitar to make music, be it strings or
percussion or (I'm almost positive) woodwind. At times it sounds like
there are up to 4 guitars at work, when I know it's just the two of
them, un-overdubbed (except on one track). She's amazing, and reminds
us all that women have a place in classical guitar even when they're
not wearing ruffled skirts. I think to appeal to rockers who might not
sign up for an acoustic Mexican act, R&G get back to their roots on
this album, boldly remaking "Stairway to Heaven" and Metallica's
"Orion." (The latter of which I might be upset about if R&G didn't
completely own it. Which they do.) The album is solid, and comes with
a bonus DVD showcasing some of their fun live performances. If only
Guitar Hero had a track or two of theirs. Seriously.

Rodrigo y Gabriela - "Tamacun" mp3 buy

Oh yeah, and I'm pretty thankful for my mom, who loved me enough to
make me a Thanksgiving feast even though I'm a fussbudget about
poultry. But it's not like she put out an album or anything. Happy
Holiday, kids!

CSS @ Pianos Video

I came across some Punkcast video from one of my favorite CMJ shows...Cansei de Ser Sexy @ Brooklyn Vegan's day show at Pianos on 1 November. The band was great, the crowd was fun, just a solid show. CSS needs to be huge.

Alala:



Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above:



CSS - "Alala" mp3 buy

CSS - "Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above" mp3 buy

extrawack! single of the week; "Hey School Boy" by Stefy

Is there a better pop song out there today than "Hey School Boy" by Stefy? It's three and a half minutes of 1983-flavored Berlin/Missing Persons dance-y goodness:



It's songs like these that remind me how un-fun a lot of the indie-junk that passes as hip really is. These kids are f-u-n. I pray this song becomes a radio hit and kicks the asses of all of the nonsense currently played on top-20 stations & MTV.

Stefy MySpace

World's Greatest Guitar Player Makes NYC Small Club Appearance This Saturday

A while ago I wrote about my dentist, Dr. Bob Clapcich, the world's greatest guitar player.

This Saturday night, Bob and his band The Prescriptions (shown at left with Lisa Loeb at a gig they played together earlier this year...Bob's on the left) will be playing the Bitter End in a benefit for The Michael Clapcich Fund for Retinal Research, an organization dedicated to promoting research, developing treatments, and providing support for people suffering from rare inherited disorders of cobalamin (vitamin B12) transport and metabolism.

The show starts at 7:00 pm, and includes special guest Buddahead.

Buddahead - "When I Fall" mp3

I've never seen The Prescriptions, but I have seen Bob rock a mean set of classic-rock covers. I'm told the show will also feature the NYC rock club debut of Bob's foxy and sassy dental assistant Erica on background vocals, so this could be one of those moments when you can catch a show that will be written about in twenty years in Rolling Stone's "Great Shows Of The Twenty-First Century" issue.

Or December's issue of Molar Monthly.

These Arms Are Snakes are good for your health.

Here's a track that I've not been able get out of my head since adding it to my iPod and running to it outside:

These Arms Are Snakes - "Horse Girl" mp3 buy

and here's the video, which apparently is their first:



I'll give props to anything that'll keep me exercizing an extra 4 minutes.

Wax On Radio Contest Ending Soon...

Don't forget, our Wax On Radio contest ends Tuesday night!








Wax On Radio tour dates:
Sun 11/12/06 Austin, TX Emo's Austin

Mon 11/13/06 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit

Thu 11/16/06 Tempe, AZ The Clubhouse

Fri 11/17/06 Fullerton, CA The Alley

Sat 11/18/06 Los Angeles, CA Echo

Sun 11/19/06 San Marcos, CA Jumping Turtle

Tue 11/21/06 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill

Wed 11/22/06 Portland, OR Dante's

Mon 11/27/06 Denver, CO Hi-Dive

Tue 11/28/06 Lawrence, KS Jackpot Saloon

Wed 11/29/06 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club

Fri 12/01/06 Detroit, MI The Shelter @ St. Andrews Hall

Sat 12/02/06 Columbus, OH The Basement

Mon 12/04/06 Buffalo, NY Icon

Tue 12/05/06 Philadelphia, PA North Star

Wed 12/06/06 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom & Tavern

Thu 12/07/06 Grand Rapids, MI Skelletones

Fri 12/08/06 Madison, WI Club 770

Sat 12/09/06 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen

Swapping, Jamming , and Kicking Ass With Death Cab For Cutie

A few nights ago, Priscilla made her way to the Theatre @ MSG for one of the DCFC shows, and dug it hugely. The show prompted her to make one of her famous lists:

5 Reasons Why I Love Death Cab For Cutie:

1. Instrument swapping. If I were more bitter about having quit both piano and guitar lessons in my youth, I might resent this band for having so much talent. Seemingly every Death Cab cutie can, and does, play at least 2 different instruments on stage at some point, often swapping off a six-string for a keyboard for a bongo right in the middle of a bridge. They're the kind of band you dream about being in when you're little and watching Zack Attack on Saved By The Bell, knowing in your heart of hearts you could do it SO much better than Slater.

2. Jamming. You've heard the term before, but you were probably wondering if you had only imagined bands actually doing it. Too many live shows these days are over-produced and timed to the minute. Not Death Cab's! They'll take that 4-minute "Crooked Teeth" and stretch it onstage to double that length, feeding off the crowd's noise and never slumping that emotional energy. Fellow owners of the 14-minute live version of "Two-Step" by DMB know how good this can be.

3. Death Cab fans kick ass. They recognize songs before the first measure's up, and know all the words but don't drown out the band in singalong. And unlike lots of longtime band disciples, they love EVERY FORKING SONG, not just the old ones. And they're probably still reading this despite my DMB comment just two lines ago.

3A. Corollary to 3. A huge number of Death Cab fans are short. At least the ones in the GA section were. It's a mystery of science, I can't explain it. I wanted to attribute it to the amount of young rockers on the floor, but I've long since given up the ruse that most 15-year-olds aren't taller than me. But yeah, short fans = not a bad seat in the house when you see them live. These photos prove my point, showing my clear view to the stage.

4. Death Cab rules MySpace. Perhaps you've never been to their page, but I can almost guarantee you've probably been to several hundred pages with Death Cab songs posted to the background music. Death Cab's profile claims it has 410,000 friends (double that of the Chili Peppers, 4 times that of U2!), but even this number seems suspiciously conservative. Visit their page, I dare you to resist streaming their singles onto your own.

5. Death Cab is what it is. The band takes flack from nouveau-emeaus about not rocking hard enough or not whining hard enough, depending on the week, but has never wavered from its style: substantive pseudo-pop with an indie pedigree. The live show is a dynamic jam session, not too soft to wail on a keyboard, not too hard to laugh at the audience for flinging glowsticks at the stage (thanks, MSG!). I'd catch them again in a heartbeat if my wallet weren't screaming.

Death Cab for Cutie - "I Wanna Be Adored (Stone Roses cover)" mp3

extrawack Baker's Dozen #4...downloads from Bossanova, BoySkout, The Positions, The Big Sleep, Jay Bennett, and more.

Here's yet another CD-length batch of extrawack! approved tracks for your leaf-raking-with-iPod-on pleasure:

Jay Bennett - "Replace You" mp3

The Octopus Project and Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Spiracle" mp3

The Awkward Stage - "The Morons are Winning" mp3

Nate Ferrar - "Moonlight's Just a Memory" mp3

James Kochalka Superstar - "Britney's Silver Can" mp3

The Monolith - "The Sounding" mp3

The Big Sleep - "You Can't Touch the Untouchable" mp3

65daysofstatic - "Welcome To The Times" mp3

Miho Hatori - "Barracuda" mp3

BoySkout - "Fantastic" mp3

Bossanova - "Cavalry" mp3

Parts & Labor - "A Great Divide" mp3

The Positions - "Back To Me" mp3


As always, thanks to the labels and PR peeps for hosting these downloads for us.

Bloc Party NOT Playing NYC MSG Dates with Panic! Next Week

This from Bloc Party's PR this morning:

Bloc Party have been forced to cancel a number of shows on their current US tour with Panic! At The Disco after drummer Matt Tong was admitted to hospital in Atlanta with a collapsed lung after last night's performance.

Doctors at the hospital in Atlanta say Matt is in a comfortable condition and not in any danger, he will however be staying in hospital for at least the next three days for observation and it's not clear at this stage when Matt will be fit to resume performing.

The band will definitely not be playing at the Charlotte, NC (Cricket Arena), Fairfax, VA (Patriot Center) and both New York Madison Square Garden shows in the coming week.

Wow. I know more than a few people who bought BP tickets with no intention of staying for Panic!'s set.

product review: Brown is Sexy Again...extrawack! Fiddles With A Zune

extrawack! sent lady-about-town and gadget-fiend Priscilla White to a party thrown by Microsoft earlier this week to introduce it's new Zune digital music player to hipsters, tastemakers, and others in search of complimentary hors d'ouvres. Here's her report:

The looks: In these newfangled days of widescreen everything, it's bold to introduce a portrait-style screen a la Zune. But there's no doubt about it: it works. The long screen maximizes space and conforms to the handheld shape so well it makes you wonder why the iPod didn't do it first. After handling the Zune for an hour and being spoiled by the large display, those subway ads for the Nano really lost a lot of their luster. The downside? The casing. I want to love it, but something's off. The whole device is smooth and slim and incredibly light, but something about the seams and chintzy button lend it a Sidekick-style clunkiness. Can't go wrong with the finish though - black, white or coppery-chocolate brown (!!) in understated matte. Que chic!

What, no touchwheel?!?!: I won't lie, I did feel a little like my mom learning to NOT double-click on hyperlinks. But once you wean your stubborn thumb from its click-wheel impulses, you find that the button (a shallow-push directional pad) is pretty sweet. The songlist scrolls along at a healthy pace, and runs even more quickly when you hold the button longer. Scroll along alphabetically and you'll get a slow-fade heading behind your song titles to let you know what letter you're on. A really slick and unexpected touch, reminding me this is no ordinary beige-box Microsoft device. (Sorry, Bill.)

The interface: Here's where I'm really in love. The menus are simple and well-designed, and the button assignments are intuitive. Your choice of background theme remains displayed behind all the transparent, frameless menus as you tool around, which is cool and gives you more motivation to personalize. It's butter easy to skip around from songs to pictures to movies, and at any time you can adjust your settings and check your memory capacity without danger of interrupting your song. (Have I mentioned my stubborn thumbs already? Yeah, they're also clumsy.) Even the most jam-packed Zunes at the show (filled to about 75% capacity) didn't show the slightest bit of lag when jumping from song to slideshow or beyond.

Beaming: Transferring tunes from one Zune to another takes literally 5 seconds: 3 for one Zune to locate another, an 2 for the song to travel. It's pretty sick. Meek-mannered Zunesters need not worry: when receiving a file, your friend's Zune will simply display a sheer dialog box on top of whatever else it is she's doing, interrupting her only if she chooses to accept the file. And once the transfer is done she can hit "Resume" and keep on truckin. Even I was surprised by how smooth the transition was. Btw, beaming works for photos, slideshows and videos too.

The catch: Any songs you beam will have limited play on someone else's Zune (3 plays in 3 days). At that point you can re-beam, or you can buy the song for yourself. I only hope Zunepass makes that part just as easy. But you'll never lose track of how much time you've got, since the data display will always show where you got the beamed song from and how many plays you have left.

Stalker bonus? When locating other Zunes you can actually see what those other Zunes are up to! ("Located: Roxy - Currently playing '9-5' by Dolly Parton.") That is, until that Zunester sets their device profile to "basic" instead of "detailed," or shuts you out completely by blocking all beams. Lame!

Battery/earbuds/accessories: Yeah, I can't help you. All the ones I tried were plugged in and came with only schmaltzy noise-cancelling, padded headphones, the likes of which you won't see bundled at Best Buy.

Zune hits stores November 14, $249.99 for the 30-Gb model.

New Music From Graham Coxon...Blur Reunion Rumors...

Ex-Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has resurfaced with a new album, Love Travels at Illegal Speeds, due out next Tuesday. Here's more info, straight from a publicist's keyboard:

Produced by Stephen Street (who was responsible for Blur's Parklife and Modern Life is Rubbish), Love Travels at Illegal Speeds, Coxon's fourth album in the US and his sixth solo effort overall, is his most vulnerable, honest album of his career. After a stint in rehab battling alcohol addiction in late 2001, the album shows Graham with a renewed sense of confidence - the songs are reflective, focused and pushed Coxon to write about things with such a brutal openness that it startled even him when he was making the record. Most of the songs reference all the punk rock greats - because, if 13 taught us anything, it's that Coxon is most comfortable outside of the margins - so while there are some licks that remind you of the Buzzcocks or the Jam or the Knack, the melodies come right from the heart of the man we know and love, the man who helped define a new breed of British Pop music to a generation of music fans hungry for a voice. If this new album tells us anything, it's that his penchant for pop tunes is bigger than ever, creating choruses and harmonies that are instantly familiar and make you want to open your mouth to sing along. And if there's any question to Coxon's talent, look no further than Love Travels at Illegal Speeds: our hero plays guitars, bass, drums and sings every song on the album, in addition to creating the record's artwork. When a one man band sounds this good, who needs mates?

Sounds good to me. So does the lead track, "Standing On My Own",
which you can download here:

Graham Coxon - "Standing On My Own" mp3 buy

In further developments...Gigwise reports the following:

Blur's Alex James "has revealed that all three members of Blur are now talking to Coxon again, and are optimistic he could rejoin the band for recording next year." (full story here).

album review: Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist

extrawack! welcomes new correspondent Priscilla White, who kicks it all off with this review of the new Deftones album, Saturday Night Wrist:

Deftones fans can raise their rockhorns and rejoice - their Saturday Night Wrist hit the shelves this week and reminded us why we've missed them so goddamned much. The group's 5th album is mature and intricate, packed with hard vocals, hypnotic riffs and the type of industrial noise-cum-ballad schizophrenia we've longed for since White Pony. Signature Deftones geeky humor is all over this album, from the kick-off "Woop!" on "Hole in the Earth" to track 6, named for the legendary Konami code (but slightly wrong, wtf?).

SNW reminds me again that Chino's the only man who can woo us with eardrum assault - and the anthemic "Rapture" delivers... over and over again. I can't get it out of my head. "Rats!Rats!Rats!" is another favorite track, screeching laryngital echoes of "Decide!" over tension-building drums and what I can't help but hear as Serj Taknian's influence seeping beyond "Mein," his credited guest song. SNW is an unapologetic retort to everyone who doubted the band's "hardness" after their 2003 release.

Amusingly, the album's most offensive track involves no screaming at all. "Pink Cellphone" (featuring Annie Hardy) is a new experiment for the Deftones, combining trip-hop electronica and overactive reverb with the kind of spoken-word gobbledygook normally reserved for Bjork or Miho Hatori. Nu rock purists have little room in their hearts for this type of interlude, but many will appreciate the band's foray into new ground on what's essentially a back-to-basics album, showcasing the versatility and hard, melodic watermark that's made them great. I can't wait to see them live.


Deftones - "Hole In The Earth" winmedia

Wax On Radio/Yak Pak Messenger Bag Contest

One of the more impressive sets I've seen at CMJ this week came from Chicago prog-rock merchants Wax On Radio at B.B. King's. They play an emotive (without being all emo) kind of punky rock and roll that's at least a step more creative than the rest of their peers, with songs that occasionally extend into jam territory without sounding all wanky and self-indulgent. Their album Exposition is a totally solid listen all the way through, and is out on Downtown Records, home of Gnarls Barkley, Cold War Kids, and Art Brut.

extrawack!, Wax On Radio, and Yak Pak want to give one lucky reader a mad fly Yak Pak messenger bag (an $80 value!), stuffed with a spankin' new copy of Wax On Radio's Exposition . If you are a connoisseur of fine shoulder-based carrying vessels like we are, you know that this is the brand and messenger bag of the moment.

To win, send a photo, drawing, or other graphic depiction of a radio to us...the more creative or outrageous the radio, the better your chance of winning. It can be your creation or someone else's, but if it's someone else's, just give us the source in case we want to re-post it. We'll select the best radio at 12:01am EST on 15 November, and have the prize shipped right out. Contest only open to U.S. residents. The decision of our judges is final. Good luck!

Wax On Radio - "Time Will Bind Us To The Guilt of Commitment" real win

top photo courtesy rollingstone.com

There Are Llamas in Chambersburg, PA?

Our friends at Crackers United and KEXP are throwing a sweet shindig tonight at Sin-e.



You know we love Dirty On Purpose.

You may not know it but we love Pela, too.

We think we're gonna love The Shackeltons, because they are straight outta Chambersburg, PA, home of Chambersfest, where "the Annual Pet Parade brings out cats, dogs, birds, llamas, ferrets, turtles, and fish."

The Shackeltons - ”Your Movement” mp3

Thursday's CMJ Photos...Bow Wow Wow, Cold War Kids, Tokyo Police Club...

You know you are having a good day when you've already seen Cold War Kids, Tokyo Police Club, and two open bars by 3:45pm...

Here's some shots of Thursday's action:

Bow Wow Wow at the Filter/Marie Antoinette Party @ Hiro Ballroom (complete with costume change!):











Ra Ra Riot @ Hiro Ballroom:



Tokyo Police Club @ KEXP Live Broadcast, Gigantic Studios:



Cold War Kids @ Soho Apple Store:



Dappled Cities @ Fader Party:



Cold War Kids - "Tonite, You Belong To Me (live acoustic)" mp3

Dappled Cities - "Within Hours" mp3

album review: Burden Brothers - Mercy

A weird but cool thing happened to me last week.

I was talking music with a friend who knows even more goofy trivia and minutia than I do, and we were stumped by one question in particular..."What happened to The Toadies after they broke up?".

The very next day, I received a copy of the Burden Brothers new album, Mercy, with a bio explaining the band was formed by Toadies singer Vaden Todd Lewis and Reverend Horton Heat drummer Taz Bentley. This is actually their second full-length. How'd I miss that?

Anyway, the album is straight-ahead rock & roll, complete with the hooks that made Toadies songs so easy to shout along with. It's the kind of record that you find yourself unable to keep nudging the volume dial up on.

I've asked around, and it sounds like their live show is pretty fantastic, too.

I'm on my way out to another day of CMJ, so I'll do the easy thing and cut and paste some more info from their bio:



From the heart of Texas, the BURDEN BROTHERS are hard hitting rockers who have been making quite a racket since the release of their debut CD, Buried in Your Black Heart, in 2004. Formed by platinum-selling Toadies vocalist, Vaden Todd Lewis and acclaimed drummer Taz Bentley (Reverend Horton Heat, Izzy Stradlin), the band has shared the stage with the likes of Velvet Revolver, Papa Roach, and Finger 11. The Burden Brothers latest effort, Mercy, featuring the single, "Everybody is Easy (we sink / we swim)" will be in stores on Oct 31.

Mercy took a little over a year from pre-production to completion and it's immanent release. The band had just parted ways with their bassist and was in a kind of limbo when pre-production started. Bassist Justin Meldal-Johnson (Gnarls Barkely, Beck, Air, Ima Robot) was recruited for the LA recording sessions. "Besides his amazing musical ability, he fit in like we had known him for years" Lewis says. Zack Busby, joined as the band's permanent bassist after playing a few fill-in dates. He says, "at the time I was happy to just help out, get a chance to play with some really killer musicians that I respect. I was really blown away by the new material, it such a huge step forward for the band, artistically and conceptually. I was finally asked to join the band several months later on New Years' Eve 2005, right before we took the stage in Fort Worth."

Only a few of the songs on Mercy had been completely written and played live before recording started. When the band entered the studio the majority of the tracks were works in progress -- pieces of music with no lyrics. "By the end of the recording of Mercy we had grown as a band and had the luxury of taking time to let it become it's own animal. The results show it was worth the extra time and effort. " It was a great experience and a lesson in 'good things take time" says Rozzoni.

Grammy award winning producer Joe Chiccarelli (The Shins, U2, Beck, Hole) was tapped to produce the new album. "When I heard the Burden Brothers, I thought this was a band with immense potential. I was instantly stuck by Vaden's voice and the high energy of the band"

Mercy shows a band that has grown in depth and diversity, as well a band not afraid to take chances. Lewis says " My favorite records have always been the ones that took risks, that weren't afraid to try different approaches to a common theme. This is what we were going for with Mercy. We strove to cover a lot of ground between the loud and angry punch of "I am a Cancer" and the somber and wistful feel of "Life Between". This kind of reach may surprise a few of our fans, but I think this is an album that they can listen to for a long time." Rozzoni adds "I feel like I gave birth... to a 7 headed child with schizophrenia! It's like a good movie. It has it's nice, sweet part; it's deep, thought provoking part; it's dark, brooding part; it has the car chase. It's all there."

"The live show is the album times 10," says Rozzoni. Vaden agrees. "With the Burden Brothers we decided early on to emulate the kind of feel that got us interested in music in the first place. We wanted to make every show an event. In the Toadies I went to lengths to make the show as visually low-key as possible. I hated the idea of the "rockstar", when in reality I have always looked at rockstars as...um rockstars...in a good way." "Everyone in the band grew up on and loved the old bombastic rock shows (KISS, Led Zep, Queen, etc.), so we do our best to bring that kind of thing to the stage. I think that, coupled with that fact that we can actually play our instruments, is why the live show is so good. Once we get in our groove I feel like no one can touch us," adds Rozzoni.



Burden Brothers - "Everybody Is Easy" mp3 buy

Burden Brothers - "Shine" mp3 buy

Wednesday CMJ Highlights In Pictures...CSS, Asobi Seksu & More.

Some highlights of Wednesday at CMJ:

CSS at the crazy packed and fun Brooklyn Vegan party at Pianos:


My pretend girlfriend Lovefoxx of CSS in the crowd:


Asobi Seksu at the Apple Store in Soho:


Fields at the Fader party on Delancey:


Scenes From A Movie at B.B. King's:


The Bird And The Bee at Bowery Ballroom:


After now getting to hear (and dance to) it live, this is probably my front runner for song of the year:

CSS - "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above" mp3 buy