Dig This Real December (2013) by Dig This Real magazine

Nine Inch Nails, How To Destroy Angels, Sauna, and Laughing Eye Weeping Eye

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December 2013

Table of Contents 2 Dig This

52 Dear Cthulhu

6 Features

55 The Dean’s List

Hey Good Lookin,’ tons will be cookin,’ It’s no by Patrick Thomas. Have a dark day page 52 good to scratch your albums but way cool to write on them, Go ahead and don’t keep your day job, 54 Dig This Health We dare you to follow this gal and not leave a bread crumb trail page 2 Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em page 54

Laughing Eye Weeping Eye page 7

10 Cover Story The Rubens page 10

14 Special Music Highlight

Special Musical Highlight – Molly Bartlett of Sauna page 14

Political Cartoon by Dean Keim page 55

Masthead

Publisher Editor in Chief Video Segment Producer Samantha Edith Collins

Graphic Design & Layout Nine Inch Nails, How To Destroy Angels, Chvrches, Staff Photographer

16 Release Reviews

Mazzy Star, Kurt Vile, Elton John, Paul Goodwin, Gary Clark Jr., Adam Green & Binki Shapiro, Two Door Cinema Club, Hans Balmer, The Julie Ruin, Feathers, King Stork, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Mr. Pelton, Phoenix, Rodan, Savages, Sylosis, The Radishes, Wes Hollywood, Wild Belle, Sting, Heliotropes and Cults starting on page 16

26 Live Reviews

The Governors Ball Music Festival, The Waterboys, The Lindsay Buckingham Appreciation Society, Yestival, Neko Case, (Black) FLAG! and Charles Bradley starting on page 26

44 Book Reviews

VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave by Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn and I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp/An Autobiography by Richard Hell page 44

50 Dig In Shut the fuck up and eat some of this shit page 50

Dean Keim

DTR Staff Writers Lauren Piper, Evan Bleier, Malcolm Y. Knotte, Nelson Heise, Cindy Chisvette, Christian Recca and Dean Keim

Contributing Editors Patrick Thomas, Cliff Chien, Noah Kite, Peter Athas, Ryan Buynak, Brian Weidy, Zach Ezer, Vanessa Oswald, Mark Wells and Tiffany J. Lewis

DTR Vloggers Stefanie Kelly, Lynn Beleier, Lexi Crawford, Raul Abrantes and Samantha Edith Collins

Videographers Mike Rosado, William Herck, Denny Charles and Samantha Edith Collins

Video & Film Editors Samantha Edith Collins and Mike Rosado

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Grand Central Station P.O. Box 2082 New York, New York 10163 www.digthisreal.com

Winter 2 013 • Issue 2 0 Letter From The Editor Nothing beats having an amazing group of people working with you to achieve something. This feeling overcomes me each and every time I sit down to finalize an issue and this issue is no exception. DTR Designer and Concert Aficionado (check out his blog at deankeim.tumblr.com) Dean Keim does all the work so that you don’t have to – even go – to ANY concerts! His photography and coverage is so rich, it truly feels you are there, even when you’re not. Check out his coverage of monster mud fest, Governors Ball 2013 starting on page 28. Coverage of the Flag! and TSOL show by Mark Wells on page 41 was a pleasant surprise. Always loved (Black) Flag but have more TSOL on my ipod (cueing up Dance with Me right now) and whoa! Live coverage of Charles Bradley by Tiffany J. Lewis on page 42 is also worth checking out. And to prove that I’m not a total lazy ass slacker, I also did some damage myself. Check out my live pieces on The Waterboys on page 36, Neko Case on page 40, and the ultimate Fleetwood Mac experience on page 37. In this issue, Cindy Chisvette tackled all things good-foryour- health; check out her two editorial pieces on page 54 and page 50. She also does a Q&A with Laughing Eye Weeping Eye on page 7. Malcolm Y. Knotte also got out to a couple of concerts this issue but don’t forget to read his book review and test your MTV IQ with his quiz on page 47. Others so worth mentioning are two more pieces, done by Dean, our cover story, The Rubens on page 10 as well as the special musical highlight with Molly Bartlett of Sauna found on page 14.

Samantha Edith Collins

December 2013

Surprises have been around during the making of this issue for sure, mainly found in the many new writers that have joined us here to make everything happen (please check out our mastheadtoo many to list here!) but two of the most amazing things to happen this year (ok, next to finding Dean, etc….!) is Dig This Real will be celebrating its 15th Year Anniversary in 2014 and I will be releasing a book about the whole shebang! So if you or someone you know has had anything to do with our big, little zine, please find me out. I would love to talk to you. The next “surprise” that puts a huge smile on my face is that our beloved managing editor, Lexi Crawford has returned after a 7 year absence. Dig This Real probably wouldn’t have happened without Lexi because it was she that was with me on the eve of a cold December night back in 1998. I had just quit the band I was playing in due to a lead singer/musician being too interested in scoring guys than songs and band practice. I was a little heartbroken and in need of a drink. Lexi, my bestie, picked me up and had that drink with me. It was then that I told her that I wanted to concentrate on putting together a zine instead of being in any stupid band. I asked her if she wanted to do it with me and like the Bikini Kill song, “Rebel Girl,” she said, “yeah.” Welcome back, Lex! It wouldn’t matter unless I thank you, the readers. So, thank you! And remember, I’m always here, listening… -Samantha Edith Collins

Stefanie Kelly & Lexi Crawford

Audio Theme

Lets Bands Focus on

Making Music

When you are an up-and-coming band, having a website of your own is incredibly important. Sure, your Facebook page that you cobbled together one afternoon could work, but a band cannot make the next step without their own website. But putting together a professional looking website takes time and money. This is where AudioTheme comes in.

eos. What AudioTheme is able to do is build a complete package of tools for bands without having to cull them together from a variety of third-party sources. In their words, “we’re bringing the features needed to operate a successful (and attractive) website to musicians – instead of the other way around.”

Best of all, use of their framework is not going to break the bank. For a personal license, it only will run you or your band $39 per year while a professional license which entitles you to an extended compliment of their features for up to three different websites, will only cost you or your band $59 per year.

AudioTheme has also built a number of different themes for your site to make it look as attractive as possible. These themes include Americanaura, Blocco, and Shaken Encore.

Overall, the framework that AudioTheme has put together will be an incredibly valuable resource for bands to use as they take 90% of the work out of building a website and let bands focus on what they do best, make music. Between the themes they have developed and the collection of tools that they have provided to bands, AudioTheme will be a name to watch as an online music company. For more info check out http://audiotheme.com.

Founded in September 2011 by Luke McDonald, a designer, developer and partner at Press75, he has since been joined by Brady and Brody Vercher as web developers and designers But what is their most valuable to help continue the vision of this service is their innovative framework. Within this framework, burgeoning company. bands can manage their gigs, AudioTheme has used Word- add all of their records with purPress to build a framework in or- chase links, embed videos from der for bands to put in their com- nearly a dozen different video plete discography, manage their sharing websites, as well as - Brian Weidy tour dates and display their vid- many more features.

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I received my VVJ promptly by mail 6 days after it was ordered, so I knew I was off to a good start with this company. I am very pleased with this particular journal, as it was recycled from a Beach Boys’ Endless Summer double LP. The front cover is the second LP (sides three and four, with four facing out) with the edges cut square and de-burred for a nice smooth feel. My friends, who are collectors of vinyl, describe its feel as “sacred.” While I am in need of professional help in other areas, I have no qualms about seeing vinyl cut and repurposed in this fashion (recycling = ++good), though I must say the thought inspires me to treat the journal with deference, as well as carefully plan out what I am about to ‘record’ in it (all puns intended) - more on that later. The back of the journal is the back of the album jacket and some thought

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was obviously put into how it was cut, as the song listings are in the lower left hand corner. All twenty songs, authors and publishers preserved for my reference. Also, the rescue ring which read ‘LIFE GURD’ and a good portion of the rowboat. The image brings back fond memories of life guarding by pools, lakes, water parks and ‘the Mighty Atlantic’, as Chief Logan used to say. The rowboat reminds of many relaxed summers spent on the lake at summer camp.

to the place where you remember the song most intensely. The songs on this album do just that, every single one and I intend to write a blurb with each one.

These fond memories are what I am inspired to capture in ink on paper in the journal. It’s funny how just reading the title of a song from the jacket or the album can make the song play in your head (refer to the previous comment on professional help), and how hearing the song in your mind can take you back

This last thing I would like to say about my Vintage Vinyl Journal: Not only is it good for the environment, but it is good for the economy, too. Remember folks: buy American! The job you save may be your own! www.vintagevinyljournal.com

I also notice that the binding is a heavy cloth material and not paper; it reminds me of the time I held an original copy of The Great Gatsby and just how well that book was bound. You could feel the pattern through the white cloth gloves. This journal has a similarly nice texture.

-Malcolm Y. Knotte

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Talk2Trees

Talk2TheTrees has a lot of terrific gift ideas for little girls or just about anyone that holds a prominent place in their heart for fantasy and make believe. Also, those pixie hats would sell out in minutes at a Renaissance Faire. Talk2TheTrees reaches deep within the imagination and brings it to life for the rest of us. To bring the magic into your life and to read more about the artist, you can visit http://talk2thetrees. blogspot.com. All of the prints, jewelry, and hats are also available on Etsy. Dig This Real had the chance to speak with Rachel and this is her enchanting story:

Dig This Real: Since your work is inspired by nature, where is your favorite place in nature to go? Rachel: My boyfriend and I have with these marvelous creations. a field up the canyon we go to. By reading her blog, it is obvi- It was the place of our first date, ous how important nature is to and we go there often to hike, Rachel, and how it inspires her work. She has a wonderful photographic eye and great artistic ability. She designs and knits all of the hats herself and they come in a variety of colors and some with horns and animal ears. Perhaps shoveling the snow this winter will be a little more like an adventure than a chore while wearing one.

Let me take you to a magical place where the beauty in nature goes far beyond what the eyes can see. At Talk2TheTrees, you enter the incredible imagination of Rachel, Tree Talker and see the beauty of the world through her eyes and even take it home with you! Talk2TheTrees is a blog that exhibits the artistic creations of Rachel, Tree Talker. There you can find her artwork, available in prints to hang up in your own home and also jewelry and hats. Everything is hand crafted by Rachel herself, created with love and come straight from the soul. Many of her prints feature a lot of different types of trees and All of her art, apparel, and acces- landscapes. There are also sevsories are inspired by nature and eral featuring wide eyed girls also by a fantastic imagination in pixie hats and some with elf where fairies, elves, mermaids, ears. This is clearly a reflection and creatures of the like come to of the artist and a window into life to create something everyone her beautiful imagination. Her can enjoy. You can decorate your- jewelry is largely based off of self, your kids, and your home her prints.

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take photos and meditate. We love it up there. It’s like a huge hidden field in the middle of the forest. Not many people know of it, even he didn’t, and he’s been all over the mountains. It’s kind of like our secret hide out. Is there anywhere that you have always wanted to go but haven’t yet, that you feel would inspire you? I want to travel to Machu Picchu really badly. I love old ancient ruins, and have always been mystified by places like that. I’m fascinated by ancient ruins, vortexes and mystical places on this planet and I want to see them all! I noticed you model your own apparel. Is there anyone you would love to have model for you if you ever had the opportunity? I’ve often thought about having models for my stuff, but when I created it, I was living alone and the only way to do it was myself, and now I’m once again in that situation. I rarely leave the house, and most of my friends are online... so I don’t mind modeling for myself. I would love to have some customer’s model their hats for me though.

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How did you get into making hats and jewelry? I was living in North Carolina, and actually very depressed. My ex-husband was not the kindest to me, and I was stuck at home an awful lot. I was pretty bored. I decided to take up knitting as a hobby to maybe give my life a little meaning. Eventually, I was able to sell enough hats to afford a rental car and move out of a bad situation! I really do put a lot of thanks into my shops! Your art and fashion sense also seems to be a little fairy

tale based as well. What is your favorite fairy tale? I can’t say I have a favorite, but I do believe in fairies, and all sorts of magical things. I think one of my favorites is Peter Pan. I love to imagine a world like Neverland, with mermaids, fairies, and pirates. Are there any artists that you look up to or idolize? I love Mark Ryden’s work. He’s got a real interesting and haunting style. What is your biggest struggle as an artist? I think the biggest struggle is making ends meet. It’s a little scary relying only on small business sales, hoping to have enough for rent and food. It kind of makes it an adventure. But, that is one of the biggest struggles. Are there any future projects you are currently working on that we can all look forward to? I’m hoping to release a new line of paintings soon! I just listed all of my current stuff for sale at 50% off, hoping to clear out anything and everything to make way for a newer “darker” line. -Cindy Chisvette

December 2013

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back in time several centuries, while periodically bringing you back to the present, and at the same time touring right through an imaginary fantasy land.

and would be perfect for dancing around a fire. There is also the fifth track, “Sentient Being” which is also chanting but in an eerie and almost demonic way.

The first track is the perfect intro to this mystical journey through time, space, and the land of pretend. At first, it sounds like a church choir but transforms into what sounds like the perfect music for a king’s entrance, with trumpets and a steady drumming. This track is appropriately Much like the other works by the titled, “King.” same artist, Beway can mostly be described as totally wacky. It’s Much of the LP is more musical like baroque and classical mu- and instrumental than it is lyrical sic infused with church hymns but there are a few tracks that and computerized techno. Lis- involve chanting like in the third tening to the album takes you track, “Beway,” which is cheery

The strongest song on the LP is “Angel,” which is very diverse in terms of instruments and the general sound. I especially liked the harp in the song because you don’t hear harps too often. Although it does sound like it’s being aimlessly strummed and is suddenly interrupted and overpowered by first a shrill high pitched singing, then guitars, and then what can only be described as haunted house sound effects.

If you’re hosting a renaissance faire, a ritual that involves frolicking naked around a camp fire, or even a haunted house and are looking for the perfect soundtrack then look no further than Laughing Eye, Weeping Eye’s, Beway. The band’s second LP was released in June 2013 on Hairy Spider Legs, a small record company owned and operated by Laughing Eye Weeping Eye’s very own Rebecca Schoenecker.

Listening to Beway was almost

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Dig This Real like a spiritual and emotional experience. I was intrigued, confused, frightened, surprised, and at times really annoyed by what I was hearing. I wasn’t sure what time period I was in or what time period I was about to be in a few seconds later. Beway would be the best sound track to an RPG video game of all time. Dig This Real just had to float some questions to the mystical band. Dig This Real: This type of music is extremely unique. What inspired the coming together of Laughing Eye Weeping Eye? Patrick Holbrook: Rebecca bought a harmonium at Andy’s Music in Chicago (www.andysmusicchicago.com), which is a great music store with instruments from all over the world. The harmonium had been on Rebecca’s mind for some time. She loves Nico’s, Marble Index album, on which Nico plays harmonium on all the songs. Also Rebecca’s old bandmate, Dan Fisher from her previous band Vera Dierdre had a harmonium and played it on a couple of their songs. Once Rebecca started playing the harmonium, she channeled something and all these incredible songs started pouring out that definitively became Laughing Eye Weeping Eye songs. Rebecca was also working on an animation about The Sphinx at this time. The untraditional twist in Rebecca’s animation is that The Sphinx is gendered female and has an orgasm at the end of the video that creates the world as we know it. She asked me to do some of the character voices and sounds. She was really amused and impressed with my vocals. I was

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playing in a band called The Wood Knots at the time, and she asked me if I’d like to join her new project, which became Laughing Eye Weeping Eye. Who writes the songs/lyrics? Patrick Holbrook: Laughing Eye Weeping Eye is a spirit that we channel. But in this plane of existence, Rebecca writes the vast majority of the songs. I wrote and started recording one song, “Sentient Being,” on the new album, Beway. I didn’t know it was going to be a Laughing Eye Weeping Eye song but it fit into the album well. On every other song, Rebecca writes all the lyrics and music. Some of my contributions to instrumentation or vocal harmonies contribute in a small way to the writing during the writing/recording process. But this is by far Rebecca’s project. Is there anything on Beway that stands out or is exceptionally different from LP or EP you’ve released? Patrick Holbrook: The songs have been getting more dark and serene. Our first LP had more of an insane, childlike quality. Beway also has a strong, Medieval thread throughout it. What is the meaning behind the title of this LP, Beway? Rebecca Schoenecker: We titled the album Beway, the same name of the song that we feel best captures the spirit of the album. Beway is an invented word that when repeated over and over, is used for protection from harmful forces, and also to elevate in Spirit. It simultaneously means “The Way,” and “Beware.” Beway is both a way of being, and a word to cast off dark forces and energy. I see you’ve toured all over the country. Where is your favorite

city to play and why? Patrick Holbrook: We love playing in our hometown, Chicago. It’s really hard to choose a favorite city we’ve toured through, but recently we had a great experience in Cleveland. Lisa Miralia played our music on her radio show The Mysterious Black Box on WCSB, so a lot of people came to the show that were familiar with and excited about our music. Her band DarkMatterWhiteFire and Istvan Medgyesi played with us, and they’re all incredible. We played at Mahall’s 20 Lanes, which has very good vibes and ethics. It’s a vintage bowling place with two different stages. There was something about that night that was mythic, but it was just great to have so many people there who were excited about our music. Do you ever get asked to perform at Renaissance Faires or anything like that? If so, did you enjoy it? If not, would you ever want to? Rebecca Schoenecker: Ha ha! It’s great that you asked that, because Laughing Eye Weeping Eye has been dreaming about playing at Ren Faire for the past year! Yes, we would do it. We like the idea of sharing our music in unexpected/atypical places from the normal touring band scene. We love playing in the DIY community and at bar shows, but I think we will be branching out more in the future. We have also talked about going on an occult store tour. When we tour, I read Tarot from a deck that I created, so the occult tour would be a nice melding of forces. What does Laughing Eye Weeping Eye mean? Rebecca Schoenecker: The name comes from a folk tale about a little boy who uses his

Dig This Real kindness to overcome defiant and tricky spiritual entities. As Laughing Eye Weeping Eye, we channel music from the ethereal into physical form. We would also say that LEYE WEYE is about dualities: Joy and sadness, the crossing of different times and places, dark and light, unseen forces. How did you come up with that name for the band? Rebecca Schoenecker: I am really into mythology and folk stories and was reading about the Laughing Eye Weeping Eye fable. I felt a strong connection to the name and to the characters in the story. It’s all about being led on this journey, and having your character tested… One of the sons of the old man (their father, who has one laughing eye and one weeping eye) sets out to find a magical vine that has been stolen from the old man. Along the way the son faces various tests and riddles. He also encounters a golden-apple tree, an enchanted maiden, and a talking fox along the way. Which song on the new LP is your favorite and why? Patrick Holbrook: I can’t pick a favorite. The title track, “Beway” is our rocker. “Wild Night” is so hair-raising and eerily beautiful. “Angel” is sheer madness and makes the wiring in my brain hot. “MetAHmorpAHsis” is gorgeous and strange like a Bjork song. “The Lamb” transfixes me every time. What was your biggest challenge in creating Beway? Rebecca Schoenecker: I mixed and engineered the album. I spent about a year and half on it; I poured my entire being into crafting that album. There were many layers that I added to the songs. It was complex, but I

van Wissem, Ora Cogan, Jana Hunter, Nico, Kate Bush, Picastro, Prince Rama, Islaja, and Lau Nau are examples of music that we feel transports us/transcends beyond the physical. We also like stuff that’s more post punk, goth or new wave, like The Cure, Bauhaus, PJ Harvey, Throwing Muses, Effi Briest, Babes in Toyland, Sleepover, Cold Cave, John Maus, The Legendary Pink Dots, mARMITS, Names Divine, Geneva Jacuzzi, Glass Candy, and U.S. Girls. And artists that fall somewhere between like Arrington de Dionyso, The Cherry Blossoms, Wreathes, Circuit des Yeux, OOIOO, Happy Jawbone Family Band, John Bellows, Nora Keyes, The VonVolsung Sisters. What can we expect from Laughing Eye Weeping Eye in the future? New albums, a tour? Rebecca Schoenecker: Laughing Eye Weeping Eye is hoping to tour heavily in 2014! We are planning a January or February tour to the southeast, and maybe another US tour this summer. We also hope to play in England and possibly other European countries in the summer of 2014 via the festival circuit. Regarding an album, we also have a ton of new material recorded, but probably won’t release this until 2015. The newer songs are darker. Think of a cathedral with lots of reverb, or floating in space, in the astral plane… The upcoming album is going to be very haunting (and we believe beautiful!), and the songs a bit more bare in terms of layers.

wouldn’t ld ’t say it was challenging, h ll i as working on music is hard but full of joy. I think that one of the biggest challenges we face in general is funding Laughing Eye Weeping and our small label, Hairy Spider Legs. We feel that the music industry is starting to bounce back, but many people stream and share files. This makes it hard for us to continue investing in what we do on a number of levels… For example, we need another car! The last one died after our last tour. Putting out vinyl is expensive. And equipment always needs replacing. Line 6 petals!!! Cords!!! Flyers! Some of these things seem small but they add up quickly. Who are some of your inspirations as musical artists? Rebecca and Patrick: We are drawn to folk music/world music from all times, genres, and places, Gregorian Chant, and Consort music. Spires That In Beway is out now. For more info the Sunset Rise, Fursaxa, Grou- please visit: per, Chelsea Wolfe, Village of http://rebeccaschoenecker.com. Spaces, Caethua, Asa Irons, — Cindy Chisvette White Magic, Ruby Fray, Jozef

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The Curious Case of Andrew Mason 33 Year old ex-Groupon CEO Andrew Mason and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan have at least one thing in common: neither one seems to want to grow up. After being fired from his company in February, Andrew has fallen back on his degree; a BA in music from Northwestern. Using what can only be connections accumulated from his years working with famed producer Steve Albini, (seriously, how did he get Bishop Lamont) Mason has crafted what can only be described as a motivational rock album with the theme of corporate productivity. The album has seven tracks and each is an anthem to quarterly reports or becoming an effective problem solver.

world his “urban forest” containing “trees of blood.” These scribblings accompany corporate advice such as “Don’t bring people problems, bring them solutions.” The album though is very 80’s, with many tracks calling forth an unfavorable Dave Mathews comparison. Some tracks, though, shy away from this, such as “The Way to Work,” that contains a saxophone line so cheesy Men at Work would blush.

The question on everyone’s mind though, is “What was Andrew Mason thinking?” Mason is well known for his idiosyncrasies in the corporate arena, such as selling his stock prior to IPO and having and $800 salary, but this brings things to a new level. The Choice lyrics come from the album can be seen as the midlife opening track “Look No Further,” crisis of a businessman untethwhere he calls the corporate ered from his company moors or

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the passion project of a suit long out of touch with popular music. Either way, the album is at best an eccentric curiosity and at worst the last gasp attempt by a man to remain relevant in corporate America. Despite the above paragraphs, the album isn’t all bad. The production is ably handled, the feature by Bishop Lamont is not terrible, and even Mason’s voice is better than one would expect from a man who made his living in the tech sector. This album is never going to change the course of history, but I guarantee it will make a few quirky lists at the end of the decade. This motivational rock album entitled Hardly Workin’ can be purchased through iTunes and Spotify. – Zach Ezer

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The Rubens The 21st Century Blues Photo Credit: Claire Marie Vogel

Aussie Rockers Roll

lthough they’ve only been together since early 2011, The Rubens have already made a big splash with their unique mixture of spicy southernflavored blues rock and charismatic alt-rock. Still, it has been a slow climb to the top, as they’ve erupted from home-recording obscurity to occupying the main stage with the likes of Jack White, Bloc Party, The Black Keys, and even Bruce Springsteen, and now they’ve even won GQ’s 2013 Band Of The Year.

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Photos by Dean Keim. Taken at the Brooklyn Bowl; Oct. 6th, 2013

I met up with the guys at Brooklyn, NY’s Brooklyn Bowl, a combination of sprawling bar, restaurant, bowling alley, and concert venue next to a big brewery and in the one time burnt out warehouse area, and now trendy store-lined, section of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They were playing a free show with a couple of other modern alt-blues rockers, Alberta Cross and The People vs. Larsen. Still, these guys literally stood oceans apart from their contemporaries, and it was time to get to know these strangers in a strange land in the most fun setting for an interview ever, while bowling! I sat down and put back a few beers with the friendly Aussie dudes as we gabbed about everything from moderen music to Scooby-Doo. The Rubens are truly a band of brothers, as it consists of three brothers and a childhood friend, all of whom grew up in Menangle, a small town south of Sydney,

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Australia, all of whom decided to form a band. The lineup is Sam Margin on lead vocals and guitar, Scott Baldwin on drums, Elliott Margin on keys and backing vocals, Zaac Margin on lead guitar, and William Zeglis on bass guitar. These wild bad boys mix their love of classic rock, blues, and soul while never loosing sight of the catchy hook-driven alternative rock sound of the surrounding scene. They haven’t always been so confident of their direction, but they are now clearly en route upwards with no sign of stopping, a point which still surprises the guys. Although it clearly took a couple years, they still pushed it and played harder to make it happen here on the other side of the World. They distributed their first demo tape themselves, made a major label deal, and with their debut single “My Gun” last year, they rocketed to the top of the

Australian pop charts, with the big-time full LP album following. That album was a certified Gold album early on in Australia, but it still took over a year to get into that kind of notoriety here in the States. One thing is clear: now that they’re here, they are here to stay. Veteran rock producer David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes, Regina Spektor, etc.) helped give the album that international appeal, especially on songs like “Lay It Down” that have an identifiable style that shows their wider mass-appeal from the blues charts to the pop and alternative charts. There seems to be no limit to what possibilities (or probabilities, it seems) lay ahead for these guys in the foreseeable future. For now, they have the rest of the World within sights and they have no intentions of slowing down now.

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Sam: Well, me, Elliott, and Zaac are brothers, and Scott was a close friend from as far back as I can remember. We got together between a couple projects and just started playing. I’ve found it actually makes it easier to criticise each other’s ideas without Are you guys good bowlers? Sam Margin: Of course, I rule! pissing off one another. No, not really, well a little bit, it How did you start playing is fun though. together? I saw you at Govenors Ball and Sam: We actually never played together before we started the I thought you killed it. Elliott Margin: It was alright, but band. We just never had the opwasn’t our best. The event itself portunity and were always doing our own things. was really nuts. So, I sat down in the corner alley as we all ordered beers, and the guys largely gabbed with me between bowling frames as we chatted about everything it seems, and had a really fun time.

Yeah, it was a mess to cover that mud fest too. Did you see any other good bands play? Sam: Honestly, we didn’t have much time to catch other bands as we really just had to get out of the mud and back on the road. I would have liked to have caught Guns and Roses though! (laughs)

What music inspires you today? Elliott: Zeppelin, Hendrix, and a lot of hip-hop (laughs). Scott Baldwin: Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers is one of the most inspirational drummers ever. Red Ridersis a real kick-ass Australian band. Tampe Impala is also a major inspiration.

You’re all brothers right? Is it Where does the name come easier to play with family?

from? Are you named after a pastrami sandwich? William Zeglis: HA! No, the name “Ruben” comes from a nickname Sam gave to our youngest brother, Jethro, but he was too young to join up with the group, but the name stuck. Zaac Margin: Oh food, we should order some. I think Calamari and some big sandwiches. What do you call them here? Scooby-Doo sandwiches? A lot has happened for you guys in the last year, from uploading that first demo on to the Triple J Unearthed website, getting a record deal, an album debuting at #3 on the ARIA charts, festival appearances, major support slots and a national headline tour, what’s up next? Sam: Yeah, the album was actually released a couple years ago in Australia, but it really hasn’t hit in the states much until recently. We are laying down some new tracks now.

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What’s the new stuff sound like? Is there a release date yet? Sam: Not really yet, they’re just demos. We’ll put some more down when the tour is finally done, which is really soon. I wouldn’t expect anything to get released before Spring of next year, maybe Summer? It’s very raw sounding. What have you learned over this time touring and climbing your way up the charts? Sam: It’s been a sharp curve and we had to learn about being in a real band. When it comes to recording and playing live, we definitely had to learn a lot. It’s been weird, but it’s been an amazing couple of years. Did you think that you’d get this big when you started off? Sam: Not at all! We just decided to have a muck around and recorded some songs on our computer. We needed to do the songs live, so we called Scotty up and starting playing shows. We tried a few different sounds that really didn’t suit us, but ended up with a kinda bluesy sound that I felt more comfortable singing. There was a sad Vampire Weekend-ish poppy, tribal alternative thing that did not work at all. The record’s sound just kind of came out of nowhere, the guitar tones we chose fit the

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blues more, and maybe my voice shape for two months and taught suits that tone more than it would how to be a real band. David really showed us the ropes. Rebeing all altsy. cording it here probably did help There are a lot of comparisons inject the material with a little of between you and a lot of other that NYC grittiness too. popular modern rock bands like Cold War Kids and The The Rubens are back home now, Strokes going around. Does but they seem to just keep up racking in the accolades from that mess with your head? Sam: People also say we sound their last release. They’ve allike we’re much older band than ready won Triple J’s J Award for we are, which is awesome be- Album of the Year and the APRA cause that’s probably the best Rock Work of the Year, and in compliment we could receive as November, they had also been musicians. Last January, we came named GQ Magazine’s Band of here to New York to record the al- the Year, but just this December bum with producer David Kahne, the disc finally went platinum who has worked with newer for their now almost two year bands like The Strokes, Lana Del old LP. However, the band’s foRey, and Regina Spektor which cus is now on putting together helped give us a slicker edge, but their second album. Apparently, also older musicians like Paul Mc- the boys have chosen a WollonCartney and Stevie Nicks so he gong house as a creative base definitely knows the classic tone. to record in. “Writing in WollonI blame most of the mass popu- gong is great because it’s away from everything and we can folarity of it on him. (laughs) cus on our writing, but when we Well, you certainly can’t make need a break the ocean is right up that much talent in just post there,”Elliott Margin said. “The record will be bluesy like the last production... Sam: Well, before we came to but more rocky.” (quote from America we really weren’t very theTelegraph, Nov 23rd) good of a live band yet. Then we Oh, BTW, Sam also won the first came here and dissected the mu- game of Bolwling. sic apart and put it back together with David. We used his expertise www.therubensmusic.com and basically got schooled into ~Dean Keim

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Molly Bartlett of Sauna

Photo Credits (from top): Molly Bartlett, Mark Sink

A Girl Out Of Time A conversation with the young frontwoman about her new horizons By Dean Keim

The first time I saw the band Sauna, I was in Denver on an extended job that took me from NYC and brought me back to the MileHigh City that I had spent a good deal of the 1990’s in, at a CBGB’s revival show with different local bands taking over the personas

and music of some of that Big Apple’s classic venue’s artists like The Romones, Blondie, and Talking Heads. Still, it was one of the first opening bands that really caught my ear, covering the brilliantly eclectic music of Richard Hell and Voivod, and doing it really, really well. I was enthralled by their bold artist choice and solidly fun feel, but once I found out this band was, in fact, a High School band, I found myself more than impressed, I was flabbergasted. The remarkable artist association continued, as I saw them shortly there after opening for Cali surfpunk band Thee Oh Sees, then classic 80’s & 90’s alt-party band B-52’s, then harmonizing-sisters punkers the Blondes, then a 90's riot-girl band Dressy Bessy, and it just went on and on. It seems I could get away from this band, as they seemed to be at every show I was really into, and clearly there was something to this seemingly strange accord. With a beach party attitude, a garage rocker rawness, a 60’s girl group harmony, and a classic

punk boldness, they all play their parts perfectly; with shy talent and redheaded lead singer and airy organ player Molly Bartlett making the super-cute frontwoman role her own, Samantha Davis plays the wild woman drummer with crazy whipping hair, bold beats, and a playful harmony vocal, CJ Macleod blazes with the stringy yet powerful surf guitar flavor, and Ethan Hill portrays the cool-nerd driving bass man. By last year, they had released their first full-length album Rad Shit!, and the EP Teen Angst Tape, but clearly they had just begun to break into mainstream success when High School was over and they all went off to college in different parts of the country. It seems though, that this was not the end of their story, as they spent their first extended school break this Summer releasing another awesome kick-ass album Cheap Date, and went on a full cross-country U.S. tour. I managed to catch up with Molly to see what was in store for this young artist just beginning to bloom.

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Artist Profile Where did the idea for a surf Seen any good shows lately in band motif come from for a Seattle? bunch of young rockers from Molly: We played with Diarrhea Denver? Planet in July in Denver and Molly: We are all big fans of the they’re awesome. I’m seeing Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Terry Malts, one of my new faand older surf bands like that. vorite bands, tomorrow night at Cj, guitarist, and Ethan, bassist, Larimer Lounge. Robin Edwards saw a Best Coast show in Den- of Lust Cats of the Gutters is ver shortly after their first album opening, playing solo now as came out and got really inspired Lisa Prank. to start a surf influenced band. Are you doing music while at How has the change of scene school now? been for you, are you enjoying Molly: I’ve been playing music school in Seattle? with a few people out there. No Molly: I am enjoying the move official band has materialized because I go to school in Seat- yet, but it’s only a matter of time. tle, and it’s just such a fun city Stay tuned. Seattle is a great to live in. There are always lots place to play music. of great shows to go to and cool Does the band stay in close people to meet. contact while at School? I’ve heard your awesomely eclectic college radio show Molly: We do keep in contact, (http://www.ksubseattle.org/ but it’s always strange to go dj-bios/mollybartlett.htm), from seeing one another 24/7 to what are your influences these every few months. We all keep days and how are they chang- ourselves pretty busy. ing from when you lived in I’ve gotten a couple of your Denver? previous albums on tape, and Molly: Thanks for listening! this one is also only available When I left for Seattle I went on on cassette physically. Do you a serious post punk kick like Or- prefer putting your albums on ange Juice and Josef K. With cassettes? Are you releasSpotify my influences are all over ing it on a variety of media the place, really. I think my tastes eventually? keep transforming as I delve Molly: We’d love to release more into older music. You can Cheap Date on vinyl, but never listen to too much Guided by Voices.

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with all the costs of touring cassettes is the most practical. We all own a lot of old tapes from thrift stores and also from new labels like Burger Records and Gnar Tapes & Shit so we’re happy with tapes for now. What’s with the album name and cover? Molly: As with our band name, it was the only album name we could all tolerate. We’re not cheap dates, but there’s nothing wrong with satisfaction for as little money as possible. The album name and cover are all in good fun. We try not to take ourselves too seriously. Do you feel your sound has evolved over the break? Molly: I think each person has gotten better independently so as a band we sound tighter, especially because we were touring all summer. I know that on this break from school you put out an album and went on a full US tour this year. Any plan to do something next break? Molly: No plans for next break. I hope it won’t be too long of a hiatus though. Hear and buy Sauna’s Cheap Date at http://sauna666.bandcamp.com/ Photo Credits: Dean Keim, Sarah Cass

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Trent Reznor Double Bill Nine Inch Nails Hesitation Marks Columbia/ The Null Corporation After helping define a whole new scene for an angry hard-hitting music for the distraught synth-rocking experimenters and all but defining the unbridled anger and frustration of industrial music scene of the 90’s, many thought that there would be nowhere else to go for Trent Reznor and his mad vision once he cleaned himself up from drugs and became ‘a real adult’. How can you remain that furious and miserable when you finally grow up and enter the ‘Real World’? In 2009, he announced, “it’s time to make NIN disappear for a while,” and it seemed that he may be done for good, especially after his ‘Final Goodbye’ tour. In the meantime, of course, he became famous all over again for glorious movie soundtracks like The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, winning awards and accolades from all directions, and also forming a whole new group with his stunning and talented wife Mariqueen Maandig (formerly of the group West Indian Girls) and soundtrack buddy Atticus Ross dubbed How to Destroy Angels. Now, a few years later, he returns with Hesitation Marks, and you have all of those age-old questions of the driven allure of pure animal instinct vs. emptiness of controlled human existence growled, wailed, and

screamed in a voice that encompasses the grand expanse of Trent’s epic career, from his hook-heavy synth work of the 80’s wave scene from which he originally emerged, influenced from dance-friendly bands like Flock Of Seagulls, Human League, and Siouxsie and The Banshees to alluring darker sounds of the Bauhaus, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Joy Division, some of the angry metal poundings of edgy 90’s industrial, all the way to his more cerebral and expansive instrumental works of recent years. After hearing the whole LP, one thing becomes very clear: Trent can still compose a truly catchy melody like nobody else, despite his attempts to make things new, arty, shocking, and non-commercial. You will still catch his disease whether you like it or not. After an appropriately spooky sound effects opening, “The Eater of Dreams” “Copy of A” seems full of the questions he wants answered. Repeating the title’s phrase over and over again, is he saying he’s worried of copying a younger Trent, as in “I was always a shadow always trying to catch myself,” or imitating someone else newer or hipper out there, like with “I am little pieces, little pieces, little pieces, pieces that were picked up on the way,“ is it just the ramblings of an

aging deranged bipolar personality, like with “Everything I say has come before, Assembled into something,” or is it just an unfinished statement or question, as in “I’m just a copy of a…?” It does keep you scratching your head, and that is obviously the point, pumping to that unique swirling beat and a beat scratching against metallic “I am just a finger on the trigger” matching synthy hook-heavy catchiness with angry metal, and even surprisingly reveals some unexpected classic rock patrons like Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and master bassist Pino Palladino. ”Came Back Haunted” is a bit more of the NIN that most may expect, scratching the sky in that synthy KMFDM danceable industrial sound, giving off reasoning for the comeback lyrically “I had to come back. Just can’t stop” all in the guise of being darkly possessed, a perfectly devilish way for Trent to express his feelings. “Find My Way” has such an amazingly drifting harmonic and lyrical flow, echoing of childhood chants drifting through the head, getting as close to melancholia as you’ll ever hear Trent. “All Time Low” is far more funky pop rocker than you might expect from NIN, like a “Closer” with a groovier guitar, that does echo of 80’s King Crimson progressive rock sound, with the deluge of guitar roars and twisting rhythms supplied by the axe master himself, Adrian Belew, whose long career of axe excellence stretches across greats like Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, David Bowie, Crimson, not top mention previous NIN works like Downward Spiral and Ghosts. The darker underworld wall of sound that is “Dis-

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appointed” transforms into “Everything” that thankfully brings you back up, just by the time you really need it, being a surprisingly uplifting straight-forward, with sonic waves of “I have tried everything” but “I am home, I am free.” “Satellite” starts with a beat you might hear in and R&B song from the likes of Rhianna with spookier psychedelic hooks and further shows his growth, while “Various Methods of Escape” bring back that feeling of a sexy exorcism. “Running’ trips you up in a radical beat that’s hard to follow, but “I Would For You” supplies the full rocking goods with Belew’s wall of alien sound. “In Two” gets nasty and dirty, like Sweeney Todd that sneaks up on you until it cuts you throat. “While I’m Still Here” has that trippy scaling synth beat that you may remember from many of his early works, but perhaps a little feeling of the familiar helps considering all the emotion turmoil the album has put you through already, which drops you into true hell with the end instrumental called “Black Noise.” In all, the album is so personal it makes you feel uncomfortable, but isn’t that what you’d expect from NIN? Perhaps it isn’t the wall of unbridled hard-rocking anger that was the early 90’s NIN, more like a more reasonable evolution of the late 90’s-early 00’s NIN more matured. Trent still grappels with some of the same ghosts, and some new ones of getting older, only with a more sure hand and confident artistic eye and ear. It may be like one big therapy for Trent, but it very well may end up healing (or breaking) you as well. -Dean Keim

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How To Destroy Angels Welcome Oblivion Columbia Rock scholars may well look back on 2013 as the year (and Welcome Oblivion as the release) that solidified Trent Reznor as one of the most important composers of our time. Reznor drifted out of small-town America in the late 1980s, played in a few bands, took inspiration from Prince to be his own band, came up with an awesome name (Nine Inch Nails), recorded an album, developed a cult following, and then recorded 1994’s The Downward Spiral. This is arguably one of the top ten records of the decade, including “Closer,” the biggest hit of Reznor’s career to date and “Hurt,” a song that would prove to be even more important. After Spiral—despite the success of “The Perfect Drug,” which he wrote for a David Lynch movie—Reznor slowly faded from national attention. By the mid-2000s, despite releasing music all the way through, Reznor was getting perilously close to Billy Corgan or Axl Rose territory. That all changed, however, when Johnny Cash covered “Hurt.” Cash managed to end his own career perfectly with this decision, but he also managed to resurrect Reznor’s. Shortly after this release, Reznor was tapped by David Fincher to write the music for The Social Network. This marked his first prominent col-

laboration with Atticus Ross, a shift from a relatively solitary creative process to a more interactive one, a shift that may have given him a reason to push himself back to the top of his form. After receiving numerous awards (including an Oscar) for this work, Reznor teamed with Ross and Fincher again to score The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Meanwhile, Reznor started a band with his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, Ross, and Rob Sheridan, calling their band How to Destroy Angels. Welcome Oblivion is the band’s first LP (after a couple of EPs in ‘10 and ‘12) and, along with a new NIN record, shows that 2013 has been quite the productive year for Reznor. The album starts off with “The WakeUp” which captures hazy half-consciousness and productivity by turns. Maandig sort of screeches in the background of this one (hidden by some sort of filter, very Sleigh Bells), but she really shows her chops on “Keep It Together,” capturing the way that lovers seem to become a single person. Things keep building through the next two tracks, but the album reaches its first peak with “Ice Age.” This may prove to be the most interesting song of the record. Starting with acoustic guitar and a Stevie Nicks type-vocal tone, the song builds as Maandig’s (or Reznor’s) lyrics can finally be heard, and

Dig This Real they’re great: eyes turn grey and, every day, winds grow colder and reverie gets harder. The way Maandig sings the word “Sometimes,” with a hopeful and dark tone, is a wonder to aurally behold. Overall, the song suggests a fascinating fusion of acoustic and digital sounds, jam and tune, that would be fascinating to develop. After a welcoming breather, the album hits its sweet spot, achieving a perfect synthesis of music and lyrics on “Too Late, All Gone,” when Reznor and Maandig (who join forces for synthetic harmonies and whispery unisons throughout the record) sing, “The more we change, everything stays the same.” While the lyrics indeed stay the same, the music changes in a dozen tiny ways. Genius. Right after comes the first single, “How Long,” which may be the second-catchiest song Reznor has ever written (behind “Hurt,” of course). We barely get a break with “Strings and Attractors,” catchy and well-crafted in its own right, before “We Fade Away,” the album’s climax. Reznor has a great way of whispering and growling at the same time. At the end of each line, they sing “We Fade Away,” over and over again, inducing a dark and sexy trance. After this, the album evolves into a dance party for the end of the world, continuing to develop its themes of oblivion and recursion, until “Hallowed Ground,” which puts the listener to sleep with a totally unique feeling of peace mixed with dread. All in all, the record shows a composer who can handle adult themes in pop music and (even more remarkable) one who continues to find new sounds after a quarter-century of work. The last five years (and this one in particular) have shown such a profusion of creativity, one can only guess what the next five will bring. We should all be listening. www.howtodestroyangels.com – Christian Recca

Chvrches The Bones of What You Believe Virgin/Glassnote Chvrches are a trio whom hail from Glasgow, Scotland and The Bones of What You Believe, their first fulllength record after a series of acclaimed EPs, is one of the most anticipated records of the year, and does deliver on the band’s advanced indie creds. They’ve skyrocketed to popularity in a very short amount of time by playing easily digestible synth-pop with great hooks, and this is what this album supplied in spades. The first track, “The Mother We Share,” is a great mid-paced warmup to ease the listener into the rest of the disc. The listener can feel the ache, emotional depth, understanding, and vulnerability in singer Lauren Mayberry’s voice and her bittersweet lyrics that also come with conviction and strength. She is someone you would never dare cross as she seems so precious she would likely carry a bazooka to a knife fight. Martin Doherty, who plays synth and sings backup harmonies, makes a welcome change in scenery when he heads lead vocals on the sixth and last track of the album “You Caught the Light,” adding diversity to the album instead of taking away from the continuity. The third piece to the trio’s puzzle is board-master Rich Costey (Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, etc) who handled the mixing and his touch gives these tunes the bright clarity and harder edge they deserve, with plenty of space for wild sonic triggers. With solid songwriting and a magnetic fronting, Chvrches will undoubtably become even more suc-

cessful, as their music spreads with time. With so many catchy songs that linger with you like earworms, it’s going to be hard picking your favorite(s). -Cliff Chien

Mazzy Star Seasons Of The Day Rhymes Of An Hour It’s been almost 17 years since we’ve last heard the distinctively angelic harmonies and deeply emotional howls of Mazzy Star, the band that took the scene by darkly brooding storm in the 90’s. After the goth priestess singer Hope Sandoval and ominously folksy guitarist David Roback merged from the LA Paisley Underground bands Rain Parade and Opal to form Mazzy, they released three perfectly pristine albums of sadness, despair, and heartbreak between 1990 and ’96, making the ideal music to heed to while drifting across a large empty living room on a lonely morning after a breakup while holding a big glass of blood-red wine as the bleak and frigid rain beats on the windowpane. Still, in 1997, at the peak of their artistic and commercial appeal, they vanished, just as you would imagine the spirits that created such ghostly music would eventually do. Nonetheless, almost two decades later, they have once again emerged with Seasons of Your Day, just as it seems many on the modern music scene are emulating that hallowed and haunted sound of yore, from Beach House and Lana Del Rey to Dum Dum Girls and The Raveonettes. It turns out to be an intoxicating LP, one that may somehow be both comfortably familiar and far removed from that 1990’s snapshot of sorrow you may remember.

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Release Reviews “In The Kingdom” opens the album with a surprisingly simple and uplifting organ and slide guitar sound that is both dark and bluesy as well as light and playful, even as Hope’s distinctive moan comes around, reminds you of some of those lighter and perhaps more optimistic moments that were still there back in their prime, but were perhaps more overshadowed by the gloomy songs that seemed to define them. “California” is a very lightly folksy and crassly acoustic ditty that echoes of Hope’s former howl, but her vocals have become much more intriguingly straight-forward in Mazzy’s extended absence, her diction more nuanced, far less asphyxiated in heavily echoed reverb effects, and more confident standing on it’s own; while Roback’s guitar is also familiar but more diverse and buoyant, with more acoustics and less walls of sonic sound. Their growths as musicians can especially be heard on the hoedown of “I’ve Gotta Stop” that hums like with a passion, with Roback’s slithery steel guitar lines like some delta-blues devil wail alongside Sandoval’s signature witchy, sexy, and breathy vocals, which all but define one of the album’s most chilling tracks “Does Someone Have Your Baby Now.” The melancholy moan of “Common Burn,” the breathless sob of “Seasons Of Your Day,” and a more upbeat stomp of “Lay Myself Down” kind of meanders in those temperate zones you may find familiar, but, at which point, found myself missing some of those heavier psychedelic moments and walls of sonic disturbances that would always seemed to wake up your senses on their previous albums, and at a couple points it even feels like Hope’s voice breaks as it tries to sail to high. Still, the album’s humbler sound really solidifies towards the end with tracks like “Sparrow,” and “Spoon,” which has Roback intertwining acoustic forms with 60’s Brit-rock legend Bert Jansch’s

December 2013

organ sway, giving it some hauntingly twisted classic mod appeal, although, once again, you kind of wish they would lift off and break the envelope more. In the end, you are breaking no real new ground here, the music just is, as the atmosphere you want to set, and like slipping straight back into that warm hauntingly sexy smooth blanket from all those years ago, and, perhaps, being all that overly sad and miserable isn’t really so necessary anymore. —Dean Keim

Kurt Vile Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze Matador Late Monday night when I get back from the Oregon coast, Kurt Vile is looking a little cramped sticking out of my mail slot. I slip Wakin on a Pretty Daze out of its manila envelope and into a disc man jury-rigged to a five watt guitar amp, firmly twist the volume knob and unpack. It’s his fifth studio album, crafted with the help of steady Violators Rob Laakso and Jesse Trbovich. If you peer over their shoulders you can see Smoke Ring for my Halo ran it’s hand over the same sun bleached wheat field in which this most recent offering stands waist high. A more refined, vocally reserved full length sporting a 70’s gloss, Wakin on a Pretty Daze is the closest thing yet to a long ride in a single lane of Vile’s freeway mind. Despite knowing all this, it’s somewhere between putting a half eaten banana in the fridge and unused shorts back in my hope chest that I learn Vile is not a cure for the backfrom-the-beach blues. I don’t know what the hell made me think he had it in him- maybe that trademark stage curtain of chestnut locks- but

all those low second inversions and that soft mumble of his only manage to provoke the gut nostalgia rolling countrysides and breaking waves can’t help but conjure up. Add that delayed, wah guitar melody that closes the initial track, “Wakin on a Pretty Day”, and I’m back on 26 west, watching Oregon farmland run off into the hills. It’s only after nine minutes in this difficult, fried, serenely speechless morning of his that “KV Crimes” comes on and we shift, subtly, to an 80’s lane. Here, a straight beat punches holes in that day dream pasture like an indifferent machine, brittle distortion rising up to set it ablaze as Gary Numan ambles around the edges, all smiles and kerosene. This attitude persists like an emotional brain freeze for a few tracks and then subsides with “Girl Called Alex”, as if he finally remembered those bucolic Neil Young/cool sixties BJM sentiments are really where it’s at. While at first bunching my panties, this synth inspired hiccup is a beautiful necessity to the album as a whole. A dip into something more stoic makes me pine for that unhurried headspace I found in the first track- a calm that appears about twenty five minutes into a long drive, where clear thoughts and farmhouses begin to share a rhythm. Moments such as these are picking at a slender thread, a vibration that runs through most of Vile’s work and which is given a nod at the beginning of “Too Hard” when he says, “Take yr time, so they say, and that’s prob’ly the best way to be.” It’s a mantra seen in previous albums, but stated here in consistently simple beats and dense textures- the rare internal contrast leaving me wide-eyed, as with one of my favorites, “Pure Pain”. This counterpoint between large motifs and small accents is what gives this new style substance. In a steady sea of texture and tone the rare whitecaps really shine, like with the distorted lead that doesn’t so much cut off a lyric in “Girl Called Alex” as finish the thought, or the

Dig This Real use of a mechanical product of guitar playing, like sliding fingers over bronze strings between chords, as a piece of percussion on “Air Bud”. Even the additional bit of synth he burps up as the album winds down is placed with great care. Letting that fizzling tone introduce and then float though “Air Bud” creates one of the more interesting pairings on Wakin on a Pretty Daze, mostly for the way chord and tempo almost directly reference that Petty tune “A Face in the Crowd”, a song that in another way drags just a tinge of the electronic into a venue commonly known for its Americana slant. Wakin on a Pretty Daze is a summer house Vile built out where a mellow lust for 70’s warmth thumb wrestles a moogerfrooger. It is a more distilled, fine tuned departure from Constant Hitmaker, picking up the introspective folk idea he began to cotton to on Smoke Ring for my Halo and letting it blossom into a haze rife with detail. If he continues along this arch, in about two years we should have either one of the greatest indie rock albums ever, or 105 minutes of five words mumbled incoherently over two slow chords. Oh, and a word of advice: this 68 minute LP needs a little sustained attention to work its magic, even if it means abandoning a depressed stab at unpacking your beach leftovers to sit across from a speaker as it puts a fine point on wisecracks and warm chords alike. www.kurtvile.com – Noah Kite

Elton John The Diving Board

pull out some real surprise wonder and glorious magnificence with his latest full length The Diving Board. Astoundingly, this is Elton’s 30th original studio album of his epic career, but his first since 2006, and the time off has apparently done him some good artistically. Apparently, this album was actually supposed to be released a couple of years ago, but has been resting on a shelf and fermenting since then. It is a return to the duo-ship of John and lyricist Bernie Taupin that produced so much classic material in the 1970’s, but don’t let that fool you, as this is a very different album for both of them. It is the first of Elton’s albums not to have his regular backing band since the late 70’s, returning to a sparser piano and drum sound that signified many of his earlier works, and despite the rawer sound, has a funkier punch than any of his work has for over a decade, no doubt helped by the indelible fingerprint presence of famed producer T-Bone Burnett. “Oceans Away” starts things of slow, but also displays a matured confident musician soaring high on his grand piano as one of the finest players that ever lived and with that distinctively deeply bellowing vocal power that he has clearly not lost. “Oscar Wilde Gets Out” brings the tempo up slowly with the keys warming up gradually and raw bass and drums joining with a few strings to an almost trance of a stomp. That march does finally froth up to a funk on “A Town Called Jubilee” that gets to a downright ‘Nawlins funk that transforms to “The Ballad Of Blind Tom” which really does begin to capture some of that classic mid-70’s Elton material of the likes of Captain Fantastic and Yellow Brick Road, yet slightly more raw and urgent.

Capitol, Mercury Unlike many other classic rock artists’ ‘comeback’ albums that I’ve been disappointed by recently, Elton John has really managed to

The album does somewhat linger towards the middle, with little piano-only interludes called “Dreams” and told in parts, and not even a loose jazzy jam in the middle of

“My Quicksand” manages to relieve a bit of the melancholy. Eventually though, tracks like “Can’t Stay Alone Tonight” (clearly my favorite of the LP) bring it right back up to finger snapping, foot-tapping, and head bobbing prominence and Taupin’s lyrics really begin to settle in as perhaps some of his finest and most mature work in many years as well. Highpoints do continue through to the end, with “Take This Dirty Water” having a soulful Delta bluesy sound, gospel choir, and slide guitar, then a swinging “Mexican Vacation (Kids In The Candlelight)” with some piano work really would have given Ray Charles' eternally funky soul a run for his money. Overall, this album does satisfy for any Elton John fan, but also expands his repertoire, not in any cheesy forced ‘play the standards’ way, but in a way that is totally natural. You also get a feeling you may have just gotten the most authentic introduction to one of rock’s most glorious gods ever. -Dean Keim

Paul Goodwin Trinkets and Offcuts “This Place is Dead Anyway” is a folk express train barreling down the tracks on Paul Goodwin’s Trinkets and Offcuts. Everything is in place including the harmonica to set the stage for the thick English accent to sing about discontent. “This Place is Dead Anyway” is a solid composition that sets the tone for the next six tracks on this folk mini-album. The mini-album has raucous moments that fill in the spots between the more tender ballads. There is not a lot of reinventing the wheel with this collection but there is solid songwriting that works as a bed for Goodwin’s unique and rough deliv-

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Release Reviews ery. There is a slightly drunken quality and tone surrounding the voice of this world-weary troubadour. “The Ghost of Paddy’s Night Past” and “Nothing to Say” are a couple of the stand tender tracks about loss, the latter emphasized by a nice slide guitar part. “Ball and Chain” is a relentless tune that gradually builds with intensity that symbolizes love’s drag on the soul. Trinkets and Offcuts is a solid work of modern folk played well and presented with an ancient sincerity. www. paulgoodwin.com –Nelson Heise

Gary Clark Jr. Black and Blu Warner Bros. Hailed by some as the next incarnation of Jimi Hendrix, Clark’s debut album puts his full range of talents on display in the form of 13 tightlyconstructed and produced tracks. Clark’s guitar wails at full strength on the album’s second track, “When My Train Pulls In,” a classicallythemed blues song about skipping down and not looking back. “Bright Lights,” his breakout song, still sounds fresh even though it was recorded for an EP all the way back in 2010. There’s no question that Clark’s guitar is the star of the show, but his singing chops are also quite strong. He doesn’t seem as eager to let them shine on the more bluesy songs, but on tracks that have more of a hip-hop or R&B influence like “The Life” or “Please Come Home,” he channels Smokey Robinson and sounds like a young Mos Def. Possibly as a nod to the man he is often compared to, Clark opted to cover, “Third Stone From the Sun.” Although there’s no touching the original, Clark’s slowed-down and slightly chunky version is a nice attempt. The album’s penultimate track, “You Saved Me,” features Clark singing

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in an almost distortedly-clean voice over a slow-moving ballad drenched with fuzzy guitars and coated with ambient noise. As a finale, “Next Door Neighbor Blues,” caps things off with a slide guitar-fueled back porch foot-stomper that could have just as likely been recorded in the backwoods of Georgia in 1950 as in a California recording studio in 2012. www.garyclarkjr.com -Evan Bleier

Adam Green & Binki Shapiro Rounder Records Adam Green is one of the more interesting singer-songwriters on the folk rock scene. He’s best known for his work with the Moldy Peaches, one of whose songs, “Anyone Else But You,” was featured in the indie hit film, Juno. Green has joined forces with former Little Joy member, Binki Shapiro, who is also a stellar singer-songwriter. Detecting a pattern here? I certainly am. Their eponymous first CD, Adam Green and Binki Shapiro is a winner. The CD is a genuine album of songs and not designed exclusively for downloading. It’s sequenced exquisitely, from the opening notes of, “Here I Am,” to the final note of, “The Nighttime Stopped Bleeding.” Overall, it’s an excellent version of 60’s baroque pop rock with eclectic echoes of the Beach Boys, Velvet Underground, Fairport Convention, and harmonies reminiscent of X’s John Doe and Exene Cervenka. I told you they were eclectic, but they meld these diverse styles into a unified and very listenable whole. The standout tunes are, “Casanova” and “Pity Love,” which feature the intricate harmonies and tuneful

melodies that make this album such an aural pleasure. Green’s voice is deep and booming whereas Shapiro’s is several octaves higher and they blend magnificently. “Casanova,” is written from a woman’s perspective, and sung by Shapiro with a rueful and sardonic tone. The harpsichord keyboards give it a gothic cabaret sound, which beautifully fits the words and mood of the song. “Pity Love,” is Green’s vehicle and contains this wonderful couplet: “Collecting all the pieces that I found, I ought to take you right back to the pound.” Ouch. If intelligent and melodic music is your thing, give Adam Green & Binki Shapiro a listen. www.facebook. com/adamgreenbinkishapiro -Peter Athas

Two Door Cinema Club Changing of the Seasons

Parlophone Records After having three releases (one EP and two full-lengths) under their belt, Two Door Cinema Club’s latest record is a simple and concise 4-song EP. So does the listener expect more of the same noodley guitars and playful indie dance songs? Yes, but this time they add keyboards, strings, and horns to the mix. Those elements give songs like “Crystal” (the slowest song in their catalog) cinematic grandeur; something the band hasn’t touched upon until now. “Gold Veins” erupts with synthesizer and a strong dance beat. The last song is a remix of the EP single, “Changing Of The Seasons”, and it fits nicely into a disco set with the

Dig This Real likes of Miami Horror or Bag Raiders. If this release is any indication of what’s yet to come from Two Door Cinema Club, the future looks promising. After 3 releases, TDCC know they can’t keep writing the same songs, but they can tweak their signature sound to a different route. -Cliff Chien

Hans Balmer Andre Jolivet Charles Koechlin Musik Fur Flote Solo CD Baby Hans Balmer is a respected Swiss flautist (who among us doesn’t love that word?) whose latest release is a CD featuring solo flute compositions by two French composers, Andre Jolivet, and Charles Koechlin. It may be odd to refer to composers who have been dead for years as modernists, but that label applies to these pieces. In short, they’re not easy listening new-agey ditties but quite challenging 20th Century classical pieces. Balmer’s approach is streamlined and stripped down; when he says solo flute, he means it. The album begins with some Jolivet “incantations,” which go on a bit too long for my taste. Balmer is a skillful flautist, but these pieces lack melodic impact and clarity. They’re also, to be blunt, on the gloomy side and strictly for flute fanatics. Even though the Koechlin segment of the CD begins with a funeral air, these sonatines (sonatas to us simple English speaking folk) are much livelier and retained my interest throughout. The CD circles back to a series of asceses composed by Andre Jolivet. As with the pieces that begin the album, these are abstract

and challenging to listen to. And by challenging, I mean a bit on the dull side. Solo classical flute music isn’t for everyone, but if it’s your cup of tea, Hans Balmer is a skilled player and sensitive interpreter. I must admit to preferring classical musical in a larger group setting: give me an orchestra or a quartet any day but large swaths of this CD held my interest and that’s more than I can say about a lot of music regardless of genre. – Peter Athas

The Julie Ruin Run Fast TJR records Come on, admit it, you dig this. It is loud and screechy, but surprisingly and refreshingly relevant in these sad over-synthesized days of the Hipster Generation. This will spin some screaming life into certain parties, while providing complex surprises of musical perplexity. However, this record is not for everyone, and I think Kathleen Hanna and Kathi Wilcox, formerly of the amazing band, Bikini Kill, will agree will that statement. This record is for partying punks and nostalgic bitches and bastards looking for audible adrenalin. Usually feminism doesn’t count in today’s punk rock game/genre, mainly because it has all been done before, yet these writing broads are smarter than that. One of these tracks, which will remain nameless for now, is raging radical as proparental, something unheard of in the old school views of punk rock princesses. There is something to be said for this album. It is a mirror, a timeline, and punk rock has changed so much over the last twenty years where it is difficult to give credit, but the Julie

Ruin deserves it as much as a cow deserves two stomachs. They have a couple Pixies pop songs…I expected not to like this band and/or record, but I did/do, it brings me back to pushing envelopes of what things should be or sound like. The insert of this compact disc folds out into a perfect poster; on one side the lyrics and on the other, a photo of the band. This is an apt metaphor for this DIY band. Somewhere, there is a kid dancing to this record right now. www.julieruin.com – Ryan Buynak

Feathers If All Now Here Nyx The debut album from Austin, Texas, female quartet, Feathers is super catchy, yet super serious electronic synth pop, that upon second or third listen gets better and better and better. The album makes one want to dance in a time machine of lost love. Even the faster beats seem to have an identifiable sadness to them. They have been described as a young American female Depeche Mode, however, here we will describe them as Madonna meets Daft Punk meets Morrissey. The sad thing with this type of modern 80’s-like dance music is that all the tracks, no matter the band or artist, seem to bleed the same; so the trick is to try to stand out, and Feathers’ biggest exercise will be trying to progress with each album. “Land of the Innocent,” the first track on the album, and Feathers’ debut

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Release Reviews single, combines future Pragmatism philosophy with modern hipster pop sensibility, and a splash of cool, layered vocals on the catchy chorus. Good tunes live in here, however, only Heaven knows if there is a global hit in here or not. www.feathers.fm – Ryan Buynak

King Stork Wash Away the Countryside EP In a musical landscape dominated by noise and flow, it’s more than refreshing to listen to a band that still knows how to write a sweet tune, set it to some pithy lyrics, and play the fuck out of that shit, a band much like Brooklyn’s own King Stork. Their latest effort, 2013’s Wash Away the Countryside, makes one wonder, if this isn’t good enough to catch the attention of the zeitgeist, then what is? The album opens with “Bad Disguise,” which acts as a sort of bridge between their rock-inspired debut, Summer Rental, and the latest “rootsy” release. However, things really get cooking with, “Smoke Rises,” a track on which lead vocalist Robbie Whelan sings wistful lyrics over subtle, dynamic accompaniment. Ostensibly a love song, the piece gives Whelan an excuse to evoke images both heavenly (“the golden time before first light when morning’s cradled by the night”) and ominous (“storm clouds descend on shutters drawn like boats borne on against the dawn”). As the song starts to loosen up, Whelan, also a highly accomplished country rock guitarist, trades licks with Dan Schneier, one can hear rock and country vying for dominance. Neither seems to win, and we’re the better for it.

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The band lays back a bit, but in a very hip way, with “Montebello Lake.” Whelan showcases his ability (learned perhaps from the Old 97’s Rhett Miller) to make being randy sound cute: “All you did was tie me down/I always meant to tie you up.” Similarly, on “Galveston” (the most clearly countrified tune on the album), he implores his muse to, “lay your little body next to mine.” This one allows the group, particularly drummer Phantom Williams, to really get into the groove. Attention must be paid at this point to guest violinist Laura Smith, who digs into that bow with considerable emphasis. As the album draws to a close, the listener wonders if the band can handle a ballad. The Stork does not disappoint. Whelan pledges to give up his time, money, and “big fancy car” to a lucky female, and he doesn’t ask much in return: “Won’t you grace a poor man with your blessing (?????????) and a few quiet hours in your room?” He sings of getting his claws into this woman, but he get his lyrical claws into the image of a woman tying back her hair (indeed, the song’s called “Tie Back Your Hair”), which is, let’s face it, just a hopelessly perfect image. Meanwhile, the band sounds more soulful than ever. However, the album doesn’t close with the ballad. The boys have one more trick in store for us, their one cover: Wayne Drury’s, “New York Central Line.” Matt Oliver’s infectious bass lines and the group’s impressive harmonies carry the day once again. Railroad men are all brothers, as Whelan sings, and we all feel like railroad men by the end of this track.

Steve Martin & Edie Brickell Love Has Come For You Rounder In 2009, Steve Martin released his first album since 1981; however, this time, it wasn’t a comedy album, but rather, it was him playing the banjo throughout. The album shot to the top of the Bluegrass Charts and broke into the top-100 of the Billboard 200. Fast-forward to 2013, and Martin hasn’t released a movie since 2011, his longest gap between movies since the 1970’s, with Martin transforming himself into a full-time musician. For this album, his third, he has paired up with Edie Brickell, formerly of Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians. On the album, the pair takes the banjo into the forefront as a refreshing change of pace to most modern albums. The album also does an incredible job feeling fresh and new despite taking an old instrument and a style of music that has wavered in popularity, these two breathe new life into the genre as each song feels unique. Of particular note is the first song on the album, “When You Get to Asheville,” which was the second song the pair wrote after a chance meeting at a party.

And so, therefore, if you want to be a railroad man or woman, you should go ahead and download this record. You surely won’t regret it. http://kingstork.bandcamp.com/

Martin, 68, is showing no signs of slowing down as this shift in career paths has rejuvenated him as an artist. Whether you are a bluegrass purist or new to the genre, this album has something for everyone as it isn’t strictly bluegrass but retains more than enough of the essential elements to make everyone happy. www. stevemartin.com

-Christian Recca

-Brian Weidy

Dig This Real Mr. Pelton’s Weather Machine You haven’t heard of Mr. Pelton’s Weather Machine, for it is that fine line between enticing enigma and inconvenient obscurity which the name tripped over. That is why when Slater Smith released his first full length, self- titled album, Weather Machine, Mr. Pelton was left where he fell. Initially a collaboration between Smith and his acoustic guitar that began two years ago in his home town of Salem, Oregon, the curt, convincing lyrics and traditionally inspired chords have snowballed into a five piece that range in timbre from electric bass to cello. I want to say, The Weather Machine puts out storms, clear sun kissed days full of hard shadow that flow from bright chords, and light rains that linger in tracks such as “Lilium” but the use of these apt metaphors would shirk the responsibility in describing exactly what makes the Machine tick. The way Slater turns a cunning phrase speaks to my poetic sensibilities, but if that were all a paper back of prose would substitute this band. The cut that really depicts these key melodic features is, “Little Surrender,” especially in the way in which the track begins, lethargically stumbling to emphasize each syllable, and eventually caught as it collapses into the capable arms (hands?) of the drums, the punch of Smith’s trademark articulation picking up to push it forward folds you in before you can quite understand where you are. In addition to this darkly balanced blend of stark rhythm and clean melody the leading aspect, Smith’s refusals to adhere to a conventional rhyme scheme, puts this album above and beyond the usual wit one might find perusing contemporary folk. Tell me I’m wrong: https://soundcloud.com/the-weathermachine/little_surrender-1 -Noah Kite

Phoenix Bankrupt Glassnote Phoenix’s 5th Album Bankrupt, the follow up to their Grammy winning Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix had to differentiate itself from its predecessor without taking anything away from the bands already iconic sound. The resulting album comes with a more world music influence, heavier synth, and more alternative influences that would overwhelm a lesser band, but Phoenix pulls each off with aplomb. The band adds interesting Eastern instruments and melodies to songs such as opener, “Entertainment” and driving synth lines to others such as the eponymous track. Stand outs are, “Trying to be Cool,” a song with more referential lyrics and a sound like if Beulah packed a punch, and “Drakkar Noir,” a bouncier song with a fun chorus ending on a repeated melodic outro. The album is very balanced, ranging from faster pogoing songs to slinkier entries like, “Chloroform,” My only complaint is that the album ends on a bit of a whimper, but other than that, Bankrupt is a worthy entry into the Phoenix canon. www.wearephoenix.com – Zach Ezer

Rodan Fifteen Quiet Years Quarterstick Post-hardcore band Rodan, has released Fifteen Quiet Years, a compilation record that spans the bands long tenure. The math rock album is as progressive and sludgy as you would expect from a Rodan record, and is definitely not to be missed. The album ranges from the

feedback driven “Sangre” with spoken vocals by Tara Jane O’Neil that sound like Sonic Youth to the beautiful “Before the Train,” a nice thick groove that closes the album with a jam session. A standout track is “Tooth Fairy,” an amazing song with beautiful female vocals softening the hard edges of some of the most brutal lyrics on the album. At only nine tracks, despite some of them having a ten minute runtime, Fifteen Quiet Years seems a little short, but it is a compilation, and if anything makes one want to listen to more Rodan. Facebook.com/rodanband -Zach Ezer

Savages Silence Yourself Matador Records By and large, new albums these days are built around a few singles as opposed to crafting an album. Usually it takes years of trial and error before a band can make a complete album. Savages throws out that notion on their debut album, Silence Yourself. 11 songs, no filler, and a sound which blurs the line between raw energy and something that has been harnessed into tremendous songwriting. Though the band gained initial fame through their electrifying live performances, this band has shown that they are able to translate that energy from the stage into the studio. Lead singer Jehnny Beth’s voice cuts through each track with an increased sense of urgency as a steady backbeat is provided for her by this outstanding four-piece, complemented by a fuzz-soaked guitar and a strong influence from their predecessors in the British postpunk scene. Overall, this album has serious teeth and I would be shocked if this album didn’t make just about every top-10 list at the end of the year. www.savagesband.com -Brian Weidy

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Release Reviews Sylosis Monolith Nuclear Blast Americ The opening track begins with a gothic country western guitar, and then explodes into heavy distortion and double bass pedal madness. If you are into older metal like Ministry or Fear Factory, you are going to love this quartet from Reading, England. As a matter of fact every track on this record starts out like a mellow motion picture soundtrack and then screams and floods into its real existential purpose: pure modern metal. No punches pulled. They are huge on the European metal scene. And for a very good reason. The band has said that this particular album, released late last year was very loosely inspired by the Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Most metal bands like this seem to come and go with the half-decade, yet Sylosis has stuck around like the stench of a loud dying tiger. You can’t play this at a bridal shower brunch, but one can see, musically, how they have attracted the mass of metal. http://sylosis.com – Ryan Buynak

The Radishes Riot A quick and aggressive punch to the gut best describes The Radishes five song EP, Riot. The record starts off with a bang on the track, “Last Call,” a song about the buzz killing war cry of the bar industry. The song has a Fear meets Black Flag intensity that is generally felt throughout the whole disc. The second track is an Agent Orange cover, “Blood Stains,” which is fine but

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feels like it takes up a spot where an original track would have been better. “Jackels,” starts off with a nice noisy guitar riff intro before bursting into a quick shot of survivalist energy. “Gotta Gun,” has a punk/surf riff that creates a nice dynamic change from the previous two original tunes that kept to the traditional punk rock feel. This track allows for more song structure and texture. Finally, “Riot,” is the most melodic of the four originals and provides a memorable enough ending to feel disappointed that the disc is over. The Radishes provide a solid appetizer on this EP of what their capable of doing and the energy they must bring when seeing them live. – Nelson Heise

Wes Hollywood Fantasy Arcade Wes Hollywood has been a staple in the Chicago music scene for over a decade, first playing in the garagerock group Kingsize, and then stepping out on his own in 1999 with his band Wes Hollywood Show, which has now been simplified to Wes Hollywood. In 2007, he also formed the band tenniscourts, which doesn’t seem to stray too far from sounding exactly like Wes Hollywood. Needless to say, he’s a veteran to the music business. The band’s most current double LP release Fantasy Arcade, includes both mono and stereo cuts, and has them operating in a melodic concoction of genres containing classic rock, new wave, and power-pop. For the most part this record is a pleasant listen, but in the way the songs were organized on the album, they seem to string together, with each new song sounding like a continuation of the last. In the album’s entirety, it seems like the band mainly used one formula when it came to

constructing each song and could benefit from mixing it up a bit. The album’s opener “It’s Good To See You” is an energetic poppy track serving as a wake up call and a proper introduction for those who may be unfamiliar with this band’s signature modern-day Kinks, yet more mellow feel. This catchy song’s bouncy guitar chord changes and down-to-earth lyrics complement the simplicity of the song itself and are evocative of the feel-good nature in Beatles songs, like “I Feel Fine,” or “Love Me Do.” Despite the lack of substance behind songs such as these, they still successful in making one’s body move, whether it is a bob of the head or a toe tap. Several songs throughout the album are overly nostalgic and are too focused on the past. Tracks like “Alfie” and “City Streets” talk about what could’ve been and what used to be. Sometimes I think a lot of artists are stuck in the past and would thrive more by embracing the present. This band strives to bridge the worlds of classic rock and current day rock, but they get sidetracked somewhere and don’t quite get past the 1980s. There are a few tracks that stand out on a record full of redundant punchy pop songs. The contrast in these songs are apparent through the way the lead singer utilizes his voice to truly interlace with the music creating perfect harmony, which succeeds in enhancing the listener’s experience. On “Coming Along” Hollywood’s wailings of “alone” and “so long” is melancholic at first, but then the song picks up towards the end with a rock heavy climax continuing until the song dies out. The album’s title track also has a vibe setting it apart from the majority of the album. This selection is more emulative of a ‘90s rock tune, especially when Hollywood sings “coming down, coming down again.” One might almost mistake him for Liam Gallagher when hearing the

Dig This Real nasal-infused screechy elements he emits, but his voice does slightly struggle in hitting the notes.

that is expressed very clearly and eloquently from this brother-sister duo borne of Chicago.

Hollywood has done an adequate job at developing their unique retro pop rock sound, but the actual music doesn’t take as many risks as it should. For those looking to hear an album that sounds almost identical to all of their previous work with a few surprises thrown in, be sure to check it out. www.weshollywoodmusic.com

“When It’s Over,” seems like the soon-to-be concert Autumn fan favorite track on this record. It is the bridge, the pill that keeps listeners listening for the duration of a slowdancing melodic prom that can’t stop from keeping you from standing still. You might not like this type of skill, but you’d be dumb not to give it a try. There is something here in this flashback. Guaranteed. www. wildbelle.com

– Vanessa Oswald

Wild Belle Isles Columbia Wild Belle (great band name) is difficult to pin down, and that is the biggest and best reason to enjoy them. Too many adjectives: breezy, rich, reggae-y, rocky, jazzy, funky, sax-y, etc. Honestly, it is something you could dance to or make-out to…a sonic modern ska-like soundtrack that sticks like honey and stings like broken bees, yet lets your hair flow with wind in a car stereo. The album name, Isles, stands also quite fitting and fascinating, because each song on this album stands as its own island. The opening song on this eclectic album, “Keep Me,” is there first single, and first funny video; a perfect opening number; a great example of the excitement and uninhibited combination of stylized seventies feel, funk, soul, snidely synth, great vocals, and wonderful story telling, horns and all. Once again, too many adjectives! Yet, this album doesn’t seem like a material thing, it is more a feeling

– Ryan Buynak

Sting The Last Ship Cherrytree, A&M So, it’s been 5 years since Sting finally reunited on stage with his ground-breaking group The Police who took the world by storm in the late 70’s and came to ultimate dominance in the mid 1980’s with a lively and potent brew of punk, ska, rock, progressive, and pop music that no one could touch and has ever yet to match. Even though it didn’t turn out that this reunifying on tour would yield another studio effort, you still would have imagined the composer and frontman behind almost all of those classic albums would have emerged afterwards himself to take back that rock god mantle with a bold new solo effort that would bring him those accolades of those days begone mired by years of solo LPs since that, one by one, became more tame, mellowed, jazzy, adult contemporary, and sometimes downright easy listening. Don’t expect any such rebirth of Sting from his latest The Last Ship, his first album of all-new studio material in almost a decade (since 06’s

R&B-flavored Songs from the Labyrinth). This, his blah eleventh solo effort, is perhaps his most pacified LP yet, often sounding like an offputting collection of sea shanties, rejected Mellow Gold tracks, and elevator Muzak songs. It appears that the album is somehow tied to Sting’s forthcoming play of the same name, scheduled to debut on Broadway in 2014, but if this album is any indication, the play is sure to be a real snooze. Through the whole work his memories of growing up in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend with themes of time, family, and love lost really gives little to nothing to really grab on to, either emotionally or musically. The opening title track has a sort of haunting atmosphere, but never lifts off, and “Dead Man’s Boots” tries to be whimsical and yet personal, but comes off as cheeky and irreverent. “And Yet” tries for a R&B/soul appeal, but gives no sexy drawl, “Language Of Birds” attempts to be an off-the-cuff stream of consciousness but turns out sounding like a decidedly unmanly and generally silly sea shanty, where “Practical Arrangement” comes off as a tame, easy listening love song that comes out seriously limp. Sting’s voice is now so scraggly, raw, and aged that his vocal ability to retain an enthusiastic harmony is all but a long lost memory. His attempts to sound like a rumpus and rowdy Pougues-like guy on songs like “What Have We Got?” almost barely swings at moments, but even with the help of singer and actor Jimmy Nail giving some vocal support, these tracks do not manage to wake up this tired effort. Additionally, other musicians including Brian Johnson from AC/DC, The Unthanks, The Wilson Family and Kathryn Tickell all try to give it more of that authentic Northern English wail, but nothing really saves it by the end, if you manage to stay awake until then. —Dean Keim

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Release Review Heliotropes A Constant Sea Manimal Vinyl Brooklyn’s all-female rock quartet called Heliotropes have had a big storm of buzz behind them over the last year, but now with their debut album entitled A Constant Sea, they have finally proven what they are made of, and it turns out that their guts are made of pure gunpowder power and devil’s blood. As a perfect storm; Jessica Numsuwankijkul wails on lead vocals as she shreds on the axe, Nya Abudu creates a nimble yet deeply entrancing bass line, Cici Harrison really massacres the drums and sweeps you up into the tempest, and Amber Myers makes a haunting siren as backing vocalist and countrified swinger as upbeat tambourine player. Together, their sound still defies definition, often being called psych-rock, but it really strikes me as a deeply complex brew a variety of genres from rocking classic metal, downbeat blues, fuzzy garage, gloomy goth, stoned-out psychedelic rock, coming-down acid rock, and even a little touch of barefoot bluegrass. “Early in the Morning” proves to be to perfect spacy moody rocker opener to get you into their mood altering sound. “Psalms” is the perfect hard gloom rocker anthem for the next generation with a dark classic metal power in the vein of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. “Everyone Else” mellows things out with an unexpectedly tranquil yet malaise harmony and “Moonlite” bubbles up from the depths slowly with a dark acoustic strum and a wispy country fiddle howl in the background. The straight ahead rock returns with “Good and Evil,” driven by fuzzy vocals and lots of volume. “Ribbons” is still my favorite off the album as it hypnotizes even as it rocks in a fist-pumping sort of way. “Quatto”

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just wails with passion and makes you just want to throw yourself in the nearest most mosh pit. “The Dove” swirls with dark magic seduction wooing you in as a siren song harmony only to shred you into pieces at their bleakly rocky shores, then that leads you to “I Walk Upon the Water” which has such a high velocity in its funky storm swirling lightning with reverb guitar it has trouble controlling its own astounding ferocity swirling out of control. “Unadorned” is a gorgeous little acoustic ballad in an unexpected little tender love song that woos you into a haze that the next track “Awake” kind of just swells you into a melancholy of lost and broken love. “Christine” is not what you’d expect as the closer either, with a 60’s girl-group harmony serves to show the diversity and actually gives you a nice lullaby to end on. It’s an album you probably should not miss if you know what’s best for your rock-starved heart. ~Dean Keim

Cults Static Columbia

It has only been less than a few years since vocalist Madeline Follin and guitarist, vocalist, and percussionist Brian Oblivion started the NYC band called Cults and soon after busted out with one of the biggest cult successes (no pun intended) of 2011 with their self-titled major label debut that enticed a horde of followers with a strange mix of 50-60’s girl group doo wop, 60’s psychedelia, 70’s classic rock, 80’s new wave pop, 90’s riot grrrl rawness, and modern catchy indie pop. This album is a slight change up in sound and does show some strong growth, some of which may throw

off lovers of their previous album but I found it to be a powerful piece that grows on you. The first thing I noticed was there’s no xylophone, a gentle touch that mattered greatly on their debut, but here is replaced by copious other implements like strings and synths. Also, apparently the duo are no longer also a romantic pairing, which seems to have given their music a grittier, frantic edge. Their second album does remain beholden to 60’s girl groups and bubblegum pop, but joyous songs are delivered through more clenched teeth, almost delivering more of a Buckingham/Nicks forlorn lovers Fleetwood Mac appeal. “I Know” is a dreamy little 50’s girl group opener with a deeply complex ELO-ish soundscape with the power of that distinctive Madeline harmony octave that can send shivers up the spine as much as lull you into a sense of post-coital bliss.The driving static texture of “I Can Hardly Make You Mine” makes a great rocker. “Always Forever” is a sickeningly sweet love song that woos you in and eventually carries you away as sad as the connotation may be. “Were Before” and “So Far” sails a symphonic sea of guitar noise that is joined by an actual orchestra and a swaying emotional prowess. “Keep Your Head Up” drowns you in hungry reverb-hungry fuzz funk and “Shine A Light,“ like much of the rest of the album, hums with shimmering sounds sailing a sea of sound with great static-laced interludes tying everything together. Sometime the overbearing Phil Spector production style gets to be a bit to much, but still, with catchy bass lines and Motown beats overflowing, Static proves to be beautifully bittersweet work. At first, I heard no overpowering standout hit songs like there was on their debut, but I’ll admit, on consecutive listenings, it actually may be the stronger album overall, and very well may become one of my favorite albums of the year. ~Dean Keim

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LIve Reviews

Here’s mud in your ears!

he Governors Ball is a three day long music festival in the shadow of the massive NYC skyline that can test every aspect of human endurance and challenge even the biggest audiophiles’ avarice for seeing live music, and this year’s fest was amongst the wildest trials yet. It was a mud-drenched mess to such an ultimate extreme that it ended up spelling out so many of the fundamental do’s and don’ts of seeing, and most of all, enjoying and commanding a musical jubilee of this proportion. Taking place in the tiny isle of Randall’s Island, sandwiched between Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx on the East River, it has served many nefarious purposes in the past, but this weekend it served as the grounds for four stages and more bands of every genre than you could count. Still, the only way to drown the fun of such an event is a huge storm, and as the weekend approached, there was fears of a tropical storm heading up the East Coast was turning into a full hurricane. Still, as Friday came, there was only looming clouds and some light sprinkles, so, for now, the party was on!

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As rain was already drenching the pristine park grass into a chilly puddle, a Big Apple inde-folk band called Swear and Shake played the main NYC Stage. Revolving around the duo of fresh-faced Kari Spieler and Adam McHeffey, they form a sound somewhere between a Patsy Cline howl, an air of the Swell Season harmonic swing, a classic Mamas & the Papas chant, and an Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros stomp. As it began to really flood, I hoped over to the only stage that was covered called The Skyy Vodka Tent drying off as I caught an entertaining set by the Vancouver electro-funk-dance band Bear Mountain who did manage to get some of the early revelers off their mud-covered feet. The rain did let up for a brief moment, and at the NYC Stage diverse popsters St. Lucia, formed around the tribal rhythms with pop measures of Johannesberg native singer-songwriter-guitarist Jean-Philip Grobler, complemented on the mic and keyboards by his girlfriend Patricia Beranek, setting out a joyous groove. Afterwards, it was a trudge to get across the saturated park grass

that was fast to becoming a muddy mess to get to the smallest platform of the four called the You’re Doing Great Stage to catch one of my recently favored artists called Poliça. Fronted by the amazing frontwoman Channy Leaneagh, who is the perfect reincarnated combination of Annie Lennox and Garbage’s Shirley Manson on stage, complemented with a truly impressive band, she produces a smooth pop veneer and a richly dark alt-rock soundscape with tender vocals cascading over dense fields of minor key electronics, some funky bass-heavy rhythms, and a swarm of synthy percussions raging it along. Her stage presence was stunning as the petite redheaded wailed on the mic, skipped across the damp stage to play a variety of instruments, and projected the true vision of domineering musicianship steaming through the chilly drizzle, playing much of their truly amazing 2012 debut album called Give You the Ghost, as well as premiering some brand new breathtaking ditties off the now newly released album Shulamith.

Swear And Shake

Next, it was back across the muddy expanse to the NYC Stage to catch one of my all-time favorite bands Dinosaur Jr.. Those drawling undulating vocals and high-gain guitar wails of J Mascis, along with lots of feedback, distortion, and raw driving rhythms supplied by bassist and sometime vocalist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph, this archetypal grunge trio from Massachusetts has been burning with the raw rock power of garage rock and the sonic voyage of psychedelic rock since the mid-1980’s. As I turned around momentarily, I was overcome with laughter, as many in the front of the crowd had donned giant grey wigs and big wet smiles (a SNL-styled joke on Mascis) and tossing around a big inflatable dinosaur doll. Wearing heavy storm gear to the backdrop of antique amps stacked high into the sky, they appropriately opened with “I Bet on Sky” from their newest Watch the Corners. They did, of course, delve into the classics, like “Feel the Pain” and “Budge” from their game-changing 1988 album Bug, as well as a couple well-placed covers like The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and even Deep Wound’s “Training Ground.” Then, it was back over to the ‘Great Stage to see the LA band Best Coast, the surfy garage rocking duo of Bethany Bear Mountain

Poliça

St. Lucia Dinosaur Jr.

Liv e Review Cosentino and Bobb Bruno, whom I had been wanting to see for quite some time, especially since devouring their most recent LP The Only Place. I enjoyed their wistful set immensely, with humorously ironic songs for the stormy weather like “Summer Mood” and “When the Sun Don’t Shine,” they brought a ray of Cali sunshine with them, even as there some maladjusted idiots in the audience who started throwing beer containers at Cosentino, which understandably put her in a foul mood, but the closer of “Boyfriend” still brought home the cheery goods. It was extremely fitting that the alien chill-folk dream-pop soundscape Of Monsters And Men

and expansive line-up of Iceland’s Of Monsters And Men then took command of the cold and drenched NYC Stage, which was the only stage to have concrete ground not to sink into, making it all that more of the place to be. With a folksy-yetextraterrestrial upbeat sound, they did indeed deliver the charm and playfulness, and the lead singer/guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir beamed so brightly with that magical elfin charm she reminded me of Iceland’s other alien popstress, Björk, ending with giant white balloons propelling from the stage into the audience. After that point, I kept to protective covering at the Skyy Tent for the Toronto electro-rocker duo Crystal Castles, who’s drummer Ethan Kath played off-the hook and the punked-out slither of frontwoman Alice Glass literally burned up the sinking stage. I did try to make it to the NYC Stage again for Broken Social Scene songstress Feist doing a solo set, but things got bleak when the rain began to shoot fully horizontal. She tried to play her first song, “Commotion” with a guitar and a conch shell in hand, but when Feist

Best Coast Crystal Castles

she blew it, loud crackles thundered from the amps, and you could kind of see most everyone take a collective step back in fear. In the cutest voice possible, she came back to the mic and said, “I’m being told I have to leave the stage because I’m apparently being electrocuted. Sorry everyone.” I slopped back to the Skyy Tent that was all but submerged in water by this point, as the stage itself seemed ready to break free at any moment and run down a muddy river. Erykah Badu & The Cannabinoids did surprisingly play, as the controversial “Queen of NeoSoul,” a bizarre combination of Billie Holiday and Lil’ Kim, was this night propelled into different worlds by an army of DJs stacked high and lit entirely by computer glows, all playing off of each other for a full half hour before Badu showed up, dressed in a bowl hat and flashing an all-gold grill as she smirked and leered out into the mud-covered crowd. She often broke into songs, halting some hard and well-worked beats, just to make some bravado point, and generally seemed ridiculously full of herself, but her voice and flow were still golden. Feeling hypothermia setting in, I decided it was best to bug out while the bugging was good. Bands like Beach House, Kings of Leon, and Pretty Lights that were to close out the night were all called off, and the saturated hoards of festival-goers had to be evacuated over the Island’s only bridge to Manhattan. Erykah Badu & The Cannabinoids

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The next day brought sunshine to the festival grounds that had become a mud-covered battleground. That first day taught a lot about surviving these kinds of festivals. First, if there’s danger of rain and mud, bring protective gear, like parkas, umbrellas, and so on, but especially the right footwear, and wear shoes that can’t get sucked into the sludge and get popped off (sandals should be considered disposable, and they were littered in the mud everywhere). Secondly, stay out of the mud if you can. There were a number of service roads around the grounds that almost no one was using that allowed for easier travelling, although it was still a major mess getting up the bottleneck hill to the two other smaller stages. So, a lot comes down to scheduling out who you want to see most, on what stage and when, and trying to stake your claim at a good stage instead of wasting time trudging around. The second day started at the Skyy Tent with the astounding sax-battling trio Moon Hooch, who hail from Brooklyn, and certainly get your tail feathers shaking. The rocking Australian brothers of The Rubens took on the ‘Doing Great Stage with an Aussie kick and a classic southern blues blast landing somewhere between the sound of Strokes and the Allman Brothers. Then back over at the NYC Stage, the Virginia quintet Wild Nothing generated a dreamy pop-rock sound that

Moon Hooch

at times verges on shoegaze. Then, appoint, as he spent a majority of it, another of my favorites, the Van- in the crowd, rolling in the mud, and couver duo known as The Japan- lovingly embracing his filthy fans as droids, took the stage in force. Their he howled into his mic. The Austraformula is a simple solution, driv- lian electro-psychedelic rock band ing straight-ahead drums by David called Cut Copy played against a Prowse and frontman/guitarist Brian backdrop of glowing rainbow colors King’s amazing animal energy cre- lighting as vocalist, keyboardist, and ating some of the most bombastic guitarist Dan Whitford with his flowrock of the today. The two were just ing blond hair dominated the main coming off of another show in Man- NYC Stage with his talent for exaghattan, but somehow were none gerated poses and getting people up the worse for wear, as King cracked and dancing with an 1980’s-flavored jokes about how they were the Guns new wave/dance-punk esthetic, and Roses, and Japandroids were playing from their extensive cataswitched to headliner, opening each logue as well as covers of “Lost” by song with quotes like, “This is my Frank Ocean, to the Tom Petty clasfavorite of my ballads, November sic “You Got Lucky”, or ending with Rain,” then diving headlong into one “Shivers” by fellow Aussie Rowland of his own monstrous songs where S. Howard. he would leap into the hair, do the splits, and just be the perfect sweaty With the sun now blaring in full force, wild rocker. The US/Canadian band the headlining band Kings Of Leon Divine Fits followed with a spirited from Friday’s show was the only band indie rock set, largely built around to get rescheduled for Saturday. The the supergroup duo-ship of Spoon Nashville band of Followill family frontman Britt Daniel and Hand- rockers consist of brothers Anthony some Furs/Wolf Parade bassist Dan on vocals/guitar, Ivan on drums, and Boeckner. The Toronto hardcore Michael on bass, with their cousin punk ensemble Fucked Up ripped up the river of mud that was the Japandroids Skyy Tent, which actually seemed the perfect setting for their brew of down and nasty punk that still has a brain. The big bald frontman Damian AbraThe RubensBear Mountain ham is known for going balls deep in his shows, and this Divine set did not disFits

Cut Copy

Wild Nothing

Fucked Up

Liv e Review Cameron on lead guitar, together producing an upbeat blend of garage stained southern rock and blues. I was struck by how much their sound had changed since they first came on the scene sounding far more poprock now. Animal Collective then took on the ‘Doing Stage to show how artsy presentation is really done with a giant arching inflatable claw stage set. The Baltimore band of sound alchemists who had gained a sizable following for combining alien synth noises, inexplicably strange harmonies, and off-putting time changes unusual for dance music certainly accelerated it all to a full-on art project. The band may have made it’s biggest splash yet as a three piece on 2007’s Merriweather Post Pavilion, but is now back to it’s original founding quartet components who go by the names Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Deakin, and Geologist. Their set did have problems lifting off the ground sonically, and at least twice they had to abandon songs due to sound issues, including their ender of “Purple Bottle,” which influenced them to just Kings Of Leon

vacate the stage prematurely. Across the way, another pioneering electrodance outfit Thievery Corporation were steaming up the twilight sans any tech issues, as they have since the mid-90’s, mixing elements of dance, dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian, Middle Eastern, and Brazilian music all in a surprisingly cohesive candescence that moves your soul. Headlining with an over-the-top set was Guns and Roses, the down and dirty hard rock band that became the biggest name of the metal game in the late 80’s before literally becoming to big for their collective britches as drugs, booze, and huge egos tore them apart by the mid 90’s. Over the last decade, lead wailer Axl Rose has been attempting to resurrect that band with none of the other founding members and has been frequently mocked for his appearance mired in a haze of bad plastic surgery and a general disconnect from the real world. Amid a giant glitzy and cheesy TV screen of a stage set, they started with a song off their last Chinese Conspiracy, which, despite Axl’s energy, got little response from the fans, but classics like “Welcome To The Jungle” as well as other lesser-known fan-favorites like “It’s So Easy” and “Mr. Brownstone” were so skillfully played they did make you ache a bit for the stone-washed jacket days. Still, by the time they got to Guns And Roses

their infamous cover of Wings’ “Live And Let Die,” I began to realize how off-putting all this seemed, and not just because the fireworks seemed to boom louder than the music it was overtaking, but because Axl’s howl of a voice that had helmed those classic songs all so many years ago now seemed shallow and pointless, and there was a disconnect from the power that it once had, not quite matching the high points or the energy. For all of his running and posing around, he would always dive off stage when he wasn’t singing only to come back at the last second before yowling again instead of just spending another minute in front of his fans. I decided to leave around the end of a medley of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “You Could Be Mine” that turned into a ridiculous mellow piano interlude included a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” and found myself finally walking away to a truly sad rendition of “November Rain.” I headed way over to the Honda Stage for the ending set by rapper NAS, the hip-hop master since the mid-90’s, and after seeing him perform, it’s not hard to see why. He effectively brought home the old school Def Jam sound while still stringing together modern elements of electro dubstep and dance, as well as mastering that actor/model charisma dynamic, and, most importantly, had a truly magical lyrical flow. NAS

Animal Collective

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Upon the third day, I finally felt the exhaustion truly set in, and the grounds that had been so pristine and green on that first day clearly felt the same, with mud pits all over that were so deep they seemed like they could swallow people whole. Thusly, I finally decided to start staking claims at certain spots instead of wasting time jumping from stage to stage. I started off with some action by London’s post-punk band The Vaccines at the Honda Stage, and with a moodiness somewhere between classic The Jesus and Mary Chain and modern day Interpol with a rawness of definitive American punk bands like The Ramones they do put on a powerful full-on rock experience. Across the filthy field the archetypal English reggae band Steel Pulse, who have been spreading the skanking moves since the mid-70’s, did not fail to get those feet out of the sludge and stomping into the air. I did make it to the NYC Stage for a taste of the three sisters from LA called HAIM spread some indie pop/rock cheer, with youthful energy and spunk, even as they didn’t necessarily strike me as main stage level yet, these three sisters clearly have a bright future and The Vaccines

unique sound. Oregon’s Portugal. The Man followed with an amazing set that was truly worthy of dominating the big set, although it was certainly with a different kind of grooveoriented energy. As a band starting in the obscurity of Alaska, who got discovered by a major label, made it big, then broke away to do it all by themselves; they certainly know something about sticking to their own mellow path, and with a heart of soul and a smooth indie-rock façade, they do pull you into their performance. I pulled myself back up the hill to see some of Cali’s Cold War Kids at the Honda Stage, getting there just as they were breaking into their seminal hit “Hang Me Out To Dry” and who similarly hold that smooth harmonic groove in an indie veneer, with more on-stage energy than you thought possible, often supplied by frontman Nathan Willett’s verbose presence and power as the group hung on eachother in reckless abandon but with perfectly tight results.

hunter was first, and their blend of artsy shoegaze, garage rock, and psychedelics is a powerful brew indeed. Their lead genius Bradford Cox also proved to be at his humorously geeky best as well. Around the point when they started playing one of their most beloved tunes “Desire Lines,” Cox realized his fly had been open for almost their whole set and decided to just continue showing it off, also using his guitar as a face mask at one point singing his lyrics literally through his guitar to his mic. You can get lost in their amazing sound and showmanship. Then came Beirut, a large ensemble who came armed with ukuleles, lots of horns, and dreams of old Europe. Declarative horns and impassioned strumming are frequent visitors in their music as they whisk you away to the sunbaked coastline of the Balkans swaying HAIM

After that, I pretty much stuck my claim in front of the You’re Doing Great Stage before it got too crowded, to catch an amazing run of some of my favorite artists. DeerPortugal. The Man Cut Copy

Steel Pulse

Moon Hooch

Cold War Kids

Liv e Review and swinging with a folksy pluck of old world music appeal steeped in Eastern European tradition. Frontman and trumpet player Zach Condon looked sharp in his dress-down suit jacket and sporting a swelling velvet voice that would have given Chet Baker a run for his money. It was a long wait while they set up for the massive stage show for The xx, but it was well worth wading in the murk to have a good view of truly one of the best acts of the last 10 years. The stage was steeped in solid blackness as the three English moodsters, all dressed head to toe in black, came strolling out. They flowed through songs from their breakthrough ’09 self-titled disc as well as their recent Coexist LP, although many songs had been so drastically altered in temperament and tempo from their studio origi-

Deerhunter

nals you may not have recognized some, giving a well-structured yet improvisational sensation, especially on songs like “Heart Skipped A Beat” and “Crystalized” which felt to be brand new tracks, a looseness largely supplied by their beat master, DJ, and percussive one-man band Jamie xx who was located up his behind his boards of instrumentation and computers and often only visible in silhouettes against the strobes. Frontwoman guitarist Romy Madley Croft and bassist Oliver Sim traded off leads and on opposite sides of the stage, only occasionally colliding in slow motion in the center swaying as they slowly peeled away layers until the heart of the song is exposed, as one would sing of love lost and the other would seemingly counter or compliment with hopefulness of affection to come, all set to an amazing stage show of lasers, thick dry ice smoke, and glowing mood lighting that at no time overtook their music, but simply complimented it. It surprises me that material so morose could be crafted with such groovy brilliance, especially as they thanked the audience and ended by walking off stage hand in hand almost skipping in slow motion. Although that was the true headliner for me, I did go out to

catch the sights of the two actual headliners, but with fatigue setting in, I was content with keeping my distance. The Avett Brothers didn’t impress me much, as I have heard many bands do better with almost the same folksy sound and appeal, so I slopped over down the hill to overlook the NYC stage and took in much of Kanye West’s set. I came in as the whole crowd was serenading “Happy Birthday” to Kanye during a rendition of his bombastic song “Power.” As one of the most dominantly popular present-day rappers, Kanye is often associated these days with his outspoken omniscient egotism, he even recently claimed he’s “the biggest rock star in the World,” which is certainly a lofty and ridiculous claim. Still, he seemed to try to live up to that assertion with a very powerful show, playing many of his best known songs and some surprises like some previously unheard ditties, and covers of Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds” ending with a truly rocking version of “Black Skinhead.” The damage to the park grounds was extensive and costly, but the festival’s promoters came in and fixed it all themselves, even bettering the park with better drainage systems and sod to make sure this kind of destruction would never happen again. Still, It was an exhausting yet exhilarating weekend, which is what still made it all worth it. ~Dean Keim The xx

Beirut

Kanye West

Dig This Real together based around the poetry of William Butler Yeats, penned a book, released a recording about Mr. Yeats and is now celebrating a 6 cd box of the above mentioned 25th Anniversary (which is temporary sold out at amazon).

The Waterboys With Freddy Stevenson @ Bergen PAC, Engelwood, New Jersey The very last time I saw The Waterboys live was back in the late ‘80s and right after the release of the eponymous album known as Fisherman’s Blues. Some exciting things were happening musically at that moment, like the Pixies recording with Steve Albini and scruffy girl fronted bands like Scrawl and Throwing Muses were putting out emotionally confusing gems. When The Waterboys arrived to the scene offering not their usual alterna-pagan flavored music but traditional Irish - we thought it was the COOLEST THING EVER, without really understanding the in depth nature of it. It is so unbelievable to me that that was nearly 25 years ago. Time is no enemy to bandleader and minstrel Mike Scott. Gathering moss seemed never an option except for a 7 year period of quiet. Since 1983 he has been releasing music. He broke up The Waterboys, went solo, put the band back together, put a stage show

This night’s event opened with Freddy Stevenson, a singer-songwriter from Edinburgh, Scotland but transplanted in NYC. Stevenson eerily looks like a wiry Cat Stevens, but sings like a burnt out Dylan. A gifted storyteller and cunning with words, he actually has a vast background in the dramatic arts. His performance was hypnotic and a bit intense, yet fused with poetry and some dry humor. Stevenson has several albums out with the most recent being, The City Is King. I so snatched up a copy. Within the last 25 years, I have been a student of sorts in Trad music (as it’s normally called) and have befriended many Irish traditional players, some to become as close as family. In the last 7 years my understanding of this genre allowed me to fully understand the language and heritage of this stuff Scott is doing. Again, it’s the listener’s choice to either become completely fucking precious about it or just take it at face value. So when Scott and his touring band graced the stage, it truly did have a feel of being at a trad session, despite that no one was sitting down in a circle or walking off to fetch a pint. Scott’s opening song choice was the sweeping, “Strange Boat,” from Fisherman’s Blues. Maybe this had to do with the time it would take for the audience to settle down enough for you to actually hear the song but it didn’t quite last long because then he launched into the beloved title track, “Fisherman’s Blues,” and the place erupted again as everyone jumped to their feet and joined in with the ending chorus of

“whooo-hooo-hoooo!” In between songs, Scott warmly interacted with the crowd. His voice was amazing and strong, giving him a larger than life persona on stage. His voice always had a touch of warmth as well as a bluesy and soulful tingle, even when he would narrate the piece,“White Birds” from his album, An Appointment with Mr. Yeats (a collection of Yeat’s poetry which Scott has put to music). During this performance Scott split his time either center stage with guitar or back, stage right to play piano, as Steve Wickham, long time band musician/collaborator, switched between electric and acoustic fiddle. Scott was working with an U.S. touring band yet it was Wickham who received his own share of hero worship from the audience. This show did not disappoint. Performing faves, “A Girl Called Johnny,” and “Song Of Wandering Aengus,” of course, “The Whole of Moon” was delivered as well. One of my favorite songs, “When Ye Go Away,” was also performed and it was played in such a hushed tone that the consistent soft drum beat made the song feel like it actually had a heartbeat. Other great moments happened with the song, “Raggle Taggle Gypsy,” but when the band went into, “Don’t Bang The Drum,” the entire audience went nuts! People flooded the isles and danced wildly, while punching the air with their fists with such gusto. It was bedlam. Scott is still such a treasure to both recording and live performance that it is only a hope that as many people will have the chance to discover such a glorious gem known as The Waterboys. www.mikescottwaterboys.com -Samantha Edith Collins

Dig This Real

Liv e Review ham” part of the show was shared beThe Lindsay Buckingham Appreciation Society with Dave Hill tween not one but two guitarists. This

@ Littlefield Brooklyn, NY Even though Punk Rock had left a musical assault on the industry both bloody and slightly disemboweled, it would take a third wave of this genre to greatly influence a guitarist in beachy, sunny California. The year 1979 was quite an adventurous time for music and Fleetwood Mac’s guitarist, singer and main songwriter had a lot to say. Thing is, he wasn’t going to use smooth, breezy, easy listening music to do it. Tusk, the double LP released in that same year would be his chosen avenue while churning out quite a purpureus/splendens of achievements in songwriting. Well, to the fans of Buckingham, Tusk was just that; a sonic experiment into punk rock (coupled with strange Beach Boy flavoring) and he wasn’t taking a tall, lurch-like drummer or a twirling druggy ex-girlfriend with him. The album that made itself comfortable in just about every home in the world, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, was dust and a faint reflection in Buckingham’s rear view mirror by then. This year, the musical collection known as The Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society offered a few dates on the East Coast performing the epic Tusk in its entirety. Aside from the real Fleetwood Mac’s legal woes of “fake Macs” and group hissy fits where it was said that bassist John McVie never showed up to the actual filming of the Tusk music video due to a row with Buckingham (McVie’s image is seen in the shape of the cardboard cutout in the video), leaves quite huge shoes to fill for LBAS (as I will call them from here on in). LBAS does not actually take credit as a cover or tribute band. They are a cast of roving musicians doing a close, yet loose interpretation of Buckingham/Fleetwood Mac’s music. So it was actually refreshing seeing a real act of musicians not dressed up in band costumes, dragging us back into a time capsule. In fact, the “Bucking-

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lineup featured Charlie Hall (guitarist), Patrick Berkery (drums), Tony Goddess (guitarist), Birdie Busch (guitar, tambourine), Dave Hartley (bassist) and Eliza Hardy Jones (keyboard). The evening’s concert brought together both the young and seasoned. A gaggle of Lena Dunham looking “girls” in flowery patterned vintage dresses spun and shimmied while mouthing the lyrics to Buckingham classics like, “That’s All Everyone,” and “I Walk a Thin Line.” Older folks closed their eyes while swaying to the music that gave them crystal visions of a full moon behind a stalk, leafless tree. Each musician offered their own individual sonic imprint making the dynamics of this performance a bit, dare I say, edgy. But since the actual songs performed are near and dear to the lot of us who witnessed this striking spectacle, there was a strong benchmark of familiarity of sorts since Jones does not sound like Christine McVie and Busch doesn’t even come close to the wavering vocals of Nicks, yet both women gave demanding performances. Hartley did some vocals as well but it was when the entire ensemble sang together that made the evening pure magic, because you see, LBAS displayed serine enjoyment and pleasure performing together. And similar to having sex with someone you know versus a very drunk one night stand with a complete stranger, when musicians genuinely like one another, it’s the best music making/performance experience ever. LBAS did some press during these tour dates and Berkery was quoted, “If you’re going to put in the time and energy required to do something like this, you really need to be in love with the album you’re interpreting — borderline obsessed, really. We all love listening to [Tusk], and we love playing it even more.” It was very apparent in this evening’s performance and as the songs rolled by, Hall would step back, take a deep breath and let out a slightly nervous sigh of, “ok, we just finished that side.” The real Mac could learn a thing or two from these musicians when it

comes to respect, grace and pure musicianship. LBAS offered encores by doing nonTusk songs. When they broke into the 1982 hit, “Hold Me,” from Fleetwood Mac’s Mirage album, Littlefield literally exploded with uncontrollable pogoing and ecstatically singing. Even a couple of gentlemen broke out and offered some rogue-y step dancing. Dave Hill served as opening act. Writer, musician and actor, Hill appeared on stage as the best dressed person of the evening, swinging around a guitar and provoking the audience to throw musical requests at him. The song title would not be completely extracted from someone’s throat yet Hill’s fingers were already strumming the tune. This parlor trick NEVER tires in a musical surrounding and he did it all; Danzig, Rush, Molly Hatchet, Kansas, Poison…And each time the song would take a quick form, Hill would abruptly stop playing, smile at the audience and state, “oh, yeah, I love that song, it goes from here and Thank You!” During some songs, he would just strum one note and gush, “Thank You!” As simple and childish as it may appear, it had us laughing and begging for more. Hill would eventually dive into an orchestrated, multilayered guitar loop over a monologue about an experience he had by booking himself at a prison. Let’s just say, it didn’t really succeed in a Folsom kinda way. For more information on The Lindsey Buckingham Appreciation Society, please visit www.tlbas.com. For more information on Dave Hill, stop by davehillonline.com - Samantha Edith Collins

Dig This Real

Yestival @ Susquehanna Bank Center Camden, New Jersey

First off – a word of caution: I am a die-hard fan of Yes. I have been since 1972 when I first heard, “Roundabout,” on the local AM station out of Philadelphia (that right there should tell you everything you need to know about my demographic – and why indeed I am a die-hard Yesfan). I have seen many concerts and own all the albums and have been accused of being a card-carrying member of the “Obscure Yes Video of the Month Club”.

gates opened at 2 PM, we caught our bearings and headed inside. I grabbed the usual concert tee and hat ($80 total) and headed over to check out the art show. Most of the artwork was truly beautiful, and then there was Roger Dean! For those of you unfamiliar with Yes, Roger did the covers for Fragile, Close to the Edge, Yessongs, Tales from

1 No Jon Anderson 2 Having been to the Susquehanna Bank Center before, I know the sound can be hit or miss. 3 No Jon Anderson 4 No Rick Wakeman 5 Camden, NJ – really?!!!

Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy

We took our seats just as “Volto!” was taking the stage. According to the Yestival promotional poster, Volto! consists of John Zeigler, Lance Morrison, and Danny Carey (from Tool). I did not know this, and am glad I didn’t, because I may have interpreted them very differently. They played instrumental prog rock (I recognized Led Zeppelin’s “No Quarter”) and their newest track “Tocino,“ as well as other prog rock classics. Carl Palmer and his ELP Legacy was on next, and while he still had his chops it was far too much like The Beach Boys Experience (reference Krusty the Clown’s Bar Mitzvah) for me. Quite frankly, you had Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer and Steve Howe under one roof – to hell with a Jon Anderson replacement, you could have had an Asia reunion! Enough said there…

There was no way I was going to miss this, even though I had three reservations:

We arrived on the parking lot of the SBC in the middle of the dog days of Summer and the humidity was high, but so were the spirits of the people tailgating before the show. People were sharing food, water and soda and the early Yes albums were playing – The self-titled album, Yes from 1969 and Time and A Word from 1970. It really had that flower child vibe going on. When the

well worth it to the collector/investors in attendance.

Topographic Oceans, Yesterdays, Yesshows, Drama, Union as well as many others. He also did the album covers for groups like Asia and a host of other bands, but he is most famous for the Yes albums and logo. We got in line and spoke to him, mainly about the Avatar lawsuit, but also catching up since I last saw him in 1992. His artwork was untouchable for me at the price, but The Musical Box

Renaissance was on next, and, remember that reservation regarding the sound being hit or miss? It definately came to a head here! Annie Haslam’s vocals were utterly destroyed by whatever happened up there on stage that day. I don’t know if she wasn’t getting enough from her monitors or what, but she apparently started singing louder to compensate. Once having broken all microphone discipline the songs quickly degenerated into what can only be compared to an angry banshee crashing a medieval faire! The lesson here is: don’t piss off the union guys, they can and will make Renaissance

Liv e Review

trouble for you! Claire Brothers where are you? Next up: The Musical Box! These guys are a Genesis tribute band who faithfully (and I mean “I require professional help” faithfully) re-create a concert from the classic Peter Gabriel era, from vintage instruments (the Hammond L-122 tone wheel organ, and, of course, de rigueur Leslie speaker, the Mellotron Mk II (hired from King Crimson) and ARP Pro-Soloist (no Moog here) to a word-for-word and note-for-note replay of the entire concert, right down to the roadie who ran out onto the stage to adjust Mike Rutherford’s guitar cable at a critical juncture during “Supper’s Ready”! By the time The Musical Box went on stage, the sun was setting, so the black lights used during the performance were sufficient to light the backdrop and all the day-glo props that were used. It really brought home how simple stage shows were back then compared to these days. This band has been around for a long time doing these tributes (for reference, I saw their farewell concert in 1998 - The Musical Box, that is, not Genesis). Jon Davison

They must have made nice with the sound guys because their set had the perfect sound for the period – the vocals were clear, the organ and bass were well defined and the twelve string guitar parts were crystal clear! You didn’t need a massive light show with that kind of sound – that is what made prog rock the monster it was! - although the finale with “Peter Gabriel” lit up with a single spotlight was a really nice to contrast to the multimedia spectacle which was soon to follow, namely the highlight of Yestival: YES! The band was performing three of their classic albums: The Yes Album, Close to the Edge and Going for the One – start to finish. I was enraptured (Okay, I’ll TRY not to gush like the Yes fanboy that I am…)! Even with the aforementioned absence of Jon Anderson (Jon Davison was on vocals – quite a few people remarked they enjoyed his vocals better than Anderson’s these days because he can capture all the nuances of the young Jon Anderson – I say “Heresy!”) and Rick Wakeman (Geoff Downes was on keys – are we sure John Wetton isn’t in attendance? Can someone Alan White

Geoff Downes

PLEASE go check?…) The band was stellar, given their age. To be able to play three albums non-stop virtually note-for-note after all these decades? – It was incredible! Two things worth mentioning – there were three video projection screens at the SBC and the band made full use of them. They also shot off confetti canons during the climax of “Awaken” – which I thought was a great touch as the song was slammed as pretentious at the time and the band was showing their whimsical side with this one – very cheeky, boys, very cheeky, indeed! Not to be outdone, they released balloons during the one and only encore, “Roundabout.” You can probably guess my reaction to that… Overall, I really enjoyed Yestival and pray to God it becomes an annual event - at least while there is still hope for a reunion. For the people who mockingly called it Yestivus ala the Seinfeild TV show, I agree. And may I add: Yestivus – for who’s left of us! – Malcolm Y. Knotte Steve Howe

Chris Squire

Dig This Real with A.C. Newman @ Radio City Music Hall New York, NY

Photo by Samantha Edith Collins

Neko Case rose like a Phoenix out of the ashes this summer with teasers and trailers for what would become the release of her ninth album. With its rambling title, The Worst Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, boy, did we have a whole pile of questions for her, mainly, ‘what took you so long,’ to follow up to the breathtaking, Middle Cyclone? Case, never to disappoint, spelled out a laundry list; depression/deaths of family members/unsorted anger towards her parents/therapy/medication/ self-imposed isolation; an unusually long list of thick black muck. But Case was not meant to go out this way and slowly the songs found on her newest release started to make themselves happen. By the time the album dropped in September, everyone had a taste of what was to come since Case and her label, Anti Records streamed all the songs over the summer months. No stranger to the road, it was a given that a tour would follow. Case has released not one but two live albums in her career, and is known for her live performances. An alumnus and ever present musical collaborator to Case, A.C. Newman opened her show, which was quite fitting despite that he also was supporting a solo release entitled, Shut Down The Streets. Appearing on the grand stage with a handful of musicians that could pass as his family (three members of his band

looked no more older than teenagers), Newman quietly wowed the audience with his never ending ability to weave a killer hook, even if it’s being support by a floor drum and violin. The collection of songs on this release seem soft, hushed while coupled with a bit of organic emotional notions. But again, this is the lure of Newman and his lyrics, for he is a master. All the musicians on the stage were humble and seemed even a bit shy, similar to music students performing for the very first time. Yet it was this simple performance that packed a velvet hammer to awaken the audience for what was to follow. Case’s show opened with a darkened stage, draped with a backdrop depicting different sized tattooedarm eating eels – the same ones that are found on her album cover and all her packaging. The lighting cast dark shadows making it feel like we were all together at the bottom of an ocean as the sonars of a submarine echoed through the halls. Case followed her band on stage wearing a black shift dress and white fishnet stockings, a move that was pretty cool considering that she was playing such a respected and hallowed concert and performance hall. But her wild, red hair, looking like she hadn’t brushed it in days, truly made the look. She opened with the new track, “Where Did I Leave That Fire,” which is haunting and a bit droning. She then quickly went into, “This Tornado Loves You,” to much of the audience’s delight. Throughout the show Case would pick up either a tambourine or guitar from time to time, and would exchange witty banter with her backing vocalist, singer/songwriter, Kelly Hogan. Hogan, who is a recording musician in her own right, tossed whip-smart comments off the stage. My, she was funny! But having the two women talking amongst each other felt like they had completely forgotten they were front of a live audience at times as they exchanged private jokes or references. At one point,

Case detailed an adventure where both she and Hogan were trying to break into the offices of Radio City; mainly the Christmas Show floor/ department via the building elevator. They didn’t make it in. The rest of performance did not disappoint for Case did a little bit of everything. She even performed an oddity, the song, “In California,” written by musician and once band mate Lisa Marr. I secretly wished that Case performed my absolute favorite, “Star Witness,” but it was not to be. Instead, she gave us, “Maybe Sparrow,” “Wild Creatures,” “Night Still Comes” and the massive love song, “Calling Card,” where Case woos to all the band members that help pattern her thoughts into songs. “I’m not married,” Case has been quoted saying, “so my band is my family/husband.” It’s an extremely heartfelt, aching song. Case’s encore consisted of the battery acid sting of a song, called, “Nearly Midnight, Honolulu,” also found on her latest. Coupled with just her and Hogan’s haunting vocals; the song is a sad but true tale of a mother abusing her child with harsh, violent words. Case holds up the situation and seals it forever in this song, wishing that this “kid” learns to rise about it. A bold move for an encore, as I could hear the gentleman beside me say, “wow, powerful song…” The most brilliant point of the evening came in the very last song performed. “Ragtime,” (once again on the latest album) offers horns during its chorus and as a build up towards the closing of the song. Since Case didn’t have a horn section touring with her, she had Newman and Co., back up on stage and everyone sang the horn parts together, making this the most perfect ending to a show. www.nekocase.com www.acnewman.net -Samantha Edith Collins

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Liv e Review

Photos by Mark Wells

FLAG!-TSOL @ Irving Plaza, New York, NY FLAG!: Who Said Reunions Suck? “Before we get started we’d like to let you know that this is a bit of a disclaimer, ‘We’re not Black Flag. We Are FLAG!’” Well, it happened. Holy shit, it happened! (Black) FLAG! reunited, sans the bitter one, and wailed on NYC. These kats were in damn fine form. In fact, tip-top ass-kicking form. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, Greg Ginn has “reformed” Black Flag and is touring and has released a new album. Spoiler Alert: “It sucks!”) This gig was better than any reunion show had any right to be. Even the most jaded among us, were pumping our fists and shouting along. The band’s 24 song set covered a wide swath of (Black) FLAG! history from the “Nervous Breakdown” Ep. thru “My War”. Keith Morris, founding member, fired the opening salvo with “Revenge” from the Jealous Again EP (1980), then continued the stampede thru the bands early catalog before a stop at 1978’s “Nervous Breakdown.” Dez Cadena, vocalist from 1980-81, stepped

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in at this 1/2 way point the set to belt out some of the tunes he’d laid down on wax. The bands initial set closed out with Dez belting out a barnburner cover of The Kingsmen hit, “Louie, Louie.” Would there be an encore? Hell yeah. Keith bounded back on to bellow “I’ve Heard It Before”, roiling the thrashers into another frenzy. Dez closed out the show with a smoldering version of the pre-Stoner Rock jam, “Damaged I”. The band has never sounded better. Stephen Egerton more than handily replaced Ginn on guitar. Chuck Dukowski and Bill Stevenson, one of hardcore’s fiercest rhythm sections, led the charge with military precision. Keith proved a monster on the Rollins-era tunes. Mostly, both Dez and Keith reminded us that there was a (Black) FLAG! before Henry Rollins. This evening was one helluva celebration of a band that changed the face of D.I.Y. in America and the world. Opening the show were Brooklyn skate brats, Cerebral Ballzy and Orange County’s finest, TSOL. Cerebral Ballzy just get better and better each time I see them. (I promise to do a real review of CB in the future). Next up was TSOL, who make me swoon. Somehow in the 32 years I have been going to shows, I missed TSOL. How did that happen? Jack

Grisham was caterwauling over the stage, backed by a mighty tight band of mostly original members. They were having fun, as they should. Carry on gentlemen, you are doing the Lord’s work.

Setlist Keith Morris on Lead Vocals Revenge/Fix Me/Police Story/I Don’t Care/Depression/I’ve Had It/ No Values/My War/No More/Gimmie, Gimmie, Gimmie/White Minority/Jealous Again/Wasted/Clocked In/Nervous Breakdown Dez Cadena on Lead Vocals American Waste /Spray Paint/ Thirsty and Miserable/Padded Cell/ Six Pack Keith Morris on Lead Vocals Rise Above Dez Cadena on Lead Vocals Louie Louie ENCORE Keith Morris on Lead Vocals I’ve Heard It Before Dez Cadena on Lead Vocals Damaged I ~Mark Wells

Dig This Real at Williamsburg Park Williamsburg, Brooklyn Friday, September 20, 2013

of Daptone, Bradley was encouraged to be himself and sing as Charles Bradley, not James Brown. With Tom Brenneck as his producer, and backed by the Menahan Street Band he works to write original songs torn from the heartaches and struggles he has experienced in his own life. When Bradley was 8 months old his mother moved to New York and left him in Gainesville, Florida in the care of his grandmother. By the time he was 8-yearsold, his mother returned to take him and his siblings back to New York with her. His mother contends that she went to New York to “better herself,” but in the documentary about Charles Bradley’s life: Charles Bradley – Soul of America, his relatives contend that it may have been more likely that she went to New York chasing the love of a man and may have wanted her children back under her wing so that she could collect aid for dependents.

Daptone Records artists Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens and The Budos Band had just finished their opening sets, and the energy in the audience for Charles Bradley, the headlining act of the Daptone Records Super Soul Revue, was palpable. All around me were various groups of twenty-somethings who relayed their excitement about having their first chance to see Charles Bradley at this free show; but the make-up of the audience spanned the generations from 10-years-old right on up to people in their 60’s. What can I say, Charles Bradley certainly has appeal!

He should know, because at age 65 Bradley finds himself in the most unlikely position of supporting the release of his second album, Victim of Love. His first album, No Time for Dreaming, was released in 2011 when he was 62-years-old.

Maybe it’s because when he told the onlookers that, “I went around the world and came back, and now I’m home. I love you, Brooklyn!” the love he sent out felt genuine and real. Maybe that sense of love is compounded by the fact that Bradley does not call those who appreciate his brand of soul singing “fans,” but rather, “brothers and sisters.”

A latecomer to the music world, Bradley spent 42 years struggling in the music industry before catching this most recent break. Initially, he did a James Brown imitation act billing himself as “Black Velvet,” but one day hearing that Daptone Records in Brooklyn was looking for singers, he dropped by their office and their relationship was soon underway. Under the supportive wing

In fact, over the course of the evening Bradley told the audience many times that he loved them. He even thanked them for the opportunity to be with them and explained that in the past he has “walked the streets looking for a place to lay my head.” He encouraged the audience “Never give up on your dreams!”

Whatever the true case may be, once he was in Brooklyn with his mother, Bradley could not see eye-to-eye with her and did not appreciate sleeping on the dirt floor of the basement where the roaches roamed; so he ran away at age 14 sleeping on subway cars and in abandoned buildings in Bedford-Stuyvesant. This was the beginning his life of “travelling around the world” that he speaks of during his concerts. Bradley got his sister to forge his mother’s signature so he could enlist in Job Corps and was sent to Bar Harbor, Maine to become a cook’s trainee. It was here that he first did his James Brown imitation to the delight of his co-workers and others, and where he first caught the bug to perform. As he explains in the documentary, “I said, wow! This is where I want to be at, and I never stopped.” While he was still completing Job Corps most of the other members of his band were sent to the war

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Liv e Review in Vietnam. He went on to work as a cook in Maine for 10 years and also lived in upstate New York, Seattle, Canada, and Alaska. By 1977, he made it to California where he worked odd jobs and played small shows with various bands; however, he returned to Brooklyn when a severe allergic reaction to penicillin made him so sick that he nearly died. His older brother, Joseph, was a huge emotional support to him. Joseph urged Charles to pursue music once he was well again and to let no one talk him out of it. Bradley loved and admired his brother and was completely grief-stricken when his brother was robbed, shot and killed at age 48. To compound this tragedy, Bradley’s mother suffered a series of strokes and heart attacks. Putting aside any ill-feelings about the past, Bradley now makes it his life to care for her. When his first album was released in 2011, his life was quite modest. He shuffled back and forth between living at his mother’s Brooklyn apartment to living in an apartment he has for himself at the Hylan Houses development in Bushwick, Brooklyn. There he is able to have some “alone” time and find peace. In support of the “No Time for Dreaming” album, Bradley toured the U.S. and Europe opening for Daptone recording sensations Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and left someone to care for his mother while he was away. Three years later with a second album Victim of Love (April, 2013) under his belt, Bradley hit the stage at Williamsburg Park, Brooklyn on a Saturday night with the Menahan Street Band behind him. The announcer urged the crowd to “spread the love for the screaming king of soul” and to a wildly cheering audience Bradley entered the stage resplendent in gold chains, a button-down shirt covered in red roses and gold trim, bolero jacket, eyepopping red pants with a big silver skull-&-wings belt buckle.

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He broke into the first song of the night, “Love Bug Blues” from his new album and then took off his coat to deliver another from the new album, “Crying in the Chapel.” Every time he let out one of his signature screams and wails the crowd went absolutely crazy and ate it all up. Going back to material from his first album, Bradley performed, “The World is Going Up in Flames” followed by “How Long” and a couple more from the new album: “Where Do We Go from Here” and “You Put the Flame on It”. On this number the horn section really kicked-in and during the interlude Bradley broke into some big dance moves complete with microphone stand tossing, hip thrusts, and crawling about on the stage floor before he took a short break. When he returned back on stage, he had made a costume change. Ever the showman, he wore a black button-down with sheer sleeves that blew in the night breeze. The shirt had a shiny gold decal of Anubis, the jackal-headed Egyptian god, on the front as well as silver studs lining it which added a little sparkle and caught the lights. When Bradley resumed singing a track from the second album, “Hurricane,” he sang it with emotion, and all of his feelings flowed out through the lyrics. Like a great soul singer should, he inflected his songs with screams, grunts, and “ha’s”. There were times in the show when he broke into dance, did the robot, and even did a split! There were times that he got a little sexy and licked his finger and then crooked it in a come-hither motion. The crowd chuckled and ate this right up and supported him in all of the shenanigans. The evening’s set concluded with “Lovin’ You Baby” from his first album; “This Love Ain’t Big Enough for the Two of Us” (from the Daptone 7-inch Singles Collection Volume

2 which he recorded with backing band The Bullets), and a few new ones: “Strictly Reserved for You,” “Confusion,” and “Let Love Stand a Chance”. On this last song he spoke to the audience, “Ladies and gentlemens,” (he has the endearing habit of pluralizing both) and proceeded to explain that it is his favorite song that he has written because it taps into the deepness inside of him. The lyrics mourn of love lost: “I’ve been thinking about you for so long, But time just slips away. I wonder how your life has gone, Baby Since I’ve been away. I’ve been thinking what to say If you walked through that door. All the walls we build around us Let them fall to the floor.” At the end, he bowed and sent one more bit of love out to his brothers and sisters by making a little heart over his head with his hands. He returned for the final encore with “Why Is It So Hard?” a song from his first album that chronicles the story of his life’s travels and troubles. He thanked everyone for the opportunity to be there and again encouraged the audience to never give up on their dreams no matter how small. He told them it was up to them to do right, and again expressed gratefulness, and assured everyone that when he gives them his love he means it from the bottom of his heart. At the song’s conclusion he came down into the audience, and all the newly-minted and veteran flock he has won over rushed to give him back some love and encouragement in return. It was a show filled with good songs and good love in Brooklyn! —Tiffany J. Lewis

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Book Review

VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave By Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn Atria Books “If you grew up when MTV was a logical acronym instead of a cruel joke…” When I first saw MTV in August of 1981, I was immediately hooked.

I worked like a slave for my friend just to watch it on his parents’ TV before my own folks got cable. After they got cable, I would spend every possible moment watching MTV, excluding when Doctor Who was on, of course.

backgrounds were from ethnicity to regionalism to familiarity with illegal substances (Mark Goodman’s admissions on pages 12 and 13 were a total shock to me)! I was this innocent whitebread teenager from suburban America; I would never have suspected the VJs partook as much or as often as they did. Although, according to them, never while they were at work - being recorded introducing the videos – although as Alan Hunter points out, this was before the age of handheld media and cell phone cameras everywhere.

Having read the book VJ, I now realize how innocent a time that was. As seen from the front cover, the authors of record are the surviving VJs themselves (alas, poor J. J. Jackson passed on in March 2004) but they give Gavin Edwards the credit for pulling the whole thing together. It must have been quite a bit of work on his part because there is a very good chronology starting with the VJs backgrounds, their auditions and ultimate hiring by the network. It was shocking to read just how diverse their

I was also struck by how much MTV was a growth experience for the VJs. Again, from my teenage perspective, these were full grown, professional adults – they had “real jobs” for goodness sake (albeit the best freaking jobs on the planet, but real jobs, nonetheless)! I had no idea how wet behind the ears Alan Hunter was when he took his screen test (Trivia: He appears in Davis Bowie’s “Fashion” video) – he had been in one music video and one movie (Annie). Martha Quinn had only done print advertisements (Oshkosh B’Gosh!). The others at least had been in radio for a little while, but none had done any real TV. And moving to

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New York was huge deal for everyone except Martha, who went to college in the city (her home at the time of her audition was effectively NYU’s Weinstein dorm). I guess I would say Alan Hunter was ahead of the pack in that respect, he and his wife Jan had moved to New York and were working various waiting jobs and acting gigs when they could get them. To quote Alan on page 38: “I had been in the Bowie video and Annie, and that was about it”, when he was told he was being offered the VJ job and was then handed a $500 clothing stipend, his reaction strikes me as being the most adult: “I went home to my wife… we both cried: I had a steady gig in New York. The weight of the world was off our shoulders. We could buy a new couch.” The next phase is the growing together phase, the VJs learn about each other, and become friends while they prepare for the launch of the network. They help each other with wardrobe, makeup and sometimes even delivery. And when the network launches, they share the mixed emotions about what is to come. To quote Mark Goodman: “Now we have to feed the beast.” … and it’s never ever, ever, ever going to stop. Shit. How are we going to do that?”

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One thing that really surprised me is that the VJs never actually watched the videos. I did not know that. Martha Quinn confesses that they would introduce videos that MTV hadn’t even received yet: “We’d say ‘Wow, that was the new Rolling Stones video’, hoping that it didn’t end with babies being decapitated or something else that we should be reacting to.” Martha Quinn also has one of the most poignant stories of growth. So much so that there is an entire chapter devoted to it. Watching the network as a teen, I noticed there was a less than purely professional interaction between her and Alan Hunter. This ends when Alan’s wife Jan confronts Martha, leaving Martha with this takeaway: “So at an early age, Jan taught me a lesson that I’ve never forgotten: Respect the sisterhood. … To this day, if I run into a married couple at the grocery store, I immediately make eye contact with the wife. I don’t care if I’m better friends with the husband, I talk to the wife.” Young Martha Quinn was looking for a man. In fact, you could make a great drinking game with the book based on that: Have someone read VJ aloud and, every time Martha imagines herself as an item with someone, take a shot. When she imagines she’s Mrs. Martha so-and-so, down the whole glass! Anyone still

standing at the end loses! Meanwhile Alan was still working on growing up, or at least having an apartment that looks the part: “I shopped a lot at Macy’s – that was how our apartment started to become more adult.” While the “Alan and Martha Show” was going on, Mark Goodman was struggling with his impromptu proposal, rushed marriage and inevitable infidelity. Read the book for the details, it could make an entire article in and of itself. One thing I have to say – Goodman seems a little hard on himself, but his input seems the most authoritative in the book. Mark doesn’t hold back about himself, either! Which makes me wonder about J.J. Jackson because, while the book never says anything surprising (like outing him), it doesn’t really delve into any real love life, either. He is truly an enigma and remains so, even in death – more on that later. Which leaves my favorite VJ, Nina Blackwood. In my teenage fantasies, she was my wife (details on the Malcolm Y. Knotte drinking game are yet to be worked out). She talks of leaving her boyfriend in L.A. to come to New York, countless passes made by celebrities (in particular,

Dig This Real hard to relate to him as a VJ. And although the chapter is only four pages long, it read like small novella in my mind. Kudos to Gavin Edwards and Martha Quinn for finding the silver lining in a very dark cloud at chapter’s end.

John Cougar Mellencamp’s abortive attempt to bed her). Her nude modeling coming back to haunt her (yes, I saw the article), and her strange love affair with John Waite. She was even offered a part as a Bond Girl. Her take: “If I had gotten the part, I suppose my Bond girl name would have been ‘Nina Givewood’”. The book also runs the gamut from politics to hair styles and the impact MTV had on just about everything, from schilling those damn Synsonics drums to confirming my cynicism that MTV was trying to “break” INXS in the United States (I thought the band were owned by MTV, what with the heavy rotation). The VJs take their fair share of responsibility, too. Mark Goodman: “We’re the reason you have no attention span. And you can pin reality television on us, too. You’re welcome.” Nina Blackwood: “I might have been responsible for a whole nation of teenagers getting bad perms.” The fact that MTV was forced to play videos by black artists also came as a shock to me, particularly CBS being heavyhanded and “piling-on” afterwards. Goodman again: “CBS also forced us to play this Barbara Streisand video for ‘Emotion’ that had Roger Daltrey and Mikhail Baryshnikov in it. It was the worst piece of shit ever, and the label basically said, ‘Yeah, you’re playing this too, bitches.” There is just so much in this book (it covers the entire first seven years of MTV), including Live Aid (MTV ruins Live Aid), Billy Joel in

The book ends with a kind of “where are they now?” segment – actually more of a “where have they been since MTV up until now?” It is filled with the expected follow-on jobs, the re-marriages and parenting anecdotes, which makes me fully expect to see this as an indie documentary someday. A parting shot: Russia, Asia in Asia, the US FesAlan Hunter: “MTV also spontivals and just about every other sored Yes, when they were proformative event in music history moting 90125 – The 9012Live during the salad days of MTV. tour. I was a huge Yes fan back All good things must come to in the ‘Roundabout’ days – they an end, however. The eventual played the first concert I ever departure of each of the VJs went to. I had despaired over starting with J.J. and Nina, Mark how they would translate their and Alan executing more deft sound to the ‘80s… but then egresses and culminating in the Yes put out, “Owner of a Lonecatch-and-release disposal of ly Heart,” which was genius. It Martha Quinn is somewhat de- incorporated elements of their pressing. It brought back sad prog-rock heyday, but the rest of memories as I realized at the it was straight Art of Noise. I saw time that it signaled the end of the video and I said, ‘Oh, they’re my adolescent years (about going to survive. I’m proud of my boys.” time – I was 24 by then!). I can’t tell you how much this surprised me, as it is almost my same experience! The 9012Live tour was in fact my first concert - and Yestival my most recent (how’s that for shameless selfpromotion of the Yestival review, The book reaches its nadir with elsewhere in this issue)! the death of J.J. Jackson. I really liked J.J. although I found it a bit - Malcolm Y. Knotte One last amazing point was the disparity in salaries between the original VJs and the second wave, or perhaps, nauseating. The second shift was far less memorable.

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Book Review Malcolm’s Music Mania I

The chapter titles of the book “VJ” by Gavin Edwards are taken from the lyrics of songs that appeared on MTV in the ‘80s (with one possible exception). How many songs can you identify (title and artist)? Answers below:

1 “Got my back against the record machine” 2 “Changes come around real soon, make us women

21 “She’s precocious and she knows just what it takes to make a pro blush” 22 “They told him don’t you ever come ‘round here” and men” 23 “I might like you better if we slept 3 “Welcome to your life” together” 4 “step right up and don’t be shy” 24 “You must be my lucky star” 5 “Let’s make lots of money” 25 “Every time I think of you, I always 6 “There’s always something happening catch my breath” and it’s usually quite loud” 26 “That’s my soul up there” 7 “Don’t talk to strangers” 27 “I’ve seen you on the beach, and I’ve 8 “Sometimes you tell the day by the seen you on TV” bottle that you drink” 28 “I want to be the one to walk in 9 “Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride” the sun” 10 “Here in my car, I feel safest of all” 29 “You play the guitar on the MTV” 11 “I hope that when this issue’s gone, 30 “You may yourself in a beautiful I’ll see you when your clothes are on” house, with a beautiful wife” 12 “I’m a cool rockin’ daddy in the 31 “My beacon’s been moved under USA now” moon and star” 13 “Hot in the city” 32 “Jokerman dance to the nightingale 14 “Throw your arms around the world at tune” Christmastime” 33 “The kids in America” 15 “Take my tears and that’s not really all” 34 “I always feel like somebody’s watch16 “I’ll kick you out of my house if you ing me” don’t cut that hair” 35 “What a pity you don’t understand” 17 “And now you find yourself in 82” 36 “I said to the man ‘Are you trying to 18 “I know there’s something going on” tempt me?’” 19 “Things can only get better” 37 “I was there to match my intellect on 20 “I spend my cash on looking flash national TV” and grabbing your attention” 38 “There comes a time when we heed

1 “Jump!” – Van Halen 2 “Jack and Diane” - John Cougar Melloncamp 3 “Everybody wants to rule the world” - Tears for Fears 4 “She’s a beauty” - The Tubes 5 “Opportunities” – Pet Shop Boys* 6 “Our House” – Madness 7 “Don’t Talk to Strangers” – Rick Springfield 8 “Dead or Alive” – Bon Jovi 9 “Break My Stride” – Matthew Wilder 10 “Cars” – Gary Numan 11 “Centerfold” – J. Geils Band 12 “Born in the U.S.A.” – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 13 “Hot in the City” – Billy Idol 14 “Do they know it’s Christmastime?” – Band Aid 15 “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell 16 “Fight for Your Right” – The Beastie Boys

Photo of Malcolm Y. Knotte by Angelica Wytch

a certain call” 39 “Love is a battlefield” 40 “I guess I should have known by the way you parked your car sideways, that it wouldn’t last” 41 “The kid is hot tonight” 42 “I don’t want to lose your love tonight” 43 “Every now and then I get a little bit nervous, that the best of all the years have gone by” 44 “The five years we have had have been such good times” 45 “The party boys call the Kremlin” 46 “I’m a man who doesn’t know how to sell a contradiction” 47 “We’ll be moving on and singing that same old song” 48 “After the fire, the fire still burns” 49 “Don’t you forget about me” 50 “We can’t rewind, we’ve gone too far”

17 “Heat of the Moment” – Asia 35 “Mickey” – Toni Basil* 18 “I Know there’s Something going 36 “Down Under” – Men At Work’ on” – FRIDA 37 “I Lost On Jeopardy” – “Weird” Al 19 “Things Can Only Get Better” – Yankovic Howard Jones 38 “We Are the World” USA for Africa 20 “Stand and Deliver” – Adam Ant* 39 “Love is a Battlefield” – Pat Benatar 21 “Betty Davis Eyes” – Kim Carnes 40 “Little Red Corvette” – Prince 22 “Beat It” – Michael Jackson 41 “The Kid Is Hot Tonite” – Loverboy* 23 “Never Say Never” – Romeo Void 42 “Your Love” – The Outfield 24 “Lucky Star” – Madonna 43 “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bon25 “Missing You” – John Waite* nie Tyler* 26 “King of Pain” – The Police 44 “Don’t You Want Me, Baby?” – The 27 “Rio” – Duran Duran Human league 28 “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” – 45 Walk Like an Egyptian” – The Cyndi Lauper Bangles 29 “Money for Nothing” – Dire Straits 46 “Karma Chameleon” – Culture Club 30 “Once in a Lifetime” – Talking 47 “I Love Rock And Roll” – Joan Jett Heads 48 “After the Fire” – Roger Daltry* 31 “Twilight Zone” – Golden Earring 49 “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” – 32 “Jokerman” – Bob Dylan”* Simple Minds 33 “Kids in America” – Kim Wilde 50 “Video Killed the Radio Star” – The 34 “Somebody’s Watching Me” – Buggles Rockwell *Malcolm missed this one – kudos to you if you got it right! I apologize in advance for any typos or other miscues but formally deny all liability for any fistfights, mayhem ordivorce which may arise from this – after all, it’s just a little quiz, right?

Dig This Real I Dreamed I was a Very Clean Tramp: An Autobiography By Richard Hell Everyone reads musician’s autobiographies for different reasons. I read I Dreamed I was a Very Clean Tramp because I love Richard Hell and the Voidoids, I enjoyed Please Kill Me, and because Richard Hell is an actual published writer of literature. I know that I will take away from this book a lot about Richard Hell that I did not know, a few more gory details of some things I already knew and some glimpses into Hell’s childhood and inner thoughts. I was a little bit defeated by the narcissism that occurs in spurts throughout the latter part of the book once he’s rattled off the names of all the people he knows that are famous and writes about how his fashion sense for Television inspired Malcolm McLaren’s vision for the Sex Pistols. It is true. Malcolm McLaren really liked Richard Hell, and his halfassed gritty style was the beginning of a Punk fashion trend. I guess when someone is as famous and well known as Richard Hell, it might be hard not to come off as full of oneself in discussing their own accomplishments and what they take credit for. The other part of the book that was a bit hard to swallow were the many women that Hell recounts his experiences with. I am proud of him; that came out of reading this book, but also a little curious as to why he felt it so important to detail the intimate sexual experiences of

nearly every woman he mentions sleeping with. It’s not a fault, every writer is different, and Hell decides to glorify his sexual encounters or remember them thoughtfully, publicly and in print for all to read. Good for him. That aside, I was in love with learning about Hell’s early life. He was born in Lexington, Kentucky as Richard Meyers in 1949. The title of this book is from a story he wrote in 1957, not long after his father passed away. The story is a recount of the time he made plans with school friends to run away and meet at a cave somewhere in Lexington. Richard put his supplies under his pillow, planning to wrap it all in a cloth and carry it with a stick at midnight. When it was time for bed, his parents couldn’t find his pajamas; his father found them under his pillow with all the other supplies. He told his parents the plan, and even to this day, Hell is shocked that his father told him he would drive him to the cave and if his friends were there he could go with them. They waited for a while but no one came and they drove home. The story ends with the line, “But they never got there so we went and went to sleep I dreamed I was a very clean tramp!” It was interesting reading about how after Hell’s father’s death he was ashamed that people knew that his father had died. He writes of how he became a misanthrope in school and was always getting in trouble because he just didn’t give a shit. Hell’s writing about his early life was thoughtful, nostalgic and creative. It read like fiction of a childhood in the South with his cowboy hats, holsters and love of running away and hunting for caves. He even writes that he’s a

little nostalgic for innocence but that his childhood was full of pain and not that innocent anyway. As he meanders his way to New York, Hell briefly writes about how he listened to and thought of music back when he was a child, and it had nothing to do with wanting to be a musician. He just wanted something that was “fast, aggressive, and scornful, but complicated and full of feelings.” Which explains a lot about the music he did end up writing when he moved to New York. However, he moved there to be a poet, which worked out in the end. He details stories of the girls he had crushes on when he was twelve years old, and the times he would steal cars and take them on joy rides, returning them to where they once were. He writes of changing schools each year and how his grades were terrible but his test scores were so high that he got into a private school on scholarship, blowing it by getting expelled through some teenage antics. It’s fun because you can see it. His cleverness and his quirky personality show themselves blooming silently throughout his youth to the point that it all makes sense, who he became, and who he is now. Granted drugs added and subtracted to this, but all the patches were there from the beginning, it just needed to be put together, and that was where New York came in. When he went to boarding school in Wilmington, that was when he met future Television guitarist Tom Miller, later Tom Verlaine. His entire portrayal of Tom in the book is fair and open. He writes of how they became fast friends and bonded over being introverts. Hell details their friendship with fond-

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Book Review ness and love despite the way Television ended. He does discuss their personality conflicts and why he chose to leave the band but nothing about how it went down. Before Television was even in sight, Hell writes of their friendship as a brotherhood, a partnership; something Hell always found important. He even ends the book with an epilogue about how he ran into Tom outside a used-book store assumedly within the last few years. Their interaction was friendly and loving and necessary for closure, for the reader, if not Hell himself. Once in New York, his life is much

December 2013

like the city, it’s a whirlwind, it’s everywhere and it’s a bit of a disaster. Maybe that’s an understatement. Hell doesn’t hold back on his discussion of drug abuse and drinking. He ends the book at with when he quit drugs and music, saying everything after that point was a little bit of the same and that the life of a writer is boring. However, I would have liked to know more. My favorite eras of this book were the ones where he was youthful and wide-eyed but somehow still jaded, before he was caught up in the fame of it all. Perhaps he’s right and we would have been disappointed hearing about how

the rest of his life has been, but I guess we will never know. He does make a point at the end that ties his reasoning together perfectly, writing, “I didn’t want to write about a person through time, but about time through a person.” And that’s exactly what he did. Reading about this time through Richard Hell as a person is certainly something I would recommend. Especially to those who are fans of the music of that time period, those who wish they’d been there but weren’t born yet. This is pretty good way to experience that. – Lauren Piper

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Imagine that Jesse Pinkman decided to start cooking vegan recipes and blog about it instead of partnering up with Mr. White and cooking meth. Well, then you would have something like the popular vegan food blog, Thug Kitchen. Thug Kitchen combines recipes for a healthy vegan diet with a florid use of profanity and street talk. I’m not a vegan, personally, or even a vegetarian for that matter. I’m simply an open minded person who loves cooking and I do have a lot of friends who are vegan and vegetarian. I felt like I could really relate to Thug Kitchen, as he is not a vegan but his girlfriend is “vegan as Hell” and he “supports that shit.” Also, I have a mouth like a sailor so this website was literally speaking my language. I spent an entire day cooking a four course meal with recipes from Thug Kitchen. I had the house to myself and my boyfriend’s dad told me I could use anything I wanted from his garden. Fresh vegetables, Bitch! I started off with an appetizer; smoky eggplant dip. I’m not a huge fan of eggplant but the recipe began with “eggplant is abundant as fuck this time of year” and that was certainly the case in the garden, too. This recipe was super easy to make. All I had to do was roast the whole eggplant for a little while, then I peeled it and stuck all of the ingredients into a food processor. At first I felt like the dip

came out a little too soupy but after I refrigerated it for a day, it thickened to a consistency like hummus. It can be served warm or cold but I prefer to eat it warmed up first. I sprinkled the parsley on top as a garnish and served it with pretzels. I fed it to my boyfriend, a fairly picky eater, but I refused to tell him it was eggplant until after he tried it. He claims he hates eggplant but he definitely enjoyed this dip. Serve this dip at your next party or snack on this guilt free: (http:// thugkitchen.com/post/59028867028/ eggplant-is-abundant-as-fuck-thistime-of-year-so). Next I made a pasta salad. Like most

of Thug Kitchen’s recipes, this one left a lot of room for substitution and improvisation. I’m used to feeding picky palates so I’m constantly subbing one ingredient for another when I cook. I subbed red wine vinegar for sherry because we didn’t have sherry in the house and I hate onions so I didn’t bother adding any. I used fresh tomatoes and parsley from the garden and went with Barilla Tri-Colored penne for the pasta. I also used the zest from the same lemon I juiced for the dip. Recycle, bitch! I didn’t feel like cleaning out the food processor after the eggplant so I put the dressing for the salad into a Tupperware,

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Dig This Real except I didn’t add any sugar at the end. Everything came out perfect without me adding anything or changing anything. However, when I tried to get my boyfriend and his dad to try it they acted

stuck the lid on it, and shook it up. A food processor wasn’t really necessary for this. After I mixed the dressing with the pasta and vegetables, I added some extra dill and garlic because I felt these added an excellent flavor to it, especially the dill. Bring this along to your next back yard barbeque or picnic: (http://thugkitchen.com/ post/53440962729/you-know-howyou-lied-and-said-that-youd-actually). For the main course I made Bean and Beer Chili. I totally pillaged the garden on this one. I picked some zucchini, tomatoes, and all kinds of fresh peppers. I’m not even sure what kind of peppers they were because the garden is not clearly labeled and I didn’t plant them. I know for certain I used a yellow, red, and green bell pepper and I think orange habanera and red chili peppers. I had two giant bags of baby carrots in the house because I like to snack on them instead of junk food. I just cut up some of those and used the smallest onion I could find in the store because as I said before, I don’t like onions much. I understand they’re important for flavor but I hate when something is overwhelmed with onion. I used a Yuengling for the beer because that’s what my boyfriend drinks, therefore that was what we had in the refrigerator. I cooked everything according to the original recipe

December 2013

like I was crazy for thinking chili could be made without meat. That’s so ridiculous. It can be done and it’s delicious! Their loss, though, because I packaged that shit up and sent some over to my parents, who loved it, and my vegetarian friend, who also loved it. This recipe made enough to feed a small party so I was glad I could share it with others. Definitely enter this in the next chili cook off contest: (http://thugkitchen.com/ post/60458769387/trying-to-feed-abig-ass-crowd-for-the-football). After that minor setback with the chili, I was determined to find something

else everyone would like for dessert. How can you go wrong with chocolate frozen bananas? You can’t. You just can’t. I’m not really a huge fan of bananas by themselves but they’re delicious covered in chocolate and chopped up peanuts. People are always telling me to eat more bananas because they’re an excellent source of protein. I can definitely jump on the banana bandwagon with these bad boys. I brought a bunch over to a friends’ house and they, along with their young daughter, ate them right up. These are delicious and extremely easy to make. Bring these to your kids’ next school event or soccer game: (http://thugkitchen.com/ post/59794766086/whowants-some-goddamndessert-frozen-bananasare).

Photos by Cindy Chisvette

All in all it was a healthy, fulfilling, and utterly delicious meal for me and everyone that I was able to feed. I would recommend checking out more recipes just like these at www.thugkitchen.com and as they put it, “eat like you give a fuck.” www.thugkitchen.com -Cindy Chisvette

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Dear Cthulhu, My husband “Spot” is a real dog. I don’t mean then he runs around and cheats on me with other women. It’s just that sometimes he seems to believe that he is actually a canine. When we first got married, we had romantic candlelit dinners. Now he wants to eat out of a bowl on the floor. At first it was a cute idiosyncrasy, but now it’s affecting every aspect of our lives together. I’ll be washing the dishes and suddenly he is humping my leg. Our sex life has gone in the toilet, which now he of course drinks out of. He only wants to do it in one position. I bet you won’t have trouble guessing which one. Worse, when there are thunderstorms, he whimpers and hides under the bed, trembling and shaking. Between the bed vibrating and his crying, I can’t get any sleep. It’s affecting my job. Spot can telecommute because he’s an accountant. I’ve been suffering in silence. Who could I talk to about this? Well I’ve talked to Spot at great length. It hasn’t done any good. And now he wants to take his behavior outside of the house. He bought a collar and leash. Spot wants me to take him for walks around our neighborhood. I told him no, especially after he explained that he bought me a pooper scooper to clean up after him. I’ve thought about leaving him, but he makes twice as much as I do and even with alimony I’ll never be able to afford a house as nice as the one we have. What can I do? It’s driving me crazy.

– Married to a Deranged Doggie Dude in Denver.

business and have the procedure done.

Dear Married, There are some advice givers who would recommend that you and your spouse immediately get counseling so you can be more accepting of him and so he can change his behavior. However, this would take years, cost a small fortune and quite frankly, there is no guarantee that it will do either of you any good. Fortunately for you, Cthulhu is not one of those advice givers.

Dear Cthulhu, My son is very bright for his age and generally very well behaved. Our problem is that at the age of five he developed an absolute terror of thunderstorms. When it rains and thunders, he runs into my bed and hides under the covers, whimpering and crying.

If Spot wants to act like a dog, treat him like one. The first thing you need to know about dog behavior is they understand dominance and submission. You need to immediately assert yourself as the dominant. He wants a collar and leash? Fine, get him one, but make sure it is a choker collar. Every time he does something you don’t like, to give it a tug. He makes a mess in the house, you rub his nose in it. He doesn’t listen? You take a rolled up newspaper and smack him on the nose with it. Do this and in a week or two, Cthulhu practically guarantees either he will be obeying you perfectly or he will stop this behavior. Either way, you come out ahead. If this doesn’t work and he refuses to obey, simply tell him that if he doesn’t shape up, you will take him and have him fixed. And they fix dogs differently than they fix men. They don’t snip and leave the parts, they remove them completely. He may be delusional and think that he is a dog, but he is still a male dog. You shouldn’t have any trouble after that. And if you do, show you mean

I sympathize with him, but it’s a real problem, especially in my line of work. I’m a prostitute. Now I could give you a sad story about how I was abused, came from a broken home and was molested as a child, but none of those things is true. I’m just too lazy to go out and get a regular job. I advertised on Gregslist, got a few regulars and now I don’t have any problem paying the bills. I entertain men in my bedroom almost every night. It had never been a problem before because my son was a very sound sleeper and my husband works nights. However, my kid’s thunderstorm behavior is really cutting into my work space. Sometimes, when the men are banging me into the headboard, he thinks it is thunder too. Guys always make like all they want is sex – quick, down and dirty, but most of them stop and can’t finish just because a crying boy climbs into bed and hides beneath the covers that they are humping under. I tried to fix the problem myself in the traditional way, by telling him that thunder is just God bowling. It worked for about a night. Then he began to assign different pin counts to the different types of thunderclaps

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and he printed a bowling score sheet off our computer. He started keeping track of God’s bowling scores. Worse, after each frame, he would throw open the door to my bedroom and tell me “God got a strike.” Or “God got a 7 to 10 split.” And apparently for most men, having someone throw open the door and shout into a room where they’re paying to have sex with somebody else’s wife makes them jump onto the floor or out the window. We’re a churchgoing family. I know that seems odd given what I do, but the minister was one of my first customers and I picked up a lot of work among the congregation. It’s fairly easy to tell which women don’t give their men enough attention. The problem is, my boy keeps asking people if God can do anything and why does He have such trouble bowling a 300 game? It seems like I traded one phobia for an obsession. He watches bowling shows and tournaments and made notes of the techniques. In his prayers before he goes to bed he gives God bowling advice. Then he started telling the minister to please pass his bowling tips on to God because he didn’t seem to be listening to him. It turns out that the minister and three of the other members of the congregation are in a bowling league and they weren’t doing too good, so they brought my son along as their coach. They’ve been winning almost every game and they’re going to be in whatever they call the bowling playoffs. If they win that they’ll be in the championship bowl off.

December 2013

Problem is, now there are games almost every weeknight. My husband is taking off from work to go see what his son has helped do and he expects me to go. It’s really cutting into my work time. On the plus side, the entire bowling team are my clients, but the people are starting to get suspicious about me spending all night in the men’s room. The last thing I need is for my husband to figure things out. I want to help my son and not lose money or my husband. Cthulhu, I need your help. What should I do? – Working Mother in Wichita. Dear Working, Where shall we begin? Should Cthulhu point out that by prostituting yourself, you are in fact in violation of your wedding vows? And that by paying more time with and attention to your customers than your offspring, you are doing what may be doing long-term psychological harm to the boy. Cthulhu could point out that if you are making enough money from your business venture, then you could rent a room somewhere else and hire a babysitter. That or have the boy sleep with noise canceling headphones.

Have A Dark Day. Dear Cthulhu welcomes letters and questions at DearCthulhu@dearcthulhu.com. All letters become the property of Dear Cthulhu and may be used in future columns. Dear Cthulhu a work of fiction and satire and is © and ™ Patrick Thomas. All rights reserved. Any one foolish enough to follow the advice does so at their own peril. For more Dear Cthulhu get the collections Dear Cthulhu: Have A Dark Day and Dear Cthulhu: Good Advice For Bad People and Cthulhu Knows Best from Dark Quest Books. Learn more at www.dearcthulhu.com.

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You might also consider charging the bowling team for your boys coaching talents. If he really is that good, offers his services to professional bowlers who might be able to pay more. However, the simplest solution to having a son constantly walking in on you while you procreate for money would be to buy a lock for your bedroom door.

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I started smoking when I was thirteen years old and ignorant. I tried to quit several times over the years, especially as I approached my mid twenties and everyone I knew wanted to join a gym and get fit and healthy. I kept telling myself it was time to quit, this habit has gotten out of hands, it’s disgusting and expensive. I live in New Jersey for goodness sake! Cigarettes are almost $10 a pack now! When I started smoking they were about $3.50. It was time to quit a long time ago yet the drive to do it just wasn’t there. I quit drinking earlier in the year and figured quitting smoking would just happen automatically after that. Silly me. I only started smoking more! This was not going according to plan. At this point I had joined the roller derby and was training with the Jerzey Derby Brigade out of Morristown, NJ. My first order of business with them was to pass my basic skills and earn my red star. In order to do this, I needed to be able to do 27 laps around the track in five minutes. At first I just laughed at the notion that I would do 27 laps in any amount of minutes. I tried to do it and was only able to do about 20, and then I would turn green, collapse on the track, and wheeze for the next five minutes afterwards. This routine became incredibly frustrating. Determination set in and I finally had the drive I needed to quit smoking. I knew what I had to do but I also knew I couldn’t do it alone this time.

I had tried the cold turkey method many times and it clearly never worked out for me. I had also tried the patch before and it was as effective as sticking Duct Tape to myself and trying to quit. Right around this same time my editor, Edie, at Dig This Real mentioned that she wanted someone to write an article about the electric cigarettes. Nice timing, right? I promptly got rid of a half a pack of Marlboro menthols and haven’t bought a pack since that day. The Logics came with two cartridges; one menthol and one non-menthol. I chose the menthol because I smoked menthols regularly. I did try the non-menthol but it tasted like old incense that was left in a damp basement for a few years. Gross. The first thing I noticed about the electric cigarettes is that they are harsh compared to a regular cigarette. I found myself coughing like an amateur smoker after just a few drags. Despite the fact that it was harsher than a real cigarette, I also noticed that it wasn’t the same. It’s hard to pin point what about it wasn’t the same. I just knew it wasn’t a real cigarette and merely a cheap knockoff. And this is no offense to my editor for picking out a cheap brand or anything. I asked around and tried different electronic cigarettes from Blu to Eon Smoke and myself and all of the other wannabe quitters came to the same conclusions. It’s just not the same. Sure, it’s great that you can smoke them indoors and you don’t have to deal with a bunch of stinky butts in an ashtray or all over the ground. They are physically longer than a regular cigarette so the ladies can feel extra fabulous like Audrey Hepburn when they smoke them (or maybe that’s just me?). There’s no risk of accidentally burning yourself, your clothes, or falling asleep with one in your hand and burning your house down.

Obviously there are many benefits to an electric cigarette, although I‘m not even positive any of these benefits pertain to one‘s health. I don’t know if it’s the lack of smell or unidentifiable chemicals you inhale with a regular cigarette but when you’re smoking the electronic cigarette, there is something missing. This is something only a nicotine addict would truly understand. In the end, my experiment to quit smoking by using the Logic cigarette came up inconclusive. I did not buy another pack of cigarettes but I’m not going to lie, I was still bumming real cigarettes every once in awhile. When I first got the Logic, I was using it all the time. I would go outside and smoke it on my lunch breaks at work and in the morning after I had my coffee. Eventually I stopped doing that and now I just push through the cravings. I hardly use the Logic cigarette at all and rarely smoke real cigarettes. It’s possible the Logic helped me to break certain habits I had that went along with smoking. It certainly helps out with the oral fixation and need to occupy your hands. It’s also possible I just really wanted to lap the roller derby track 27 times in five minutes and earn my red star. That’s the thing about quitting smoking, or anything for that matter; You have to want it. A person can chew all the gum, wear all the patches, get hypnotized, and take pills but if their heart isn’t in it, nothing will work. Not everyone is the same and different methods work for different folks. I don’t know what works for anyone else. All I do know is that I haven’t bought a pack of cigarettes in over a month and I now have a shiny red star on my skate helmet. – Cindy Chisvette

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The Dean’s List

The Pied Whistleblower

December 2013

Political Cartoon by Dean Keim • http://deankeimarts.tumblr.com/

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