Lone Star State

To tide you over for a bit more in this Pillow Fights slow period, I present you with a piece written by my friend Nick. He and his wife live in Austin - a city where everything is cooler despite the fact that it is surrounded by (and inexplicably an official part of) Texas. Anyway, his Unfit Times piece is about Ida Maria and the music industry and is really good. Even though I still forget that Ida Maria and Rainer Maria are not the same.

Also, for those of you who have been wondering where to turn now that Jarvis Cocker is perfectly happy churning out crap tunes, I have the answer. Chicago's Scotland Yard Gospel Choir. Think pre His N' Hers Pulp with more care free jangle. They were supposed to play Detroit a couple of months ago, but their entire tour got scrapped because of a tour van accident. I figured they abandoned the tour due expensive van damage, but further investigation revealed that every single member of the band was hurt in the accident - some are still recovering/doing physical therapy, etc. So sad! Their record ... and the Horse You Rode In On just came out in September. Consider it your contribution to health care reform and buy a copy. Also, Nick's wife Meghan is responsible for bringing SYGC to my attention, so this entire post is brought to you by the coolest couple in Austin, TX.

Long play

Ah, November. Just like every year since I got my official music geek merit badge, the start of this month means one thing - it's time to get crackin' on my end of the year list. All the music releases of the year of our lord 2009 scramble in my brain as I try to sort through and figure out my favorites. There's still a few things I need to hear, some records I need to spend more time with and tons of others that I already know are contenders, I just don't know how they fit yet.

A friend recently remarked that, this whole "digital age" thing has really had a huge impact on the role of the full length record. Some bands are swearing off the long play format for future releases. Many more are putting out their best material spaced out over several EPs (some of which never see physical formats but are digital only offerings) rather than blowing their musical wad (did I just say that?) on one expensive to make, hard to sell and increasingly difficult to market hard copy product.

So is it really fair to judge the best music of the year based on full lengths only? Probably not. But I've given it a lot of thought, and for me, it just raises the bar for what I'll consider for my list, and makes me more appreciative of records that are solid and worthy of consideration. Does that mean some really great music might get left out? Maybe so... but I like parameters. And really, who's to say I won't look at the evidence and see I need a "best songs" or "best EPs" list as well? Only time and the extent of my OCD will tell! But as long as I have enough contenders before me, I'll stick with the album format for my main year end list while recognizing that not that far down the road, such a criteria could very well be an anachronism.

That said - any recommendations of stuff you think I should check out are welcome.

Halloween Ain't No Joke

So I spent last evening at the Crofoot for the "Creepy Cheapy Halloween Spectacular Shiny Shiny Fun Good Times Spectacular." I actually woke up this morning because I couldn't stop thinking about what bands I wanted to see these bands be next year. That's the kind of nerd I am. But here's my quick recap so I can get it out of my brain and move on with my day.

Silverghost/Devo
Devo is a perfect choice for Silverghost and their entire set was totally fun. Dressing the part with the look from the "Whip It" video (complete with little red flower pot hats), they opened with "Girl U Want" which is one of my childhood favorites. I am pretty sure I had the 7" of this one as a child. Perfect way to start off the night.
Laura's picks for Silverghost next Halloween: B-52's, Blondie, Gary Numan

Bars Of Gold/Talking Heads
Up until they started playing, I was under the impression that it would be Wildcatting, but it is my understanding that Bars Of Gold are a Wildcatting related project, so this is acceptable. I love the Talking Heads and from the very first song was really impressed by the Bars Of Gold version of the band. During "Once In a Lifetime" they invited Silverghost/Devo on stage, which led to a fantastic music geek moment. The Crofoot's own Greg Baise came up to me and said, "The choreographer of the 'Once In a Lifetime' video was a singer/dancer/choreographer named Toni Basil. And Devo was the backing band on her first album!" He then pointed at the stage smiling and said, "they probably don't even realize it!" This is why, when I finally make it out to PJ's Lager House for quiz night, Greg is totally on my team.
Laura's picks for Bars Of Gold next Halloween: Roxy Music, Jane's Addiction

Prussia/Velvet Underground
Although I know I lose valuable music snobbery points, I have to confess - I just don't care much for the Velvet Underground. Sure a handful of songs and certainly some of Lou Reed's solo work, but overall I've never really gotten it. Prussia did an admirable job and I had a lot of fun watching them play - mostly because I just love Prussia. I was happy that they closed their VU set with "If You Close the Door" because that's actually one of the few songs by them that I love. Moe Tucker just sounds so earnest and cute and it's such a simple song.
Laura's picks for Prussia next Halloween: Of Montreal, The Pixies, The Replacements

Allan James & the Cold Wave/Weezer
Outside of their first record, I don't really care about Weezer. But that first record was fantastic and a staple in my formative years. Dressed in brown cardigans ala the "Buddy Holly" video, Allan James and Co. were adorable. They even had a big light up Weezer "W" behind them. They opened with a spot on version of "My Name Is Jonas" that actually brought a nostalgic lump to my throat. Their whole set was great - if they wanted to like, work the Weezer cover band circuit for a living, they totally could. Ryan Allen's Weezer guitar work was amazing. Is there a Weezer "Guitar Hero?" If so, don't play him. Ever.
Laura's picks for Allan James & the Cold Wave next Halloween: Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Superchunk, The Cars

Marco Polio & the New Vaccines/The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I didn't get to see a lot of their set. If an announcement hadn't been made from the ballroom stage that they were, at that moment, playing in the Pike Room, I would've missed it. But what I did see was great - I don't know the Yeah Yeah Yeahs stuff enough to really know how "well" they were covering the songs - but it was a fun, screamy frenetic mess which made some people turn around and leave. It was pretty awesome stuff. I need to see these guys more often.
Laura's picks for Marco Polio & the New Vaccines next Halloween: My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails

Child Bite/Rage Against the Machine
I was never a Rage Against the Machine fan. Something about seeing a whole bunch of angry while kids in Che Guevara t-shirts running around screaming "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me!" just never really appealed to me. I also think that's the only song by them I really know. I missed Child Bite's infamous Nirvana performance last year and didn't want to miss them two years in a row. They wasted no time and started right into "Killing In the Name" and it sounded awesome. I didn't know sax could fit so well into a Rage Against the Machine set, but it was sweet. I figured the crowd would be wild, but holy shit. They lost their minds. There's something particularly insane about seeing Mr. Bill with both middle fingers up in the air as Bert (I'm guessing Ernie's more into twee pop) slam dances with Mario and Luigi. I think slam dancing is the release of latent homosexual tension. Thankfully I don't have any of that so I don't have to engage in such things. Also, props to Shawn Knight for recreating bassist Tim Commerford's sleeve tattoos. Nice touch.
Laura's picks for Child Bite next Halloween: Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool

Wonder Twins: Detroit Urban Legends Haunted House

This week the Wonder Twins go to a haunted house. But not just any haunted house - one that raises dollars for charity while scaring you. And by "you" I mean "me." Unlike my brave, brave sister, I somehow have this thing where my brain isn't able to separate "entertainment" from, "you are in grave danger - harm is imminent." This makes me pretty hesitant to agree do do anything like a haunted house trip, but I'm a good sport and took one for the Wonder Twins team. Go ahead and read the results and laugh at my expense.

After you're done reading it, I urge you to actually GO to the Detroit Urban Legends Haunted House - yes, yes - you'll say, "but my Halloween weekend is already SO jam packed!" But trust me - you can still fit this in. It is running Friday and Saturday and starts at 7pm. Nothing you're going to starts until at LEAST 10pm, and most things probably won't get started until like, 2:30am because the cool kids don't sleep. Apparently ever. So go there first, have some fun and raise money for something worthwhile. It is only $10 and will make up for the guilt you'll feel about the hundreds you spent on your costume, only to find out that nobody in your age group even remembers the Noid.

How bizarre, how bizarre

I like Halloween. But more so, I just like fall. And seeing as Halloween plays a big part in the season, I include it in my general appreciation of this time of year. Of course, I also like candy so that plays a part as well. Also pumpkin anything – ale, pie, cookies, seeds, muffins, bread, soup… pretty much anything but the Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks, That, I found out the hard way, tastes like vomit.

I’m not one of those Halloween fanatics that basically just live for the end of October and spend the rest of the year scheming to come up with (and considering the astronomical amount of money some spend, finance) the perfect costume. In fact, I’m not that nuts about getting dressed up. Another thing I’m not nuts about is being outside when it’s cold. Combine being in a costume AND being outside when it’s cold and you’ve pretty much lost me. Asking me to spend $55 for the privilege of being in a costume and being outside when it’s cold? Please. But that’s exactly what I did on Saturday at Theatre Bizarre.

Right up until I get out of the car I kept thinking, ‘This is going to be cold. Which means I will hate it. Which means I just wasted dollars.” But holy shit. I didn’t think anything like this existed anyplace outside of say, a movie. Theatre Bizarre may very well be the most amazing event I’ve ever been to. And I’ve seen New Kids On the Block. Several times. The people who put this event together have the kind of talent, creative energy and devotion that Detroit needs a lot more of. I’ll be going back next year for sure.

I don’t have any pictures or video of the event, but judging from the number of people who spent the entire evening with their iPhone in the air, a quick search of the Google will show you many different images and video clips. I’m one of those weird people who doesn’t feel the need to capture every second of any event or show I attend on camera. I kind of prefer to just “remember” stuff and make “memories” like they did in the olden days. Plus I know I can count on the above mentioned people to lessen the quality of the real time experience for themselves in an effort to get it all on their iPhone so they can put it on Facebook.

Also, I have a new band to obsess over thanks to catching them play at Theatre Bizarre: Catfish Mafia. For most of my adult like, the term ‘bluegrass” has caused me to run in the other direction, but my girlfriend likes too much music associated with the genre for me to ignore that it’s not all horrible shit kicker music. I’ll be checking these guys out again in the near future and hope they’re as good out of costume.

Also, if you want to know what I was for Halloween, then you should come to the Crofoot for the Creepy Cheapy Halloween Treat II event on actual Halloween. But here's a hint: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..." Last year's Creepy Cheapy Halloween Treat performance by Prussia as The Smiths was one of my favorite things I've seen live in Detroit, like ever. This year they'll be the Velvet Underground. Plus Child Bite as Rage Against the Machine, Silverghost as Devo, Marco Polio and the New Vaccines as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Allan James and the Cold Wave as Weezer. I'll be drinking milk and Pepsi.

Hey there, leprechaun, drop it like it's hot

I'm hanging out at home listening to this here Irish Hip Hop Volume 1 CD, and I have to ask: Does it make me a bad person that I can't help but picture a leprechaun with a big gold chain for virtually every track? Probably. It is fun to play the, "This is the Irish version of (fill-in-the-blank-with-American-rapper)" game though. So far I've heard the Irish Eminem, the Irish Beastie Boys, and the Irish House of Pain. Wait - I guess House of Pain actually are Irish - so it's just a HOP rip-off. Nevermind.

Not much to report here - but there's two great posts on my sister's blog, Touched By A Monkey. One of them is about those awesome Chick Tract Christian propaganda pamphlets and their popularity at Halloween time. I was the proud recipient of a certain "Doom Town" tract while in Saugatuck one September. I can only imagine how horrid it must've been for God's messenger to have to leave those under the windshield wiper of so many sodomite-mobiles in such a gay, gay city. What a brave little soldier.

The other post takes you to one of the most amazing, heartbreaking and well written journalism pieces I've read in a long long time. As my sis writes, "Ever wonder if the justice system in this country has ever put an innocent man to death? After you read 'Trial By Fire' by David Grann in The New Yorker you won't have to wonder any more." It's a long piece, but totally worth your time. Her post also includes links to info about the virtually indisputable fact that Texas Governor Rick Perry is going to great lengths to make sure nobody gets to the bottom of this - at least not until after his reelection. Scum bag.

Wonder Twins: The Moth Detroit StorySLAM, Review: Amy Millan

It's been a few weeks now, but today's Metro Times features the latest Wonder Twins installment. We went to Cliff Bell's for the first ever Moth Detroit StorySLAM. It was really fun, yet packed to the gills. There will be a StorySLAM on the first Thursday of every month, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Anybody have a sleeping bag I can borrow? I'm going to camp out in front of Cliff Bell's next time around so I can get an actual seat with a table and wait staff.

Also in this week's MT is my review of the new Amy Millan record Masters of the Burial. If you only like records that Pitchfork likes, then you have probably not given this a chance after their 5.8 rating and are too busy trying to convince yourself to like Volcano Choir. But I assure you, they're just being bullies. Masters of the Burial is an understated and great record. She's playing tomorrow night at the Pike Room with Bahamas. I am assuming that means the entire country, so expect a lot of calypso. I guess maybe it's this band, but my money's on the whole country.