What do you think this tastes like?
Nov 28, 06
Godspeed!....(gross)
The lovely girlfriend and I have finally embraced the almost undeniable service of the men and women at:
Godspeed!
The U.S. The U.K.
Over the last year or so, an article of clothing everyone and their mother (yes, my mom too) has owned and sported has come under fire from all sides. The item: none other than the fabulously simple hoodie. The hoodie is known in all circles as the catch-all for comfort. Wear it to school. Wear it to work. Wear it when it's rain-snow-hail-freez-ing outside. Just fucking wear it. It's all you need. Well, that and underwear of course (right?).
Here's a very basic breakdown of events....
1. Boston hates on them (link)
2. Shopping malls in the UK move to ban them completely...so does Tony Blair (link), leading to things like this happening all over the place (link)
3. British rapper turned Jay-Z number one stunner Lady Sovereign launches the "Save the Hoodie" campaign (link, link)
4. Some officials think the whole thing is "crazy" (link)
5. British Tory lead politico David Cameron calls for a "better understanding" (link)
6. Even Slate is in on this motherfucker. (link)
Well, the ban hasn't been lifted, and little miss S-O-V is still fighting the good fight for all those youth culture miscreants in the UK (and can you really blame them for the hoodie thing? They do live afterall in the most-watched city in the world). But, what's more interesting to me is the Gap ad campaign going on these days that basicallly pays no attention to the controversy. They're just hawking product (link). I mean, who needs youth culture or combative class warfare when you can get Stephanie Seymour, Bow Wow or fucking Seal to cop around in a magazine wearing your shit? Sov should've seen the star power effect to utilize the Save the Hoodie strategy.
ANYWAYS, here's a track for you, care of the biggest midget in the game, Lady Sovereign, titled (what else) "Hoodie" (mp3)
Godspeed!
The third and final chapter in the Bad Astronaut trilogy just came out this past Tuesday. For those of you unfamiliar with the band, Joey Cape, front of Lagwagon and a member of Me First & the Gimme Gimmes started this wonderfully art-rock cum T. Rex collective called Bad Astronaut in the mid 90's. Meant as merely a more indie-thinking band, Cape and co. made two wonderfully orchestrated records (Acrophobe, Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem) and began writing for the third and final installment, when drummer and good friend Derrick Plourde (also of Lagwagon-relations) took his own life before recording was complete. Says Joey:
"Derrick and I never got the chance to record some of the songs we had rehearsed for the 12 Small Steps. In retrospect, I can see the value in releasing only the songs featuring Derrick's drumming, but this wouldnt truthfully document the process of making this album. In the end I did some drum editing and Derrick did not play on the entire album but I feel it best represents what he and I wanted. The album has a split personality because it was recorded before and after losing Derrick. It emotes the feelings I felt throughout this entire period of my life. I am very pleased with the album and I hope Bad Astronaut fans will appreciate it as well, especially because it is one of Derrick Plourdes last musical contributions to this world. I consider this record to be the final Bad Astronaut album because without Derrick, there is no Bad Astronaut. Ironically 12 Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment is a title that was conceived by Derrick and I during a rehearsal prior to our last recording session. It now seems all too appropriate and disturbingly sincere."
The third and final album, 12 Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment, just came out this past Tuesday. If you happen to be a fan of glam rock, Superdrag, Scott Weiland's solo record 12 Bar Blues which I'm not ashamed to say is still one of my favorite records ever, you will fucking love this band. Especially this record. So go support these guys and for those of you afraid to jump in without a sampling...
Bad Astronaut - "The Passenger" from Houston: We Have a Drinking Problem (mp3)
Godspeed!
I shouldn't even have to do this, but...
Remember those mixtapes (or for those of you under the age of 20, mix CDs) you used to spend endless time procrastinating your trig homework to make for someone you felt so madly [insert your emotion here] about and all you wanted to do was figure out whether that Cheap Trick song you love would be something he/she would dig as well?
Remember all of those family car/plane/train rides to some relative's home where you couldn't stand one more minute of the silence or AM talk radio or cabin pressure?
Recall those moments at work when you considered how that tie and khakis are not truly the best representation of who you really want to project yourself to be?
Remember weekends with nothing to really do but figuring out that anything would be better than another night of watching other people have fun?
Remember?
Godspeed!
Okay, so I've been on a binge lately for amazingly underrated shows and the like, so, it should come as almost no big deal that I was blown the fuck away by the Blood Brothers show at Irving Plaza last night. Now, I was under the impression that the bill was like this:
Brothers & Sisters
Celebration
Blood Brothers
But (!!), the co-headliners for this tour have been none other than ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead. Fucking awesome, right. Brothers & Sisters played a cohesive, short (35 minutes) set that sounded and looked great. Celebration, though, was really the big story for me. I had seen the band before in smaller digs, and was in awe for most of their performance then. But this time around, Katrina Ford & co. were constantly fighting with their monitors and stage sound and the battle of feedback vs. the band usually ended up leaning towards the former. They got the sound working well about half through the set and though it seemed like the damage had been done, the band really pulled out of it and took the crowd back on their side. As usual, Jordan and Johnny and the rest of the BB ripped the crowd's limbs out immediately, launching what could have been one of the most visceral and damaging sets I've seen/heard in years. Oh, and did I mention Trail of Dead? Holy shit. That's all.
Brothers & Sisters
Celebration
Blood Brothers
The Blood Brothers - "Set Fire to the Face on Fire" (mp3)
Godspeed!
Okay, so it may have been a week ago, but no one fucking told me anything about this...
One of the (and yes, lovely girlfriend Karen, I always say "one of the...") most important music groups in my contemporary pop music and pop culture upbringing, Rainer Maria, is breaking up. They are going their separate ways as of the end of this year, and I will dearly miss them. Caithlin, Kyle and William, you were one of the keys to my pre-college and college life (yes I was an emo kid. Not the MCR or Vagrant Records emo kid, more like a 764-HERO or Christie Front Drive or Mineral emo kid) and I cannot thank you enough for songs like "Tinfoil", "Soul Singer" and "Atropine" to name only a few from your impressive 11-year career. I know this may seem like a really lame sonnet to someone's imaginary favorite friends, but I know that this group was like that for thousands and thousands of kids. Brooklyn by way of Madison, WI is a really fucked up way of surviving, but you guys did it for years. I'll be there at the trio's last show, camera in hand, at what is possibly one of the last shows at NYC venue NorthSix (soon to be redone and renamed the Williamsburg Music Hall or something like that.)
ANYWAYS, kids, I've got my tickets and I'm sure we'll see everyone from the old Brownie's scene in Williamsburg next month, so get your tickets now....
PitchforkMedia: Rainer Maria call it quits
Rainer Maria - Broken Radio (mp3)
Godspeed!
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