The Current Music Blog: March 19, 2007 Archive

Broken Social Scene family tree

Posted at 2:18 AM on March 19, 2007 by Mac Wilson (2 Comments)

I am issuing a challenge to any ambitious listeners or staffers. Someone draw up a chart tracking the different projects of everyone related to Broken Social Scene. This chart must properly account for the members of all side projects, including but not limited to: Stars, Metric, Apostle of Hustle, and Raising the Fawn. All solo projects must also be tallied, from Jason Collett to Amy Millan to Emily Haines and/or the Soft Skeleton. I have a feeling that if properly done, this could be a new Kevin Bacon Game of indie rock. I draw inspiration for this from this incredible chart I saw years ago that tracked all Eric Clapton's bands in the late '60s and early '70s; it had something like 100 people connected in a web. So what do you say? Anybody up for the challenge?

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The Stream 03/19/07

Posted at 8:55 AM on March 19, 2007 by Barb Abney (2 Comments)

The Alarmists have announced that Joe Kuefler will be leaving the band after next month's Voltage Fashion Amplified at First Avenue. More info on their Myspace page. Hear a performance they recorded in-studio at The Current last summer.

Win copies of "classic" Depeche Mode remastered editions before they are released. Hurry, contest ends soon. You can also buy the Complete Depeche Mode collection here.

Watch Slug get a tattoo while talking about Brother Ali’s “The Truth”. Go here and scroll down a little.

Hamilton Leithhauser, the lead singer of The Walkmen, was arrested while in Austin at SxSW.

The Editors have posted some everyday photos that just happen to be rather star-studded, on their Myspace page.

Today in Music History:
1946 - Paul Atkinson (Zombies guitarist) was born.
1957 - Elvis Presley bought Graceland.
1959 - Terry Hall was born (Specials, Fun Boy 3, Colourfield)
1968 - Donovan traveled to India to study transcendental meditation.
1974 - Jefferson Airplane became Jefferson Starship.
1982 - Randy Rhoads was killed in a plane crash.
1993 - Jeff Ward (Low Pop Suicide) committed suicide.

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Live On Air Blogging 03/19/07

Posted at 8:55 AM on March 19, 2007 by Barb Abney (235 Comments)

Noonish
Nas news.

Tunes On The Telly Tonight:
Jesse Malin on Conan

11:25am PB&J
Our friends, Peter, Bjorn & John have returned to Sweeden after playing our SxSW showcase. They'll be returning to the states in six weeks or so. Full dates on their Myspace.

11:00am
Three Degrees of separation:
Blanche - Raconteurs - White Strippes
White Stripes will be playing in Minneapolis August 26th and 27th!

10:30am
The Young Knives will be stateside for the rest of the week, then it's back to the UK. More dates via their Myspace.
The Young Knives at our SxSW showcase

10:10am
Today on our Song Of The Day Podcast we're featuring New Young Pony Club's "Ice Cream" (used for a 2006 Intel commercial) from their s/t EP. This tune was originally released as a 7" in February 2005. The limited-edition pressing of 1,000 copies sold out in just three days The self-titled, six-track (plus one video) EP includes two of the band's first three singles, released from 2004 through 2006. The full length "The Bomb "is due to be released in the UK today. They've also got a remix contest going on. More info on their Myspace page.

9:50am
Ryan Adams will release Easy Tiger on June 5th.

Amy Whinehouse US tour info (click gigs).

9:30am
Antibalas are coming to The Twin Cities in April. Full list of dates on their Myspace page. If you missed the interview/performance from our SxSW showcase Friday afternoon, catch up here.

9:10am
Mason Jennings is home from his time spent out on the road with Guster. He'll be playing two shows at First Avenue at the end of the month. If you check his latest blog post on his Myspace page you'll find a beautiful Minnesota sky picture.

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My 3 Songs for Monday, 3-19-07

Posted at 12:59 PM on March 19, 2007 by Steve Seel

It's all about the twang and the tears today. Rebecca Chernov from Brookline, MA says, "Sometimes, it just feels good to listen to some sad cowboy songs."

1) Neko Case: "Favorite"
2) Bonnie 'Prince' Billy: "Cursed Sleep"
3: Wilco: "Jesus, Etc."

By the way -- have you ever made a request for My 3 Songs? No? It's, easy and quite painless, we swear. Step right this way.

Little Steven discovers Indie Rock!

Posted at 3:31 PM on March 19, 2007 by Danny Sigelman (1 Comments)

Personally I think there are a lot of lines of similarity between the E Street Band and the Arcade Fire. Not to mention the 60's garage sounds Mr. Van Zandt heralds on his excellent radio show but evidentally it's all new and not destined to last according to him.

That is if you can figure out what he is talking about anyway..

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Inspirational Music

Posted at 4:20 PM on March 19, 2007 by Jacquie Fuller

Saturday night I checked out Dean & Brita at the Cedar Cultural Center. Talk about date night! I saw so many folks snuggling with their significant others, maybe inspired by the husband and wife duo's ability to work together, or by the tender songs on their latest collaboration, Back Numbers. The old man and I certainly put our guns down for the night.

It was the first time I'd been to the Cedar, and I'll definitely go back again. A) I'm an old fart who likes the sit-down shows, and B) I just loved the feel of the place. Something about it makes me feel like I've stepped back in time, and the all-volunteer staff was so friendly. (They kept my chai mug full all night.) I was impressed with the Cedar, but overall impressed with Twin Cities residents' willingness to get involved, from the Cedar volunteers to our 89.3 The Current Street Team. I felt compelled to get off my butt and do something, too.

Inspriring, too, was Brita Philips! Not only does she have an amazing, ethereal voice, but I hope I look that smokin' when I'm in my 40s. I've been feeling kinda down about turning 33 soon, and now I'm looking forward to it, and life beyond it. I hope my better half grows up to look all gnarly-sexy like Dean Wareham, too (or at least stops looking seven years younger than me.)

Oh, yeah, and the music. I was too young to ever get to see Galaxie 500 live, and while Dean & Brita have taken a different path musically, I still heard little glimmers of Galaxie and Luna here and there that made my heart swell. The crowd was great, too--a real mix of ages, and everyone was chill and well-behaved and just happy to be there. The opening act, Michael Holland, was folky and sincere and a little Dylan-esque, and made us all feel like we were recipients of a special gift.

Did you go to the show? What did you think? Brita Phillips: Hot or Totally Hot? Discuss.

SXSW Over Already?

Posted at 4:55 PM on March 19, 2007 by Melanie Walker (4 Comments)

Melanie Walker Music Director reporting after surviving South By Southwest in Austin, TX...speechless...wow. SXSW felt like a month yet raced by in a flash! I barely slept, barely ate, busted my favorite pair of shoes, lost my voice, and probably damaged my ears beyond repair...but I had a great time :) I was worried about keeping up with the pace of such a marathon of a convention...but suprisingly I held my own. Getting up at 8am for our broadcast at Buffalo Billiards and hitting the sack round 4am was not an easy task by any means but I became this fiend...fueled by my desire to rock...I channeled my inner twenty something and willed myself to do as much as I could in the little time I had there.

The bands I saw were Jamie T, A-Trak, No Age, Redman, Badly Drawn Boy, Andrew Bird, Black Lips, Panthers, 120 Days, Bonde Do Role, Ruby Isle (If I had to pay someone for everytime I saw Mark on the streets of Austin I'd be broke as a joke. Mallman was everywhere!),The Fratellis, Mando Diao, Fujiya & Miyagi, Peter Bjorn & John, The Good The Bad & The Queen , Land Of Talk, Malajube, The Presets, Saturday Looks Good To Me, Spoon, The Stooges, Vietnam...and folks this is nothing compared to the amount of bands most people saw. I only went out after our broadcast was done Thursday & Friday. I even made it to a couple of panels on Saturday morning for discussions on Breaking AAA Careers (whatever AAA means) and A&R at Independent Labels. So, yes I did attend the convention somewhat too ;)

Bands I wish I had seen Wolf & Cub (don't listen to Pitchfork...record rules...), +/-, Thomas Dybdahl, The Early Years, The Gossip, although I saw him on the balcony of our broadcast wish I'd seen Albert Hammond Jr., Junior Senior, Kid Koala, Les Savy Fav, The Little Ones, Los Abandoned, Menomena, Peaches, The Ponys, Pop Levi, The Rapture, Gruff Rhys, The Rumble Strips, Simian Mobile Disco, Spank Rock, Sloan, Voxtrot, The Bravery and Amy Winehouse... Most of these folks will be passing through the Twin Cities soon anyways. It was a compromise of sorts. I'll see them here in Minneapolis. Bands I heard were god awful and I'm glad I didn't go see Mika, Deerhunter, Tilly And The Wall, Paolo Nutini and Mutemath who I actually caught a tiny bit of and was like "What is this? When does Mando Diao go on?" and then I figured out it was Mutemath....nice guys but not my bag...

My night Saturday was cut short after pulling up in a taxi to the Vice Magazine Super Secret After Party with our publicist Christina and Sarah from City Pages to discover ambulances and fire trucks everywhere see the pics. We were told the balcony on the building fell down. Then we heard a wall collapsed. Now that I'm home, I discovered it was only the railing of the balcony that fell down see the pics. Lame. I wish I had stuck around since we heard the next day that the after party had moved to a bridge and continued with bands performing and everything. Although I missed what is always considered a good time with the Vice folks, my body was happy I went to bed at 4:30am instead of 7am :)

With only one power outage (during Peter Bjorn & John), a few slipped swears and ony one cancellation (my new music crush from the UK who lost his voice like me, Jamie T), our Live SXSW broadcast was a huge success! Wasn't EL-P incredible! He had a full band with him. Never seen that before! Too bad he got a little loose with his lips... My favorite band we had was most definitely The Young Knives. It was months of work to book the line up but well worth the efforts. I'm already daydreaming about SXSW '08 :) Suggestions?

SXSW was hipster heaven. If you are a fan of live music at festivals where not only do you see great shows all in one place but meet hoards of like minded musicheads such as yourself, don't mind getting a bit dirty, can ignore the smell of soured day old beer on the sidewalks and the occasional drunk frat boy from Austin that can't hold his liquor then you need to make a trip out to SXSW at least once in your lifetime.

It's an experience that not only fuels my love for new independent music, but it also reminded me of how lucky I am to work for The Current. Not to sound too overly dramatic, but it reminded me of how important The Current is to independent artists and for us to take that responsibility seriously. We vow to bring you the best new sounds the indie scene has to offer. You can count on us ;)

Any other Minnesotans that came to Austin have some great SXSW stories to share?

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