The Current Music Blog: April 19, 2007 Archive

The Stream 04/19/07

Posted at 9:00 AM on April 19, 2007 by Barb Abney (1 Comments)

The National's new one Boxer won't be available in stores for over a month. But if you pre-order it here you'll also get a free 7".

Joanna Newsom will open on Bjork's US dates.

Bono and The Edge to write music for Spiderman on Broadway.

New Pornographers new album Challengers in stores August 21st.

Listen to "3's & 7's" the new Queens Of The Stoneage tune.

This Day In Music:
1942 - Alan Price (Animals) was born.
1951 - Luther Vandross was born.
1964 - The Elvis movie "Viva Las Vegas'' premieres.
1995 - "King" Herbert Whitaker died.

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Live On Air Blogging 04/19/07

Posted at 9:13 AM on April 19, 2007 by Barb Abney (3 Comments)

Noon-ish: Tunes On The Telly Tonight
Annuals on Conan

11:50 a.m. The Charlatans UK
Will be supporting The Who on a few dates.

11:40 a.m. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Have you heard their in-studio with Mark Wheat? Check it out.

11:20 a.m. Local Music - Manplanet
This is all I could find about the band. If you're in a local band you should send The Local Show your music!!

11:10 a.m. Mike Doughty
He visited our town last week. Read all about it on his blog.

10:50 a.m. Dinosaur Jr.
Helping to support independent/public radio.

10:40a.m. Aqualung
Is playing The Fineline next month. See more tour dates and an interesting "Making the album" video on his official site.
Here's his in-studio performance from last month. Here's his in-studio from May, 2005.

10:30 a.m. Tommy Guerrero
Is playing a $5 show in San Fran tomorrow night.

10:20 a.m. Happy Chichester
Is playing First Avenue on Saturday along with RJD2. Hear more tunes and learn more about him on his Myspace page.

10:10 a.m. Song Of The Day Info - Rock Plaza Central
Today on our Song Of The Day Podcast we're featuring Rock Plaza Central with the tune "My Children, Be Joyful" from the album Are We Not Horses?. Check their upcoming tour dates and learn more about them on their official site or Myspace page.

9:50 a.m. The View
On their official site you can see their new videos and read all about their upcoming double A-side release

9:40 a.m. Willowz
Were recently featured as SPIN's "artist of the day". Learn more about them on their official site.

9:30 a.m. M. Ward
Is no stranger to performing in our studios. April, 2005. September, 2006. He'll be in town with Norah Jones for a sold out show at the Orpheum next month.

9:20 a.m. Air
Will be playing First Avenue on May 2nd. More Air info on their official Pocket Symphony site.

9:10 a.m. Bright Eyes
Are at the top of the Billboard Internet Album charts. Cassadaga is The Current's CD Of The Week. Find out how to get your own copy here. They'll be in town next Wednesday evening.

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There's a Tear in My Cerveza

Posted at 12:57 PM on April 19, 2007 by Jacquie Fuller (1 Comments)

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times published an article about the immigration debate in Nashville, where an "English first" law is being proposed (thanks to my friend, filmmaker Jim Mendiola, for the link.) The article began with a narrative about a music store, Nashville Used Music. In addition to all the standard country music fare--slide guitars and banjos and whatnot--the owner has started selling push-button accordions, a primary instrument in conjunto (aka norteño) music. Though heavily influenced by German polka, you could say conjunto is the Mexican version of country music--sentimental, nostalgic, pastoral, and often embraced by the working class. The article uses the sale of accordions at Nashville Used Music to illustrate the city's changing demographic. In doing so, the article seems to suggest that with a resistance to this influx of immigrants, comes a resistance to the music they bring with them, especially in a city legendary for country music.

What we know today as country and alt-country music wouldn't exist, of course, without the trailblazers of the genre: Roy Acuff, Jimmie Rodgers, the Carter Family--as well as those who they inspired: Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash. It's one big, family tree. We play a lot of those artists here on 89.3 The Current, too, as so many songwriters and rockers claim classic country as an influence. Where would bands like Wilco or My Morning Jacket be without these artists?

Country music is uniquely American. What a lot of people don't realize, though, is that conjunto music--and its predecessor, the even more sentimental ranchero--has had a presence in the U.S. just as long as early country. Like country, it gained popularity in the early part of the 20th century, sharing sensibilities and roots and a nostalgia for "simpler times." And in the same way that musical genres influence one another today, country and conjunto engaged in a whole lot of cross-pollination. This music has been developing since the time of the Southwestern vaqueros (the predecessor to the cowboy.) In Texas, the pastoral folk music of northern Mexico (ranchero) blended with the Polka music of German immigrants to form the hybrid of conjunto. Country, too, is a hybrid, with its roots largely attributed to the folk music of Appalachia. But Tennessee isn't the only place that country developed--Texas lays claim to a lot of it, too. Much of the country sound was forged in Texas' dance halls, where German, Czech, and Mexican folk sounds merged. The contribution of conjunto and ranchero to the canon of country music is often overlooked.

I'd go so far as to say that conjunto has impacted rock'n'roll. The next time you hear someone rocking out on a Hammond organ, raise your beer to accordion great Augie Meyers of the Texas Tornadoes, who influenced the likes of Elvis Costello. And the next time you're cruising down Lake Street, and you hear that polka-sounding music pumping out of the car next to you at the stoplight ... well, maybe it won't sound so foreign. It is, after all, country music's cousin. And, fortunately for us, music doesn't concern itself with borders.

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"My 3 Songs" for Thursday, April 19th

Posted at 1:59 PM on April 19, 2007 by Steve Seel

Joe Abdo of Minnetonka recently caught Modest Mouse in Sioux Falls, SD, and was so blown away that he was inpsired to submit an all Modest Mouse set today (but one with a soft cream filling in the center).

1) Modest Mouse, "Life Like Weeds"
2) Sun Kil Moon covering Modest Mouse, "Space Travel is Boring"
3) Modest Mouse, "March Into the Sea"

Seeing MM play "at a tiny venue that held about 200 people" was his second time seeing the band, and he says, "I can't help but proclaim that Isaac Brock is one of the best front-men in the game today. His lyrics have a Virginia Woolf/Charles Bukowski influence, as evident by his self-destructive behavior: He mutilated himself on the stage during the song "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" slicing a 12-inch gash across his chest and bleeding though his white shirt for the remainder of the show." (Note to Isaac: #1 -- don't do that. Just don't. Absolutely nothing good can come of it. #2 -- Iggy owned that move 30 years ago).

Joe continues, "My angle for this three song set comes fomr the fact that MM just put out and incredible album. With the addition of Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, the boys now have a dash of brit pop rock, and frankly, it works." Also, he notes that he does prefer to SKM version of "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes," as it helps to highlight the "Brockian lyrics." Thanks Joe!

Obviously, it's a big week for MM around here. First, there's their two shows at the Orpheum this weekend, Friday and Saturday. Second, "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank," is one of the discs discussed on this week's Musicheads, hosted by Bill DeVille. Download the podcast here, then join the discussion about the disc (and this weeks other two) on Gather.com here.