NOTES goes bye bye

We're getting an extreme makeover: LEO's parent company Southcomm has designed us a new website, and to celebrate the change we're changing the name of the music blog. It'll be called "Bluegrass Catastrophe," a name that endorses both the state/area we love, and the glut of CDs, mp3s and other goodies bands bombard the music desk with.

Just kidding (Sort of).

Head on over to and kick the tires. —MH

Sativa Gumbo last show

From the band:

"So here it is, Sativ​a Gumbo​'​​s final​ show and 12 year anniv​ersar​y.​​ Sativ​a will take the stage​ for one last time on Octob​er 11, 2008 durin​g The New Alban​ian Brewi​ng Compa​ny'​​s Fring​e Fest.​​ The show will be takin​g place​ Satur​day night​ in downt​own New Alban​y durin​g the Harve​st Homec​oming​.​​ We would​ like to take this oppor​tunit​y to thank​ all of our frien​ds and famil​ies who have suppo​rted us thoug​h the years​. ​We hope you can come celeb​rate with us as this is our farew​ell.​​"

Fring​e Fest
415 Bank Stree​t
Downt​own New Alban​y IN.

Jim James injured at Iowa concert

My Morning Jacket member injured at Iowa concert

The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Singer and guitarist Jim James of the Kentucky-based Southern-rock group My Morning Jacket has been released from the hospital after being injured in a fall during a concert at the University of Iowa.

A Cedar Rapids newspaper reported James slipped and fell about 30 minutes into the show Tuesday night. The Gazette says he apparently hit his head in the fall, which happened between songs.

The rest of the concert was canceled.

James was taken to University Hosptials. Hospital spokesman Tom Moore said Wednesday that James, who's real name is James Olliges Jr., was treated and released.

Louisville Leopard Percussionists in D.C.

Leopard Percussionists in Washington, DC

By T.E. Lyons

On a sunny Saturday in October, the hill at the center of the National Mall has the usual crowd: dog walkers, people throwing footballs, a pick-up softball game. Other than the line of tourists at the Washington Monument, it’s not too unlike Cherokee Park … once you accept that some of the nonchalant bike-riders are actually Secret Service.
If the agents are looking out for the unusual, they should certainly notice the ampitheater where the melody to “Play that Funky Music” is tapped out on a wave of marimbas. As they promised when they opened up for My Morning Jacket at the riverfront in August, The Louisville Leopard Percussionists succeeded in getting to Washington and to the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival.
Charlie Fishman, executive director of the Ellington festival (this year featuring acts such as Taj Mahal and McCoy Tyner) introduced the group and applauded the fundraising that got the Leopards to DC. A number of Leopard parents—some of whom drove here convoy-style for 13 hours behind the group’s two buses—joined in sighs of relief that the funding eventually came together. Elizabeth McDaniel, just before watching her son take a solo, said that an assist from Metro Council made sure the kids got on the buses.
The 200 jazz devotees and Leopards supporters who’d heard the first song were joined by dozens with each succeeding number. For third song “La Bamba”, the senior members of the 7- to 12-year-old percussionists turned their instruments over to beginners. Even 8-year-olds aren’t shy about taking a turn at soloing—as long as it amounts to thwacking with big sticks in both hands. The tiniest performers stand on milk crates, as a sweetly thin voice carries over to the nearby World War II Memorial with the announcement “Next will be ‘Wipeout’ featuring Brenna on the drumset.”
The Leopards close their 45-minute set with “Oye Como Va” (to honor Carlos Santana, whose Milagro Foundation has helped them along). Walking offstage, Leopard Kaylyn Tyree still can’t shake that she was playing in the shadow of the Washington Monument. Director Diane Downs has understated approval for the performance, and downplays her role in some regards—deferring to the four-dozen Louisville kids who held their own at a big music festival on a grand stage at the nation’s capital.

Crappy Nightmareville 7-inch release party tomorrow night

Tuesday, Oct. 7
7" Release Party
Crappy Nightmareville
w/ Sapat
9 p.m.
Underground Sounds

Ben Purdom on LEO Music ’Cast

Ben Purdom is celebrating the release of his debut album, Meets The Morning, due out Oct. 12. He performs weekly at The Monkey Wrench on Barret Avenue. More info on him and his shows is here.

Q&A: Royal Bangs

Knoxville, Tenn. natives Royal Bangs open for The Black Keys Tuesday, Oct. 7 at Coyote's at City Block. 9 p.m. $20. —MH

LEO: What do you look for in bangs? Hairspray does hurt the environment, you know.

RB: So does driving around in a huge van shooting a jet of white-hot classic American pollution juice behind us. Maybe we should try to convert our van to run on hairspray combustion instead. This Earf only respects you if you give it a run for its money; I say it's time the old gal started fighting back. I'll whoop a damn tree's ass.

LEO: How many lewd and lascivious acts are committed in the great Smoky Mountains each year?

RB: From Wikipedia:

"Ham" is the thigh and rump of pork, cut from the haunch of a pig or boar. Although it may be cooked and served fresh, most ham is cured in some fashion. Cuts referred to as Ham in the US are called Gammon in the UK and Ireland.

Ham can be dry-cured or wet-cured. A dry-cured ham has been rubbed in a mixture containing salt and a variety of other ingredients (most usually some proportion of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite). This is followed by a period of drying and aging. Dry-cured hams may require a period of re-hydration prior to consumption. A wet-cured ham has been cured with a brine, either by immersion or injection. The division between wet and dry cure is not always hard-and-fast as some ham curing methods begin wet but are followed by dry aging.

Dry-cured varieties include Italian prosciutto crudo [pro.ʃ'ʃut:to 'kru:do] (prosciutto di Parma, prosciutto di San Daniele, prosciutto di Carpegna, prosciutto di Modena, prosciutto Toscano, prosciutto Veneto Berico-Euganeo, Valle d’Aosta Jambon de Bosses, prosciutto di Norcia) and the Spanish Jamon serrano and jamón ibérico. The United States has country ham (including Virginia ham), which might or might not be smoked. England has the York ham. Germany's Westphalian ham is usually smoked over juniper, in Belgium there is the smoked Ardennes ham, and from China there is the unsmoked Jinhua ham. In Bulgaria the specific Elenski but is produced. In Iran, the dry-cured Zard Kūh ham is produced.[citation needed]"

I don't know. How would YOU answer that question?

LEO: There's a mechanical bull at Coyote's. Have you ever ridden one?
RB: I cannot in good conscience support the exploitation of innocent robots. This is a real problem in America, one that our current leadership fails to address time and time again. I dream of a not too distant future, one in which every robot has the freedom to find its own way in the world. The next time you force some innocent robot to pull down a bag of Cheetos from the top shelf, soak and rinse your car, or fling your frat brothers from side to side in time to an Alan Jackson song in a crowded bar, think of the millions of baby robots whose dismal future you bring a little closer.

LEO: The end of "New Scissors" sounds like you murdered a Casio. Where did you bury it?
RB: I do not condone the murder of electronics any more than I support the enslavement of robots. I worked in gentle partnership with a computer to coax a pleasant mix of noises from its guts. I then allowed it to run around in the yard for an hour before asking it to check my Google Alerts for "Michael McDonald nip slip."

LEO: What are the possible implications of epileptics viewing www.royalbangs.com?
RB: In the words of our primary musical influence, Rocky IV's Ivan Drago, "if he is true champion, he will live; if he dies, he dies," or something. They should use our website as a training exercise, to become stronger.

Luke Asher and more at The Rud

Saturday, Oct. 4
Luke Asher
Ben Traughber
The Parade Schedule
Kitty Pride
The Rudyard Kipling
422 W. Oak St.
636-1311

Peak Summit

WINO!

On Nov. 4, Temporary Residence is releasing a double-CD from Wino, which broke up way the hell back in 1999. The two-hour, 36-song set, A Bottle of Pills With a Bullet Chaser, compiles the band's entire recorded history, and was thought to be lost in a fire at drummer Richard Vier's house.

Here's the track listing:

Disc 1:
Dutch Oven
Red Wings
Yam Hand
Dogs
Inspiration
Desperation
One-Eyed Willie
Glass Blower
A Minute Fifty-One
Burn Down The Brick Factory
*****
Attack Utopia
Eon
Fast Freddie
Make-Out Party

Disc 2:
Mountain River
Heaven
Winner Takes Nothing
Mensural
Johnny Deeper
Guns
What The Paper Said
Downtown
Truth Cigar
Spiked Heels And Leather
Blue Tree
Best Freind
Red Eye
Edward
Finish Line
Saturday
Searchin'
In The Light
Best Friend
Dead Bird Fight
My House

Whitehead & Co.'s new Southside CD

From Ron:

30 tracks
recorded one night all one take no rehearsal
recorded mixed mastered by Kevin Ratterman at his Funeral Home Studio
$20
available earX-tacy records Bardstown Road Louisville Kentucky
and at www.tappingmyownphone.com and www.southsideoutlaws.com

WE ARE THE STORM dedicated to Hunter S. Thompson & The Storm Generation

(note: all texts correct. the plant somehow reversed cd1 and cd2)
Disc 1
1. Joy & Sorrow
2. Home
3. Little Wing/Purple Haze/The Storm Generation Manifesto
4. Song For You
5. 4U (Flaming Hearts)
6. Raymond
7. I Walk These Hills
8. The Old Witch
9. If I Could Start Again
10. Worth Dyin For
11. Poncho and Lefty
12. Angel From Montgomery
13. It's A Shame
14. She Called Me The Storm

Disc 2
1. Joy & Sorrow II
2. Play That Funky Music White Boy
3. Sunshine of Your Love
4. What's Love Got To Do With It
5. Dead Flowers
6. White Rabbit
7. You Ain't Goin Nowhere
8. Blinded By Rainbows
9. All Along The Watchtower/What World We Have Born Ourselves Into
10. Champagne & Reefer
11. Epitaph
12. Punks Ain't Dead
13. My Old Kentucky Home
14. Mr. Bojangles
15. Knockin On Heaven's Door
16. Great Spirit

(c)(p) 2008 Ron Whitehead and SOUTHSIDE

SOUTHSIDE Members:

Scott Mertz (vocals/guitar/harmonica)
Sarah Elizabeth (vocals/guitar)
Andy Cook (percussion/drums/didgeridoo)
Kelly Render Wilkinson (vocals/guitar)
Lightnin' Luke Powers (electric guitar/vocals/harmonica)
Yoruba Kikiloma-Mason (vocals)
LIsa K (vocals/guitar)
Lee Troutman (guitar/vocals)
Tyrone Cotton (guitar/vocals)
Dustin Boeh (electric bass)
April Flynn (fiddle/violin)
Michael Dean Odin Pollock (electric guitar/vocals)
Rebekah Trigg (bellydancer)
Iris (bellydancer)
Rani Newman (vocals)
James Vaughn (cello)
Austin Oilfield (electric bass)
Ron Whitehead (vocals)

Honorary Members: Frank Messina, Joe Pasquale, Colin Shaddick, Olafur Gunnarsson

Filmmaker: Helina Berryman
Photographers: Jen Burks, Helina Berryman
Webmaster: Marcus Maraldo
Attorney: Kyle Anne Citrynell
Physician: Nanine Henderson
Red wine sponsors: Fetzer and Franzia
Tour bus driver: Lisa Sullivan
Graphic artist: Pip Pullen
Graphic designer and bus mechanic: Sarah Elizabeth
Baby on the way: Stone
Official seamstress: Rebekah Trigg
Official tattoo artist: Lisa K (All The Way)

Produced by Ron Whitehead

Keep Louisville Yarmuth

Thursday Oct. 2
Keep Louisville Yarmuth! lunchtime rally
The Genius File
The Ladybirds
Appearance by Rep. John Yarmuth
11:30 a.m. weather permitting
All events on outdoor patio.
Free; all ages
ear X-tacy
1534 Bardstown Road

My Darling Asleep

My Darling Asleep (CD Release)
Oct. 12
Brendan's
3921 Shelbyville Road
Free; 6 p.m.

Tour Diary: Paradigm

Days 5, 6 and 7: Crested Butte & Telluride

Crested Butte is a little town modeled directly in the style of those old spaghetti western towns with the swinging saloon doors. Prairies surround the town, of which has one main commercial road and a bunch of houses off to the side; in other words, out of the way of tourists and their cameras. To the northeast of the main strip is a gigantic mountain, a 'butte', which has a crest in it somewhere, hence the town is aptly named. The saloon-looking buildings along the main strip are all clothing stores and souvenir shops, which is boring enough, but they are prohibitively expensive to boot. Your parents might shop in these shops for the sake of novelty, but unless you like the idea of spending a couple grand to look like the narrator from "The Big Lebowski," you probably would not be interested.

Anyway, the people are a great, close knit group of people, who gave us free drinks and forgot to mention that when you are 7,000 feet above sea level, you don't need as much alcohol to get you drunk. I had a beer and a half, and the room was spinning. It amazed me how bars in this town stay in business.

After Crested Butte, we had a night in Telluride, Colo. Telluride is a town of around 2,000 people tucked away in the valley of a gigantic mountain range. It sits at 9,000 feet, and the highest peaks around it reach around 13,000 feet. You can take a gondola up to the main ski peak for free, which is fortunate for us, because everything else in this city is ungodly expensive.

I could blather on and on about the scenery in Colorado, as I imagine anyone who has been here could do. Paradigm has taken me to many parts of the country that I never thought I'd visit and I have loved playing with them for that, but I'll at least say this much: there are absolutely no places we have ever been as beautiful as Telluride and Crested Butte. There are red mountains covered with evergreen trees all over the place — you look up and it's all you see. At night, you can see every star in the sky. Quite different from Louisville.

In Telluride, we played at a place called the Bubble Lounge, which was an oxygen bar, meaning this: the bartender gives you a tube, of which one end goes into your nose and the other end goes into a beaker filled with scented oil. Pure oxygen bubbles through the oil, and you inhale it, breathing normally. It is supposed to relax you and cure high-altitude-sickness, but I was so concerned about getting my money's worth and not breathing any of the regular oxygen that I hyperventilated and started to feel dizzy, which made my altitude-induced headache worse. I am sure it works for normal people.

Anyway, the owners of the club were super-nice and put us up at their condo in Telluride. We leave for Denver tomorrow, have a show the next night, and then we pack it in for home the following day.


*******

Denver and Elsewhere


After Telluride, we headed back to Denver at a place called Quixote's. on our last day off on tour, we had the fortune to visit Red Rocks, a famous amphitheater cut out of, you guessed it, a bunch of red rocks. It's probably the prettiest stage I've ever seen. A friend of ours was the food manager there and comped us lunch, which was delicious(I have a little bit of a foodie streak in me, so I checked out the elk and shi'take mushroom crepes). The venue itself has a sort of mini-museum set up that lists every act that has played there. If you play, you get your name on a big wall with people like the Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Phish, Medeski Martin & Wood, and many others. It's inspiring, especially since the people that are up on the wall are either people that have influenced us or people that have made it possible to make the music we play popular to a large audience. You look at that wall and want nothing more than your name on it.

Our last show in Denver, at a place called Quixote's, was strong musically even though we played to a nearly empty room. Sometimes shows are like that; you play your best when you don't care if what you are playing is going to work, and new ideas tend to pop out. Anyway, the bartender and the sound guy though we were great. The people from the halfway house, located across the street, thought we were okay.

Most of the car ride from Denver to Louisville went without a hitch, until around 12:30 in the morning; as John, Dave, and I sat at a gas station on the way home, we got a call from Brian saying that he and Myron got in a wreck and flipped their car two or three times on the highway. There was a little hospital in Sweet Springs, Missouri, about five minutes from where they wrecked. Brian and Myron were sent, via ambulance, to Sweet Springs, and Myron was then transferred to a university hospital in Columbia, about an hour out of the way. He got a nasty bump to the head and his injuries were thought to be serious. Thankfully, they turned out not to be. We picked Brian up, who was released first, and then picked up Myron in Columbia and got two hotel rooms in each respective town. The next day, we rented a car and visited the garage where the wrecked car was.

I couldn't believe anyone survived the accident when I saw the car, yet Myron and Brian walked away with mostly scrapes--no broken bones or concussions. Just as amazing was that most of the gear was still intact, and some of it seemed even completely untouched.

The remaining six hours that we covered today from Columbia to home were spent in mostly silence; maybe sporadic talk about the accident, but not much more. Which is fine. I've spent four or five years on this project and I've known mostly everyone in the band since we were at U of L together. I've grown inseparably close to the others and my life and career after undergrad has been more or less devoted to them. I can't imagine losing any one of them. At this point, we're all a little bewildered of last night's events, and we haven't so much as reacted because I don't think our situation has really sunk in. Tomorrow, some of us have to deal with insurance, tow fees and car rentals, and the loss of thousands of dollars worth of stuff. Tonight, everyone is home and alive, which is more than enough.

Muckrakers confirm string of appearances

Self-described "wussy rockers" The Muckrakers have confirmed a string of appearances to promote the release of their new album, The Concorde Fallacy, the follow-up to their Label X release Front of the Parade. Since Label X folded earlier this year, The Muckrakers have been moved on ovah to Toucan Cove and Universal. Muck it up:

Friday, Oct 10:
WFPK's "Live Lunch"
Noon, free, first come, first seated. Priority seating for station members.
4th Street Live; 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct 11
Phoenix Hill Tavern
644 Baxter Ave.
7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct 14
Ear-X-Tacy In-Store
6 p.m.
Free; all ages

Frontier(s)

Frontier(s), the group fronted by former Elliott singer/guitarist Chris Higdon, has posted tracks from its recent recording session on its MySpace page. The tracks aren't even finished yet, but IndieRockReviews couldn't wait to tell you about it, having posted a review on its site. The band was also featured on Buzzgrinder. —MH

Ziggy Ziggy

Mr. John King, undisputed lover of Louisville, is at it again. The compilation master has managed to bring together artists from Louisville to reinterpret David Bowie’s “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.”
The compilation will be available for pre-order Oct. 1 at www.louisvilleisforlovers.com, and released Dec. 1 online and at ear X-tacy (1534 Bardstown Road, 452-1799). Select tracks will be streamed on www.37flood.com.

Here ’tis:
1. “Five Years,” Phantom Family Halo
2. “Soul Love,” The Slow Break
3. “Moonage Daydream,” The Gallery Singers
4. “Starman,” Six White Horses
5. “It Ain’t Easy,” Trophy Wives
6. “Lady Stardust,” Whistle Peak
7. “Star,” IamIs
8. “Hang On To Yourself,” Milky and the Stones from Earth
9. “Ziggy stardust,” Black Kerouac
10. “Suffragette City,” Wax Fang
11. “Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide,” Joe Manning
12. “All the Young Dudes,” The Crooked Old World
13. “Space Oddity,” Tamara Dearing
14. “Cracked Actor,” The Ladybirds

Past releases of the “Louisville is for Lovers” compilation and the “Louisville Babylon” series are available at ear X-tacy and at www.louisvilleisforlovers.com. —Kory Johnson

The Ladybirds, Six White Horses

Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008
9 p.m.
The Monkey Wrench
1025 Barret Ave.
(502) 582-2433

I'm a Lebowski, You're a Cake

From the dudes:

"The episode of "Ace of Cakes" featuring the delivery of the "Toe Cake" to Lebowski Fest in Louisville will air on the Food Network on Oct. 9 at 10 p.m. EST.

Tune in to watch head chef Duff Goldman deliver the White Russian flavored cake which consists of a giant severed toe, a giant White Russian and bowling pins atop an intricate rug which really tied the cake together.

According to Chef Duff, the cake took over 60 hours to make and once served was devoured in about three minutes.

Duff, who is himself a fan of The Big Lebowski, brought his band "So I Had To" to perform at the 7th Annual Lebowski Fest this past July.

The only known remaining piece of the cake is the bowling pin backdrop which is on display at the WHY Louisville store at 1609-1/2 Bardstown Road in Louisville.

Lucky Pineapple: Today on LEO Music ’Cast

Lucky Pineapple's new album, The Bubble Has Burst In Sky City, is a menagerie of unholy rhythms, unabashed partying and, yes, progressive composition. On the eve of the eve of the eve of their record release party, they talk bubbles. Listen here or here. —MH

Mark Geary: Opium

Opium
Mark Geary
(SONABLAST!)

Despite its smooth, relaxing sound, Opium, the third album by Irish singer-songwriter Mark Geary, is unoriginal, uninspired and generally forgettable. His acoustic guitar is pretty enough but becomes monotonous after the first few tracks. In fact, most of the songs sound roughly the same. Ann Smith's melodic voice on “Facin’ the Fall” is refreshing, but it cannot compensate for the album’s overall lack of variety.

The first single, “Tuesday," with its slightly more upbeat guitar and catchy melody, is by far the best song. Too bad it doesn’t make it's the eighth track, following a stretch of depressing, lackluster music.

Geary claims “I like to torture myself with these dark thoughts.” Perhaps it would be best if Geary kept such thoughts to himself and didn’t bring the rest of us down. Mark Geary plays this coming Sunday, Sept. 28, at the Green Building on Market Street. For more information, visit sonablast.com. –Brittany Tracy

Doo Wop Fire

Images courtesy of the Doo Wop Shop.

Starfucker in Louisville

Starfucker
Skull Alley
Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008
1017 E. Broadway
All Ages, $5
Doors @ 8 p.m., Show @ 8:30 p.m.

6th & Oak

This weekend, at the 6th & Oak Space (536 W. Oak St.)
Friday: Sept. 19: The Fervor, A Bit Shifty, David Cronin (Follow The Train, Cabin): 9 p.m., $5
Sunday: Sept. 21: The Mack, The Parade Schedule, Deep Vibration.

Alan Rhody CD release

From Alan Rhody:

Our thoughts and good wishes go out to those dealing with power outages, downed trees and any other damage or inconveniences due to "IKE" - The Dog!! This hurricane
reeked havoc all the way to Canada. So, hang in there everyone. This too shall pass.

The good news is: The party is HAPPENING!! The Rudyard Kipling in downtown Louisville escaped any injury or electrical problems and there are many reservations already for Friday night's show! Bring $5. bills!! We'll probably need them.

We're looking forward to a busy weekend! And if we don't see you Friday,
remember on Saturday, one hour after my writing workshop ends at Steilberg's,
4029 Bardstown Road in Buechel, Larry Colburn and I will give another
performance at 5 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

AR

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW FOR FRIDAY NIGHT!

CD RELEASE PARTY & SHOW!

FRI. SEPT.19
THE RUDYARD KIPLING
LOUISVILLE, KY
ALAN RHODY & LARRY COLBURN
7:30PM
RESERV. 636-1311
Adm. Only $5.!
Special $5. for the new CD!
PLUS-DRAWINGS FOR
FREE CDs and other merch.!

SAT. SEPT. 20
Elixir Strings and Steilberg String Instruments present
NSAI pro writer ALAN RHODY
SONGWRITING WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCE
STEILBERG STRING INSTRUMENTS
4029 Bardstown Rd. (Buechel)
LOUISVILLE, KY
workshop 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. / performance - 5 p.m.
RESERVE YOUR SPOT: 502-491-2337
http://store.stringinstruments.com
GO TO: http://www.AlanRhody.com/theroad.htm for all the details

THANKS AND HOPE TO SEE YOU REAL SOON!

news@alanrhody.com

PLEASE VISIT ALANRHODY.COM

Second Story Man, Yardsale, Sandpaper Dolls

Yardsale
Second Story Man
Sandpaper Dolls
The Pour Haus
1481 S. Shelby St.
Friday, Sept. 26
9 p.m.

The Hard Lessons: B&G Sides

B&G Sides
The Hard Lessons
(QUACK MEDIA)

B sides can take on the same characteristics as DVD extras. If the scene was so damn good, Mr. and Mrs. director/artist/musician, then why, pray tell, wasn't it included in the film in the first place? This Detroit trio left some gems on the cutting room floor, and this, a compilation of four volumes of B&G's (biscuits and gravy? yum …), is by turns precious and poppy with tons of riff-fueled magnetism, clap-happy choruses and solid, tuneful vocals. "Come Back To Me" is a sassy hip-shaker calling to mind a Pretenders, Blondie, even Pat Benatar, while the airy nursery rhyme "Teen-age Girls Hold The Keys to the World" is a new doctrine for adolescent struggle, but the tunes aren't all burdens and heavy shoulders (see "Don't Shake My Tree") —MH

Q&A: White Williams

BY AARON FRANK

LEO: Welcome to Louisville. There are some new members in the band now. Do you all want to introduce yourselves and tell everyone what you play?
Cale: My name is Cale Parks and I play drums and samplers.
Matt: My Name is Matt Papich.
Joe: And I play keyboards and samplers. Matt plays guitar.

LEO: On the first album, I know Joe wrote most of the material. Is the songwriting process with the band different now?
Joe: On the new songs, everyone else helps more. But when I made the first record, that was all by myself.

LEO: So you all just opened for Nine Inch Nails in Lexington recently. I hear Trent Reznor is handpicking the bands for each stop on this tour, so how did that all come about?

Matt: Trent’s an old friend of Joe’s. (laughing)
Joe: That’s not true. I don’t know how we were asked, and we played and the crowd was nice. They were friendly. With that type of audience and with that size of an audience, they were pretty friendly and welcoming for us. I’m sure most of them have never heard of us.

LEO: So this is the first of a string of dates that you all have lined up with Vampire Weekend. How important is touring to a smaller independent band like White Williams?
Matt: I’m starting to think it’s more important than I used to think.
Joe: But for money, that’s not why we go on tour.
Cale: There people that buy our records and go to the shows are two different audiences, I think in some specific cities.
Joe: I think a lot of people who download the record will go to the show, but some people who buy the record may be less likely to go to the show.

LEO: That’s an interesting theory that holds true in a lot of cases I would imagine. You all toured with Dan Deacon and Girl Talk last year. That was your first big national tour, so what was that experience like for you?
Joe: It was fun. It was kind of an abrupt change from what I was doing, because I had never really played out for people before and all of a sudden, we were playing for a whole lot of people at once. So it was a little bit of a learning process.

LEO: They like to incorporate a lot of visual effects into their shows. Because Joe went to art school, did you all follow along with that trend on the tour, and do you have plans to further incorporate that aspect in to your show?
Joe: On that tour, we had someone doing visuals, but that was only because it was convenient because he was also doing visuals for Girl Talk. I mean, it’s something that we’d love to do. It’s just an issue of logistics, if we can bring someone like that around, because that’s another person we have to find a place to stay for, and get them food, and of course, pay them, and even have space for them. So we’re trying to keep things small right now.

LEO: You all incorporate so many different genres of music in to your sound, and I’ve found it pretty difficult to describe to people, as I’m sure many other people have. How would you describe your sound to someone who’d never heard White Williams before?
Matt: Tell him what you told security today.
Joe: We should just say like three words. (Joe points to Matt)
Matt: Hyper
Cale: Pop
Joe: Music (laughter erupts)

LEO: Alright, well we’ve nailed down the White Williams sound.
Joe: Hyphy

Matt: It’s definitely a little hyphy.

LEO: Particularly with the “New Violence” video and some of the songs on Smoke, it seems like you all are influenced by pop culture quite a bit, like TV and movies. Is that an accurate assumption?
Joe: Yeah, I think just by being people from anywhere, we’re influenced by TV. I think a lot of kids grow up with a television set in front of their face these days, so yeah.
Well, even on the opening track “Headlines,” there seemed to be a certain take on the media with the title and lyrics.

LEO: What’s relevance of the title of the album, Smoke?
Joe: Well there’s a song called “Smoke” on the record, and it was named after that song. And I think it’s a word that can just mean a lot of different things to music, where it’s like a material or something. I just thought it worked well as a theme, because of the way that someone might interpret the word. I like there to be a certain vagueness with all of our things, so I think the word worked for the theme of the record.

LEO: Since you’re already very knowledgeable of art and design, I wanted to ask what type of input you had, if any, on the cover art and liner notes for Smoke.
Joe: Yeah, I helped with conceptualizing the album art, but my friend, the artist Andrew Strasser did the album art.

LEO: Are you releasing any more singles from that album?
Joe: Yeah there’s a 7-inch for “New Violence.”

LEO: And you all recently put out a video for “Violator” as well.
Joe: Yeah, there’s a 7-inch for “Violator” as well, and all that stuff is out and available now.

LEO: You recorded that first album in four different places, San Francisco, Brooklyn, Cincinnati and Cleveland. How did all that relocating affect the writing and recording process?
Joe: I think it definitely forced me to use what I had in front of me to work on the record. So it was nice because I had to be complacent with what I had in front of me at the time, so I didn’t really get to have much of a selection process. I couldn’t add all of the things that I thought would sound good. A lot of times, I didn’t have very much to work with, so it was definitely fun to try and get a lot out of what I had in front of me.

LEO: Are you all working on new material right now too?
Joe: We’re going to try and work on the next record in the winter.

LEO: Are you going to take a similar approach to Smoke with the new record?
Joe: We’ll definitely have more help. We’re probably going to get the opportunity to work in a studio on this record. Whereas, with the last record, it was just mixed and recorded by myself. So I think we’ll have the opportunity to work with more people too, if we need to, if there’s someone that’s more talented than we are something with recording or producing.

LEO: Because Cale and Matt are going to have more input, how different is the sound going to be?
Matt: It’s definitely different.
Joe: It’s just been so long since I’ve worked on music, because so much time has passed that I think any time away from working on songs is going to make the sound a lot different. And we’re working together more collaboratively, Matt and I are working together, so there’s definitely more room for change.

’Birds and John

From singer Sarah Teeple:

"The Ladybirds will be playing a "Keep Louisville Yarmuth" rally at ear-x-tacy (1534 Bardstown Road, 452-1799) at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2. We go on right after Yarmuth speaks! Come one, come all!"

Young Widows on LEO Music ’Cast

Young Widows stops by to discuss its new album, Old Wounds, and they play a free in-store at ear X-tacy tonight.

Tour Diary: Paradigm, Part II

Days 3&4

As I write, we are driving through the Rocky Mountains, which as you can imagine are outrageously beautiful. I can count the times, aside from this tour, that I've been past the Mississippi River on one finger (with the exception of a plane ride to LA, which doesn't really count), as I grew up in Upstate New York and only really traveled around the bordering northeastern states and some of Canada. Needless to say, it's pretty exciting to be this far west.

We played in Denver on Friday which was not particularly notable, possibly excepting that it was the strongest show musically that we have played on tour so far. John, our guitarist, and I usually find ourselves traveling in the same car(when we go on tour we always take two cars. That way if one car breaks down, the other one can go for help. Plus, if you get pissed at one of your band-mates, you can relegate them to the other car) and we like to use these long stretches of road talk about how we can improve the live show and the direction of the band. These conversations are always time well spent; talking about new ideas before you play can give you a bit of extra spark to try something new on stage. The 8-hour drive from Kansas City to Denver was helpful, I think, because the ideas that came out were a little stronger and fresher than normal. Or, at least different than normal.

Morale among band members is generally pretty positive, although people's moods are subject to change day-by-day depending on the living conditions: amount of sleep, quality of sleep, the absence or presence of showers, etc. We are not the type of band that can sleep in a car for a week and take showers at the end of the tour. I know people in bands that do stuff like that, and I think they're insane. Maybe as a couple more tours go by, we'll be jaded to the idea of touring and will be able to deal with living hand-to-mouth for weeks at a time. As of this point, I'm not really into it.

I'll try to keep updates a little more regular--We're heading to Crested Butte tonight, of which I have never heard of until I found out we were playing there. After the Crested Butte show, we have a couple days off, which we plan to take advantage of in the mountains and lakes around Colorado.

Tour diary: Paradigm

Evan Pouchak of Paradigm will be blogging occasionally during the band's western trek.

Days 1 and 2

We pulled out of Louisville at around 3:30 on Monday to start our tour of the Midwest and Colorado. We'll be staying in St. Louis until Thursday, when we travel to Kansas City and then Colorado the day after.

We've played two shows so far--Monday's show was in St. Louis at a place called Cicero's, which looks like sort of a cross between Uncle Pleasant's and a BW3's. We played in front of around 30 early-comers, of whom seemed to like what we do pretty well. The band after us was Madahoochie, a fun pop-oriented jam band with a deep pocket and an absolutely radiant stage presence, of whom were also kind enough to put us up until we left for Kansas City.

Tuesday threw us a bit of a curve ball--our original gig at Pop's Blue Moon was canceled due to renovation, so we latched on to a show down on Broadway with a band called The Schwag. The Schwag is a Dead cover band, and sort of had the same vibe as Louisville's Merry Pranksters. The bar was packed to the brim with deadheads. We played a set before they started, and then one twenty-minute-long tune during their set break. The dead crowd likes dancing(if you do it right they will dance on tables), so we stuck to more of the groove-oriented stuff in the catalouge.

Much of the trip thus far has been about sightseeing. Road trips tend to go like this: either you are on a strict schedule to get from one place to another in a certain amount of time, or you have a day and a half of nothing to do. Ours has been the latter, so a couple of us passed the time by checking out what I assume are the vital tourist spots: the Arch, Busch Stadium, the St. Louis Zoo, etc. At the top of the list, in my opinion, was the City Museum of St. Louis, which is a sort of cross between a museum and an indoor playground designed by Tim Burton. It's an interesting idea; instead of a museum focusing on strictly art or history, it uses found items(scrap metal, pipe organs, rusted out planes, pieces of skate parks) and makes them the exhibit.

Also, there's a seven-story high spiral slide. That in itself is worth the price of admission.

Venus Trap on LEO Music ’Cast

Venus Trap discuss their new album, The Key, and they'll celebrate the release of it Friday at Headliners with Lucky Pineapple, Young Widows and The Shondes.

Hear it now at leoweekly.com, or myspace.com/leoweekly

Louisville Punk Archives updated

See them here.

Black Diamond Heavies new tour dates; opening for Nick Cave in Chicago

BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES CONFIRMED TOUR SCHEDULE
Yankee:
Sept. 9, 2008 The Riot Room Kansas City, MO
Sept. 10, 2008 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO
Sept. 11, 2008 The Back Porch Spearfish, SD
Sept. 12, 2008 Highsides Livingston, MT
Sept. 13, 2008 Boundary Bay Bellingham, WA
Sept. 14, 2008 Dante’s Portland, OR
Sept. 15, 2008 Big Pete’s Arcata, CA
Sept. 16, 2008 Caspar Inn Caspar, CA
Sept. 17, 2008 Rickshaw Stop San Francisco, CA
Sept. 18, 2008 Spaceland Los Angeles, CA
Sept. 19, 2008 Plush Tucson, AZ
Sept. 20, 2008 Hotel Monte Vista Flagstaff, AZ
Sept. 21, 2008 The Barn Las Cruces, NM
Sept. 22, 2008 Atomic Cantina Albuquerque, NM
Sept. 24, 2008 Conservatory Oklahoma City, OK
Sept. 25, 2008 Lambert’s Austin, TX
Sept. 26, 2008 Triple Crown San Marcos, TX
Sept. 28, 2008 Riviera Theater Chicago, IL w/Nick Cave
Sept. 29, 2008 Riviera Theater Chicago, IL w/Nick Cave

Yurp
Oct. 15, 2008 What’s Cookin @ The Sheep Walk Leyton, London
Oct. 16, 2008 The Tap House Kiddeminster, Midlands
Oct. 17, 2008 The Sanctuary Birmingham, Midlands
Oct. 18, 2008 The Croft Bristol, Southwest
Oct. 19, 2008 Riff’s Bar Swindon, Southwest
Oct. 20, 2008 Schiving Scholar Plymouth, Southwest
Oct. 21, 2008 The Shakespeare Sheffield
Oct. 23, 2008 Roisin Dubh Galway, Galway
Oct. 24, 2008 Eamonn Doran’s Temple Bar Dublin, Ireland
Oct. 25, 2008 Beatnik Soul Derry, Northern Ireland
Nov. 1, 2008 Fibbers York, Northeast
Nov. 2, 2008 The Shed Leicester, Midlands

Yankee again:
Nov. 11, 2008 Northside Tavern Cincinnati, OH
Nov. 12, 2008 Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge Louisville, KY
Nov. 13, 2008 The Basement Nashville, TN
Nov. 14, 2008 JJ’s Bohemia Chattanooga, TN
Nov. 15, 2008 Star Bar Atlanta, GA

G'day
Dec. 11, 2008 The Zoo Brisbane
Dec. 12, 2008 Manning Bar Sydney
Dec. 14, 2008 Meredith Festival Meredith
Dec. 14, 2008 Corner Hotel Melbourne

Fourth St. Live's Homegrown Music Series

The Photographic on NME video

Check it here

Rich O's invades Nachbar

When:
Saturday Sept. 6, 2008
at 9 p.m.

Where:
Nachbar
969 Charles St.
Louisville, Ky., 40204

Whistle Peak
Idaho, Alaska
Six White Horses
RSVP not required

Guilt is reuniting

This from the band's myspace page: "It looks like the show will be moved to spring 2009, around March. Unbroken and Undertow are talking like they might reunite and play as well. We'll tell you more as we know more."

Advertise, advertise.

Murder By Death, William Elliott Whitmore, J. Roddy Walston & The Business

Tuesday, Nov. 4
Uncle Pleasants
2126 S. Preston St.

Noise Pollution owns September

Lucky Pineapple (CD Release)
Push-Pull
OK DeeJays (DJ Narwhal and DJ A. Bell)
Friday, Sept. 26
@ Glassworks (815 W. Market St.)
$3 admission, free with receipt of purchase of our CD from ear X-tacy.
Doors at 9 p.m.
DJ's before, between and after bands until 2 a.m.
All ages, alcohol with ID
Glass blowing by McKinley Moore
Firespinning by Phoenix Collective
BCC beer provided by Ohio Valley Creative Energy (to whom all proceeds for beer sales go)

Also on deck:
Minnow (CD release)
Frontier(s)
Trophy Wives
Friday, Sept. 19 @ Cahoots
10 p.m., $5

The Shondes (from N.Y.)
Lucky Pineapple
Young Widows
Venus Trap (CD release)
Friday, Sept. 5 @ Headliners

Dragonforce: Ultra Beatdown

Ultra Beatdown
Dragonforce
(ROADRUNNER)

What the hell can I say about Dragonforce that hasn't already been said a gazillion times? They're heavy? Check. They're fast? Check. Chances are, if you love Dragonforce, you've already downloaded this and worn it out by now. Every track on here shreds like a sonofabitch on fire, and none of them are under five minutes.
In truth, I've never actually made it through an entire Dragonforce record. I don't have the stamina, I guess. I mean … each album is an epic quest. You have to trek through the Swamps of Meedly-ass Guitar Solos, past the Tower of Bad ’80s Power Ballads, and into the Court of the Elven … you get the point. It's video-game music. It's songs written to piss you off in "Guitar Hero." It's "Final Fantasy," in album form, with worse cover art. Dragonforce do have their merits. They just seem to escape me any time I listen to them. —J. Brian Hall

Chemic tour dates

Chemic will do some more local and regional shows in support of its last album, Fever On The Forest Floor, which was recently picked up for re-release by Crossroads of America.

Friday, Aug. 29 @ BBC Kickoff Bash @ BBC Theatre Square in Louisville w/ Velvet Saints and Jamili Brown
Friday, Sept. 5 @ Bellarmine University in Louisville w/ Varsovia and Ok Zombie
Tuesday, Sept. 9 @ Skull Alley in Louisville w/ Darkroom, Luke Asher, and Murals
Friday, Sept. 19 @ Bread & Bagel in Bowling Green, Ky. w/ Steven & the Ghosts
Saturday, Sept. 20 @ Locals Only in Indianapolis w/ Hey Hey Melodica, Adam Kuhn + more
Sunday, Sept. 21 @ Skull Alley w/ Grampall Jookabox (Asthmatic Kitty) and PWRFL Power
Friday, Oct. 24 @ New Horizon in Winona Lake, Ind., w/ Darkroom
Saturday, Oct. 25 @ Village Green Records in Muncie, Ind.

Young Widows tour dates announced

Young Widows fall North American tour dates are here. Old Wounds, the band's first album after leaving Jade Tree Records, drops Sept. 9 on Jeremy Devine's label Temporary Residence.

U.S.
10.11 Louisville, Ky. - Skull Alley

Canada
10.15 - Toronto @ Sneaky Dee's
10.16 - Hamilton @ The Casbah
10.17 - Ottawa @ Mavericks
10.18 - Montreal @ Il Motore
10.19 - Quebec City - Club Lambi
10.20 - Truro @ Taac Grounds
10.21 - New Glasgow @ Pictou Youth Centre
10.22 - Halifax @ Gus' Pub - Pop Explosion Fest

U.S.
10.25 - Boston, MA @ Church
10.26 - Brooklyn, NY @ Death By Audio
10.27 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Barbary
10.28 - Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head
10.29 - Richmond, VA @ Nara Sushi
10.30 - Greenville, SC @ Snapshot Cafe
10.31 - Gainesville, FL@ The Fest
11.01 - Gainesville, FL@ The Fest
11.02 - Athens, GA @ The Hanger
11.03 - Charlotte, NC @ Milestone
11.04 - Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light
11.05 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
11.06 - Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
11.07 - Ft. Worth, TX @ Lola's
11.08 - Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
11.09 - Dallas, TX @ Prophet Bar
11.10 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
11.11 - St. Louis, MO @ Bluebird
11.13 - Louisville, KY @ Cahoots
11.14 - Milwaukee, WI @ Tba
11.15 - Chicago, IL @ The Beat Kitchen

VHS or Beta on LEO Music ’Cast

Craig Pfunder of VHS or Beta talks with the LEO music desk in advance of tonight's free show at WFPK's Waterfront Wednesday. Hear it now.

Powered by Podbean.com

Kentucky Country Jamboree passes available at LEO offices

Passes for this weekend's Kentucky Country Jamboree at the Water Tower on Zorn Avenue are available now at the LEO offices, 640 S. Fourth St., Suite 100, on a first-come first-serve basis.

Please contact Tammy Norkiewicz at (502) 895-9770 ext. 221, or e-mail tammyn@leoweekly.com.

Bodeco @ Irish Hill Improv

The First Annual Irish Hill Improv Fest Inaugural Ball
The Louisville Improvisors, with Bodeco and The Instruction
The Fox's Den @ City Block (Formerly Coyotes)
Friday, Sept. 5
Music starts at 10 p.m.
$10

Dead City Rejects final show 9/13 @ Headliner's

From DCJ:
We are breaking up. This is the end.
Saturday Sept. 13 at Headliner's Music Hall!
We'll be bringing back some of our past members throughout the night to join us onstage for a song or two at a time.
Also on the bill...
The Revenants
Nowhere Fast
Antigriffith (friends from Memphis)
D.J. Stymie will be rocking tunes and emceeing between all the bands.
All ages; $10
Doors at 6 p.m.
First band at 7 p.m.

Terrorstock: 9/11-13 @ Cahoot's

Six White Horses, Frontier(s): 8/27 @ Pink Door

Alex & Alethea: My Joy

My Joy
Alex and Althea
(A&A PRODUCTIONS)

Gospel music generally isn’t my cup of tea. I do think I can appreciate it for being decent music.
My Joy isn’t amazing. The lyrics aren’t particularly creative, and oftentimes the instrumentals sound like an old Boyz II Men rendition. I will admit that the vocals are surprisingly beautiful.
Alex and Althea probably would understand that I don’t get their music. Obviously, the audience is pretty specific. The song topics don’t get overly heavy; these two just seem to really like to sing about God. I can totally respect their way of expressing their feelings. However, when the song “Lord I’m Addicted To You” rolls around I can’t help but think about the whiny Simple Plan song “I’m Addicted to You” (about a borderline stalker). Also, “Whatta Friend” makes me want to correct the terrible grammar. Shouldn’t they be a little more serious?
The title is fitting. The music is joyful. My request is a version of “Joy to the World.” They would rock that. –Cassie Book

BBC Kickoff Bash: 8/29 @ BBC 4th St.

WHAT: Bluegrass Brewing Company Kickoff Bash
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 29, 5-11 p.m.
CONTACT: Michael McCammon (502.295.6424)
More info here.
Major college football will officially kick off in the Bluegrass State this Sunday when the University of Louisville hosts in-state rival Kentucky at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
To help fans prepare for the big game, the Bluegrass Brewing Company is hosting it's 'Kickoff Bash' this Friday from 5:00-11:00 p.m. at Theatre Square on Fourth Street. The event will feature the national champion U of L cheerleaders and a trio of Louisville's rising indie bands, Chemic, Jamili Brown and Velvet Saints.
The tailgate atmosphere will begin just in time for happy hour at the BBC. In addition to the BBC's fine food and beverages, the Amobi Okoye Foundation, Rick & Jeff Tours, Tattoo Charlies and a number of U of L sports related bloggers will be on hand to help us intensify the atmosphere, with cornhole, giveaways and more.

Friday, Aug. 29
5 p.m.:
BBC Kickoff Bash begins at Theatre Square
Burgers, hot dogs, wings and more
Fine BBC brew, soft drinks
Bloggers: Card Game, Cards Hoops, Cardinal Empire, Hell in the Hall, Smokin' Fastball
Contests: Free gift certificate from Tattoo Charlie's, BBC gifts, signed football poster from Cardinal Empire, authentic NCAA football from Card Game, band CDs from DitchBall and more!

6 p.m.:
U of L's national champion cheerleaders arrive to visit with fans and lead cheers
7 p.m.: $5 cover begins
7:30 p.m.: Jamili Brown
8:30 p.m.: Chemic
9:30 p.m.: Velvet Saints

Merge Records turns 20; taking orders for gigantic box set starting Sept. 8

Holy crap! From Merge
"Preorders will begin Sept. 8 at mergerecords.com for SCORE! Merge Records: The First 20 Years, a deluxe subscription-only box set with special artwork and packaging. Quantities will be limited to the number of subscribers who enroll between the Sept. 8 start date and the January 2009 delivery of the first two volumes.

The first two volumes will kick off a series of 14 custom-curated compilations spanning the Merge Records catalogue, each featuring the curators' handpicked Merge selections as well as exclusively commissioned original artwork. These compilations and additional exclusive content will be delivered only to SCORE! subscribers throughout Merge's 20th anniversary year of 2009.

The curators of the first volumes will be Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Phil Morrison, director of Junebug, The Upright Citizens Brigade and numerous music videos. Curators for future volumes will include Amy Poehler, David Byrne, author Jonathan Lethem, artist Marcel Dzama, Momofuku chef David Chang and many more to be announced.

Additionally, the entire SCORE! Merge Records: The First 20 Years project will benefit specific charitable causes handpicked by the curators.

Watch for future announcements regarding SCORE!-related projects and special events commemorating the first two decades of the label that has brought us the likes of Arcade Fire, Spoon, M. Ward, Conor Oberst, She & Him, Lambchop, Superchunk and so many more."

Wild Sweet Orange: We Have Cause To Be Uneasy

We Have Cause to Be Uneasy
Wild Sweet Orange
(SONY BMG)

“I saw 10 dead dogs on the side of the road.”
It grabbed my attention, too.

“Ten Dead Dogs” begins We Have Cause To Be Uneasy in a catchy way, though not to the extent that you get upset when the song plays in your head throughout the day.

Wild Sweet Orange is an alternative band but branches out as Preston Lovegood tests his vocal cords screaming in “Tilt,” “Either/Or” and “House of Regrets,” and guest Matt Parson’s banjo picking in “An Atlas to Follow” adds a hint of that good ol’ country sound.

The band sings about the usual — life experiences, insecurity, regrets and faith — in a lyrically pleasing way, and a high lyrical quality is consistent throughout the CD, including lines such as When all your bad boys have gone sour/And you’re shivering cold, alone in his shower/Oh baby, that soap won’t make you clean/You’re screaming to Jesus to just let you bleed.

We Have Cause to Be Uneasy deserves a prime slot in your CD player and a well worded recommendation to a friend. —Caitlin Bowling

Volksfest 2008: 8/23 @ Clay & Main Streets

Volksfest

48 Hour Film Awards Night
"Das Boot"
Music from: J. Glenn, Bad Blood, Brigid Kaelin, Venus Trap, Lucky Pineapple, IamIs & Improv from The Indicators
Booze and Food galore in the street.
2 p.m.-midnight

Today on LEO's Music ’Cast: Snake-Eyed Savior

The band featuring former members of My Own Victim joins us in the LEO offices today. The podcast will be uploaded to our site, and at our MySpace page later today.

The Shondes w/ Venus Trap

New Yorkers The Shondes, who have drawn comparisons to Sleater-Kinney, play @ Headliner's Sept. 5. Louisville's Venus Trap, whose album, The Key, is being re-released on local label Noise Pollution Records, opens.

Nappy Roots: The Humdinger promo

Nappy Roots - The Humdinger Promo | Videos > HipHopDX.com

Santogold & Diplo: Top Ranking

Top Ranking

Santogold & Diplo
(MAD DECENT)

At its heart, Top Ranking is a never-ending journey through the record collections of New York pop-rock artist Santogold and Philadelphia DJ Diplo. The two artists barely fit in to their own genres, so it’s no surprise that Top Ranking flosses reggae, rock, electronica and hip hop.
Regardless of former punk rocker Santogold’s well-received self-titled debut and her Bud Lime-friendly “Lights Out,” I get the sense Top Ranking was written based on the collaborators’ common love for diverse music.
The entire project is well-rounded: Diplo impeccably mixes, and remixes; Santogold pulls from her vault of songs she might never have shown. They sandwich B-52s tracks, Aretha Franklin, and Diplo’s Panda Bear remix of “Lights Out” (Diplo’s Panda Bear Remix) and the unreleased Santogold gem “Guns of Brooklyn,” a justified update of The Clash tune, “The Guns of Brixton.”
Adding a hip-hop twist to the project is rapper Kid Cudi, who makes impresses on on the Graeme and Switch remix of Santogold’s “You’ll Find A Way,” as does Spank Rock affiliate Amanda Blank on Diplo’s remix of Santogold’s “I’m A Lady.” Diplo blends the beat from “Posse On Broadway” with Santogold’s chorus from “I’m A Lady,” and Blank breaks through with one simple yet breathtaking verse, inspired by Biz Markie’s “I Need Love.”
With 35 tracks, it’s no surprise that this journey veers off course a few times. But Tony Matterhorn’s “Big Belly Guns,” Sister Nancy’s “Pigeon Rock” and Prince Jazzbo’s “Ital Corner” just don’t seem to fit on such a party-ready mix, and a half-dozen tracks could’ve been shaved off. Buy it for, if nothing else, Diplo’s incredible DJ skills and remixes and the unreleased Santogold. —Aaron Frank

"Matchbook of a Heart" and "Rotating Mirror" trailers

Jason Noble's new film will be shown Monday, Sept. 8, at Swanson Reed Gallery. The Gold Jacket Club performed the score.

"Matchbook of a Heart"


Also, Greg King's "Rotating Mirror," which features the music of Rachel Grimes, is here.

Zombie Attack: 8/28-29 @ 6th & Oak/Bearno's

My Morning Jacket: 8/16 @ Waterfront Park

Photos by Frankie Steele