Norway Rules.

Commercial for Norway's Anti-Sweden brand of jeans, featuring artwork by Justin Bartlett and a soundtrack of SUNN O)))s "O)))BOW1", mixed by Masami Akita / Merzbow, from the 2001 SUNN O))) album "Flight of The Behemoth"

Loveless

I am filled with hate post MBV show but in fairness it has been a horrific week for me so my venom may have a bit to do with that too. Let me have this one - I am not mean....well pretty much ever, but when you reach your breaking point, we all have one of these moments, don't we?

It is obvious you got your haircut today for the big show. Killer dude.

You studied ancient band pictures and have dressed accordingly. I am not laughing at you, really.

You are over the age of 35- don't get out much, and have forgotten how to behave like a normal person at a show. You are too drunk and too loud and because it is packed, I can't escape you. Thanks. I know now you have a few of the band's releases, own a boat, think your co-worker is hot even though you are married with three kids, and are wooooooo...WOOOOOOOO...stoked the band is about to play....ooops. That was just one song on the pre show mix ending and the next song just started. The band is nowhere in sight and you go back to telling everyone around you about your mundane life. Thanks again.

You are from Ireland, the band was from Ireland. I get it.

No bass sound should be so loud that it erupts your internal organs and no show should sound best in the bathroom.

Flip flops at a show are never a good idea. Its about as brilliant as the girl with the handbag as big as her torso banging into you every few minutes.

I don't enjoy wearing your beer home. Why can't you take a few sips before you weave through the crowd - no less push into a space that is too small for you to fit into.

People still smoke pot at shows? Huh. That is almost as retarded as clove cigarettes...and flip flops when not at the beach.

Its been 18 years and not one new song? Really?

Is that dancing or was their brown acid involved?

$10 for a makers and soda in a plastic cup. Shame on me for succumbing to the pressures of needing a drink real bad like.

Free ear plugs should have been hint enough.

Reunion shows are 99.9% of the time a total let down and I should know better. You can't go from seeing My Bloody Valentine in a space the size of your apartment in the late 80s (or maybe it was the early 90s?) and then think seeing them nearly two decades later in a big theater will remotely match that experience.

July 30th, 2009: Cause & Effect : The White Stripes

A little classic Rock, a little Delta Blues, a little country....our set has it all tonight. We will be paying tribute to the White Stripes from 7PM to 9PM on Cause & Effect or for tonight Effect & Cause since that is actually a WS song.

Stream us at www.wrir.org or listen to us in Richmond at 97.3 LPFM.

Piece of Past Caught in my Throat

Nice to finally see footage of my old band Dahlia Seed make it to the wonderful world of Youtube. I think the 4th and 6th parts are my favorites. I like the yelling, what can I say. I also love the fact that someone...and I know who you are..yelled Gorilla Biscuits. I guess I was 24 when we played our last show and as you will see, I am still wearing the same shit.















A little known fact about this footage- I quit the band after this show or rather told the band that I couldn't do it anymore. I know there are some people out there who thought it was some sort of ego trip or something totally ridiculous like that but that wasn't the reality at all. Anyone who has played in a band that has faced numerous line up changes, had their throat bleed and be as raw as sandpaper all the time, live on friend's couches for a few years because they weren't making any money playing in a band and couldn't hold down a steady job because of the band...the list of frustrations could go on on....knows what I was feeling, what we all in the band were feeling. I think if I didn't say it first, it was a matter of days that somebody else in the band did, ha!

Important Life Lesson For Music Fans

It's safe to say that being told by a computer expert my external hard drive is in fact dead and all my music files are in fact GONE feels about as awful as losing a pet or a limb. I am heartbroken as my iTunes folder is empty after a near decade of filling it with MP3s - the worst part being old demos of mine and rare records that had been transferred over to the digital format.

Fucking hell.

So the least I can do is pass along some wisdom the very kind owner of ALB Tech in Richmond told me. Listen up owners of mega music files. This is important stuff and there are only three key points to consider.

1) External hard drives are handy dandy and great for quick access to files we don't want to store directly on our computers BUT they are fragile moody creatures. They don't travel well (IE not meant to be tossed in bags where ever we go) and won't last forever. You should have one but leave it in one place and bring your computer to it. Also he recommends a larger sized external hard drive because you will be less likely to man handle it.

2) Back up your files on line via a company like www.mozy.com or www.carbonite.com . You will have pay a small monthly fee for renting space from one of these sights ($5 ) BUT you will have the security of knowing all your important stuff is 100% saved and can be retrieved at any time from any computer. The really great thing is the space you rent from these sites is UNLIMITED!!!!

3) Keep using your external hard drive for quick retrieval of files but when you transfer new files to it daily / weekly / monthly (depending on how often you are adding new files in need of protecting or saving) , make sure you are saving this same information on line too.

As sad as I am about the loss of all my music files Adam at ALB Tech didn't charge me for pulling apart my WD Passport and testing it which was good news for the very broke me. They won't charge you to to a diagnostic check for data retrieval so keep that in mind you local Richmond types.

Record Collection = DNA Chain

Every record collector goes through inevitable selling phases depending on where their bank account is at. During times of economic starvation we have all turned to our vinyl and begun the almost comical act bargaining with ourselves. We each have our own little ways of deciding what to keep or sell and it can change depending on just how broke we are.

My recent sad financial state has forced me revisit my collection and play the game of worth (IE doesn't make it to the sell pile) verse what I am willing to surrender for a few dollars. As I painstakingly nitpick at some 4,000 records I am a amazed at how many records have somehow never managed to be played, with many still wrapped snugly in its original cellophane with the seal unbroken. In fairness I have been seriously collecting records for some twenty plus years so with a fairly large collection it becomes nearly impossible to listen to much of it on any regular basis. It is at this point I have to ask myself a very important question... (okay, only important to a record nerd facing the dreaded situation of having to sell records because you are broke) if I have never played this record and it has been over a year no less 5 or more years, has this record really earned a permanent place in my home? When you are as broke as I am, my new answer to this question is no. If I haven't played a record EVER it probably shouldn't belong to me and will more than likely find a better home somewhere else. Its pathetic to think about my records as if they have feelings but I truly feel like if I haven't given a record proper love and attention, it deserves a better home with someone who will love it and take it out every now and then.

The only upside I can say to this process of going through my records with a fine tooth comb is it is forcing me to think about the music I own, why I own it, and how the record made it to my shelf in the first place. Most music nerds will agree with me here, some people have scrap books and photo albums to capture memories, we have records. An enormous part of my collection carries some serious memories for me and marks my growth into adulthood like pencil marks in a door frame from my childhood home. The records on my shelf reflect so much of my life: the friends I have or have had, the bands I have played in and have toured with, the parts of the country I have lived in or traveled to, the stores I have worked in, family member's gifts or hand me downs...the list goes on and on.

This will be hard for some people to swallow but as a woman with zero interest in having children my collection is the closest thing to having any offspring. My records when lined up on a shelf are practically a DNA chain of who I am to my very core. This is also why selling off portions of a collection can be both devastating and cathartic. There is a fine line between genuine loss and cleaning house and this month has been dedicated to that tightrope dance.

What this really all means is a healthy portion of my record collection will be making an appearance in the bins at the record store I work in. I like knowing my past is being literally brought (bought) into the present...assuming somebody....maybe even you....buys it.

Thorr's Hammer 1995

I am posting this in celebration (?) of the fact that I can't afford to fly to the UK to see the reunion shows. I have the coolest best friend in the world (Runhild!!!) and her voice is more terrifying than any metal dude's I know. The quality of the video isn't great and the sound isn't synced up well but it is still pretty darn bad ass.

July 23, 200: Cause & Effect : Siren Fest Recap

My charming WRIR on air partner Alex may have returned from NYC's Siren Fest with a cold but he was inspired enough by the music to request dedicating a whole set to the band's he saw and mini cause and effect sets for some of those artists.

Tonight from 7PM to 9PM we will be playing Frightened Rabbit, Bear Hands, Thee Oh Sees, A Place to Bury Strangers, Future of the Left, Grand Duchy, and Built to Spill to name just a few.

Listen to us at 97.3 if you live in RVA or stream the show at www.wrir.org

Things I Did This Summer : Bring It

I made a fabulous summer mix for Shmitten Kitten and you can stream it / download it here. Where else could you hear The Headcoatees and Etta James all on one mix?

There is just about an hour of music here; six decades of ladies who can dish out a little attitude and a few fellas tossed in who know that heavy hips and "the way we look when we say we don't care" are all reasons to love us.

My gift to you, 24 flavors of kitten with a whip you can shimmy and shake to.

For Those of You Who Have Been Missing Out

This is what our Cherry Bomb DJ night looks like. Thanks Karen for all the sweet pictures and holy crap did we all have a blast.

Stop Thief !!!!

I sent out a press release last week to several media outlets in regards to the official start of the new company I am a part of called the Independent Label Collective but unfortunately I have something new to add.

Last Saturday afternoon our warehouse in Ohio was broken into and robbed. Many items were taken and among that list is some of our inventory of CDs and LPs as well as computers…things a company as new as ours can’t afford to be without. We are asking our customers to be patient as we try to regroup and get back on our feet. We are trying to handle this awful set back as gracefully as possible but the next few weeks will be difficult ones for us to say the least.

There is a suspect in the case and it does not appear to be a vindictive action against ILC specifically, just a senseless criminal act by a thief.

If anyone wants to make a donation to help us get back up and running they can email me at tracy@ilcdistro.com.

Thank you and please feel free to repost!

Tracy

Thank you RVAMAG.COM

They have our radio show Cause & Effect up on the front page! Read the interview here.

13th Chime

I have been obsessesd with 13th Chime since a collection of their material was recently reissued on LP. (I know Other Music and Insound carry it)

They were a short lived early '80s angular post punk goth band from the UK and their music is a great mix of Gang of Four, Subhumans, and Crispy Ambulance with touches of The Fall, and very early Cure.

So good....so very good...and the LP packaging comes with an amazing big picture booklet too.

Like I Wouldn't Repost This

http://www.uniformfreak.com/index2a.html . . . 800 plus examples of stewerdess uniforms. I know it doesn't have anything to do with music but it if you look at the images while listening to Broadcast it is sort like a music video.

Thanks TZA!

Things to Do in RVA this Weekend.

Saturday Night!
























Sunday Night!

Cause & Effect: July 16th : Welcome....sort of

Tonight's show on WRIR will be a slight variation from the usual format. Since my DJ partner in crime is away this week I decided to pick a set of songs inspired by one of my favorite bands, a group from Seattle, WA called Welcome. I am wildly in love with their music and recently sent a two CD mix of music to one of the members that I thought he and his lady (also a member) might dig. I loved the mix so much that I thought it might be cool to share it on air as it reflects a slightly more obscure side of my record collection and is very close to the kind of sets I play when I DJ out for Le Garage and Cherry Bomb.

I will also have a guest DJ with me in the studio tonight, Kenny....so come join us from 7PM to 9PM at 97.3 on the dial or stream us at http://www.wrir.org/.

The set list will include all sorts of kooky 60's gems from all over the planet as well as a few more modern artists that fit into the garage / psych sound...and several tracks by Welcome....the inspiration behind this set.

Wax Facts

Repost - this is a great blog post about the world's obsession with wax. IE vinyl records to all you squares.

Aweeeee yeah!

More Cause & Effect Podcasts are up here. Included are Cut Copy, The Lemonheads, and Deerhunter.

Hope Sandoval Returns

And if that news isn't exciting enough for you on its own - her new band includes Colm O'Ciosoig of My Bloody Valentine.

Hope Sandoval & The Warm Intentions have a new record coming Sept 1st and it is called Through the Devil Softly. The lead single Blanchard makes me think that for anyone familar with her voice and style of music will be pleased as punch. It sounds exactly like a fan would want her to sound - true to form if you will.

The timing couldn't be any better too as it seems like every 5th record I review as of late sounds especially like Mazzy Star so why not have the mouthpiece to this classic group return to show them all how it is done.

And yeah, she is still hot as hell.

Hope Sandoval Myspace
Hope Sandoval Facebook

Skatopia: 88 acres of anarchy

Skatopia is a place to both love and fear.
Now a movie will take us on the inside of this wild place.

Above all, you have to respect it. All hail Brewce.
Since this is a music blog, I should mention that Die Huns make an appearance and Corey Parks breathes some fire, of course.

A not so Cheap Trick

We all understand the return to vinyl, it's rich, full, complete sound, but why on earth would anyone want to re-visit the 8-Track? Well, that's exactly what veteran rockers Cheap Trick plan to do with there new release. If I recall correctly, the benefit of the 8 track was that it never had to be rewound, at the expense of chopping songs off mid stream to change tracks. Wow, does that seem worthwhile? Well, Cheap Trick also says that this new 8-Track will cost around $30. I guess it's a marketing ploy that is working for them because we all now know that they have a new record coming out.

ARTICLE HERE

Now, can we examine the artwork for a minute here?

Using the powers of deductive reasoning and detective work taught to us by the Beatles 'Paul is dead' album art clues, what does this cover tell us?
1. Cheap trick have more than one foot in the grave?
2. They are desperate enough to scour the beach for loose change?
3. These geezers eyesight and hearing is so bad that they don't even see or hear their bandmate in need of help 11 feet away.
He might not have sunk into the sand if he wasn't wearing that uber-heavy seven necked guitar of his.

On a final note, someone once told me that Rick had a five-necked guitar stolen from him. I'd say the cops should be looking at Shiva as the prime suspect.

Dahlia Seed

I just learned that my old band Dahlia Seed's last CD, a collection of songs called Please Excuse All the Blood is still available through this site.

www.spiritoforr.com/catalog.html

Neato.

Gidget Goes to Hell

Cherry Bomb : July 18th 2009

I am the luckiest woman alive.

Five of the coolest ladies I know are going to be DJing with me. I don't know what is more inspiring to me than a girl who has incredible taste in music and has the DJ skills to share it with a room. So that makes six ladies playing kick ass records all night. Dreamy!

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS PARTY! The last one was a blast and we have a the pictures to prove it (Cous Cous Music Calendar Pictures Page on Facebook)! ! !

HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST Photo History Book Announced

Taken from: http://www.ideologic.org/?news=2219

Former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST mainman Tom Gabriel Fischer and Bazillion Points Books have announced November 2009 as the publication date for 'Only Death Is Real: An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and Early Celtic Frost." Authored by Fischer with cooperation from HELLHAMMER/FROST partner Martin Eric Ain, the deluxe large-format 288pp hardcover will feature over 300 astonishing high-quality photos by Csaba Kézér, Martin Kyburz, and Andreas Schwarber documenting the very dawn of death metal and black metal.

Five years in the making, this extraordinary artifact sets an audacious new historical standard in heavy metal literature. Further information and sample photos are available at THIS LOCATION: http://www.bazillionpoints.com/?p=207

HELLHAMMER's adolescent hardships were played out in dramatic and sometimes violent episodes set in small villages around Zurich, Switzerland, during 1983 and 1984. The ultimate insider document of the earliest era of death metal and black metal, 'Only Death Is Real' documents this unique and cataclysmic moment in modern music history with hundreds of never-seen vintage images, classic artwork reprinted by kind permission of HR Giger, a full visual reference to HELLHAMMER promotional material, flyers, and memorabilia documenting the birth and evolution of extreme metal—all supported by sharp-tongued oral accounts direct from Tom G. Fischer, Martin Ain, Stephen Priestly, Steve Warrior, and other survivors of the HELLHAMMER inner circle.

July 9th, 2009 : Cause & Effect : Cut Copy

So what does two hours of a set dedicated to the band Cut Copy sound like? Pet Shop Boys, Air, Human League, MGMT, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Daft Punk and more.

From 7PM to 9PM tonight you can listen to us at www.wrir.org or if you live in RVA 97.3 on your dial.

Their record label is attached to one of them uptight major label deals so you can't embed their video to a blog so feel free to check out these links instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raME7c_2Uz0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4SponDQDWw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khGPcAa8_YI

Eight Plus Minutes of Pointlessness

Whoever thought filming Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman in the Borders CD/DVD section pawning things they vaguely know something about was a good idea should perhaps rethink their career. I am a little confused by this because Borders has removed or greatly diminished this music and film section in most of their stores so why this film exists at all is a genuine mystery to me.

Thank you Miss Ju Ju Coop for blogging this first.

It Might Get Loud

It Might Get Loud

From a players point of view, this looks very interesting.

How soon is NEVER?!!

Johnny Marr isn't holding back...just holding out.
I do NOT want to know what $50,000,000 worth of bad feelings is like. WOW.
In 2006 they turned down Five Million Dollars just to play Coachella.
Viva Hate indeed.

Articles here:
No thanks.
and
I'll pass.

Maybe they are holding out for ABBA loot.
ABBA turns down One Billion Dollars!

I Can't Explain It

I am not typically big on electro dance bands but I find myself listening to Telepathe's Dancemother over and over again. Maybe it is the shoegaze overtones or the fact that they create melodies I can't shake.

I don't know but I like it gosh darn it.

Modest Mouse Podcast

Its done! Download it here.

xoxo

Do Record Labels Matter?

Sometimes I have to wonder. I am still trying to work out the answer to this myself.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106309286&sc=fb&cc=fp

Mini Reviews : stuff I reviewed for the radio station....

Not one title I am shouting from the rooftops about but if I had to pick a favorite among the bunch I think Hanne wins.

Artist: Tereu Tereu
Title: All That Keeps Us Together
Hometown: VA
Label: Band Mom
Street Date: Out Now
RIYL: Latter day Dischord
The Hits: Cheers,Neal Cassady, Building Symmetry
Richter Magnitude Rating Scale: Moderate

Review: Nice guy melodic indie rock from just slightly north of us in Fredericksburg, VA. Add a dash of horns and the spirit of Dischord bands like Q and Not U or Dismemberment Plan and you will have a good idea of what lies at the core of this band’s sound. Viva the DC music scene.

Artist: The Curious Mystery
Title: Rotting Slowly
Street Date: Now
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Label: K Records
RIYL: Mazzy Star

The Hits: Preperations, Strong Swimmers, It's Tough, Wrong Way

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale: Moderate

Review: Oh what to call them. DIY Americana? The Mazzy Star of Bluegrass? A barefooted Chan Marshall dueting with Thurston Moore? Droney with a hint of psych – The Curious Mystery is a cool twist on country.

Artist: Casper & the Cookies
Title: Modern Silence
Hometown: Athens, GA
Label: Happy Happy Birthday
Street Date: Now
RIYL: Elephant Six tenth generation

The Hits: Eulogy for Marcel, Meredith, New Day Zero

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale: Light

Review: Bubblegum pop by an ex-member of Of Montreal. Seriously, think Apples in Stereo and there you go, a band living in the shadow of a well developed sound that they themselves haven’t managed to crawl out of.

Artist: Hanne Hukkelberg

Title: Blood From A Stone

Hometown: Oslo, Norway

Label: Nettwerk

Street Date: Out now

RIYL: Fever Ray, Bat for Lashes

The Hits: Bandy Riddles, Salt of the Earth, In Here/ Out There, No Mascara Tears

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale:Moderate

Review: Hanne offers a much more stripped down (skeletal) version of the kind of majestic haunting pop ALA Bat For Lashes or Fever Ray ( her bio suggests PJ Harvey) I love a record that is spooky enough to make me want to look over my shoulder as I am listening to it…no less with percussion made from an oven and freezer. Blood from a Stone will make you re-think the purpose of your kitchen, literally.

Artist: Headless Heroes
Title: The Silence of Love
Hometown: NYC
Label: World’s Fair
Street Date: Now
The Hits: True Love Will Find You, Here Before, Nobody's Baby, The North Wind
RIYL: Bands who specialize in playing downtempo covers

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale:Moderate

Review: The sleepy sexy voice of Alela Diane will wash over you as she sings nothing but covers in a very jazz meets folk approach to some great classic songs. Highlights 1) Daniel Johnson 2)Everly Bros 3) Vashti 6) Jackson Frank 7) Linda Perhacs 8) Nick Cave

Nouvelle Vague fans will have something to appreciate here.

Artist: Phoenix
Title: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Hometown: France
Label: Glassnote
Street Date: Out Now
RIYL: A spring fling that carries into the summer

The Hits: 1901,Lisztomania,Lasso, Countdown, Armstice

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale:Moderate +

Review: Phoenix are experts at mixing sexy with fun – think strokes in speedo and if that doesn’t scare you away Phoenix is the band for you. Wolfgang is a mindless spring fling of a nouveau retro dance record; the Cars for the modern new waver. I will steal a line from the Dusted review here – “it is slick but not stupid… the results of a traditional rock band working closely with a producer of electronic music, one which merges the clean lines of dance music with the grandeur of a crack studio band well-heeled in ’70s pop and ’90s indie rock.” YES!