Hello, Avalanche

Hello, Avalanche is the title of the new Octopus Project album, which will be officially released on October 16th. If you would rather not wait until then to give it a spin, you can go ahead and hear it right now via itunes. The Octopus Project hit a homerun with this one, their third full-length on Peek-A-Boo Records. The experimentation they're known for is turned down on most of the album's 13 tracks, sometimes in favor of a heavier sound, other times in favor of pop-sensible dance friendliness. The percussion and guitars jam along seamlessly with the theremin and other electronic instruments, creating a really cool sound that is uniquely their own. The songs are tighter, more concise than their previous work, as the band has developed a firm grip on what they want to create.

While the band's previous records were mainly self-produced, this time they wanted to achieve the perfect blend between high-end studio trickery and lo-fi home experimentation. It was recorded and co-produced by Ryan Hadlock (Blonde Redhead, The Gossip) at rural Bear Creek Studio outside Seattle in February, 2007, and mixed in various sessions by The Octopus Project, Hadlock and Erik Wofford (Explosions In The Sky).

"For the new album, after we recorded for three weeks in Seattle, we realized we wanted to focus more on certain things that we didn't get to do in the studio, so we ended up rerecording and remixing everything again. The newer stuff, it's loud, and I feel like it reflects the live show. There's a tendency to go crazier a lot more with jumping around and getting feedback from the audience. When people are screaming and clapping, that's a pretty good feeling."

The Octopus Project - "Truck"

• Oct 4 2007 - Numbers Houston, Texas
• Oct 6 2007 - House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
• Oct 7 2007 - Common Grounds Gainesville, Florida
• Oct 8 2007 - Back Booth Orlando, Florida
• Oct 9 2007 - City Limits West Palm Beach, Florida
• Oct 10 2007 - Jack Rabbit’s Jacksonville, Florida
• Oct 11 2007 - Drunken Unicorn Atlanta, Georgia
• Oct 12 2007 - Pilot Light Knoxville, Tennessee
• Oct 13 2007 - Milestone Charlotte, North Carolina
• Oct 14 2007 - Duke University Durham, North Carolina
• Oct 15 2007 - Ottobar Baltimore, Maryland

www.fanatic/octopusproject
www.theoctopusproject.com
myspace.com/theoctopusproject

Hey Ladies...

Arms and Legs - "Alice"
The Velvet Underground - "Stephanie Says"
Donovan - "Jennifer Juniper"
The Beatles - "Michelle"
Papercuts - "Sandy"
Brazos - "Mrs. Virginia"
Of Montreal - "Penelope"
Beck - "Debra"
Tacks, The Boy Disaster - "Matilda"
Pink Floyd - "Julia Dream"

besos.

Electric Prunes?

The Electric Prunes were a small part of the experimental psychedelic scene of the late 60's. Quickly thereafter the band disappeared for a period of about 30 years before reforming as a recording and touring band a few years ago. The SoCal-based quintet experienced a bit of success by contributing two tracks to the Easy Rider soundtrack in 1969, but by 1970 the band had completely dissolved.

Interest in the Electric Prunes was renewed in the late 90's, and in 2001 a definitive 23-track compilation called Lost Dreams was released that not only encompassed the best tracks from the band's first two albums, but also included ultra-rare singles, demos and a hilarious radio spot for Vox wah-wah pedals. Each of the tracks were restored and remastered by band leader James Lowe, making it the only Electric Prunes release that anyone will ever need.

Here's a few cuts from Lost Dreams, which you can pick it up via their official website.

• The Electric Prunes - "Vox Wah-Wah Pedal Ad"
• The Electric Prunes - "Little Olive"
• The Electric Prunes - "Everyone Knows You're Not In Love"
• The Electric Prunes - "The Great Banana Hoax"

Viva Brazil!

Soul Jazz Records:

"Brazil 70 follows Brazilian music in the aftermath of Tropicalia as the country's dictatorship entered its most oppressive phase. Musicians and artists from the Tropicalia period of the late-60s such as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze, Rita Lee (Os Mutantes lead-singer) and Gal Costa entered a new phase mixing rock, funk, samba and soul alongside a wealth of like-minded new artists such as Novos Baianos, Raul Seixas, Nelson Angelo and Joyce and more. With the constant threat of imprisonment, artists nevertheless managed to produce radical music that, like Tropicalia before it, managed to deal with questions of identity, sexuality and society in a revolutionary manner. Brazil 70 chronicles this period in style with extensive sleeve-notes and exclusive photography. Essential!"

Listen to a few tracks from Brazil 70 below, and if it tickles your fancy you can order it directly from Soul Jazz or click here to find it elsewhere.

• Jaimie Alem - "Passara"
• Raul Seixas - "Mosca no Soba"
• Gilberto Gil - "O Canto Da Ema"

New Phosphorescent

From Dead Oceans:

"Musicians often head to New York - it's a familiar story. But something magical happened when Matthew Houck picked up stakes halfway through making his new Phosphorescent record, Pride, and moved to Brooklyn from Athens, Georgia. Pride is something different. Here, Houck channels something mystical and haunting, offering up a dark, meditative set of songs that is all the more spiritual-sounding for its restrained tone. On previous albums, he's recruited guest musicians to fill the gaps, but on Pride, Houck has only enlisted the services of a makeshift choir, otherwise recording every instrument himself. His achingly cerebral delivery recalls Arthur Russell, but honestly, Pride sounds like nothing else we've ever heard. These are poems uttered in an empty field, punctuated by shouts and hollers, as if from a singer either abandoned or possessed. The lyrics are Houck's strongest ever, wrapped in washed out choral etudes that could be channeled from a rural French chapel or a solemn African tribe in prayer. Pride sounds like it was made by a man set free. The album will be released October 23rd on Dead Oceans."

From Broken Dial:

"At the base level, Matthew Houck, is a singer-songwriter/folk artist, but one who is pushing the boundaries to the point that he no longer sounds like his contemporaries. For example, although sometimes sparkled with occasional piano, guitar and some other instruments, the main event is his otherworldly voice. On songs like the almost a cappella "Be Dark Night", his high outstanding voice is stacked up against each other to create a wonderful choir. In fact, the track and much of the production work, ends up sounding like a Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys record. And like these Brian Wilson studio experiments, the song manages to be powerful, quiet, peaceful and deeply emotional all in one."

• Phosphorescent - Pride (Oct. 23 via Dead Oceans)

1. A Picture of Our Torn Up Praise
2. Be Dark Night
3. Wolves
4. At Death, A Proclamation
5. The Waves at Night
6. My Dove, My Lamb
7. Cocaine Lights
8. Pride

You can read all about Phosphorescent and hear more songs at Daytrotter, and download a live performance at Southern Shelter.

Tour dates:

• Sep 27 2007 Monkeytown Brooklyn, New York
• Oct 9 2007 Messiah College Grantham, Pennsylvania
• Oct 10 2007 Bug Jar Rochester, New York
• Oct 11 2007 Test Pattern Scranton, Pennsylvania
• Oct 12 2007 Beachland Tavern Cleveland, Ohio
• Oct 13 2007 DAAC Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Oct 14 2007 AV aerie Chicago, Illinois
• Oct 15 2007 Canopy Club Urbana, Illinois
• Oct 16 2007 Huckleberry’s Rock Island, Illinois
• Oct 17 2007 TBA Omaha, Nebraska
• Oct 18 2007 Hi Dive Denver, Colorado
• Oct 19 2007 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah
• Oct 20 2007 TBA Boise / Provo, Idaho
• Oct 22 2007 Sunset Tavern Seattle, Washington
• Oct 23 2007 Towne Lounge Portland, Oregon
• Oct 24 2007 Hemlock Tavern San Francisco, California
• Oct 26 2007 El Cid Los Angeles, California
• Oct 27 2007 Casa Blanca Phoenix, Arizona
• Oct 29 2007 Cactus Cafe Austin, Texas
• Oct 30 2007 Rubber Gloves Denton, Texas

myspace.com/phosphorescent

Cold War Kids in Paris

Cold War Kids put on a good show at their ACL Fest debut, they seem to have cleaned up quite a bit since the last time I saw them. They showered, shaved, and even wore clean clothes. Good thing, they played during what felt like the hottest part of the entire festival. The first time I saw them was at an indoor show at Stubb's sometime during the Spring of 2006, so they've come a long way.

Here's a live CWK performance from earlier this year at La Cigale that was broadcast on French radio. Good quality, and the DJ only interrupts for a couple of voice-overs between songs. They will make a return to this venue in November, so I guess they enjoyed themselves the first time around.

• Cold War Kids - La Cigale, Paris (02/12/2007)

1. We Used To Vacation
2. Pass The Hat
3. Rubidoux
4. Hospital Beds
5. God, Make Up Your Mind
6. Hang Me Up To Dry
7. I'll Come Running Back to You
8. Saint John
9. Quiet, Please
10. Every Valley is Not a Lake
    

www.coldwarkids.com

Peel Sessions

I had tried to find copies of the White Stripes' sessions with the late-great John Peel once before, but I never had any luck. That is, until today. Thanks a million, internet. These sessions were originally recorded on three seperate dates in 2001, right around the time that White Blood Cells was released . It appears that even then they were already pulling out Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn covers, because they're both included.

During John Peel's 37-year career on BBC Radio, 4000 sessions were recorded for him by over 2000 artists. Sessions were usually four tracks recorded and mixed in a single day, and they often had a rough and ready, demo-like feel, somewhere between a live performance and a finished recording. Many classic Peel Sessions have been released on record, particularly by the Strange Fruit label.

• White Stripes - The Peel Session (July 25th, 2001)

1. Lets Shake Hands
2. When I Hear My Name
3. Jolene
4. Death Letter
5. Cannon
6. Astro
7. Hotel Yorba
8. I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman
9. Screwdriver
10. We're Going To Be Friends
11. You're Pretty Good Looking
12. Bollweavil
13. Hello Operator
14. Baby Blue

• White Stripes - The Peel Session (November 8th, 2001)

1. Lord Send Me An Angel
2. Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground
3. I Think I Smell A Rat
4. Goin' Back To Memphis
5. Little Room
6. The Union Forever
7. The Same Boy You've Always Known
8. Look Me Over Closely
9. Looking At You
10. St. James Infirmary Blues
11. Apple Blossom
12. Rated X
13. Jumble Jumble
14. Little Girl That Says

That picture up there is from a surprise acoustic show that the Stripes performed at London's Chelsea Hospital in June, 2007. It was their first UK gig in two years, and they played for an audience of former British soldiers in a stateroom that Mozart once played in. -NME

Flaming Lips en vivo

If you're cool (unlike me) and managed to get tickets for the Flaming Lips show at La Zona Rosa before they sold out (unlike me), then I salute you. Just don't go waving the tickets around in my face or anything, okay?

For the rest of us, here's a live show from the Flaming Lips at Diversafest on July 27th, 2007. The audio quality is great, with a nice, long setlist similar to the one they used to rock ACL last year. There are a couple of audio problems here and there, but for the most part, it's all good. Enjoy!

The Flaming Lips: Live at Diversafest 2007

1. UFO Landing
2. Ta!Da!
3. Race For The Prize
4. Tapsmir
5. Fight Test
6. Free Radicals
7. Mountainside
8. Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1
9. Pompeii
10. Vein of Stars
11. Yeah Yeah Yeah Song intro
12. Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
13. Taps - Superman
14. The W.A.N.D.
15. She Don't Use Jelly
16. Do You Realize?
17. Moonlight Mile (Rolling Stones)
18. Outro

www.FlamingLips.com

Things you could do...

Here's a look at a few things that will be going down in Austin for the rest of September. As always, check Showlist and Do512 for a comprehensive list of local happenings.

Thursday: 9/20

• The Jungle Rockers, at Emo's
• The Jungle Rockers - "Sugar Shack"
  

Coming around to their current sound rose out of a general frustration with the indie music scene and its sometimes icky leaning towards industry professionalism that left the Rockers with a bad taste in their mouth. This propensity to shake off the current scene ostensibly came as no surprise to those listening to their sound: their influences come from beyond records that surfaced two (or even twenty) years ago. Mixing this affection for songs written in the 50's and 60's with elements of swing, rock, pop and jazz make the Jungle Rockers' sound both unique and accessible. -Austinist

• Quiet Lovely, La Snacks, at Beauty Bar
• Quiet, Lovely - "Overambitious"

Come see Quiet, Lovely who have been knocking Austin out with their spot-on harmonies and delicious riffs. Come see La Snacks go nuts with their Hold Steady lyrical earnestness and Paper Chase angular guitar melodies. The Onion may have tagged them best as “sloppy smartasses.” Closing out the night are the styling of Stay Gold playing indie dance floor remix bombs, baile funk and classics that the Beauty Bar has become synonymous with. Cover is one dollar and there are cheap wells and domestics. Is this a great country or what? -PartyEnds.com

Friday: 9/21

• This Will Destroy You, Cue, at Emo's Lounge
• This Will Destroy You - "I Believe in Your Victory"
  

The pride of San Marcos, Texas, This Will Destroy You are an instrumental quartet who play a cascading brand of cinematic rock music. "Young Mountain" is their formerly self-released masterstroke, a 6-song, 36 minute composition of aural brilliance that has already garnered an obsessed fanbase both in their home state and in underground circles worldwide. In spite of its previous CD-R-only incarnation, Decoy Magazine featured the album at #5 on their "Top 50 Instrumental Albums of 2005." -Amazon

Saturday: 9/22

• Golden Arm Trio (tribute to Duke Ellington), at the Scoot Inn

Sunday: 9/23

• Peter and the Wolf, at the Mohawk

Tuesday: 9/25

• The Flaming Lips, at La Zona Rosa

• Dan Deacon, White Williams, at the Mohawk
• White Williams - "The Shadow"
  

“Looney Tunes had a lot to do with it,” Dan Deacon admitted recently during a live TV performance in his native Baltimore. He was speaking about his music—a whimsically warped electro racket Deacon creates alone using a jumble of patched-up gadgetry—but he could as easily have meant his own onstage persona. Live, Deacon dons taped-up glasses and Tweety Bird shirts as he sinuously conducts, dances to, and croons along with his music-spitting contraptions. His newest disc, Spiderman Of The Rings, even ventures into the realm of gleefully demented pop, complete with passages of coexisting innocence and complexity. Tourmate White Williams is an excellent foil to Deacon’s spazzed-out whimsy, creating squiggly laptop anthems that hew closer to actual pop songs in the vein of Grandaddy. The Onion will also be giving away 5 pairs of tickets to the upcoming Fun! Fun! Fun! Festival at the show. But you can't win if you're not there.... -TheOnion

Wednesday: 9/26

• Interpol, at Stubb's

Saturday: 9/29

• Do Make Say Think, at Emo's with the Lemurs

Black Angels en vivo

6 songs, 38 minutes, rock & roll.

The Black Angels: Live at Easy Street Records

• Nine Years
  
• Black Grease
• Manipulation
• Shine
• Ronettes
• Call To Arms

Tour dates:

• Sep 26 2007 Plush - Tucson, Arizona
• Sep 27 2007 Rhythm - Room Phoenix, Arizona
• Sep 29 2007 Barnsdall - Art Space Los Angeles, California
• Oct 1 2007 Troubadour - Los Angeles, California
• Oct 2 2007 Belly Up Tavern - Solana Beach, California
• Oct 4 2007 Mais Cafe - Ventura, California
• Oct 6 2007 Download Festival - Mountain View, California
• Oct 12 2007 Orpheum Theatre - Boston, Massachusetts
• Oct 13 2007 Madison Square Garden - New York, New York
• Oct 15 2007 Hummingbird Centre for Perf. Arts - Toronto, Ontario
• Oct 16 2007 Metropolis - Montreal, Quebec
• Oct 17 2007 Northern Lights - Clifton Park, New York
• Oct 18 2007 The Bug Jar - Rochester, New York
• Oct 19 2007 Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, Ohio
• Oct 20 2007 The LC Pavillion - Columbus, Ohio
• Oct 22 2007 Orbit Room - Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Oct 23 2007 The Fillmore - Detroit, Michigan
• Oct 24 2007 The Rave - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Oct 25 2007 Riviera Theatre - Chicago, Illinois
• Oct 26 2007 Cowboy Monkey - Champaign, Illinois
• Oct 29 2007 Zydeco - Birmingham, Alabama
• Oct 30 2007 40 Watt - Athens, Georgia
• Oct 31 2007 The Earl - Atlanta, Georgia

TheBlackAngels.com

The Ivori Palms

Peter and the Wolf is Red Hunter from Austin, TX. In 2006 he released Lightness, one of my favorite local releases of the past few years. While on a six-week tour this past Spring he brought along a brief tour-only album called Fireflies, and he has just made available a new album called The Ivori Palms.

The album opens with a reworked version of "Where Summer Goes," one of the handful of tracks he recorded for Daytrotter on a rainy day during SXSW. "Scarlet And Grey" follows, using nothing but a few piano keys and some hand-claps to create a soulful ballad that reminisces on lost love. "The Bike Of Jonas" is the album's most experimental number, as Hunter crafts a bouncing, rhythmic tempo while playing another one of those of those peculiar instruments that he is so fond of. This one is a kalimba, a musical instrument from Africa that is often referred to as a thumb piano.

• Peter and the Wolf - "The Bike Of Jonas"

Most of The Ivori Palms was written throughout June and August of this summer while Red Hunter was secluded in the small town of Peterborough, Canada. Armed with little more than an old typewriter, an electric lantern and a borrowed bicycle, Hunter's songwriting revolves around his time spent in this humble paradise. He says:

"The room where I would keep to myself all summer was in a barely-standing 100 year-old building. The power outlets didn't work so I had to discretely run an extension chord downstairs to the music store when using my only piece of equipment: a borrowed 8-track recorder. And I wasn't supposed to be there, of course, which meant working all night by the light of the lantern and going out to sleep in the park during the day under mostly clear summer skies. It was heaven. I was cash-low but I strutted around town like I owned the place; I felt like the richest dude in the world."

This setting made for a serene album that fans of his previous work will surely enjoy. The title track is one of the album's finest, and it is playing at myspace along with the eerie "Ghost Sandals." Other standout tracks include "Better Days", "Southern Moon" and "Check Out The River."

• Peter and the Wolf - "Check Out The River"

The tracklist and liner notes for The Ivori Palms are below, and you can order it directly from here. You can get more Peter and the Wolf at whiskeyandapples.com, and if you're in Austin make sure to checkout the CD release party at the Mohawk on September 23rd.

Recorded mostly in private by Redding Hunter at the condemned warehouse where he lived/worked this summer, The Ivori Palms gets its name from a dream Hunter had in which he was complaining to his hero, Dan Eldon, about life as a squatter and Eldon replied, "You're not squatting, man, you're staying at The Ivori Palms," at which point a sign appeared just outside the broken window with pink neon lights and palm trees (which Hunter awoke and attempted to recreate in the top left corner of the cover photo.)

8 songs mixed with Jonas Bonnetta at Shuffling Feet Studios, Peterborough.
3 songs recorded by Bill Baird at Big Orange Studios, Austin.
3 songs recorded live on laptop mic with Austin choir at Josh Duke's pad.
All songs mastered by Steve Chevez at Moonshine Studios, Los Angeles.

TRACKLIST:
(note, some early preorders may have songs in a different order)

1. Where Summer Goes
2. Scarlet and Grey
3. Check Out The River
4. Ghost Sandals (live)
5. Waiting For A Train
6. Southern Moon
7. The Bike of Jonas
8. The Ivori Palms
9. A Hundred Days
10. The Lighthouse
11. Better Days
12. The Beggar's Waltz
13. The Traveler and the County Boys
14. Sparks (live)

myspace.com/whiskeyandapples

ACL After, Aftershow

If you survive the next three days of general ACL Fest madness, come out on Sunday night and mellow out to the Los Angeles-based free jazz/jam band Particle. They will be doing their thing Sunday night at the Do512 Aftershow at Club 115 along with openers Drop Trio. This will be a great, intimate setting to see Particle, who are normally seen out at The Backyard opening for bands like Widespread Panic and Robert Randolph, or entertaining crowds at Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo.

The event is FREE for the first 75 people to RSVP on Do512 and show up, otherwise the cost of entry is $10. You can RSVP no matter what the count is, just make sure that you get there before anyone else. You can get advance tickets for the show right here.

Here is the lowdown on Particle, from their profile:

Since forming in the fall of 2000, Particle has enjoyed a successful ride that has taken them to eight countries for over 850 shows including Europe and Japan. After a whimsical San Francisco boat cruise, a musical bond was surged that was would take core Particle members Eric Gould, Steve Molitz, and Darren Pujalet on a sonic adventure that’s strong to this day.

Particle forged their signature sound playing late night parties and high profile festivals across the country including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Festival, Coachella, and New Orleans Jazzfest to name a few. The band has also appeared at Bonnaroo three times where they played a legendary five plus hour set beginning at 3am. Once dubbed the 'late night kings', Particle has garnered a lot of hype for creating a series of out of the box special events across the country.

In 2004, the band released their debut album Launchpad produced by Tom Rothrock to critical praise from fans and media alike. Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and URB ran glowing features on the band and the Associated Press named the album among the year’s Top Ten. The album’s title track was remixed by Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay and released as an EP later that same year.

Shortly thereafter, Particle formed a percussive driven electronic side project with Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart called Hydra and created an entire new repertoire for the tour. A sonic shift happened, allowing the band to add new directions to their already diverse style.

With the addition of Ben Combe on guitar and vocals, the band released a DVD and Live CD featuring special guests Joe Satriani, Robbie Krieger, Blackalicious, and DJ Logic. They also recorded a song for the Scarface: The World Is Yours Video Game entitled American Dream. Particle is currently recording their sophomore studio effort with producer Steve Goldman and engineer Marc Johnson to be released in 2007.

Check out this jam from their official website, and if you're free on Sunday night try to make it down to their show at Club 115 (2nd & San Jacinto).

• Particle - "Simulator"

Austin Music = Sexy

Austinist is throwing a party at the Mohawk tomorrow night to kickoff ACL weekend, and guess what? You're invited! Yes, that's right. You.

The 4th edition of Local Music is Sexy is absolutely free, and it will kick off at 9:00 pm. Local artists The Lemurs, The Corto Maltese, and Brazos will hold down the outside main stage, with DJs Car Stereo (Wars) and Markus with a K rockin' dance-party jams inside alongside Magic Surprise. To spice things up, Austinist is bringing in Seattle indie rockers Say Hi To Your Mom and their favorite Houston DJ, Ceeplus Bad Knives.

• Say Hi To Your Mom (Brooklyn, NY)
• The Lemurs (Austin)
• The Corto Maltese (Austin)
• Brazos (Austin)
• Magic Surprise (Austin)
• Ceeplus Bad Knives (Houston)
• Car Stereo Wars (Austin)
• Markus with a K (Austin/Dallas)

Get more info on the event via Austinist, and see who's doing it at Do512.

And here's some sounds from the Lemurs...

• The Lemurs - "No Net"

Curious about Roky Erickson

Roky Erickson is the man. In fact he put the "the", in the man. If you haven't seen You're Gonna Miss Me, I urge you to do so. It is easily one of the best music docs I've ever seen.

Roky Erickson had a major hand in creating the genre known as psychedelic rock, emerging from the Austin psychedelic scene in 1965 with the 13th Floor Elevators. Wrecked by drug abuse, schizophrenia, and a stint at Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Erickson would eventually withdraw from music entirely while his mental illness controlled his life.

In 1969 Erickson was arrested for possession of a marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a ten year prison term he pled not guilty by reason of insanity, and shortly thereafter he was sent to the Austin State Hospital. After several escape attempts, he was sent to the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where he was subjected to shock therapy and Thorazine treatments and held until 1972.

Later, after years living in seclusion and squalor, Roky's life and career were resurrected thanks to an intervention by his younger brother, who nursed him back to physical and mental health. Today Rock Erickson is living happily and healthy in Austin and has returned to his music career after a nearly 20-year hiatus. Check out the trailer for You're Gonna Miss Me, a brilliant documentary that chronicles Roky's wild, inspiring story....

"In the December 30, 2005 issue of the Austin Chronicle, Margaret Moser brings up to date the story of Erickson's recovery with the aid of his brother Sumner. According to the article, Roky weaned himself off his medication, played at 11 gigs in Austin that year, obtained a drivers license, owns a car, voted the previous year, and planned to do more concerts in 2006.

In 2007, Erickson played his first ever gigs in New York City, as well as California's Coachella Festival and made his debut performance in England to a capacity audience at the Royal Festival Hall, London. Roky continued to play in Europe, performing first time in Finland at Ruisrock festival.

According to an interview on Chicago Public Radio with You're Gonna Miss Me director Kevin McAlester (7/24/07), Erickson is currently working on a new album with Billy Gibbons, singer and guitarist of ZZ Top, and a longtime admirer of Erickson; Gibbons' earlier band The Moving Sidewalks had a hit with "99th floor", which was a tribute of sorts to the Elevators." -wiki

Roky Erickson is recording an album with Billy Gibbons? Man, that sounds like a dynamite combination. If you're not yet familiar with Roky's music, then here's your chance. I gathered up some of the best tracks I could find from various releases, and you can get your own copy of these releases at Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, or any decent record store.

The 13th Floor Elevators' second album, Easter Everywhere, was released in 1967. "Slip Inside This House" is the album's eerie, intoxicating lead-off track, and at eight minutes it stands as the Elevators' lengthiest. That interesting noise you hear is the sound of an electric jug, played by Tommy Hall. Here is some info on that:

"The jug is just that: a jug (usually made of glass or stoneware) played with the mouth. Making an embouchure like that employed with a trombone or tuba, the musician holds the opening of the jug about an inch from his or her mouth and emits a blast of sound, made by the "buzzing" of the lips, directly into it. (The jug is not played by blowing across its opening.) Since the jug does not actually touch the musician's mouth, the jug itself serves primarily to amplify the sound made by the musician's lips. As with a bugle, changes in pitch are controlled by altering the embrasure, and a practiced juggist can produce a wide range of notes. A bass instrument, the jug is part of the band's rhythm section, though jug solos are not uncommon."

• 13th Floor Elevators - "Slip Inside This House"

"Bermuda" and "Starry Eyes" were rerecorded in Austin with a rudimentary quartet for the five-song Clear Night for Love, which preceded a decade-long recording hiatus. The disc begins on a note of relative restraint. "You Don't Love Me Yet" is acoustic folk; the title track recalls Creedence's rag-tag balladry. Side Two is a bit wilder, culminating in "Don't Slander Me," an angrily defensive accusatory diatribe." -trouser

• Roky Erickson - "Clear Night For Love"
• Roky Erickson - "Starry Eyes"
• Roky Erickson - "You Don't Love Me Yet"

This heartfelt acoustic song was previously unreleased until appearing on the You're Gonna Miss Me soundtrack.

• Roky Erickson - "For You (I'd Do Anything)"

"The Holiday Inn Tapes LP was released by New Rose in September of 1987. These solo acoustic songs were recorded live on December 1st, 1986 in room 424, Holiday Inn Red River, Austin, Texas, on a portable Realistic recorder. The sound quality is poor to fair, exactly what you would expect given the circumstances. The Singing Grandfather, Mighty Is Our Love, I Look At The Moon, and The Times I've Had are previously unknown Roky songs exclusive to this album. That's My Song may be a Roky original or an old folk standard. This is also the only place on album where you can hear May The Circle Remain Unbroken with some of the additional lyrics that Roky wrote while at Rusk (there is a more complete version from a 1984 (1985? See CDR 5) radio appearance on Austin's KTXZ but so far this is only on tape). The Singing Grandfather is the stand-out of the previously unreleased songs; Roky leads off with this song and repeats it at the end." -brinkster

• Roky Erickson - "Don't Slander Me" (Acoustic)

Here is the electric version, from the Clear Night For Love 12".

• Roky Erickson - "Don't Slander Me"

"Casting the Runes mates Roky's twisted worldview with a hard, crunching band. Recorded on various Texas stages circa '79, it unleashes menacing renditions of such grisly Erickson classics as "Don't Shake Me Lucifer" and "Bloody Hammer," plus a weird version of the mush-pop oldie "I Love How You Love Me." Highly recommended." -trouser

• Roky Erickson - "You're Gonna Miss Me" (Live)
• Roky Erickson - "Don't Shake Me Lucifer"
• Roky Erickson - "The Wind and More"

-----------------------------------------------

www.RokyErickson.net
www.myspace.com/RokyErickson
wikipedia.org/Roky_Erickson

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Bob Marley & The Wailers

August 5th, 1978. Bob Marley & The Wailers are in Miami on the last stop of their three-month-long Kaya Tour:

"The tour was initially set to begin in early May in Miami, Florida, but the first six shows had to be postponed due to lead guitarist Junior Marvin's cocaine problems. Therefore the tour began in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on May 18, 1978, and ended in Miami, Florida, on August 5, 1978."

Tour stops in Austin, Dallas and Houston were among those cancelled.

"The tour was divided into three legs, two U.S. legs and one European leg between. On July 23, birthday of the reincarnated God of the Rastafari movement, Marley performed a very rare live performance of his song Sun Is Shining. While on the tour Marley performed for the first time in Spain and Norway, and also premiered at the Madison Square Garden.

Numerous concerts including the performances in Paris' Pavillon Baltard were recorded in order to release a second live album, Babylon by Bus which is a compilation of songs performed in Paris as well as from earlier shows from the tours in 1975 and 1976."

A few pieces of lesser-known info....

"In July 1977, Marley was found to have malignant melanoma in a football wound on his toe. Marley refused amputation, citing worries that the operation would affect his dancing, as well as the Rastafari belief that the body must be whole. True to this belief Marley went against all surgical possibilities and sought out other means that would not break his religious beliefs. After playing two shows at Madison Square Garden as part of his fall 1980 Uprising Tour, he collapsed while jogging in NYC's Central Park.

Bob Marley played his final concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 23, 1980. The live version of "Redemption Song" on Songs of Freedom was recorded at this show. Marley afterwards sought medical help, but his cancer had already progressed to the terminal stage."

• Bob Marley & The Wailers - August 5th, 1978 Miami, FL

1. Positive Vibration
2. Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)
3. Rebel Music
   
4. The Heathen
5. War / No More Trouble
6. Running Away / Crazy Baldhead
7. Crisis
8. I Shot The Sheriff
9. No Woman, No Cry
10. Jammin'
11. Is This Love? / Easy Skanking
12. Get Up, Stand Up / Exodus

www.bobmarley.com

More live Beasties

Here is the Beastie Boys live in Ireland at Electric Picnic earlier this year. No annoying voice-over on the breakdown this time, I promise. It does fade out on "Off the Grid," which is upsetting, but what can you do?

Click play, get down.

• Beastie Boys - Electric Picnic
  

1. Shake Your Rump
2. Heart Attack Man
3. Gratitude
4. B for My Name
5. Sabrosa
6. Super Disco Breakin'
7. Pass the Mic
8. Brass Monkey
9. Electric Worm
10. Shambala
11. Off the Grid
12. Body Movin'
13. Ch-Check It Out
14. No Sleep Til Brooklyn
15. So What'cha Want

And if you still haven't given the new Beasties album a spin, then perhaps you should.

• Beastie Boys - "Off The Grid"

www.beastieboys.com

Beatles On Film

Help! was the Beatles’ second feature film, which made its theatrical debut in 1965. Recently the film has been digitally restored, and it will be released on DVD next month via a 2-disc set. Features will include a remastered soundtrack, behind the scenes footage of the Beatles on set, and an in depth look at the restoration process.

Help! follows the Beatles as they become passive recipients of an outside plot that revolves around Ringo's possession of a sacrificial ring, which he cannot remove from his finger. As a result, he and his bandmates are chased from London to the Austrian Alps and the Bahamas by religious cult members, a mad scientist and the London police. Now, I have never seen this, but it sounds hilarious. It was shot in a satirical "James Bond" style, and at the time of the original release its distributor also held the rights to the Bond series. Here's a couple of good quotes from Ringo about the filming:

"A hell of a lot of pot was being smoked while we were making the film. It was great. That helped make it a lot of fun...In one of the scenes, Victor Spinetti and Roy Kinnear are playing curling: sliding along those big stones. One of the stones has a bomb in it and we find out that it's going to blow up, and have to run away.

Well, Paul and I ran about seven miles, we ran and ran, just so we could stop and have a joint before we came back. We could have run all the way to Switzerland. If you look at pictures of us you can see a lot of red-eyed shots. In the afternoon we very seldom got past the first line of the script. We had such hysterics that no one could do anything. Dick Lester would say, 'No, boys, could we do it again?' It was just that we had a lot of fun -- a lot of fun in those days."

The DVD is out on October 30, and you can watch the trailer here.

I had The Red Album sitting here next to me, so I figured I would upload one side for your listening pleasure. This record was passed on to me from one of my family members who found it in a box that someone had left behind in a closet or something. Lucky me, it's even the original release from 1973. The U.S. version has the "James Bond" style intro on "Help!", and all of the tracks chosen for the compilation were written by Lennon-McCartney.

"The Beatles themselves participated in selecting the songs for inclusion, as well as the colours and pictures. Even though the group had had success with cover versions of songs, most notably with "Twist and Shout", which made #2 on the Billboard charts, only songs composed by the Beatles themselves were chosen. Songs performed by the Beatles as solo artists were also considered for inclusion, but like the cover songs, limited space resulted in this idea having to be abandoned." -wiki

"Despite the somewhat cartoonish allusions to Indian culture and religion in the film Help!, the production of the film was arguably the spark that set off George Harrison's fascination with Indian music and religion. It was during the filming of this film, for instance, that he discovered the sitar, which he would later use in "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)". -wiki

The Beatles - Red Album Side Three (13:59)

• "Help!" the single 2:48
• "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" from Help! 2:11
• "We Can Work It Out" the single 2:16
• "Day Tripper" the single 2:49
• "Drive My Car" Rubber Soul 2:27
• "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" Rubber Soul 2:05

ACL Fest is Next Week

My oh my, how time flies. It's already September, which means two things to me: 1, football is back. 2, the Austin City Limits Music Festival is right around the corner. Dylan, Stripes, LCD and more. Three days of great music, virtually non-stop. If the meteorological society knows what they are talking about, then the rain will give us a break just in time.


If time, general ACL-craziness and other obligations were not an issue, my schedule might look some thing like this...

Friday:

• Blonde Redhead
• LCD Soundsystem
• Spoon - "I Turn My Camera On" (John McEntire Remix)
  
• Reverend Horton Heat - "Beer:30"
  
• Bjork

Saturday:

• Dax Riggs - "Didn't Know Yet..."
• Stephen Marley
• Cold War Kids - "Rubidoux"
  
• Andrew Bird - "Measuring Cups"
• Arctic Monkeys
• White Stripes

Sunday:

• The Little Ones - "Lovers Who Uncover"
• Yo La Tengo- "Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind"
• The National
  
• Ben Kweller
• Rodrigo y Gabriela - "Temple Bar"
  
• Regina Spektor
• Wilco
• Ghostland Observatory
• Bob Dylan

Austinist has more ACL coverage than you can shake a stick at, with artist interviews & previews, including information on where to find the aftershows and parties.

Friday and Saturday night Hot Freaks! set up camp at The Mohawk and Club de Ville for a two-night independent music show. Friday night headliners are Grizzly Bear and Art Brut, with local openers Crazy Sexy Rainbow and Brazos. I heard someone say that Crazy Sexy Rainbow is a White Denim pseudonym, but don't quote me on that one. I saw Brazos play at the Austin Sound Off last weekend, and they knocked my socks off. Definitely try to make it to this one.

• Brazos - "They're There"
  

Saturday night features St. Vincent and The Rosebuds, with local openers Yellow Fever and Sparrow House. Doors open each night at 8:30pm, and entrance will be restricted to those who RSVP at www.DellLounge.com. The list will fill quickly, so don't sleep on it.

If you just can't wait to get the party started, then head down to Antone's on Wednesday night to watch the 5 remaining bands from "The Sound and the Jury" online band battle compete for an opportunity to perform at ACL. More than 600 bands around the world uploaded their music to participate in the competition, and that list is now down to five.

The bands:

• Blue Flashing Light
• Golden Bear - "Santa Rosa" (Web)
• Homer Hiccolm & the Rocketboys
• Nelo Music
• Quiet Company - "It's Better to Spend Money" (Web)
  

The show is free, and doors open at 8:00, show starts at 9:00. You can go online and listen to the top five finalists at The Sound and the Jury webpage here, and see video coverage of the top 5 bands at www.DellLounge.com.

It's Back To School Time

School is back baby! Are you pumped up for it? Yeah, me neither. I served my time in countless classrooms around Texas, and in the end I got a rectangular piece of paper that says so. Oddly enough I still ended up on campus today to learn a bit more about the Groundwork Music Project. They are putting on Back-To-Schoolapalooza this weekend, a 3-day event designed to raise funds and spread the word about their cause.

The purpose of the Groundwork Music Project is to provide free and low cost music education to young children who could not otherwise afford it. "Back To Schoolapalooza" is their biggest event of the year, combining live music and theater in an environment that is fun for all ages. You can click over to Do512 to find out all about the event, and to learn more visit GroundworkMusic.org.

I did a little snooping around to find some good songs that are school-related, and the list below is what I came away with. Hot Chip was an obvious choice, so I went with a live version that you might not have heard yet. Young MC kicks things off with an old school single from his first album, while Jerry Lee, Otis Redding and Gary U.S. Bonds supply a few golden oldies. On the end is "Beauty School Drop Out", a one-off cover song by the Toadies. That one was featured on the Sandy Does Dallas compilation album, featuring Dallas-based bands doing their best Grease covers. Enjoy the music!

• Young MC - "Principal's Office"
• My Teenage Stride - "High School"
• Thee More Shallows - "Night At The Knight School"
• Jerry Lee Lewis - "High School Confidential"
• Hot Chip - "Boy From School" (Live)
• Otis Redding - "Stay In School"
• Gary U.S. Bonds - "School Is Out"
• Toadies - "Beauty School Drop Out"

Fujiya & Miyagi & Austin

Here is a KEXP live broadcast of Fujiya & Miyagi on the Austin City Limits stage at SXSW. I caught their official showcase at the Velvet Spade on the Thursday night of South-By, and came away with a better appreciation of their album Transparent Things. The electronic/Krautrock trio from Brighton, UK will be back in Austin once again next month, performing on October 16th in the comfort of the open air at Club De Ville.

• Fujiya & Miyagi - Live @ SXSW

1. Ankle Injuries
2. Sucker Punch
3. Photocopier
4. Transparent Things
5. In One Ear & Out The Other
6. Collarbone

Here's one they didn't play at SXSW, most likely because it hadn't been written yet. Their single "Uh" was released over the summer, and it falls right in line with the "minimalist dance music" that was heard on Transparent Things.

• Fujiya & Miyagi - "Uh"

Tour dates:

• 09-25 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar
• 09-26 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's
• 09-27 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
• 09-28 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
• 09-29 Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
• 10-02 Montreal, Quebec - Lambi
• 10-03 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
• 10-04 Pontiac, MI - Eagle Theater
• 10-05 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
• 10-06 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
• 10-09 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
• 10-10 Seattle, WA - Neumos
• 10-11 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
• 10-12 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine
• 10-13 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
• 10-16 Austin, TX - Club De Ville

myspace.com/FujiyaandMiyagi