We're On Our Way, Dolly!

Be-Dazzled!

Tomorrow marks a musical event in this lady's short lifetime: I'll be heading Tennessee way on a pilgrimage to Pigeon Forge. Why there? Well I, along with a few friends, am a pretty fierce fan of Dolly. That's right. We're heading to Dollywood. And the Great Smoky Mountains (I might just cry when I see them.) Along the way, though, we'll make a stop in Nashville to eat some serious fried chicken and bbq, drink some bourbon, probably attend a demolition derby and hopefully hear some good music. Even if we don't hear anything live, we've compiled over 10 CDs for our road trip from Memphis to Nashville to Pigeon Forge and back. The mixes range from Hank Williams to Mos Def. And while I don't have anything bedazzled to wear, I did do my nails with little pink stones on them, as an homage to the busty one. I might actually stuff my bra for the car ride down there. Big Tits Road Trip!

Album(s) I Can't Wait For... *

What do you get when you take one oscar-nominated actor, his buddy, a bunch of chorus kids, and goth-inspired gospel-rock tunes? You get a little outfit called Dead Man's Bones, that's what!

Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson, The Notebook) and his buddy, Zach Shields, make up this duo, whose self-titled album (previously rumored to be titled Never Let a Lack of Talent Get You Down) is set to drop on October 6th on Anti-. If you haven't heard these dudes yet, take a listen here. I heart this band! They'll be touring this fall, with a stop in New York at Le Poisson Rouge October 15th. Who wants to buy me a ticket? In the meantime, listen to My Body is a Zombie for You (Kinda creepy...)

Next on my list is Kurt Vile whose album Childish Prodigy drops October 6th. That's coming up soon! If it's anything like his 2008 debut album, Constant Hitmaker, it's going to be great.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the amazingness:
Breathin Out - Kurt Vile

Drool-worthy: St. Vincent and Grizzly Bear to Tour Europe in November

Wowie! Oh, that I were capable of the jet-setting! I would set off to catch St. Vincent and Grizzly Bear together for their upcoming European tour in November. Berlin? Glasgow? Copenhagen? Either would suit me just fine. This is sure to be a festival of pretty.

In the meantime, a little something to tide you over:
St. Vincent's "Actor Out of Work"

Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks"

Ducktails...wooo-oo!

I know you remember this cartoon. It came on during that after-school Disney marathon that we all loved to watch while avoiding homework... Scrooge McDuck? With that great Scottish accent? And the top hat and tails??? I loved that show!

BUT! That's not what I'm talking about here today. I'm late to this party, but the blogosphere has been lightly and intermittently buzzing (since 2008) about a little outfit called Ducktails out of Jersey City under the LA label Not Not Fun.


Cover of Ducktails' S/T LP - out now!

This solo project by Matthew Mondanile presents pretty, shimmery, psych summer pop that makes me want to put on my bikini, run to the nearest beach and have a party.

Check Ducktails out for yourself at The Market Hotel (JMZ to Myrtle for my fellow MTA riders) tonight, with Andrew Cedermark, Julian Lynch, Real Estate (Matthew's other project), and Family Portait.

Philly - The 6th Borough

Brooklyn has gained a significant amount of notoriety through the years as the borough of music, especially indie music. Nice title to have, I tell you what, but Philly is gaining attention. Take a look at Kurt Vile or Free Energy.

Vile channels Dylan or Cohen, but in a dreamy way, like each song was mixed by Animal Collective. (Listen to "Overnight Religion" here). Free Energy (Listen to their track "Dream City" here) are bringing back '70s power pop (think Thin Lizzie's "The Boys are Back in Town"). By the way, both these bands have earned Best New Music nods from Pitchfork. And lets not forget good ol' Dr. Dog. We like them a lot, too.

It gets you thinking: where will the indie scene move next?

What's in the Water at Wesleyan?

MGMT +
Das Racist +
Boy Crisis +
Amazing Baby
=
The Wesleyan Mafia

Or so says Cristina Black over at the Village Voice.

True, these bands are great. But what about Francis and the Lights? (Playing Zebulon September 1st and 2nd, btw). We love him, too!

Is there something in the water over there in Connecticut?

P.S. September 1st is my birthday! 29 years young!

What Sucks and What Doesn't

Photo from http://www.thetripwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/holly3d.jpg

You know what sucks? When you are totally psyched to see a new band you love perform live - and your editor tries to get you on the list, too - and when you get to the show you hear that a) it's sold out and b) the only press on the list are from Fader. Sigh...

You see, I really wanted to see Holly Miranda at Monkeytown on Monday night, but it was not meant to be. So, instead I had to listen to her on MySpace all day yesterday. I think I like what the NY Times has said about her. Due to the events of Monday night, though, I can't say whether she is "ferocious" live. (I'm looking at you, Fader!) And when I wrote to her PR folks asking whether she had any more shows planned in the New York area the response was: "soon :)". I'll be waiting, I guess. In the meantime, can I say that she is transcendent? Or enigmatic? Like Feist, but maybe more gritty? Take a listen and hear for yourself. I for one, have got the Miranda bug.

A few more things that don't suck: Das Racist and Ear Farm.



From http://thenightbirdcalls.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/das-racist.jpg

Das Racist, if you haven't heard the buzz about them from here or here, are a Brooklyn-based hip hop duo. Yes, yes we love "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell", but what I also really like are the following: this video, and they seem totally smart and socially conscious. (I like that stuff...)


From http://earfarm.com/post/earftpreview.jpg

Ear Farm is a musiczine and I can't believe I've gone this long without talking about it. It's really very good. Please check it out, make comments and give those dudes props. Check out my work there, too!

Oh, also, Fader doesn't suck. Fader, if you are reading this, please know that I wasn't angry at you for being on the Monkeytown list Monday night. Rather, I was angry that you got on the list before me. Promise.

Nostalgia, The New Yorker and Why We Still Go to Concerts Today

Ever since I was a child I can remember wishing that I'd been born in the 1950's. No. I was not and still am not really a fan of DooWop. Rather, I realized then that if I'd been born in the '50s I would be a teenager in the '60s...when music really began (at least in my opinion). Live music began long before the '60s, but it was in that decade--ripe with drugs, radicalism, activism, youth-culture and free love--that it really took hold in a way never before seen or documented by our society.


If you read The New Yorker you may have noticed that the August 10-17, 2009 issue included a piece by John Seabrook called "The Price of the Ticket". I won't get into all the details, but the article gives some insight into the state of live concerts, Ticketmaster, LiveNation. The piece also delves into scalping and how, due to the internet, this formerly criminal act is basically legal and making millionaires out of lazy schlubs who don't want to leave the house.

Aside from its enlightening content, the basic message of the piece was this: there is nothing quite like live music. Even when tickets are posted for $400-$1,500, fans--eager for the thrill of a live concert with their favorite band--will pay.

I liked Seabrook's statement that cheap tickets mean concerts sell out and are "the price the industry pays to preserve the illusion that the '60s never ended." It's funny, because I am a child of the 1980s. I grew up during the era of Debbie Gibson, acid wash jeans and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". I was 20 years too late for the '60s; yet that era holds such enormous meaning for my friends and me. It's part of the reason why I go to concerts today: to get that unmatched thrill that ignited way back when.