every once in a great while, someone accidentally publishes what a guy with nothing to lose has to say.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postrock/2009/03/sxsw_leftovers_talkin_expletiv.html
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
we don't refer to the past
my source at the door informed me that it was a new band either featuring members of rancid or a new signing to rancid's record label, or both. i guess they were playing a super cool secret show on the east side! there were some out-of place OC/melrose types in bondage pants hanging around with manic panic highlights and nose piercings.
the whole thing made me wonder, do these people actually like this music? they could be listening to literally anything else. if you have the internet, even if youre too young to drive to a record store you can hear pretty much any song in the world for free in about 30 seconds. you dont have to listen to your big brothers offspring CDs anymore guys!
the whole thing made me wonder, do these people actually like this music? they could be listening to literally anything else. if you have the internet, even if youre too young to drive to a record store you can hear pretty much any song in the world for free in about 30 seconds. you dont have to listen to your big brothers offspring CDs anymore guys!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
thanks a lot sufjan
today is 'record store day'.
am i NOT supposed to feel cynical about this? its so innocent, like 'ice cream day' or something. but really you know its just about selling more shit.
but maybe thats what this country needs right now: more people buying shit they dont really need. did all holidays start this way? a few big businesses (or churches) got together during tough times and made up a 'holiday' that fed into the collective unconcious desire for hedonistic polytheistic/pagan-style mass gatherings? people at a party will act like they believe anything you say as long as it keeps the party going.
am i NOT supposed to feel cynical about this? its so innocent, like 'ice cream day' or something. but really you know its just about selling more shit.
but maybe thats what this country needs right now: more people buying shit they dont really need. did all holidays start this way? a few big businesses (or churches) got together during tough times and made up a 'holiday' that fed into the collective unconcious desire for hedonistic polytheistic/pagan-style mass gatherings? people at a party will act like they believe anything you say as long as it keeps the party going.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
tvotwtf?
looks like courtney love shoulda gone to freecreditreport.com
poor lil frances bean.
i read in a book with a lot of pictures in it that kurt and courtney lived in LA for a year around the time 'nevermind' came out. the book had some photos of them and baby frances in their little bare-walled apartment in koreatown or wherever it was, all happy and scruffy in their pajamas. it was pretty surreal to see how small and intimate their life seemed compared to what was going on in kurt's career at the time, and the media feeding frenzy that was right around the corner.
i wonder if when they lived here they ever went out in silverlake and saw some shitty bands. if so, what sort of shitty bands were 'around' in LA back then?
since 'grunge' hadnt happened yet was it all hair metal bands and a pre-record deal weezer? (is the fact that weezer even dared to exist in a hair metal-and-punk-dominated LA actually incredible in retrospect?) or were they hip enough to go see pre-record deal beck play a leaf-blower at some silverlake coffeeshop? were there tons of record collector bands playing jangly college pop, or was OC/long beach pop-punk/ska and hardcore the only visible alternative? so many questions. aging LA natives, feel free to chime in.
i also just realized that this week marked the 15th anniversary of kurt's suicide. miss ya buddy! your band totally didnt suck. but your wife's did.
poor lil frances bean.
i read in a book with a lot of pictures in it that kurt and courtney lived in LA for a year around the time 'nevermind' came out. the book had some photos of them and baby frances in their little bare-walled apartment in koreatown or wherever it was, all happy and scruffy in their pajamas. it was pretty surreal to see how small and intimate their life seemed compared to what was going on in kurt's career at the time, and the media feeding frenzy that was right around the corner.
i wonder if when they lived here they ever went out in silverlake and saw some shitty bands. if so, what sort of shitty bands were 'around' in LA back then?
since 'grunge' hadnt happened yet was it all hair metal bands and a pre-record deal weezer? (is the fact that weezer even dared to exist in a hair metal-and-punk-dominated LA actually incredible in retrospect?) or were they hip enough to go see pre-record deal beck play a leaf-blower at some silverlake coffeeshop? were there tons of record collector bands playing jangly college pop, or was OC/long beach pop-punk/ska and hardcore the only visible alternative? so many questions. aging LA natives, feel free to chime in.
i also just realized that this week marked the 15th anniversary of kurt's suicide. miss ya buddy! your band totally didnt suck. but your wife's did.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
sxsw report: i didnt go to sxsw
i havent posted anything in over a week. i'd apologize for that, but in actuality its a good thing.
no posts here means that i, a person who goes out several nights a week, have not seen any horrible shows in LA. the shows i HAVE seen, generally speaking, were at least decent if not revelatory. barring a few questionable wardrobe choices, ive seen mostly respectable people expressing themselves honestly and creatively, if not very well.
my theory is that all the assholes are down at SXSW this week.
that all ends this weekend though. welcome home, careerist douches!
im just kidding, i missed you guys. i wanna hear stories!
no posts here means that i, a person who goes out several nights a week, have not seen any horrible shows in LA. the shows i HAVE seen, generally speaking, were at least decent if not revelatory. barring a few questionable wardrobe choices, ive seen mostly respectable people expressing themselves honestly and creatively, if not very well.
my theory is that all the assholes are down at SXSW this week.
that all ends this weekend though. welcome home, careerist douches!
im just kidding, i missed you guys. i wanna hear stories!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
theyll never make it, theres no girls in here
i went to the echo on 'free night' again. this time, i met up with two of my fellow haters (though we all hate different things differently). we spent most of the night outside on the smoking patio, chatting about dallas and crazy characters and weird girls thereabouts. it was easy to pay as little attention to the music as possible.
coincidentally enough, the bands on the bill that night were that rare PERFECT mix of highly listenable and totally ignorable. this allowed me to enjoy my evening of paying $7 for cups of warm beer. thanks free night!
depending on where the sound guy was, there were sometimes up to five dudes in plaid flannel shirts on stage. there was just something about the combination of beanies, flannels, collared plaid button ups, over-emotive shouting and a cute girl bassists in the room that night that just made me want to never listen to a superchunk record ever again.
the 2nd to last band seemed like it could have been good, but for some reason just wasnt. was it nerves? singing keyboard players shouldnt sit center stage facing the audience. even freddie mercury didnt do that, and that dude did everything!
coincidentally enough, the bands on the bill that night were that rare PERFECT mix of highly listenable and totally ignorable. this allowed me to enjoy my evening of paying $7 for cups of warm beer. thanks free night!
depending on where the sound guy was, there were sometimes up to five dudes in plaid flannel shirts on stage. there was just something about the combination of beanies, flannels, collared plaid button ups, over-emotive shouting and a cute girl bassists in the room that night that just made me want to never listen to a superchunk record ever again.
the 2nd to last band seemed like it could have been good, but for some reason just wasnt. was it nerves? singing keyboard players shouldnt sit center stage facing the audience. even freddie mercury didnt do that, and that dude did everything!
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Your Friends' Favorite Generic Silverlake Indie Pop Band
Hey guys. Remember when I posted THIS?:
Ultra-generic Silverlake indie pop bands. Where to begin? First, lets establish the pointless, self-absorbed and incredibly contrived content of their "songs". I don't know if it's Rilo Kiley's fault or Weezer 's or Elliott Smith's, but there isn't a single original songwriting voice in an entire scene based on "singer-songwriters".
Then there are the "country via Dylan via indie pop" rootsy cutesy bands. I don't know why, but there's usually at least one girl with a great dress collection and a guy with a beard involved. Listening to anything by the Parson Redheads, to name one of many, is akin to listening to room-temperature milk evaporating. I swear to God, one of their songs combines the chorus melody of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and the verse melody of "Blowin' in the Wind." I remember standing there in the near-empty room on some free night, in awe of the balls that guy must have to try and pass that off as his own song.
The main problem may be the blatant and homogenous hero worship that goes on in these bands. Maybe if Elliott Smith was still alive all these 3rd stringers wouldn't have the guts to get up on stage and jerk off to themselves. Imagine a world without Gavin Rossdales!
You know your scene's in trouble when the "successful" band is a Smashing Pumpkins sound-alike, and the band with "art cred", Autolux, hasn't released an album since 2004. Great Northern, Sea Wolf, Airborne Toxic Event, and many many more epitomize this self-congratulatory, kidding-themselves-and-each-other scene. The good news is, it seems like younger people have stopped forming this type of band in the last couple of years.
Well later is right now!For those of you who aren't familiar with east side LA rock club schedules, Monday nights are when you can get into the Echo, Spaceland, and the Silverlake Lounge for free and check out a tightly-packed bill invariably consisting of some combination of:A) ultra-generic silverlake indie pop bands (more on these later)
Ultra-generic Silverlake indie pop bands. Where to begin? First, lets establish the pointless, self-absorbed and incredibly contrived content of their "songs". I don't know if it's Rilo Kiley's fault or Weezer 's or Elliott Smith's, but there isn't a single original songwriting voice in an entire scene based on "singer-songwriters".
Then there are the "country via Dylan via indie pop" rootsy cutesy bands. I don't know why, but there's usually at least one girl with a great dress collection and a guy with a beard involved. Listening to anything by the Parson Redheads, to name one of many, is akin to listening to room-temperature milk evaporating. I swear to God, one of their songs combines the chorus melody of "Mr. Tambourine Man" and the verse melody of "Blowin' in the Wind." I remember standing there in the near-empty room on some free night, in awe of the balls that guy must have to try and pass that off as his own song.
The main problem may be the blatant and homogenous hero worship that goes on in these bands. Maybe if Elliott Smith was still alive all these 3rd stringers wouldn't have the guts to get up on stage and jerk off to themselves. Imagine a world without Gavin Rossdales!
You know your scene's in trouble when the "successful" band is a Smashing Pumpkins sound-alike, and the band with "art cred", Autolux, hasn't released an album since 2004. Great Northern, Sea Wolf, Airborne Toxic Event, and many many more epitomize this self-congratulatory, kidding-themselves-and-each-other scene. The good news is, it seems like younger people have stopped forming this type of band in the last couple of years.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Your Band Sucks Report: Gangi
Look people, I'm not the only one. Shitty bands are real, and they'll stop at nothing to get your attention. To wit, I just received this open letter/report from one of our anonymous agents in the field:
Dear Gangi:
Dear Gangi:
You're the reason I'm not on MySpace. [rest of letter redacted by request]
Loving hating you,
Your Band Sucks
"Naming names since 2009"
Saturday, February 21, 2009
noise: a self-invented problem
Today I went to a "noise show" at an Echo Park gallery that I usually love. Unfortunately, it kind of sucked.
As the first performer went on there were about 5 people inside watching the show and about 15 herded out on the sidewalk, awkwardly pacing around, chatting and smoking. One dude in his late 20s, dressed in classic SF bike messenger style, was non-non-chalantly puffing on a wooden tobacco pipe. I guess wooden pipes are a thing now/again/still.
A photo crew from "Bloomingdales Magazine" (wtf?) waddled by and asked if they could take some photos of their model standing in front of the building. A willowy brunette in white posed self-consciously in front of all the freaky art types, who turned their backs to the camera ever so slightly. According to a story I overheard from an old Latina woman, the crew had been walking around the neighborhood all day, pissing off old Latina women.
As the first performer went on there were about 5 people inside watching the show and about 15 herded out on the sidewalk, awkwardly pacing around, chatting and smoking. One dude in his late 20s, dressed in classic SF bike messenger style, was non-non-chalantly puffing on a wooden tobacco pipe. I guess wooden pipes are a thing now/again/still.
A photo crew from "Bloomingdales Magazine" (wtf?) waddled by and asked if they could take some photos of their model standing in front of the building. A willowy brunette in white posed self-consciously in front of all the freaky art types, who turned their backs to the camera ever so slightly. According to a story I overheard from an old Latina woman, the crew had been walking around the neighborhood all day, pissing off old Latina women.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
errol flynn: a spectre still haunts h-wood
I can't believe I'm updating this blog again. This can only mean that in the massively influential epicenter of one of the three most culture-producing/destroying cities of the United States, you can still see shitty bands three nights in a fucking row. I should know - it just happened to me.
Last night I went to a somewhat trendy but "still cool" bar in the dregs of south Hollywood. "Why not?," I thought. "It might be fun."
It's hard to believe how naive and tragic those words seem to me now, less than a day later.
On an off-night this is the kind of dimly lit, vaguely-decadent-in-an-early-70s way place where you might see the solo project of a guy who used to tour as a rhythm guitarist in Black Rebel Motorcycle Club/Brian Jonestown Massacre/Queens of the Stone Age in the late 90s.
I walk in the place to find two guys playing a fratty rock song on acoustic guitars. I can tell they're "indie" tho cause the one singing has long straight hair and an Eroll Flynn moustache, and the other guy's guitar is turned up about 4 times louder than the moustache guy. I couldn't discern many lyrics because of all the slurring and intensity, but from the tone of it I gathered it to be some kind of metaphor combining love and drug addiction.
The next band, a rock 4-piece complete with smoke machines, ultra tight clothes, and age-inappropriate hairstyles, was fronted by some sort of 40 year old ghost of a goth. They did that repetitive heavy blues riffs thing that Spiritualized and all those 'heroin' bands do. Great, thanks, I like those bands. But you must really REALLY like those bands! Because for some reason you don't mind sounding exactly like them and proudly showing the world that you know how to print a Xerox. Thanks.
Last night I went to a somewhat trendy but "still cool" bar in the dregs of south Hollywood. "Why not?," I thought. "It might be fun."
It's hard to believe how naive and tragic those words seem to me now, less than a day later.
On an off-night this is the kind of dimly lit, vaguely-decadent-in-an-early-70s way place where you might see the solo project of a guy who used to tour as a rhythm guitarist in Black Rebel Motorcycle Club/Brian Jonestown Massacre/Queens of the Stone Age in the late 90s.
I walk in the place to find two guys playing a fratty rock song on acoustic guitars. I can tell they're "indie" tho cause the one singing has long straight hair and an Eroll Flynn moustache, and the other guy's guitar is turned up about 4 times louder than the moustache guy. I couldn't discern many lyrics because of all the slurring and intensity, but from the tone of it I gathered it to be some kind of metaphor combining love and drug addiction.
The next band, a rock 4-piece complete with smoke machines, ultra tight clothes, and age-inappropriate hairstyles, was fronted by some sort of 40 year old ghost of a goth. They did that repetitive heavy blues riffs thing that Spiritualized and all those 'heroin' bands do. Great, thanks, I like those bands. But you must really REALLY like those bands! Because for some reason you don't mind sounding exactly like them and proudly showing the world that you know how to print a Xerox. Thanks.
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