Octavio - Viva Voce

Viva Voce tonight at The Echo, bring your good hats. This is a brand new video for their catchy new album, Rose City.

Viva Voce - Octavio

Viva Voce - Devotion

Good News! Tuesday! (quick roundup)

Speaking to the power of the road trip, Justin Gage over there at Aquarium Drunkard has published an excellent book on the subject of Memphis Blues--and the wonders of the desolate road.

It's out now, specifically at cool places like Stories in LA, and I'm sure anywhere good music books are. LA Times writer Jeff Weiss, Passion of the Weiss blogger, interviewed Gage recently on Pop & Hiss: here. Be sure to pick that up.

In other news, Dinosaur Jr. is streaming their full album on Myspace (their album is due out next week). Little Joy, Fabrizio Moretti's little band, did a session on Daytrotter that's damn good. Grizzly Bear is at the Wiltern on Friday with Here We Go Magic (I'll be there, EAT THAT).

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks Acoustic (Live @ WNYC)

Concerts Week 6/15-6/22: Joy Pain Crazy Doom

Busy week - going to support Mr. Kevin Bronson at the Buzzbands Echo/Plex show tonight, and Viva Voce on Wednesday, Art Brut on thursday at Spaceland, and ending the week with Grizzly Bear on Friday.

[Blackout period for frustrating, musicless wedding in Dallas, Texas]

Back for Dinosaur Jr. on Monday.

There will be blood.

Jay Reatard, Stantions Destroyed

This show was filled with conflict. Whether it be me crashing into the stantions (not from alcohol, from stupidity) on the way and being hissed at by Echoplex staff, or Jay Reatard giving us a strong middle finger while still playing power chords, or my friend Matt Wyatt handing me his beer and saying, "Hold this," while leaping into an all-elbows mosh pit, this show was definitely a little bit of war. You can't see from the picture, but everyone in front of me was leaping like deer.

Ok, my honest admittance? This was my first punk show. Thee Oh Sees Earthmen had some brass distortion balls on them, and Reatard came out with a Ghost-Rider-like-blazing fifty minute set. A man with a chin beard like a UFC fighter started a mosh pit, and at one point some beer from across the room went in my mouth.

Best part: the music was good. In a fifty minute set, with no breaks, what else would you want?

As a contrast, the reason I didn't post this weekend is most likely from my extraordinary geek high (in extreme opposite to Jay Reatard) at seeing my favorite author Ray Bradbury - see below. What a weekend.



Jay Reatard - Always Wanting More

Nothing Short of the Best Music Video Ever

BIRDY NAM NAM - THE PARACHUTE ENDING Clip Officiel
Uploaded by Has_Been. - See the latest featured music videos.

I don't like techno, but this is cosmic brilliance. Will Sweeney is the incredible artist - thanks to the Family Blog for posting this. Nothing more to say: watch the video.

Pink Mountaintops - Closer to Heaven (Live Acoustic)

Here's to hoping Pink Mountaintops doesn't fall by the wayside fanwise- like its brother Black Mountain.

Gotta love the hyperbole: "I sent you a rose / Electrically wired / When things burn this brightly / Don't let them explode"

Pink Mountaintops - Vampire

Emily Wells New EP, Party

Emily Wells is Notorious B.I.G. meets a violin. Last year she released The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties, which NPR fell all over themselves for. With good cause - she's a mesmerizing live act to watch. A glittery and soaring voice, a smokey violin and one of those awesome loop machines for Andrew Bird-esque harmonies.

Next week in Los Angeles, Wells is having a party for her new EP, Dirty (explicit like Notorious), at the Hotel Cafe, June 19th. There's not too much new about the EP, it has a few new versions of old songs, but there is one remarkably good track: Take it Easy San Francisco. You wouldn't know it from the album, but it's just her and a Ukulele - and the echo of an island that's not there.

Watch the video, and melt a little as the song transitions into the final minute - a disturbingly addicting harmony of "Don't stop talking to me"

Emily Wells - Fair Thee Well