Analog Rhombus

The Winter Blanket

2006-11-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

The Winter Blanket is a pop band from Minnesota. They make beautiful pop music. What else do you need to know?

Sleepy Eyes
Cold

Election Mix

2006-11-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Today is Election Day. In celebration, here's an election-themed mix:

Derek Webb - A King and a Kingdom
Derek Webb - A New Law
Derek Webb - My Enemies Are Men Like Me
Dar Williams - Empire
Bad Religion - American Jesus
Eric Idle - The FCC Song
Daniel Roop - This Poem Is Not the Revolution
The Legendary K.O. - George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People
Pedro the Lion - Backwoods Nation
Sage Francis - Makeshift Patriot
Sage Francis - Slow Down Gandhi (Reanimator remix)
James McMurtry - God Bless America
Bright Eyes - When the President Talks to God

You can find plenty more similarly-themed songs here, here and here.

They Say It's Your Birthday

2006-11-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

It's folk singer Denison Witmer's birthday. In celebration, he's giving away 30 free songs:

As of today (November 4, 2006), I am 30 years old. I'm throwing my own birthday party. You are all invited. I have decided to give you a gift: 30 new recordings of songs from my entire catalog, a few covers, a few unreleased songs, and a some podcasts of stories from my touring and my life in general. This is my gift to you free of charge. However, the purpose of Happy Birthday Denison is to serve as a fund-raiser for my favorite charities. Every year, I will be adding content to this site on my birthday. In exchange for the content (songs, etc), I am asking that you donate money to the charities I have chosen. Please donate whatever amount wish. The content on this site will always remain free of charge. All donations are received as a goodwill exchange.

Are You A Dreamer?
Are You Lonely?
East From West
Forgiven
Grandma Mary

Lot's more...

Free Album Friday: Bob McCluskey

2006-11-03T14:23:00.000-08:00

Bob McCluskey was the main singer and songwriter for the Taoist Cowboys. After that band broke up, he concentrated on recording some songs that he had been working on previously, and some that were inspired by personal experiences he was going through at the time.youngbob.jpg (14432 bytes) Recording only on four track, he played all the instruments and did all the vocals, capturing the songs exactly the way he heard them. He even took the photograph and did the cover art, using white out to write the letters. Entitled Emergency Lunchbox after a childhood artifact he still had in his apartment, it was released to hardly any fanfare and only a few people actually got one. But those that did were hardcore about it and a small cult of fans grew up around it. Emergency Lunchbox is a very personal record of equal parts darkness and beauty. It is available for the first time on cd and for the first time has been digitally mastered. Below is a review of the record from Metropulse featured in their issue of "The Greatest Knoxville Records of All Time".

"Out of the ashes of the Taoist Cowboys and the Estradas came this 1994 solo project from their lead writer. Perhaps the most intimate and honest release ever recorded in Knoxville, it was all taped at home on a four track and captures Bob at his best: relaxed, and his mind drenched in self examination and beer. It's songwriting minus any bullshit or pretension whatsoever. Like Nick Drake if Nick had a sense of humor and adventure, and could formulate his ideas clearly. In other words, it ain't like Nick Drake at all except it forces you into THAT mood. Almost flawless in its risk of exposing the writer's flaws. Bob takes the everyday and makes it art and makes it interesting." Metropulse July 9, 1999.

Get Emergency Lunchbox free here.

God Bless America

2006-11-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

AUSTIN, TX - Fresh off winning 2006 Americana Song of the Year and Album of the Year accolades, James McMurtry has recorded a new political tune. Just in time for election season, "God Bless America", showcases more of the social commentary that made McMurtry's "We Can't Make It Here" an anthem for people unhappy with the current state of the union. "God Bless America" skewers the governmental powers that be with razor-sharp barbs that take the current administration to task for hiding its actual motives for war. "Gonna turn up the heat till it comes to a boil. So we can go get that Arab oil," McMurtry sings.

McMurtry is making the rough mix of "God Bless America" available for free on his website, jamesmcmurtry.com, and at the link below. "I had meant to wait until I was finished overdubbing before putting this song out, but our brave legislators have once again outdone themselves in their acquiescence to the executive by passing the detainee bill," said McMurtry. "We refer to foreign governments that employ all-powerful executive branches as dictatorships, but we're still supposed to think of our own government as democratic. I'm appalled at the spinelessness of Republican legislators. I guess they still think they'll be invited to the feast. They will be, but only if they continue to watch their mouths."

Described by Steven King as "the truest, fiercest songwriter of his generation," James McMurtry is the son of acclaimed author Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Terms of Endearment). His first album, released in 1989, was produced by John Mellencamp and marked the beginning of a series of critically acclaimed projects for Columbia and Sugar Hill. In 2003, McMurtry joined forces with Houston's Compadre Records and together they released the universally lauded Live in Aught-Three. His next Compadre album, Childish Things, garnered some of the highest critical praise of McMurtry's career and spent eight weeks at number one on R&R's Americana Music Radio Chart in 2005 and 2006. McMurtry won the Song of the Year and Album of the Year awards for "We Can't Make It Here" and Childish Things respectively at the 2006 Americana Music Associan Honors and Awards.

"God Bless America" will appear on James McMurtry's as yet untitled new album, which he's currently recording in Austin. McMurtry and his band, The Heartless Bastards, will continue to tour the U.S. for the remainder of 2006.They play in Hollywood this Saturday, October 7 at Safari Sam's.

God Bless America

Deck The Halls

2006-11-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

Stream the entire Sufjan Stevens Christmas CD box set, right here.

Then buy it for only $20!

Deck The Oakley Halls

2006-10-31T21:12:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn sextet Oakley Hall is an American acid cowboy folk rock band. The group prominently features male-female vocal harmonies and its group's melodies closely recall old American folk songs and ballads, though often supported by a driving rock beat. This is what country might sound like if Nashville didn't suck.

Lazy Susan
Living in Sin in the USA
Landlord
Eyes, Lock & Steel

Wide Awake It's Morning

2006-10-30T14:19:00.000-08:00

As you probably already know, Bright Eyes is an indie rock band consisting of singer-songwriter Conor Oberst, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, and a rotating lineup of collaborators drawn mainly from Omaha's indie music scene. Oberst songwriting has been compared to Bob Dylan, although his themes are often darker, dealing with depression, anxiety, and alcoholism. Bright Eyes has remained signed to the independent label Saddle Creek Records, although the band has enjoyed popularity that rivals that of their major label contemporaries.

Amy in the White Coat
I Will Be Grateful for This Day
Lua
We Are Nowhere and It's Now
Gold Mine Gutted
From a Balance Beam
Blue Christmas

Racking Up High Scores

2006-10-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

There’s something to be said for environment and the unique creative product that it spawns. The High Score is Southern, all snarls and sass and wit and will. The band hails from Tennessee, and just like the state’s diverse musical legacies in blues, early rock and roll, and country, The High Score’s sound is simultaneously nostalgic and new. If people around there ever used the term “blue-collar,” Knoxville could be described this way, and the honesty and grit that breeds in mid-sized, unaffected towns like this can be heard in each drumbeat and rock riff off of The High Score’s new release, We Showed Up To Leave. The High Score don’t claim to be saving rock and roll, but they sure are having a helluva time representing it.

Blown Out Radio
Laid Up
Ringing in Our Ears
Back Tonight

Free Album Friday: The Soft Drugs

2006-10-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

T.W. Walsh aka The Soft Drugs has made his The Soft Drugs in Moderation 5-song EP available as a free download. Get it here.

Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

2006-10-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Via Brooklyn Vegan, it's an archive of mp3s recorded from Halloween records*. And, strangely, a few Spider-man records. Gorge yourself.

*Yes, the snaps, crackles and pops are still intact.

Haikus And Senryus

2006-10-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Senryu came pretty close to breaking up before releasing its last album, its crowning achievement to date. You can kind of understand why. It’s got to be hard being in a band when no one gets what you’re doing. And I can’t imagine that many people get Wil Wright’s musical hodgepodge. Their loss. Blending influences like Brian Wilson, The Zombies, Smashing Pumpkins and The Pixies, Senryu is quirky Knoxville pop meets the circus, parades, magicians and sunny days.

The Morning After
3-Rings
Be Still

Scout's Honor

2006-10-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

England's Scout Niblett is the sort of performer who makes you fall in love with music all over again. She wears a blonde wig onstage, records with Steve Albini, tours with Cat Power, and has the voice of an enthusiastic child. She wails over drum-heavy songs so gleefully that you wouldn't be surprised to see her rush off to catch fireflies with her friends. She's like a female version of Calvin from the Calvin & Hobbes comic strip: imaginative, hyperactive and unpredictable.

Drummer Boy
Fireflies
Uptown Top Ranking

Free Album Friday: The Blow

2006-10-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

Gorilla vs. Bear points out that The Blow's record label has made its previous EP, Poor Aim: Love Songs, available for free download until October 24.

Free EP download:

The Blow Poor Aim: Love Songs .zip

EP tracklist:

Hey Boy
The Sky Opened Wide Like the Tide
Knowing the Things That I Know
Lets Play Boys Chase Girls
The Love That I Crave
Hock It
Come On Petunia

Midweek Music Roundup

2006-10-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

• Experimental jazz and hip-hop group Soul-Junk have new songs up on their MySpace page.

• Three words: Ludacris samples He-Man.

• The Accident Experiment is on tour.

• Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer) will be releasing a Christmas EP in the coming months. Nash also recently stopped by Gibson Entertainment Relations in New York City to perform a few songs from the new album as well as some old. You can view the performance from The Blue Room by clicking here (then click "live performances" on the left side of the page, and then "Leigh Nash."

• Danielson has unveiled a Christiaan Palladino-directed video for "Did I Step On Your Trumpet?" which you can watch from your web browser here.

Or, see it with a bonus audio introduction by Daniel Smith as the second installment of the new Secretly Canadian podcast.

You can subscribe to the podcast through a few different companies depending on your preference:

ITUNES - pcast://feeds.feedburner.com/SCPodcast
YAHOO - http://e.my.yahoo.com/config/cstore?.opt=content&.url=http%3a//feeds.feedburner.com/SCPodcast
GOOGLE - http://www.google.com/ig/add?feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.com/SCPodcast
FEEDBURNER - feed://feeds.feedburner.com/SCPodcast

Danielson has also announced a European tour starting late November. They will be playing with Jeffrey Lewis for a majority of the month-long tour. For a complete and up-to-date listing of tourdates go here.

• Part 2 of the Sojourners audio interview with Moby.

I Heart Kamikazes

2006-10-17T07:25:00.000-07:00

Albany's The Kamikaze Hearts make what has been described as upstate porch rock, that is intricately crafted stories told in song. The band appeals to disparate musical tastes, combining four part harmonies with acoustic guitar, snare drum and floor tom, acoustic bass, mandolin, banjo and dobro. The band's latest record, "Oneida Road," came out last month on Collar City Records, nearly three years in the making.

Beverly Hills
Five Point Turn
War Horse
No One Called You A Failure
Weekend In Western New York
C'mon Baby Let's Go Downtown

O Canada

2006-10-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Folk-tinged Ann Arbor natives Canada make music in the tradition of other Michigan acts like Sufjan Stevens, Anathallo, Wolf Eyes, and Thunderbirds Are Now. The band's multi-instrumented songs that even include non-traditional sounds like pots, pans and stomping on the floor.

Beige Stationwagon
Hexenhaus
Hooray for Shipwreck

For The Birds

2006-10-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

Daylight's for the Birds started in Winter 2005 when Jay and Phillip started writing wistful soundtracks to the cinematic imagery in their heads. The songs came fast, and they recruited Claudia Deheza to sing on the first batch and Brad Conroy to hold down the epic swirliness with his fantastically bombastic drumming. There were some shows, with a whole host of friends lending their various talents on record and stage, but always, always songs. Through the wonders of chance and all that is good fortune, Amanda Garrett came into their lives in early 2006, and immediately started creating new sonic dreamscapes with them! In May, Dave serendipitously waded out of the rubble of his previous band, The Black Spoons, and right into Daylight's to complete the lineup and play bass. Daylight's debut record will be available October 31 on This Generation Tapes.

To No One
Worlds Away

Free Album Friday: Swearing At Motorists

2006-10-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

Swearing At Motorists' publicist notes that there's a free Web-only album of unreleased songs available:

We're really excited to announce the exclusive
web-only release of Swearing At Motorists' "Exile
On Gipsstraße" a 10 song collection of unreleased
songs recorded by Dave Doughman live in an
underground train station in Berlin during the
making of Last Night Becomes This Morning. These
tracks will be available as free downloads for a
limited time during the month of October while
Swearing At Motorists tour the States.

Doughman had the following to say about these songs:
"It was late February 2005, and I had just moved
from Philadelphia to Berlin. I was in the process
of mixing the album Last Night Becomes This
Morning (released February 2006 on Secretly
Canadian). To keep myself from going insane
spending all my time at the mixing console (and
to make a little money instead of only spending
it), I started taking my guitar to the Ubahnhof -
an underground train station - at the end of my
street to busk. The first night I didn't make
much money, but was floored by the huge sound
created in the tube by my unamplified acoustic
guitar and voice. So the next night I returned
with my tape machine and 2 microphones, set them
up, got good levels, and just let the tape roll
as I busked. I made a little more money that
night, but upon returning home and giving the
tape a listen, realized that the trains and
passengers were too distracting from the overall
recording. So I started going to the station
later, near closing time (12:30 am), when there
are less passengers and 15 minute pauses between
trains. After a few days of this, I was so
excited about the sound I was getting, but losing
patience with trying to get as much done as
possible in 15 minutes, hoping that passengers
coming and going would be quiet. By this time, I
was playing facing the wall with no hat out, to
discourage people from stopping to listen or give
me money. I was obsessed with replacing the
studio versions of 3 songs on the album, with
versions recorded in the Ubahnhof, as I felt they
better fit into my concept of the record as a
film soundtrack. One night I finally got the
courage to wait until the station closed, then
climbed over the entrance gate and hurried down
into the tube. I got about an hour of
uninterrupted recording in before the Polizei
politely informed me I had to leave. I ended up
getting the versions of "This Is Not How Forever
Begins", "Lost Your Wig", and "Ten Dollars" I
needed for the album, and was thrilled at how
well they worked in the context of the record.
Since Last Night Becomes This Morning was
released, many folks have commented about how
much they love the sound of those 3 songs. That
got me thinking it would be interesting to hear
how a whole record culled from all those sessions
would sound. I like it and I hope you do, too."
-Dave Doughman

Get the album here.

This album is available for free only while
Swearing At Motorists is on the road. You only
have until Election Day.

Tour Dates:

10/13/06 Columbus, OH - Little Brothers w/ The Wrens
10/14/06 Newport, KY - Southgate House w/ The Wrens
10/15/06 Bloomington, IN - Landlocked Music
10/16/06 Chattanooga, TN - LaMar's
10/18/06 Tampa, FL - New World Brewery w/ New Roman Times
10/19/06 Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds w/ Holopaw
10/20/06 Orlando, FL - AKA Lounge
10/21/06 St. Augustine, FL - Cafe Eleven w/ Holopaw
10/22/06 Mt. Pleasant, SC - Village Tavern
10/24/06 Nashville, TN - Exit / In
10/26/06 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 w/ Hudson Bell + Dodo Bird
10/27/06 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
10/28/06 Allston, MA - Great Scott
10/29/06 Providence, RI - The Century
11/01/06 New York, NY - Fotana's w/ CMJ Showcase Fields of Gaffney
11/02/06 Dayton, OH - Pearl Nite Club

Suffering Withdrawal

2006-10-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Fullerton, California quintet Withdrawal has been described as "an intriguing cross-pollination of elements of Broken Social Scene and The Mars Volta, as well as Built To Spill crossed with Mogwai." That might be an apt description for this band, which sashays from dreamy, ethereal sounds to prog-rock. Plus, guitarist Jared Rushton starred as a child in the films Big and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Don't hold that against them.

Decompresssion
Nova Breeze
Stalker

Midweek Music Roundup

2006-10-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

• Josh Dooley from Starflyer 59 is in a new band called Map. Check them out here and grab four free songs. Speaking of Starfyler 59, the band's new album, My Island, drops September 12.

• Dixie Dirt is officially back together and will be going to Nashville to record in November.

• David Bazan (AKA Pedro the Lion & Headphones) delivers another Christmas single, this time with renditions of "Away In A Manger" and "O Little Town of Bethlehem". This is the fourth in a series of limited edition Christmas singles for Suicide Squeeze Records. Shipping October 25th! Not in stores until November 7th. On marble vinyl!

~~Relevant~~ Status Quo Magazine also has a two-part interview with Bazan (part one here; part two here). It's semi-insightful.

• Sojourners has an interview with Moby about his religious faith. Check it out here.

• On October 21, 2006, New York City's underground legends Alice Donut will play its 20th anniversary/record release show at the city's famed Knitting Factory. The band will provide a free live webcast of the show at its web site.

• Babygrande Records announced the September 19th release of Jedi Mind Tricks’ fifth album, Servants In Heaven, Kings In Hell. Two tracks were recorded with Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond. Check them out here.

One Man Banjo Band

2006-10-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

Phillip Roebuck is, quite simply, a one man banjo band that will blow your mind.

Monkey Fist
Little Bo Peep (demo)
Movement (demo)
Summons Song
Wheatback Penny
Kings County Breakdown
Ball Turrett Blues

Goodies Goodies Gumdrops

2006-10-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

Part rock and roll circus, part 30s cabaret theatre, part stylistic Mad Libs, The Goodies are a Southeastern musical whirlwind of deviance, musical styles and bizarre themes.

Cranberry Lips
Smash Your Glasses
the Castrato
Car Driving Killer
Tango
Madame Devillia
Panola
Gravity
Big Dragon (live)
Pusherman (live)
Mr. Francisco (live)
Cranberry Lips (live)
Devil Went Down to Georgia (live)
Plastic (live)

These Arms Are Snakes On A Plane

2006-10-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

Born of the ashes of seminal art thrashers Botch and Minneapolis punk heroes Kill Sadie, Seattle's These Arms are Snakes are fast-becoming an integral part of the Pacific Northwest's ever-dynamic musical fabric. Employing sinister guitar licks mixed with equal parts snarly vocals and a pension for spaced out musical long form - has painted the buzz heavy Snakes as anything but conventional. The band has toured endlessly, plastering both coasts with their livid live shows and with their eyes squarely focused on progressing and challenging all the current notions of hardcore, These Arms are Snakes are now poised to take their game to the next level – bringing all the passion and promise of their previous endeavors to splendid completion.

Riding the Grape Dragon
Horse Girl
Big News

Also check out these tour dates.

Free Album Friday: Balboa

2006-10-06T08:15:00.000-07:00

Balboa is the Big Kahuna of local indie rock, the founding fathers who blazed the trail for all Knoxville rock bands of any importance to follow. The group is universally revered by all longtime Knoxville scenesters, and rightly so. The brainchild of local mad scientist guitar guru Terry Hill, Balboa also featured the guitar artistry of Hector Qirko, bassist Richard Battaglia and drummer Steve Housewright. The combination of Qirko's blues and country swing techniques with Hill's more avant garde guitar mangling created a unique mix, and the rhythm section hammered it all down into a precise and even logical sound. It made perfect sense, and still does.

Back in the day, Balboa was considered to fall somewhere under the nebulous umbrella of punk rock, a genre that wasn't nearly as stilted and regimented in the late '70s as it is now. The band's independence, idealism and freeform artistry definitely fit into the punk aesthetic, which was—at the time—about creative and political freedom.

The first wave of punk was inextricably linked with the art world (see the Velvet Underground, Patti Smith, Television, et. al.) and Balboa was an art-rock band that purposely steered clear of pretension. What makes the tunes on Live Like This (plus) sound so classic is that they are not bound within a time-specific context. To this day, the songs sound urgent and modern.

Get Live Like This (plus) here.

I See London, I See Page France

2006-10-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

Page France is Daytrotter’s featured artist this week. Stop by for two tracks off their recent Suicide Squeeze release, Hello, Dear Wind, and two as of now unreleased songs, "The Ruby Ring Man" and "Antartica."

The Ruby Ring Man
Chariot
Dogs
Antartica

Also check out these tour dates.

Midweek Music Roundup

2006-10-04T00:32:00.000-07:00

• Live mp3s of David Bazan performing "Silent Night" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", with a few added lyrics for good measure.

• Brooklyn Vegan has a better video of Sufjan Stevens performing new song "Her Majesty Songbird." Check it out here.

And here’s Sufjan’s full September 29 show from Town Hall in New York.

• Recorded last summer, check out this podcast featuring Damien Jurado. Jurado talks about his new record, his new band and his love for Dio. There’s also a special rendition of Holy Diver.

From I-Tunes: pcast://feeds.feedburner.com/SCPodcast
From Yahoo: http://add.my.yahoo.com/rss?url=http://feeds.feedburner.com/SCPodcast
From Google: http://www.google.com/ig/add?feedurl=http://feeds.feedburner.com/SCPodcast
From Feedburner: http://feeds.feedburner.com/SCPodcast

• Unwed Sailor has a new song on their MySpace page.

• Copper has a new unreleased song up on their MySpace page.

Cowboy Baby

2006-10-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

Lead man and maestro, Daniel Schwartz, has a dream and he is making it a reality with his thrilling original songs. The music is versatile, showcasing elements and influence from all genres. Self-categorized as “urban country,” Unlikely Cowboy incorporates the sometimes feel good, sometimes heartbreaking twang of traditional country, and adapts to appeal to audiences of all ages and demographics.

You're The First
The Sound the Darkness Makes
You Steal All Our Wine
Back to Brooklyn

All Heart

2006-10-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

Baltimore-based Metal Hearts is made up of 18-year old Anar Badalov and 19-year old Flora Wolpert-Checknoff (alongside drummer and recording engineer Sam Leiber). The band manages to harness the misery and pain of the young adult years, turning it into something both raw and beautiful. Originally from Azerbaijan and Greece, respectively, Badalov and Wolpert-Checknoff met through a mutual friend/girlfriend. Before long the two were collaborating on songs by e-mail from their respective university campuses.

Metal Hearts fuses Badalov and Wolpert-Checknoff’s male and female voices over layers of moody guitar melodies, drifting cello and saxophones, and the ever-present pulsations of the drum machine. At times the duo sounds a bit distant, forgoing mellow for melancholy. But somehow that makes these frail and seductive tunes all the more compelling. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear Metal Hearts had been making these quiet hymns of unhappiness for decades. This album is every high school kids’ dreary bedroom diary.

Foothills
Socialize

Free Album Friday: Underwear Meat Clock

2006-09-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

The band's name is Underwear Meat Clock. They're a trio with no bass. You can get the entire album here, free.

Really, what else do you need to know?

Born To Be A Motorcycle

2006-09-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

Famous for its legendary live performances, San Diego’s Bunky makes larger than life fuzzy-sounds and slicked up pop explosions while all the neighborhood kids gather round to watch with curious faces. You’d think the gawking bystanders who amble up to listen hadn’t heard this sort of thing before, which is nonsensical. But Bunky has spit-shined its junkyard hybridization of garage punk, avant garde rock, ska and lovey-dovey balladeering in such a way that you might not even notice. Bunky is twitchy, erratic pop noise, flexible vocals, off-kilter beats and tunes that bulldoze through genre boundaries like a toddler shooting up sugar.

BaBa
chuy
yes-no

Accomplishing Accomplices

2006-09-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Arizona natives and schoolyard chums Jeff Bufano and Chris Corak are better known as Reubens Accomplice. The band has journeyed from high school talent shows to ampitheatre stages, having toured with Jimmy Eat World, Promise Ring, No Knife and others. Critical and cult faves alike, the band's second album, The Bull The Balloon and the Family, features guest appearances by producer Jm Adkins (Jimmy Eat World), David Bazan (Pedro the Lion, Headphones), Jon Rauhouse (Neko Case, Old 97s) and mixing by Chris Fudurich (Nada Surf, Matthew Sweet).

Underneath the Golden Grain
All Chorus
We're Not As Big As We Feel
Losing Sleep

Live videos:

Act On (Feeling Alone)
What You Want Gets You

Hip Hop Shops Rockin' Spots

2006-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sol.illaquists of Sound is a four-piece hip-hop act from the Orlando area. Fronted by a male rapper and female singer/rapper, and backed by a female vocalist and a crazy (in a good way) producer and MPC player, the band brings intelligence, social awareness and amazing musicianship to a hip-hop scene seriously lacking in such things. The band stresses community, artistic integrity and following one's dreams, not bitches, guns and jewelry. Catch them on tour now on the Quit Your Dead End Job Tour (alongside Prolyphic, X:144 and SPS, and Glue).

As If We Existed
Mark It Place

And hear more songs on Sol.illaquists of Sound's MySpace page.

Also check out this recent Orlando Weekly story on the band. And this older interview with Da Vinci, Sol.illaquists of Sound's producer.

Free Album Friday: Dixie Dirt

2006-09-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

Knoxville's Dixie Dirt does not sound as its name implies. The band does not play Appalachian melodies, country, or Americana roots rock. Rather, this female-fronted band is equal parts Neil Young, Sonic Youth, Ragged Glory, with a little dirty Knoxville sound thrown in for good measure. Dixie Dirt makes organic, gritty, and ambitious songs that begin with soft restraint, building to grainy kaleidoscopic intensity. Lynn Point Records has Dixie Dirt's entire Springtime is for the Hopeless and other ideas disc available as a free download (including cover art).

Circle The Russians

2006-09-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

Russian Circles are a three piece instrumental band from Chicago. They are, in a word, amazing.

Death Rides a Horse

Midweek Music Roundup

2006-09-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

• Weird Al Yankovic has a new song out called "Don't Download This Song." Ironically it is available as a free download on his MySpace page.

• Senryu finally finally finally has a new web page. Check it out here.

• Belle and Sebastian have two new songs up on their MySpace page.

• Gorilla vs. Bear reports that Sufjan Stevens played a new song at his Austin show last Friday. It's called "Majesty Songbird," and you can watch a video clip here. Stevens has already written a song called "The Lord God Bird." Could a bird-themed album be far behind?

• Over the Rhine reported at their show last weekend in Chicago that they'll have a new Christmas album out this December. And a new studio album in the spring.

• Derek Webb is on tour. Catch him here:

9/20 - Stillwater, OK 7:30 PM @ Stillwater Community Center - $5

9/21 - Marhshall, TX 7:30 PM @ Ornelas Spiritual Life Center - East TX Baptist - $5

9/22 - College Station, TX 7:00 PM @ George Bush Presidential Conference Center- FREE SHOW

9/24 - Houston, TX 8:00 PM @ Ecclesia Arts Center - $12

9/25 - Double Oak, TX 8:00 PM @ Roads Coffee - $8 adv/$10 atd

9/27 - Austin, TX 8:00 PM @ Stubb's BBQ - $12

9/28 - Dallas, TX 9:00 PM @ Gypsy Tea Room - $12/ 17+ show

9/29 - St Paul, MN 7:30 PM @ Northwestern College - Maranatha Hall
- $10 students/$12 advance/$20 artist circle

More Derek Webb live dates...

The Men Without Fear

2006-09-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Knoxville's Westside Daredevils blend vocal harmonies together with a three-pronged guitar assault, creating a melodic, textured wall of sound. No power chords here. The 'devils are far more creative with their orchestration. The five-piece's arrangements are filled with thick harmonies, catchy pop hooks, and a variety of styles. This is guitar pop as it was meant to be heard.

Heroes and Zeroes
Andrea
Darling Currency
She's a Disguise
Chicks in Time Machines
Through the Nevermores
You Are the Universe

Cue The Band

2006-09-18T23:42:00.000-07:00

Cue follows in the tradition of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mogwai and Austin scene-mates Explosions in the Sky, blending elaborate musicianship with grandiose emotive soundscapes. The band emulates the Post-rock pattern of slow, peaceful guitars that escalate into a frenzied wall of sonic chaos. But Cue does it so well that it doesn’t really matter. Cue more than manages to put its own spin on things. The addition of piano, violin and glockenspiel to these songs, as well as varied, sometimes abrupt, tempo changes, frees the band up to be itself. The resulting dynamic produces short opuses that dive and soar. Cue sooths with its soft, guitar driven melodies, nearly lulling you to sleep with the interplay of low-key bass and melancholic violin arrangements. Then, slowly, the pressure builds, often following the lead of Jason Brister's frantic drumming. The frenzied instrumentation fans in multiple directions, yet ultimately never loses control.

The Sun Has Risen Twice Today
Handful Savants

Fe-metal

2006-09-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

Something like a ferocious hybrid of PJ Harvey, Jesus Lizard, Babes In Toyland and Big Black, Made Out of Babies first captured the attention of the underground punk/metal scene with its Neurot Recordings debut Trophy in 2005. On stage, caterwauling front-woman Julie Christmas paces the floor, yelping with a bewitching intensity that defies her charming beauty and occasionally cherubic whispers. Meanwhile, towering guitarist Brendan Tobin coolly strangulates leaden sheets of guitar strata from his battered six-string, bassist Cooper lunges in time as his instrument rumbles and slithers around Matthew Egan’s relentlessly churning rhythms and blood-splattering drum fills.

There’s no rock machismo in the sounds of Made Out of Babies, which just might be what makes it so unsettling and unique. Instead, the group bears a mysteriously unified all-out visual and aural aesthetic assault reminiscent of mid-period Black Flag. And yet, there’s a certain curious glamour to MOoB that gives it a monolithic appeal.

Ire Fire
Swarm
Mr. Prison Shanks

Free Music Friday: Mustard

2006-09-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time in the late-nineties Knoxville's bar scene was charmed by a three-piece called Mustard. Fronted by guitar wizard Chris Cook, Mustard was a collection of charming high-spirited guitar pop, infused with elements of 70s metal, blues, surf and garage rock. Sloppy, lo-fi, low-key, off-key, flashy yet restrained, and with an ample supply of fun and a danceable live show, Mustard is sadly no more. Fortunately you can download the band's entire first CD (complete with cover art) here.

TransNorthAtlanticism

2006-09-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

The North Atlantic was born on or about October 15, 1999, when Cullen and Jason Hendrix met Jason Richards at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI. Intense house shows and being caught out of their league (playing their second show with Lansing’s Small Brown Bike and their fifth with Cursive) marked their formative years. After relocating to San Diego in 2000, earning three degrees, eight national, self-booked tours and many, many long drives, The North Atlantic is no longer being caught out of its league—they are defining it.

The sound of The North Atlantic is stark yet arrestingly lush, a staggering blend of New York post-punk, Chicago noise rock and San Diego punk, all tied together by Jason Hendrix’s drunkenly literate character studies and a penchant for textural embellishment and sonic layering.

Scientist Girl
Drunk Under Electrics

Tour Dates:

09.14 Iowa City, IA - The Picador (formerly Gabe's Oasis)
09.15 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
09.16 La Crosse, WI - Warehouse
09.17 Chicago, IL - The Metro
09.19 Grand Rapids, MI - Intersection
09.20 Indianapolis, IN - Rock Lobster
09.22 Gambier, OH - Kenyon College
09.23 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks
09.24 Peterborough, ON - Trasheteria
09.25 London, ON - Call The Office
09.26 Toronto, ON - El Amigo
09.27 Boston, MA - TT The Bear's
09.28 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
09.29 Wilmington, DE - Mojo 13
10.01 Brooklyn, NY - North Six
10.03 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
10.05 Dekalb, IL - The House
10.06 Lake Forest, IL - Lake Forest College

Midweek Music Roundup

2006-09-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

• Rapper Pigeon John's new album drops this week.

• Eminem will be releasing some new songs on an upcoming mix tape with DJ Whoo Kid. The album, tentatively titled "The Re-Up," is due out at the end of October. The collection features new material from Eminem, including a tribute to fallen rapper Proof, as well as material from Dr. Dre, Obie Trice, The Game, and others. See the full track listing here.

• There's some new stuff up at Danielson's MySpace page. Check out the instructional video from the first Danielson Famile record, 'A Prayer For
Every Hour' and listen to a new mix of "Animal in Every Corner" (Kramer
remix) and a cover of the song "Worried Shoes" from the forthcoming
Daniel Johnston Tribute album on Second Shimmy Records. This song is a
collaboration with Sufjan Stevens.

• Damien Jurado will be touring coast to coast beginning September 26 and on through the month of October in support of his new album, "And Now That I'm In Your Shadow," which will be out in stores on October 10. You can download What Were The Chances, one of the 13 tracks from the album. The rest of the album began streamcasting earlier this week two at a time. New songs will be released every Tuesday on his web site.

Tour dates:

09/26/06 Provo, UT - The Velour
09/27/06 Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
09/29/06 St. Paul, MN - Turf Club
09/30/06 Chicago, IL - Park West
10/01/06 Ferndale, MI - Magic Bag
10/03/06 Toronto, ON - El Mocambo
10/04/06 Montreal, QC - La Salla Rossa w/ Two Gallants
10/05/06 Cambridge, MA - T.T. the Bear's w/ Rosie Thomas
10/06/06 New York, NY - Knitting Factory w/ Rosie Thomas
10/07/06 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's w/ Rosie Thomas
10/09/06 Washington DC, - Black Cat Backstage w/ Rosie Thomas
10/10/06 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle w/ Rosie Thomas
10/11/06 Atlanta, GA - The EARL w/ Rosie Thomas
10/13/06 Austin, TX - Emo's w/ Rosie Thomas
10/14/06 Denton, TX - Hailey's w/ Rosie Thomas + David Bazan
10/16/06 Phoenix, AZ - Modified w/ Rosie Thomas
10/17/06 Tucson, AZ - Plush w/ Rosie Thomas
10/18/06 San Diego, CA - The Casbah
10/19/06 Los Angeles, CA - Hotel Cafe
10/20/06 San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
10/28/06 Seattle, WA - The Paradox

• Baltimore’s Page France, who released their Suicide Squeeze debut yesterday, are gearing up for fall tour dates:

THU OCT 26 Wheaton IL, Wheaton College / Coray Auditorium?
FRI OCT 27 Chicago IL, Schubas
?SAT OCT 28 La Crosse WI, the Warehouse
?SUN OCT 29 Minneapolis MN, Varsity Theater?
TUE OCT 31 Ames IA, Maintenance Shop?
WED NOV 1 Lawrence KS, Jackpot?
THU NOV 2 Omaha NE, Sokol Underground?
FRI NOV 3 Denver CO, Hi-Dive?
SAT NOV 4 Salt Lake City UT, Kilby Court?
SUN NOV 5 Boise ID, Bourbon Street?
TUE NOV 7 Seattle WA, Chop Suey?
WED NOV 8 Portland OR, Berbati's Pan?
THU NOV 9 San Francisco CA, Bottom of the Hill?
FRI NOV 10 Anaheim CA, Chain Reaction?
SAT NOV 11 Los Angeles CA, Spaceland?
SUN NOV 12 Long Beach CA, Alex's Bar?
TUE NOV 14 San Diego CA, House of Blues?
WED NOV 15 Tempe AZ, Clubhouse?
FRI NOV 17 Austin TX, Stubbs?SAT NOV 18 Denton TX, Haileys?
SUN NOV 19 Houston TX, Walter's
TUE NOV 21 Jackson MS, WC Dons?
WED NOV 22 Atlanta GA, Vinyl
?FRI NOV 24 Orlando FL, the Social?
SAT NOV 25 Jacksonville FL, Fuel Coffeehouse?
SUN NOV 26 Nashville TN, the End?
TUE NOV 28 Carrboro NC, Cat's Cradle?
WED NOV 29 Charlottesville VA, Starr Hill Music Hall?
THU NOV 30 Baltimore MD, Ottobar?
FRI DEC 1 New York NY, Mercury Lounge?
SAT DEC 2 Hoboken NJ, Maxwell's?
SUN DEC 3 Philadelphia PA, Northstar
?MON DEC 4 Cambridge MA, Middle East Upstairs?
TUE DEC 5 Hartford CT, Webster Underground?
WED DEC 6 Pittsburgh PA, Lawrenceville Moose?
THU DEC 7 Buffalo NY, Mohawk Place?
FRI DEC 8 Cleveland OH, Grog Shop?
SAT DEC 9 Detroit MI, Magic Stick

Eargasmic

2006-09-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Mars Ill is a two-man rap act from Atlanta. Made up of quick-tongued white emcee Gregory Lamar Owens (manCHILD) and Nathan Corrona (DJ Dust), the two bring socially conscious lyrics, beats laced with guitars, and some serious street cred to a genre dominated by g-g-g-g-unit thugs.

Sound Off
Breathe Slow
Piecemeal
Shuck and Jive
Talk Music
A Sound Method
A-t-lanta

Flown The Roop

2006-09-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

Daniel Roop is the only performance poet in the country to place in the top 10 at the National Poetry Slam every year from 1997 to 1999. He is the only Tennessee poet to place in the top 10 at NPS. Roop is the only poet to finish in the top 2 in three consecutive years at the Southern Fried Regional Poetry Slam.

He has appeared on 60 Minutes, and was mentioned in the Encyclopedia Brittanica, after winning the largest cash-prize slam ever, judged by Gary Snyder. He was the first Knoxville Grand Slam Champion in 1998, and defended his title in 1999 before retiring from slam. Roop has been published in Poetry Nation, Burnt, Omnivore, Acorn, and Will Work for Peace. He was nominated for a 1999 Pushcart Prize. He has released four CD’s: The Memphis Poetry 40oz, The Ghost of Daniel Roop, Sunsphere Shots, and Vegan Taoist Thug.

Love Poem #40
This Poem Is Not The Revolution
Forsooth

Free Album Friday: John Davis

2006-09-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

John Davis used to be in a band called Superdrag. A few years ago he found Jesus and started writing songs reflecting his newfound faith. Don't worry. This isn't DC Talk. It's more like what would have happened had The Beatles or Beach Boys started writing blues and pop songs about God. In other words, it's good stuff. It sounds sincere and legitimate, not like someone threw up in a hymnal.

To get a free alternate version of Davis' solo debut, filled with demos and outtakes, visit JohnDavisMusic.com, then click on media.

Semi Midweek Music Roundup

2006-09-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

• Knoxville pop sensation Jag Star will be releasing a new album this October. In anticipation, the band has three new songs up on its MySpace page.

• Death Cab for Cutie has announced fall tour dates. No Chicago shows? Fah!

• In the previous post about Sufjan Stevens, I forgot to mention that two tracks from his upcoming Christmas box set are available for download. Get Sister Winter and That Was The Worst Christmas Ever.

• Sia (best known for the song Breathe Me, which was featured on the series finale of Six Feet Under) has recorded an exclusive song for American Eagle Outfitters. You can download both it and the video of the song at the American Eagle web site.

• Rhode Island rapper Sage Francis has two new tracks available, one from his upcoming 2007 album. Download Ode to 2005 and Raps of Death, which Sage did with Mac Lethal as his perverse alter ego, Xaul Zan. Also check out this interview Sage did with a radio station in Austin, Texas.

• David Bazan/Pedro the Lion/Headphones has a back to school sale going on. All David Bazan, Pedro The Lion, Headphones and ultra-rare Paperback (another Bazan side project) items are on sale for $9.99 or less. Bazan will also be on tour this fall:

Fri 09/22 - Urbana IL @ Krannert Center w/ Danielson
Sat 09/23 - Chicago IL @ Schuba's (early show)
Wed 10/11 - Nashville @ Exit/Inn
Thu 10/12 - Memphis TN @ The Hi Tone Cafe
Fri 10/13 - Springfield MO @ Randy Bacon Gallery
Sat 10/14 - Denton TX @ Hailey's w/ Damien Jurado, Rosie Thomas
Sun 10/15 - Austin TX @ The Parish
Mon 10/16 - Houston TX @ The Prolatariat
Tue 10/17 - New Orleans LA @ The Republic
Wed 10/18 - Tallahassee FL @ Beta Bar
Thu 10/19 - Orlando FL @ The Social
Fri 10/20 - West Columbia SC @ New Brookland Tavern (early show)
Sat 10/21 - Chapel Hill NC @ Local 506 (early show)
Sun 10/22 - Atlanta GA @ The EARL

Christmas In September

2006-09-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

Sufjan Stevens's label, Asthmatic Kitty, has announced that it will be releasing a box set of five Sufjan Christmas EPs on 21 November. Read more about it here.

At least the first three EPs have been floating around the Internet for quite a while now. Still, it sounds like a cool set, and it's probably a better collection of songs than Avalanche was.

Now if David Bazan would only release his Christmas singles on an EP. Sigh.

Queer As Folk

2006-09-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

I was just looking for anything that would keep me afloat from that depression. In the event of a water landing your guitar may be used as a personal flotation device. And I don't know how it works. It just stirs something in me. I never knew my heart was supposed to feel that good. I know the world doesn't need another song and it sure doesn't need another songwriter, but it was just the way my heart understood what I couldn't feel directly. It was a compass to follow; it wasn't the destination. And I think it's the same for whatever stirs your heart. You can trust it. You would give up much more by not following it than you ever would by following. -- David Wilcox

Eye of the Hurricane
Show Me the Key
Out of the Question
Out Beyond Ideas
Grateful for Her Beauty

Overdosing On Soft Drugs

2006-09-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

You may know Massachusetts-born singer/songwriter T.W. Walsh from his time in Pedro the Lion and Headphones. Before that, he was a solo artist who put out a handful of acclaimed records. He's also provided musical and production assistance to Starflyer 59, Bosque Brown, Willard Grant Conspiracy, and Crystal Skulls, among others. These days, Walsh is working on his new project, The Soft Drugs.

The Soft Drugs - Defending the Paint
The Soft Drugs - Don't Sweat It
T.W. Walsh - Old Fashioned Way of Speaking

Free Album Friday: Derek Webb

2006-09-01T06:38:00.000-07:00

Late last year singer-songwriter Derek Webb released Mockingbird. His third studio album since leaving the folk band Caedmon's Call, Mockingbird is a meditation on faith, politics, poverty and social justice. Beginning today, Webb is giving the album away. You can find it at Free Derek Webb.

Webb writes:

i love music. i have grown up with music as a close confidant. and i believe in the power of music to move people. there's something remarkable about the way a melody can soften someone to a new idea.

as an artist (and often an agitator), this is something i am keenly aware of. my most recent record 'mockingbird' deals with many sensitive issues including poverty, war, and the basic ethics by which we live and deal with others. but i found that music has been an exceptional means by which to get this potentially difficult conversation going. and this is certainly an important moment for dialogue amongst people who disagree about how to best love and take care of people, to get into the nuances of the issues.

one of the things that excites me most about the future of our business is how easy it is becoming to deliver music to people who want to hear it. i heard a story once about keith green caring so much that people were able to hear and engage with his music that he gave it away for free, which was a very difficult and expensive thing to do at that time. it's actually never been as simple as it is today to connect music with music fans. and i want people to have a chance to listen to mockingbird and engage in the conversation.

so this is why, on september 1st, we're launching freederekwebb.com, a place where anyone can go online and not just hear but actually download, keep, and share 'mockingbird' completely for free. In addition, freederekwebb.com will give you an opportunity to invite your friends to download 'mockingbird' in order to get them in on the conversation as well.

we hope this bold campaign will provide a jumping off point for conversations about all of these issues, and communicate my commitment to playing my part in starting them. so please help us spread the word: on september 1st, 'mockingbird' will be set free!

Folktastic

2006-08-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

Urban folk singer/songwriter Damien Jurado quietly built up one of the strongest catalogs on the indie scene, earning high critical praise yet somehow never quite getting his proper due. Nick Drake had a definite impact on much of his work, but Jurado modeled his career on more idiosyncratic, unpredictable figures like Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, or Randy Newman — songwriters who followed their own muse wherever it took them, whether fans and critics agreed or not. His independent-mindedness was born at least in part from the influence of punk, and one of the results was a concern for emotional authenticity that led him to delve into other people's lives instead of his own. Many of Jurado's best songs spun concise, literate tales of quiet everyday despair, which often earned him comparisons to short story writer Raymond Carver. But his storytelling bent — not to mention his ambivalence toward confessional material — arose from a stronger grounding in traditional folk than spiritual compatriots like Elliott Smith or Cat Power. And with detours into pop, roots rock, full-fledged electric indie rock, and even found-sound experiments, Jurado ensured that his body of work was impossible to completely pin down.

A lifelong native of Seattle, Jurado started playing in a succession of local punk bands in 1989. One of them, the Christian-tinged Coolidge, also featured future Pedro the Lion mastermind David Bazan, and eventually had a track featured on the Tooth & Nail label's Christian punk/emo compilation I'm Your Biggest Fan, Vol. 1. Meanwhile, Jurado began to explore the solo route during the mid-'90s, writing simple folk-based tunes and releasing them on his own cassette-only label, Casa Recordings. Leaded, Trailer Park Radio, and Gasoline all helped create a local cult following for Jurado, and he found an influential fan in fellow Christian and Sunny Day Real Estate singer Jeremy Enigk, who brought him to the attention of Sub Pop. After two 7" releases on Sub Pop, "Motorbike" and "Trampoline," Jurado issued his proper debut album, Waters Ave S., in 1997, and followed it with a spare, home-recorded EP for Made in Mexico, Gathered in Song, a year later.

Jurado's sophomore effort was also his breakthrough; released in 1999, the excellent Rehearsals for Departure established him as a singer/songwriter of tremendous subtlety and skill, and won near-universal critical acclaim. Jurado's rootsy, minimalist folk-pop and fragile vocals pulled listeners in close, and his knack for a memorable hook kept them there. For his next move, Jurado confounded fans and critics alike with 2000's Postcards and Audio Letters, a compilation of conversation fragments found on the audio cassettes that Jurado collected obsessively (from sources like thrift-store boom boxes and answering machines) and often used for songwriting inspiration.

The proper follow-up to Rehearsals for Departure was Ghost of David, issued on Sub Pop later in 2000. While it hewed mostly to the style of Rehearsals, it also dabbled in some of the found-sound collage aspects of Postcards, and wound up somewhat darker and more alien. Jurado next turned to the Burnt Toast label to issue the one-off EP Four Songs in 2001, then formed a full band dubbed Gathered in Song for a change of pace from his typically mellow style. Featuring guitarist Eric Fisher, bassist Josh Golden, and drummer Andy Myers (all of whom played more than one instrument), Gathered in Song debuted on Jurado's next album, 2002's fully electrified I Break Chairs. Audiences expecting another moody, late-night urban folk outing were thrown for a loop; some critics felt that Jurado was better off sticking to what he did best, while others found the transition not only convincing, but surprisingly varied and well-crafted.

Jurado subsequently parted ways with Sub Pop, looking to scale back his recording and touring activities in order to spend more time with his family and, to a lesser degree, his day job as a preschool teacher. He landed on the Indiana-based Secretly Canadian label, for whom he debuted in 2003 with Where Shall You Take Me?, a return to his trademark low-key folk-ballad style. In typical fashion, he followed it with an EP for a smaller label (Acuarela) titled Holding His Breath. A year later, he returned to Secretly Canadian for another EP, Just in Time for Something; early in 2005 his next full-length, On My Way to Absence, arrived.--from AllMusic.com

What Were The Chances
White Center
Texas To Ohio

Remix This (Calling All DJs)

2006-08-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Journalist Greg Palast, whose investigative reporting revealed massive voter fraud in the 2000 and 2004 U.S. presidential elections, has a remix contest going at his web site. He's inviting musicians to download audio tracks from his latest book, Armed Madhouse, and mix them with music or sound effects.

Notes the site:

The Palast Investigative Fund, Palast Productions, Creative Commons, Alternative Tentacles Records, and Air America Radio are proud to present the Armed Madhouse Remix Contest.

The Palast Investigative Fund is offering tracks from the audio book by Greg Palast, “Armed Madhouse” online under a Creative Commons BY-NC license, so that music producers all over the world can easily create remixes from the NY Times bestseller’s audio book.

All eligible entries will compete against each other, and will be voted on by the public. The top 5 remixes will win prize-packages - including being featured on Greg’s next spoken-word CD with Alternative Tentacles Records.

To play along, go to the site, where you can download source materials for your remixes. Or just enjoy the pieces of Palast's new book.

Songs from a variety of genres that sample Palast's reporting:

Akir - Politricks
The Farangs - War With Many Fronts
TFYQA / White Noise - Dying Regime Part 1
TFYQA / White Noise - Dying Regime Part 2
TFYQA / White Noise - Lynching By Laptop Part 1
TFYQA / White Noise - Lynching By Laptop Part 2
Sell the Lexus, Burn the Olive Tree - Year of the Hawk

Tennessee Stud

2006-08-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

In Knoxville, Tennessee, Todd Steed is a local legend. Over the years he's played in such bands as Apelife, Smokin' Dave and the Premo Dopes, The Opposable Thumbs, and now his latest lineup, Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere (a reference to Knoxville's Sunsphere). Steed makes music steeped in East Tennessee. Parts country, rock and americana, his songs are infused with humor and meditations on everyday life in the ever-changing South.

Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere - Normaal
Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere - New Knoxville Girl
Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere - East Town Mall
Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere - Smokey Mountain Dip
Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere - North Knoxville
Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere - Nobody Listens to Me
Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere - The World's Unfair (Since 1982)
Smokin’ Dave and the Premo Dopes – Smokin’ Dave Intro Theme
Smokin’ Dave and the Premo Dopes - Down in the Plaza
Apelife – Tina Wesson
Apelife – Goin’ Out Tonight
The Opposable Thumbs – Wouldja
The Opposable Thumbs – Write a Song

You can download a few more free Todd Steed tracks at his MySpace page.

Free Album Friday: mc chris

2006-08-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

mc chris is a whiney voiced rapper and voice actor who was born in Libertyville, Illinois. He is perhaps most famous for his song "Fett's Vette," in which he assumes the persona of Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett. It's a novelty song not unlike what you'd expect from Weird Al Yankovic. Only mc chris can actually rap.

mc chris has appeared on Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Voice (as MC Pee Pants), Sealab 2021 and The Brak Show. He has released four albums, the first of which is available for free on his Web site.

To get it, click here, click enter, then click media. You'll find Life's a Bitch and I'm Her Pimp in the audio section, along a few other songs, as well as remixes and a cappella tracks. If nothing else, grab Fett's Vette. Or watch this video created by a fan:

Ohio

2006-08-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist belong in a rare strata of artists who mine a deep Christian faith, but use it as a lens to view the world and fashion their music rather than telegraph a stiff religious agenda. Over the Rhine ’s music is redolent of brokenness: personal, spiritual and emotional, sometimes redeemed, other times unresolved, but paradoxically uplifting. Recalling the likes of Daniel Lanois, mellower Neil Young, The Innocence Mission and 10,000 Maniacs, the duo retains an understated writing style that constantly puts the maxim “less is more” to the test—and succeeds. -- Paste Magazine

Flown Free
Moth
Last Night
Thank You My Angel
Everyman's Daughter
All I Need Is Everything

A Cappella Tight

2006-08-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

Who are Pennsylvania Six-5000? Only one of the most fun a cappella singing groups around. The group is perhaps the most popular a cappella singing act at the University of Pennsylvania. Blending humor (listen to Penn Six's take on Lisa Loeb's "Stay") and unbelievable talent, the group has gained recognition at the national level. Check out the songs below and you'll understand why.

Aeroplane
Stay
The Girl Is Mine
I Ran
New Age Girl
Princeton Strut
She Blinded Me With Science

Unwed The Sailor Band

2006-08-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Unwed Sailor has a new disc coming out this fall. It will be a new direction for the band in at least one respect: it will be its first with vocals. Notes Fanatic Promotion, the band's PR gurus:

If listeners were shocked by the ambient direction Johnathon Ford took with the Circles EP, the prelude to the first Unwed Sailor album in three years, they'll be even more perplexed to hear vocals for the first time from an artist whose music has become synonymous with post-rock, instrumental landscapes.
Unwed Sailor's latest masterpiece, The White Ox (to be released this fall on Philadelphia’s Burnt Toast Vinyl) comes during a year of several releases for Unwed Sailor when originally there were to be practically none. Initially, Ford only planned on releasing remixes of an out-of-print 7” in 2006. In 2005, Ford traveled to the Bloomington, IN basement studio of frequent collaborator Dan Burton (Early Day Miners, Ativin) to commence work on the project. Here they were joined by guitarist Phillip Blackwell (Questions in Dialect) and musician Matt Griffi and before they knew it, Burton's basement was giving birth to The White Ox.

Upon completion of the album, Ford discovered a 16-minute opus within The White Ox, with two separate movements, “Mist” and “Mesa”. They sounded strong and different enough to stand alone and precede the album's arrival. That piece comprised the “Circles” EP, released in the spring of 2006.

Ready for the fall, The White Ox is a recording that defies classification in the rock genre. The album continues on from where Ford's previous album, The Marionette and the Music Box left off with “Shadows” echoing those staccato melodies, but channeling them through a dark dream of ambient effects. Here, Ford and Burton are challenging their audience, the fans that loved the upbeat melodies of The Faithful Anchor and were charmed by the sweet fairytale aspects of Marionette. The White Ox is brooding, washed in the night air darkness to which “Shadows” alludes. Surprisingly, for the traditionally instrumental Unwed Sailor, both “Gila” and “Numbers” feature longtime Ford collaborator Dan Burton's vocals, with Ford's murmuring falsetto providing the haunting background for “Gila's” almost gothic melody...

Some songs:

Ruby's Wishes
Snowcaps
Golden Cities
Riddle of Stars
Old Ironside
Chandelier
At Peace in the Forest
Asleep in the Forest

A Bang Up Job

2006-08-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Knoxville's Royal Bangs write to say they're calling it quits. Sort of:

royal bangs are on tour right now, and i'm actually writing this email from the van in durham, NC. the tour has been great so far. we've eaten a ton of hot dogs. i will likely post a full photographic account of the endeavor when we come back tomorrow.

as some of you guys already know, i'm moving to france for a year in september, so we'll be playing one more show in knoxville before i leave. it'll be August 25th at the Pilot Light, with our good friends and tour-buddies the twinkiebots band.

lastly, we've got a new album out, called "we breed champions." we'll have copies of the record for sale at the show, and probably only there. it's nine new songs, packaged in a case sewn by actual royal bangs! i will post an mp3 soon.

No word on if this is a haitus, indefinite or otherwise, or if the band will continue to make "rock and roll that beeps and shakes" from two continents.

Either way, some mp3s:

New Scissors
Fake That Chrysler
Lucas Newman Vacation Log
Exposition Universelle

Also stop by the Royal Bangs MySpace page for a few more free tracks.

Free Album Friday: New London Fire

2006-08-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month Brit Pop fivesome New London Fire (the new band of Sleep Station frontman Dave Deviak) released I Sing The Body Holographic, its debut album. You can stream the entire album over at Pure Volume.

Several months ago the band also released a five song EP, A New Wave Form EP, to promote the full length. The EP was a free download at the band's web site. It still is. Download the EP, including album art, here.

Or get just the songs right here:

Different
We Don't Bleed
This Is What Became
I Believe In Ghosts - DJ Goodwin dance remix
I Believe In Ghosts

Green Beans And Pet Sounds

2006-08-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what would happen if you created a loop of the sound of green beans being snapped combined with cupboards being slammed? Wonder no further, as Casper & the Cookies solve the mystery on “Krotenwanderung”, the first track on their newest album, The Optimist’s Club. It is the Athens, Georgia power popsters second release on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records. The result is classic meets unconventional, as boss guitars and powerful drumming are intertwined with loops made from green beans, pet sounds, and microcassette recordings.

Kroetenwanderung

Sid From Central Park

April 18, 2003 part 4

Take It Away, Kathy

Oh!

Summer Spider

Punk Covers

2006-08-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is a punk rock cover band that formed in 1995. Drawn together by a mutual love of 1960s and 1970s music, the Gimme Gimmes work exclusively as a cover band. They have covered songs from such artists as Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, and John Denver.

The band is composed of several very recognizable faces in the new-school punk rock scene, including Spike Slawson of the $wingin' Utter$, "Fat" Mike Burkett of NOFX, Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters (and formerly No Use For A Name), and Joey Cape and Dave Raun of Lagwagon.

They entered the studio on April 3, 2006 to work on their sixth album. It has since been announced the album will be titled Love Their Country, and it will be released on October 10, 2006. The website of Fat Wreck Chords, the band's label, previously mentioned that the theme of this album is country and western, and will include covers of tracks by Dixie Chicks, Garth Brooks, Hank Williams, Sr. and Johnny Cash. --from Wikipedia

The Longest Time (Billy Joel cover)

End Of The Road (Boys II Men cover)

Wild World (Cat Stevens cover)

Leaving On A Jet Plane (John Denver cover)

Hogging All The Soul Junk

2006-08-13T12:55:00.000-07:00

Soul-Junk aka Glen Galloway aka Glen Galaxy really is a mad rapper. Much like Half-Handed Cloud or Danielson Famile, he makes avant-garde music about God that is neither pretentious nor cheesy. It's the sort of religious music that even gets the athiest excited. Parts experimental Hip-hop, free jazz, noise, and indie rock, Soul-Junk is Beck if he were an acid-dropping rapper. Jumbled, jarring layers of loopy, whirring, lazy beats and psychedelic funk make this some of the most imaginative Hip-hop around.

Hogging All the Islands

Sunk Fang Shuffle

ill-m-i

Inverse Square Dance

Netherjams

Sage Francis Manages Bandages

2006-08-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

Sage Francis is many things to many people. He's a white rapper from Rhode Island. He's an Old School revivalist. He's a slam poet. He's a political pundit raging against Republicrats and Democrans. He's an underground phenomenon. He's a crybaby emo confessionalist. He's a verbose prophet who never quite hits the mark, yet who raps circles around anyone who can. He's a mindblowing talent who makes you remember how great Eminem used to be, back when every other line made you hit the rewind button over and over again.

Bounce

Bridle

Crack Pipes

Damage

Makeshift Patriot

Runaways

Spaceman

David The Lion

2006-08-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

Sojourners has a nice piece on David Bazan on their web site (I think you'll need the register to read it). An excerpt:

For 11 years, Seattle singer-songwriter David Bazan wove desperate tales of death, deception, and occasional joy under the name Pedro the Lion. Recently named one of the “Top 100 Living Songwriters” by Paste magazine, Bazan’s often ironic narratives on faith, hypocrisy, and social justice frequently gain him comparisons with legendary author Flannery O’Connor. Over the course of their history, Pedro the Lion rose to indie rock royalty, seamlessly shifting gears between slow, acoustic hymns and loud, catchy anthems of modern discontent.

In January, Bazan officially laid to rest the Pedro moniker after the amicable departure of Tim Walsh, the only other member in the constantly rotating lineups of both Pedro the Lion and Headphones (a keyboard-based band formed in 2004 which Bazan also fronts) still standing. Bazan’s newly self-released EP, Fewer Moving Parts, is the first to use his own name, and may be his best songwriting to date. Containing five songs performed in two different arrangements – one acoustic, one with full instrumentation – Fewer Moving Parts will have to tide fans over until his full length solo debut, tentatively due next year on Jade Tree Records.

Whereas his earlier albums sought to communicate very specific messages, Bazan has relaxed this approach in recent years, as evidenced by the comparatively looser feel to Pedro the Lion’s final LP, Achilles Heel (Jade Tree, 2004). Purposefully crafting work to convey one particular meaning is “just the opposite of what I think attempting to make art is about,” Bazan said in the Food for Thought café of Washington, D.C.’s Black Cat club before a June show.

Bazan, clad in his unchanging attire of a black t-shirt and jeans, said he started to learn this after the release of Pedro the Lion’s Winners Never Quit (Jade Tree, 2000) – which he calls his “attempt at taking a shot at the … so-called righteous establishment” – and while writing PTL’s Control (Jade Tree, 2002) following Seattle’s turbulent World Trade Organization protests in 1999. After reading up on the WTO and globalization, Bazan decided he would “make just an overtly political record. And then, as I started getting into it, I realized, ‘Well, that’s not a really good way to go about doing anything. I know that I care about this stuff a lot. I’ll just go ahead and write songs and let my subconscious sort it out.’” These days, said Bazan, he doesn’t “set out to hit a particular mark.”

“I started to put a lot more stock in the idea of writing being a process of discovery rather than a process of communicating some concrete idea that you have,” Bazan said between sips of Heineken. “I believe that if there’s something that I feel strongly [about], that it’ll find its way out in the most appropriate way that I couldn’t hope to manipulate. That stuff tends to come out automatically in a lot more pleasing nature.”

Bazan’s desire to leave some breathing room for the meanings of his songs may stem from the negative feedback he received about his writing when he was younger, particularly from Christians. Much of the discomfort with his work stems from the sincerity with which his first-person fictional narratives are written, even when the narrators display despicable behavior. “The tendency toward dark subject matter and sort of morbid evaluation of things has always been with me,” said Bazan, “but I was just – up until a certain point - afraid to really express it. I had a lot of people giving me their opinions about it: ‘This is kind of what we think you should be doing.’ That pressure still was there and it still was informing.” In response, Bazan said he “actively tried to write happy songs. Even the songs that I was writing earlier on, they were just saying, ‘Well, where is this coming from? Shouldn’t you be writing happy songs?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know. Maybe I should.’”

After failed attempts at lighter subject matter, Bazan settled on songs that might sound happy, but navigate bleak thematic terrain. “I like writing really nice, kind of up tempo, like, poppy sounding songs with a real sort of dark lyrical content to it,” said Bazan. “That’s just so pleasing to me.”

Still, a continued thread in all of his work is hope in spite of - or because of - bleakness. “There’s something about calling a spade a spade that is satisfying, and I think puts you at peace with your surroundings,” Bazan said, citing the denial and escapism he feels is embedded in Western culture. “Knowing how things are and stating it plainly as you understand it and not hiding anything, being transparent yourself and wanting, you know, the dynamics of culture and politics and situations to be transparent to you … to me, that’s the process of attaining some peace,” even in the midst of a seemingly hopeless scenario, said Bazan.

The desire to reflect truth as he sees it rather than the expectations of fellow parishioners has made Bazan the subject of both controversy and titillation in the “Christian rock” world. The new book Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock (Da Capo Press) began as a Washington Post article by author Andrew Beaujon about Cornerstone, one of the largest Christian arts festivals in the country, and dealt heavily with the line between the sacred and the profane that Bazan seems to walk in his music and personality. While performing Pedro the Lion’s “Foregone Conclusions,” a bouncy, twangy narrative on fundamentalism and the assumptions people make, the crowd goes wild when Bazan curses on stage, Beaujon writes, highlighting the tension Bazan has known throughout his career. The same aspects of his work which many - Christian or not - find exciting are a cause of outrage for others.

The longstanding “Question and Answer” portion of his live show, which allows for ongoing dialogue between the listeners and the performer, has been important to Bazan throughout his career, perhaps in part because it allows for misunderstandings and assumptions – say, about his role in Christian music – to be cleared up. “In Christianity, it’s real easy to get away with not paying attention, because everything’s based on sort of this stamp of approval system,” Bazan said carefully about the Christian music industry. “A lot of progressive things aren’t going to work for that business because the dynamics there have everything to do with the Christian bookstore owners and the potential complainers,” said Bazan, mentioning specifically the threat that some Christians have felt his work to be. “Ultimately, unfortunately, I think transparency in general is threatening to that … way of thinking. It’s a sad cycle to me. I just wish that people didn’t have to live with that.”

Pedro the Lion - Rapture

Pedro the Lion - Penetration

Pedro the Lion - A Mind of Her Own

Pedro the Lion - Never Leave a Job Half Done

Pedro the Lion - I Am Always the One Who Calls

Pedro the Lion - Letter from a Concerned Follower

Pedro the Lion - Discretion

Pedro the Lion - When They Really Get to Know You They Will Run

Pedro the Lion - The Longest Winter

Headphones - Pink and Brown

Jolie Holland

2006-08-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

Singer/songwriter Jolie Holland sounds like a black and white era starlet. Combining blues, folk, gospel, jazz and pop in totally inventive ways, Holland marks the emergence of a unique and important new voice in the music scene. Jazzy, pure, graceful, poetic and sensual, she's a quiet Nora Jones meets Billie Holliday mixing a little bit of New Orleans with a little bit of Texas.

Black Hand Blues

I Wanna Die

Black Stars

Old Fashioned Morphine

Video Game Rock

2006-08-08T11:08:00.000-07:00

Nevada City, California's The Advantage aren't the first band to perform instrumental covers of video games (see also, for instance, Minibosses and NESkimos). But they do seem to be the most popular. They might also be the best. Earlier this year the four-piece released its second full-length: Elf-Titled.

Noted Pitchfork in its review:

Substantially upgrading the fidelity, and stepping away from the more obvious titles they've already covered-- your Marios, Zeldas, and Bubble Bobbles-- Elf-Titled is more stylistically explorative than their reflective, scrapbooky debut. Game composers designed music that was meant to loop infinitely without growing tiresome too quickly, resulting in brilliantly complex, maze-like melodies that the Advantage are all too happy to make their own. With guitars executing tightly choreographed, noodly maneuvers through songs like Bomberman 2's "Wiggy" or the music from the "Metal Man" stage of Mega Man 2, the band amps up the originals to reveal the songs as more than just background jingles.

Metroid, Kraid's Hideout

Contra, Aliens' Lair+Boss

Ninja Gaiden, Mine Shaft