musicrag.com

Rock Star:INXS - Worst idea ever!

Jason — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 19:49:00 +0000

The Australian-based INXS has played over 4,000 live shows, sold over 30 million albums, and had No. 1 hit singles on four different continents before the tragic death of lead singer Michael Hutchence. Now, one talented new artist will become INXS' frontman or woman, record an album with the band and lead its next worldwide tour.

Good lord! Shouldn't they at least rename the band or something?

Fresh bubblegum on the way

Jason — Wed, 03 Aug 2005 06:53:00 +0000

Arjan writes:

Check out 20-year-old twins The Veronicas from Brisbane, Australia who play rock-styled pop. Their first single "Forever" is slated for release this summer and is taken from their debut album that will come out on Sire/Warner in October. The song is a spunky slice of teen powerpop that will be welcomed by fans of Pink, Avril and Kelly Clarkson.

What's not to like? Free mp3 available via Arjan's site: Hot New Talent Alert: The Veronicas

God bless record stores that buy used cds

Jason — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 22:51:00 +0000

Stereogum asks What's the Worst/Most Embarrassing CD You Ever Bought? C + C Music Factory has already been listed multiple times so you are going to have to try harder America. Mine would be 'Pump' by Aerosmith. Ick.

Musicrag now retro cool

Jason — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 04:24:00 +0000

Well there we go. I knew I put Musicrag somewhere. Turns out it was in an old cassette case labeled 'Wham's Greatest Hits'. I've been looking for it everywhere. Musicrag, not the George Michael thing. I guess now I'll post here ... or ya know ...not. * cough * Yeah, so sorry about that 2 year hiatus and all. We've been busy.

JazzOasis - Pat Metheny on Kenny G

Jason — Mon, 25 Aug 2003 22:37:00 +0000

Pat Metheny on Kenny G

The ex-Moldy Peaches?

Jason — Thu, 05 Dec 2002 02:28:00 +0000

Rather than the Moldy Peaches, it looks like they've just added more goofballs.

Which is better: The record label or the Cars song?

Grant — Sat, 25 May 2002 07:46:00 +0000

On June 4, I urge you to check out "High Society," the latest release from Enon. The band, which sounds somewhat like a mix of Devo, Soul Coughing, The Cardigans and Les Savy Fav, is on Touch and Go Records - home of everyone's favorite surf/sci-fi/quirk band Man...or Astroman?

Nearly every band thinks its sound is "original," but Enon's fits that adjective better than most. To some, this may be bad. I find it refreshing. At least listen to some mp3s. Not that musicrag either condones or condemns that.

Just when I was beginning to lose faith in rock music...

Grant — Fri, 03 May 2002 05:13:00 +0000

I have discovered the best music in the world.

It is by a band called Pedro the Lion.

Basically the work of a man named David Bazan (he writes the songs and plays everything but bass on his records), Pedro the Lion's music is intelligent, thought-provoking, emotional and altogether amazing. Bazan is a faithful Christian, but his music isn't preachy and doesn't really address God outright. It's more that his values and beliefs seep into his songs almost undetectably, much the way anyone else's do. (Read this interview for a better explanation of what I've just said.)

Pedro has a few albums out, but the most critically-acclaimed and the most well-known is 2000's "Winners Never Quit." "Winners" is the story of a politician who, when behind in the polls, rigs the election. His wife knows about it, and she is going to squeal on him. But he kills her, and eventually himself. Bazan tells the tale through eight songs, most in the first-person. The musical style alters between folky acoustic ballads (and I am not usually a fan of such things) and Pinkerton-era Weezer mixed with Superdrag.

Each song's music fits incredibly well with its lyrics. For example: "Bad Things To Such Good People" is the politician looking down on his parents as they kneel at his grave. Bazan's voice almost completely panned to one channel; a simple acoustic guitar track is panned almost completely to the other channel. The aural symbolism is perfect.

The concept I've just described has all of the elements of being totally cheesy, but instead it's mind-blowing. Bazan is writing Shakespearean tragedies with incredible soundtracks. (Actually, make that Vonnegutean tragedies...I still don't give Shakespeare as much credit as high school teachers seem to thing he deserves.)

Pedro The Lion has a new album out, called "Control." It is another story, this time of a marriage gone wrong. The songs, again mostly first person, are harder. Though I have only heard a few tracks, I am already in love. I thought there was no way Bazan could make another album as good as "Winners." When I heard "Rapture," the album's second track, the song (the husband's first-person account of an affair) made me want to cry. And those who know me know that songs don't usually make me too emotional.

But through intense yet simple music and beautiful descriptive lyrics, Bazan's songs give me a knot in my throat like no one else can.

April is apparently National Weezer-related News Month at Musicrag

Grant — Tue, 09 Apr 2002 04:14:00 +0000

To affirm Jason's assumption, ex-Weezer, ex-Juliana Hatfield bassist Mikey Welsh is indeed out of The Special Goodness. His replacement? Sugar Ray's Murphy Karges. Slightly less shocking than when Buckethead joined Guns 'n' Roses, but still a surprise.

The Power of the Rock

Claire Caraska — Sun, 07 Apr 2002 18:58:00 +0000

Ever since I first heard "Undone: The Sweater Song" at the tender age of 14, I've been a devoted Weezer fan. Not only did I run out and buy the album, but I even joined the fan club (I was #51!!!) [see Karl's corner 6/7/2000] Flash forward six years, and I find myself at the Warped Tour, solely to see =W=, a band I had adored for years but sadly had never seen live. For the first time in my life I felt old (a sad thing to feel at age 20), surrounded by obnoxious pre-teen boys who just wanted to mosh, even when there was no music, and their parents who stood nearby with arms folded authoritatively. When I wasn't defending myself from the feisty crowd, I thought 'Was I getting too old for Weezer?'

Just when I thought I couldn't relate to Weezer anymore, I am reminded why I sent off $10 to join the fan club that summer of 1994. Eight years after the "blue album" and almost exactly one year to the date from the release of the "green album", Weezer are set to release their fourth record Maladroit on May 14.

More than just 'record #4', Maladroit marks an unprecedented historical victory for artists over record labels. The album consists of thirteen new tracks, recorded, financed, and even distributed by the band itself via MP3s on its official website, Weezer.com. After each recording session, fans could visit the site to fiercely download several unedited MP3s of future Maladroit tracks. The downloading continued for a few months until Weezer's label Interscope shut down the audio-visual page on the band's website. But Interscope couldn't stop the rock. Thanks to unauthorized radio play of the unofficial single "Dope Nose", the song made it into the official rotation with no promotion from Interscope. Radio success, as well as loyal fans bombarding Interscope with email and letters, forced Interscope not only to establish the May 14 release date, but most importantly, restore the audio-visual page on Weezer.com, allowing the band to once again distribute free MP3s.

Read about how Maladroit almost wasn't at Unreleased Weezer for the Masses.

Because making fun of O-town never gets old

Jason — Wed, 03 Apr 2002 01:21:00 +0000

Just released today, from the folks that brought you Punk Goes Metal, Fearless Records presents: Punk Goes Pop. Punk Goes Pop features punk and indie artists covering songs from their favorite pop artists. Covers of Madonna, O-Town, Pink, N'Sync, Backstreet Boys and more done by the likes of Rufio, Further Seems Forever, Thrice, Dynamite Boy, Yellowcard, Slick Shoes, Noise Ratchet and more. I'm personally looking forward to Further Seems Forever cover of Backstreet's 'Bye, Bye, Bye' hitting the local alt-rock station playlist. Let's hope they don't run it into the ground like that Dynamite Hack cover of 'Boyz In The hood'.

Mikey?

Jason — Wed, 03 Apr 2002 00:22:00 +0000

The Kickovers have announced their first ever U.S. tour dates opening for Local H. The band is lead by former Mighty Mighty Bosstones guitarist, Nate Albert along with former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh, Johnny Rioux and Bosstones drummer Joe Sirois. Their debut record "Osaka" will be released on Fenway Recordings April 23rd.

So if I understand things correctly, Mikey Welsh pulled a Jimmy Hoffa number from Weezer in early September leaving Weezites wondering what the hell happened only to reappear months later in this unknown band. Hmm. I'm going to assume he's out of Special Goodness as well until I hear otherwise.

From the 'The next band tonight are 10 year old boys' file...

Jason — Sat, 09 Mar 2002 01:59:00 +0000

Fernandes guitars release 'Star Wars' series.

Noise Pop shots

Jason — Tue, 05 Mar 2002 06:45:00 +0000

Matt Haughey has a few pictures to round out the coverage of the apparently mediocre Dealership/Guided by Voices show.

Noise Pop Tour Diary, Day 6

Ian Miller — Mon, 04 Mar 2002 08:53:00 +0000

It's a shame it had to end this way.

Noise Pop 10 had some amazing moments: the Shaggs-esque rock 'n' roll abandon of kaitO, the Faint's dark and dirty synthcore orgy, John Doe and Neko Case's alt.country.punk revival meeting, and Big Star's extraordinary power-pop party.

And even tonight's festival finale started off well. Visqueen, a female-fronted poppy punk act, treated us to a nice (if not novel) set of, well, poppy punk. Then the East Bay's own Dealership, who sounded remarkably like Rainer Maria at times, played an uneven set of indiepop, pop-punk, and synth-pop, including a high-concept New Romantic-informed synth cover of "Anarchy in the U.K." that I still can't decide if it was clever or annoying.

And Preston School of Industry, current home of Spiral Stairs of Pavement fame, were a joy to behold. At times reminiscent of Love, Ween, and (duh) Pavement, SS and co. powered through a tight set of quirky, poppy rawk with no trace of Malkmusy introspection or angst. Spiral Stairs was clearly having the time of his life, and it inspired band and crowd alike. PSOI's final number, the rave-up sing-along "TOFF," reminded us how freaking fun rock 'n' roll can (and should) be.

But it only took Guided by Voices to take the stage to remind us how tedious and cynical rock 'n' roll can (and should never) be.

GBV singer/songwriter/dictator Bob Pollard is fat, old, and boring — the antithesis of rock. Sure, his band of pale, paunchy, mulleted Midwestern hired guns was supertight, and piss-drunk or not, Pollard nailed every note. But there was an underlying surliness on the part of Pollard, a mean beer drunk's bitterness, that cast a pall over the proceedings. As if somehow we, the fans, the people who paid to see his way-past-its-prime rock band, weren't worthy of it. Something in his completely unspontaneous "jumps" (Bob doesn't get much air these days) and generic between-song patter that told me he'd rather be back in the hotel room drinking (which is very likely the case). The whole thing felt phoned in and phony, and hell yes, I felt cheated. We bounced after 30 or so minutes, but it felt lots longer.

So it's too bad my last memories of Noise Pop 10 couldn't have been Big Star and meeting John Doe. Instead it's going to be of a mean old guy fronting a mediocre rock band that had long since jumped the shark. But such is life. I did see Big Star and I did meet John Doe, and I got glimpses of how good and fun and fresh and joyful rock 'n' roll can be. And all it cost me was $130, $12 in tolls, god knows how many dollars for drinks, and a week of my life. I'd say I got a hell of sweet deal.

Thanks for reading. See you here same time next year.

Noise Pop Tour Diary, Day 5

Ian Miller — Sun, 03 Mar 2002 18:42:00 +0000

Day 5 brought us the linchpin of this whole damn festival, and the reason I decided to pony up 100-plus clams for a badge: Big Star.

Not even more badge-entry problems (badgeholders were again made to wait in line with rank-and-file ticketholders $#151; how gauche) could dampen my enthusiasm for Alex Chilton and co. The Moore Brothers, on the other hand, almost did. I'm still grappling with how these guys got on this bill and what they thought they were doing up there. Lemme set the scene for you. Two dudes, one guitar. Dude 1: Average white yuppie-looking guy you'd expect to see walking the streets of Cow Hollow or trolling for his next date-rape victim at Ruby Skye. Dude 2: A bloated, redneck version of Robert Smith (sans lipstick) in too-small overalls. How bizarre, indeed. But it gets bizarrer.

Dude 1 opens the show by singing some Irish folk song, a cappella. Dude 2 stands and sways to the music. They trade the guitar back and forth after each Simon and Garfunkel-sounding number. Lyrics are completely nonsensical, making Dada poetry seem positively lucid by comparison. And I'm not sure exactly what's happening. Maybe they're an acoustic novelty/comedy/musical act in the vein of Tenacious D. Maybe they're two escaped lunatics posing as folk musicians. Maybe they're just really, really bad and shouldn't be playing coffeehouses, much less the freaking Fillmore opening for Big Star. I eventually went with the third theory. And all the while I'm standing, waiting for the punch line. I'm still waiting.

After what seemed like an eternity, Imperial Teen hit the stage. Now while I've never been a huge fan, I.T. have been known to rock me. They played good old rocking stuff like "Yoo Hoo" and "Lipstick" and a smattering of new stuff off their forthcoming Merge Records release, "On," due out April 9. No groundbreaking developments on that slab, I'm guessing; more quirky, angular pop.

OK, so for the last, like, 10 minutes I've been trying to find a synonym for "came on" or "took the stage" or something, but none is forthcoming. So I give up.

Big Star came on and they were fantastic, dammit. Original members Chilton and Jody Stephens were excellently assisted by Ken and Jon from the Posies (who play Noise Pop today at 1:30 at Cafe du Nord, so run out now and get in line, kids), who nailed every Chris Bell guitar lick and vocal harmony. Mr. Chilton could have stood stock still and phoned in a set of Big Star's Greatest Hits and the eager crowd would've eaten it up, but this was no novelty act. Chilton appeared to be having the time of his life, smiling and singing and free and easy, and that contributed to the once-in-a-lifetime party atmosphere that prevailed. Rock school was in session, and I only hope a few of the young whippersnapper shoegazey boring dream-pop acts I'd seen this week were there for the lesson.

The great gig got even greater when, as we were walking around the venue for a different vantage point, we came upon one John Doe. I got the opportunity to shake the man's hand and thank him for an incredible set the night before. Big Star and John Doe on the same night. Yeah, I imagine I can die happy now.

Noise Pop Tour Diary, Day 4

Ian Miller — Sun, 03 Mar 2002 17:42:00 +0000

So it seems that every other night of Noise Pop is brilliant. Days 1 and 3 left me cold, but The Faint and kaitO on Day 2 were fantastic. This boded well for the John Doe and Neko Case collaboration on Day 4, and boy, did they ever deliver.

The support acts did, too, from time to time. We missed opener Paula Frazer, but caught both Virgil Shaw and the Court and Spark. Both bands treated us to a few transcendent moments of Americana, Shaw from an alt-country Tom Waits approach and the Court and Spark from a roots-rock Gram Parsons direction, and both bands were prevented from fully realizing their potential for similar reasons. Both acts were hampered by irrelevant instrumentation (especially the Court and Spark, whose four-piece horn section did little but distract us from what was going on) and the comings and goings of various personnel (in particular Shaw's bassist, who would disappear from time to time for no discernible reason).

But when Virgil Shaw bore down and quit trying to impress us with angsty vocal histrionics, and his band stayed put and rocked out, it all came together. Sadly, these moments were fewer and farther between than his audience would have liked. The Court and Spark, too, gave us glimpses of how it could be; if they stripped it down, maybe, ditched the horns and maybe even the pedal steel, it might rock a helluva lot harder. But what do I know? They're the ones up there playing at Noise Pop, and I'm the one sitting here at the computer writing about it.

Now John Doe and Neko Case (ably assisted on guitar and lap steel by some Canadian gentleman named Paul whose last name I didn't get), on the other hand — even when they were bad they were good. If John's between-song banter is reliable, then they had only rehearsed these songs for a day and a half. So there were some substellar moments of intonation, tuning, and phrasing, but in the context of the thing — a couple of near-legends sitting on chairs a few feet away from us, obviously having a great time — it never threatened to detract from the proceedings.

And when they were good? Oh boy, were they good. No one will ever confuse John Doe for a great singer, but he was blessed with an incredibly soulful, plaintive voice that clashed perfectly with Neko's perfect-pitch Peggy Lee pipes. Repertoire ranged from originals by Mr. Doe and Ms. Case, an old X number ("Burning House of Love"), and country classics. "Long Black Veil" was a tune that suited the duo perfectly, and promptly reduced many in the crowd to tears, your humble reporter included.

So if they were that good after a day and a half of practice, just imagine how good they'd be after, say, a week. Here's hoping this first-time collaboration wasn't a first and only.

Noise Pop Tour Diary, Day 3

Ian Miller — Sat, 02 Mar 2002 03:27:00 +0000

OK, so Day 3 was kind of a bust.

We had our choice of shows: the glamgothfest at Bottom of the Hill with the Makers, Pleasure Forever, and the Richmond Sluts, or the emo event at Slim's featuring Pedro the Lion, the Stratford 4, Seldom, and Sara Shannon. Sadly, we chose the latter.

We got to Slim's during Seldom and turned around and exited the venue pretty muich immediately. Seldom were pegging the emometer, and I was just not in the mood. Too many keyboards, too much whining, and not nearly enough rocking.

We milled about until the Stratford 4 came on, and they were hardly worth the wait. I decided to check 'em out because people had told me they were in a Spiritualized/My Bloody Valentine vein, but whoever told me that must have been shooting bad dope. To me they were just another shoegazey dream pop outfit, probably good on record, great music to nod out to, but hardly something I'd go out of my way to see live. The singer thought he was the second coming of Marc Bolan, but he hadn't the talent, voise, or charisma of the late T. Rex frontman. And guys (and gals): There's a world of difference between disaffection and disinterest. If you're gonna go the disaffection route, you'd better have charisma and intensity to spare. Because just standing around on stage ain't gettin' it done.

Overtired and underwhelmed, we left even before Pedro the Lion brought his unique brand of Jesus-emo to the stage. Yeah, I know, I'm heartbroken. John Doe and Neko Case tonight, though, folks. Then Big Star and Imperial Teen tomorrow, and Guided by Voices and Preston School of Industry on Sunday. Things are looking up.

Noise Pop Tour Diary, Day 2

Ian Miller — Fri, 01 Mar 2002 02:26:00 +0000

Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

Day (Night) 2 of Noise Pop was everything that Day 1 wasn't: noisy, rocky, exciting, entertaining, and dramatic. We began the evening began at Bottom of the Hill to check out Track Star. After a half-hour-long delay during which time walk-up customers were able to purchase tickets and go inside and badgeholders had to wait out front (membership does not have its privileges, apparently), we were finally granted egress to the club.

The wait was well worth it, though. Kicking off the show were kaitO, a phenomenal indie-pop band from Norwich, England, of all places. If Justine from Elastica sang for White Stripes, or if Sonic Youth were still relevant, or if Huggy Bear were more substance than style, they might approach the beauty that is kaitO.

Unhampered by the pretense that plagues so many of their stateside indie-rock counterparts (or at least hiding it really, really well), kaitO's quirky we-just-found-these-guitars-so-why-don't-we-hit-them-with-these-toys proto-pop approach was a joy to behold. Fresh and fun and unassuming and unpresumptuous; all things that Track Star, sadly, were not.

Remember when Track Star were going to be the Next Big Thing? Yeah, not so much anymore. Wearing their Velvets/Belle and Sebastian/power pop influences on their sleeves, Track Star sleepwalked through a set of homogenous pop-rock. About halfway through their set, my life partner turned to me and asked, "Why do they call this 'noise pop'? They should call it 'pussy rock' instead." It's funny because it's true.

Luckily our next stop was Bimbo's 365 to check out The Faint, who would restore our faith in rock 'n' roll in short order.

I've never been a huge fan of their music (or hadn't been before last night, anyway), but The Faint brought all the action and drama and spectacle that Noise Pop had so sorely been lacking. Sixty or so minutes of bludgeoning kitschy-retro '80s sequencer-powered goth raunch. Gene Loves Jezebel Loves Trent Reznor Loves Pete Burns Loves Andrew Eldritch. We loved them all.

And when we got bored of looking at the furious black-clad spectacle on stage (which was seldom), we could direct our attention to the Molly Ringwald-dancing throng around us. Very hot. Very hot.

The Faint will be back at Bimbo's on March 26th. Be there so you can say you were goth before goth was cool. Again, I mean.

Noise Pop 10

Ian Miller — Thu, 28 Feb 2002 02:55:00 +0000

I've been attending assorted Noise Pop events for the last six or seven years, and this year I finally forked over cash (yes, cash; I paid for it outta my own pocket) for a Noise Pop 10 badge that will guarantee me entry to each and every event. I'll do my best to chronicle my adventures over the next six days here in the pages of musicrag. Here goes nothin'.

Noise Pop Tour Diary, Day 1

That should probably be Night 1, but that just didn't sound as good. Noise Pop SF 2002 kicked off with more of a whimper than a bang last night, and more pop than noise. The one and only event for the evening featured Death Cab for Cutie, Dismemberment Plan, The Velvet Teen, and Aveo at Bimbo's 365 (you know, where that Chris Isaak guy hangs out). There were myriad violations of the Rules of Rock, which I will chronicle below, and assess penalties for. Please remit all payments to Ian Miller, in care of this station.

After collecting our complimentary Noise Pop 10 T's (if you saw the shirts you'd know why they were free), we made our way into the club just in time to see Aveo hit the stage. Sounding by turns like he was channeling Morrissey and Thom Yorke, singer/guitarist William Wilson led the band through a short but powerful six-song set.

Rules of Rock Violations included: Wilson's annoying habit of lifting and lowering his leg out of time to the music, much like a rhythmless crane, $15; bassist Mike Hudson sporting a hooded sweatshirt and tousled Eddie Vedder hair. You're going to work, dude. At least pretend to care. $35.

Next up were Santa Rosa's own The Velvet Teen. When singer/guitarist Judah busted out with his amazing falsetto vocals, it occurred to me that they should just change the name of the whole damn thing to the Radiohead Festival. Loud/quiet dynamics, odd time signatures, quirky-poppy chord progressions — it's OK to steal from Radiohead, just don't do it all in the same song. That said, they were still damned good. I could've done with more rawk, but hey; they're from Santa Rosa, so cut 'em some slack. It was at this point in the evening that my life partner busted out the quote of the evening. After two consecutive power trios comprised of skinny, frail-looking dudes, she said, "I like my musicians skinny and frail. It makes me feel like they're trying harder." Sheer genius.

Rules of Rock Violations included: Judah sounded uncannily like Dennis DeYoung of Styx when not doing the falsetto thing. $60.

Then Dismemberment Plan were up. Ummm, so who said these guys were good? I know lots of people like D Plan, and I need to know who they are so I can put them on my official Enemies List. Somewhere at the intersection of Dave Matthews, the Barenaked Ladies, and every godawful frathouse band you've ever seen butcher "Brick House" is where Dismemberment Plan lives. Steer clear, I say. Turn back now. Before it's too late.

People, I thought we'd endured enough white boys playing funk rock. I thought this ended in '91 when Primus and those other goofy Bay Area bands went away or became irrelevant. Haven't we suffered enough?!?

Apparently we haven't, 'cuz D Plan played, like, forever, and the weirdest part is that the crowd ate it up. Listen, White Boy, unless you're the Minutemen or Gang of Four, I don't want to hear you "get funky," bro. There's only one D anything Plan in my eyes, and that's the almighty Dillinger Escape Plan. Go back to Rock School, impostor D Plan. Do not pass Go. Certainly do not collect $200..

Numerous Rules of Rock Violations included: Smug, annoying dwarf singer; disco drummer who looked like the Ghost Rider, only instead of flames had long stringy hair instead; bass player who looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo; synchronized dance steps with invitation to crowd to join in same. $1,500 total fines assessed, and one hour of life back, please.

Death Cab for Cutie rounded out the night, but I was already too pissed off at Dismemberment Plan to enjoy them. They were boring anyway, although their songs and performances were solid. There's a fine line between emo and tedious, and the Death Cab cats strayed to the tedious side. They were also hindered by an almost total lack of charisma and stage presence as well, which I'm sure didn't help. Anyway, we bailed after a half-dozen songs or so.

Rules of Rock Violations included: Being old and tubby and boring. This is a correctable violation, also known as a "fix-it ticket." So at your next show, move around or something. Have a salad, or go for a run or something. There is no room for fat guys in rock. Literally or figuratively.

So that was Night 1 of Noise Pop 10. Tonight we're off to catch Track Star at Bottom of the Hill, then back to Bimbo's for The Faint. I have high hopes for The Faint, anyway. But if they end up sucking, does anyone wanna buy a couple of slightly used Noise Pop 10 badges cheap?

the Last Splash?

Claire Caraska — Thu, 28 Feb 2002 01:11:00 +0000

Last night, I had the great privilege to see alt-rock darlings The Breeders play before a sold-out show at the excellent Casbah, in San Diego, CA. Twin sisters Kim and Kelley Deal and Jim MacPherson were joined by a new bassist (who according to Kim, they "were lucky enough to have picked up in East L.A.") and another guitarist (why have two guitars on stage when you can have 3?). Kim shared with the audience that original bassist Josephine Wiggs had "got lost in New York". Oh well, three out of four original members is good enough.

After a very long, slow equipment set-up (remember, there were 3 people playing guitar), The Breeders finally treated fans to old and yes, NEW songs. Surprisingly, it was Kelley who was the sober half of the Deal sisters, who at one point prompted Kim to comment, "I hate sober people". Kim looked a wreck, though she was still able to sing, play guitar, and stumble on stage. Even though I was the youngest person there, I was able to feel a little old (for the second time in my life- first time was in 2000 when I went to the Warped Tour only to see Weezer play and was surrounded by 14 year old boys, some accompanied by their parents). Nostalgia set in and here's where I unashamedly reveal my age. I bought Last Splash at the bitter age of 13, when 'alternative rock' was truly alternative to the mainstream crap on radio and MTV, during that most magical, musical year of 1993. It was crazy and wonderful to see them play live 9 years later. It is comforting to know that they can still play "Cannonball" with dignity. It is also comforting that there are aging hipsters who stupidly shout in between songs "Gigantic"! I suppose some people are still holding their breath for The Pixies to prepare their reunion tour (wishful thinking).

At the end of the show, I shook Kim's hand and for lack of anything else to say, I casually asked for an interview today (they play another sold-out Casbah show tonight) to which she replied (as politely as possible) "Hell no...I'm lucky I'm still standing right now". A classic moment. That truly did put a smile on my face as I walked out. Gold star to Kim for her honesty. Although she turned me down (I really wasn't expecting her to say yes, come on now), I still want to thank Kim for signing my ticket.

Look out for a new album sometime this summer on 4AD .

This guy has two first names but we'll let it slide

Jason — Thu, 21 Feb 2002 17:34:00 +0000

I'm pretty sure that liking Craig David in some way makes me less of a music connoisseur but I'm not sure I care. It's too damn good. For better than boy band harmony and pop visit: CraigDavid.com.

I'm a Genie in a bootleg baby!

Jason — Wed, 30 Jan 2002 19:24:00 +0000

The kids over here at musicrag love their alterna-rock but we love it even more when someone dubs Christina Aguilera vocals over Strokes songs. Yep, listen to 'A Stroke of Genie-us' here.. Listen to more 'bootlegs' as they call them at: Top 11 Bootlegs of 2001. Greats such as Kraftwerk vs Whitney Houston, and Nirvana vs Destiny's Child in 'Smells Like Booty' all in MP3 format. Go nuts.

Matt Wilson — Mon, 28 Jan 2002 18:05:00 +0000

I'm a little late to the 'Best of 01' listings, so I thought I'd skip right past them and instead pay homage to yee who thou may have forgotten. Yee who you may have never listened to. Yee of yesteryear.

We always love to talk about the newest band, the newest sound, the newest scene. But if you ask me, 1993's albums kicked my ass beautifully. I therefore give you...

My Personal Top 8 Albums of 1993.

Afghan Whigs; Gentleman Drunk, angry, smokey, American, male. Still my top album of all time.
Tool; Undertow "Unsuppressed indulgence in rage." Best definition I ever heard of Tool.
Dr. Dre; The Chronic Dre's slow-rollin' potty mouthin' brought white college kids to rap en masse.
Matthew Sweet; Altered Beast Matthew Sweet writes pop songs like [insert witty complimentary analogy here].
Urge Overkill; Saturation The best guitar rock of the decade.
The Pixies; Trompe Le Monde OK, this came out in '91. But Frank Black owns you any year he wants.
The Breeders; Last Splash The Deal sisters' voices drive Pixies inspired quirkpop.
Liz Phair; Exile in Guyville This is what Penthouse Letters would sound like...

From the 'I can't believe they haven't been sued yet' file

Jason — Wed, 23 Jan 2002 07:19:00 +0000

An mp3 music download site called: MP3MTV.com. Maybe they don't have laws in Belgium or Switzerland.