SXSW 2008

It's that time of year again. The list of showcasing artists has been released

Here are 20 musical acts that I hope to see:

Birds Of Avalon (Raliegh NC)
Black Moth Super Rainbow (Pittsburgh PA)
Black Mountain (Vancouver BC)
Blitzen Trapper (Portland OR)
The Breeders (Los Angeles CA)-- *Mess With Texas Show
Centro-matic (Denton TX)
Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip (London UK)
Dr. Dog (Philadelphia PA)
Earlimart (Los Angeles CA)
Holy Fuck (Toronto ON)
My Morning Jacket (Louisville KY)
No Age (Los Angeles CA)
Jay Reatard (Memphis TN)
Rogue Wave (Oakland CA)
Rotary Downs (New Orleans LA)
The Spinto Band (Wilmington DE)
Tapes 'n Tapes (Minneapolis MN)
Times New Viking (Columbus OH)
Toddle (Tokyo JAPAN)
Yo La Tengo (Hoboken NJ)

Full list here.

Who are you excited to see?

Also, There's a new process for getting wristbands this year.

Happy 10th Birthday "In the Areoplane Over the Sea"

Today is the 10th anniversary of Neutral Milk Hotel's classic album In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. It's really hard to believe that it's been ten years and even harder to believe that it was the last album that Jeff Mangum and co. would give the world.

Like My Bloody Valentine's Loveless it was a groundbreaking record that would never be followed up by its creator. As if the act of making something so completely beautiful and magical took everything that the songwriter could give.

I recall that when my band toured through Athens, GA in 2001, everyone I talked to said that Mangum was very reclusive and was tired of being "treated like a god". I suppose if that's what caused him to essentially retire from songwriting or if it was the feeling that he could never surpass what he and the band had accomplished.

Either way, ITAOTC stands up just as well today as it did in the Summer of 1998 when I became obsessed with it like many of my friends.

Look for a cover of a song from this album this week along with many other things. I promise.

P.S. Speaking of brilliant bands that seem to have disappeared (repeatedly). The Breeders will be appearing at SXSW in March and will release their 4th (5th if you count The Amps - Pacer, and I do) full length in their 20 year history. It is titled Mountain Battles and I am psyched.

More about SXSW 2008 later...

Song-a-Week #2 - "Frontwards" (Orig. by Pavement)

I've had the flu for the past five days and it's been less than a cakewalk. Needless to say, no recording happening.

So what I'm posting here is my cover of a Pavement song that I recorded for a compilation that an Italian label, Homesleep put out in 2003. I submitted "Frontwards" from the Watery, Domestic EP and they liked it, but another band had already submitted that song, so I sent them a 4-track recording of "Circa 1762" that was okay, but not as good I think.

Mp3 --> "Frontwards"

Song-a-Week #1 "Break a Promise" (orig. by Guv'ner)

This is the first of my home recordings that I am to be posting here. I got off to a bit of a slow start due to some difficulties with my laptop, but that seems to be corrected.

The first song is "Break a Promise" from the long-defunct band Guv'ner from their great LP The Hunt. It's a fun song and I do a pretty straight reading of it. I tried to do it really fast and recorded it in my garage while the dryer was running. I probably won't do that again.

I hope to get another song recorded pretty soon so I can stick to the song every week schedule. Enjoy.

MP3 --> Break a Promise

Radiohead - Scotch Mist

Radiohead performs all of the songs from In Rainbows. Good stuff.

Range Life (the radio show)

My good buddy Chris has a radio show on KRTS in Marfa on Friday nights from 7-9PM CST.

It's called Range Life.

You should listen.

Top Songs of 2007

This list is alphabetical, this isn't a sport and I'm not Casey Kasem.

* Blitzen Trapper - Futures & Folly (from Wild Mountain Nation)
Maybe its that they remind me of the band Home. Maybe they just write great songs and have nice arrangements. Whatever the case, good stuff.

* Future Of The Left - Suddenly It's A Folk Song (from Curses)
Curses is probably my most listened-to album of last year. This track is probably my favorite although it was difficult to choose just one.

* No Age - Everybody's Down (from Weirdo Rippers)
The part where the drums come in is why I like rock music.

* The Octopus Project - Truck (from Hello, Avalanche)
This song could easily absorbed into half the TV commercials made the same way that "Such Great Heights" has been. I mean this as a compliment.

* Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe (from The Stage Names)
I am emotionally moved by this song. I don't listen to it and feel like its about me, but I do feel involved with it somehow. Great songwriting.

* Silkworm - Lily White & Cherry Red (from Chokes!)
This is from SKWM's final EP (which actually came out in late-2006). Tragically, drummer Michael Dahlquist was killed with two of his friends in Chicago when a despondent woman tried to kill herself by crashing her car into his. A documentary about Silkworm is coming out soon.

* Soccer Team - Traffic Patterns ( from 'Volunteered' Civility & Professionalism)
Thanks to The Best Show for turning me on to this song. "Cavity Called Home" is also really good.

* Spoon - The Underdog (from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)
If you had told me in 1996 that my favorite Spoon song would immediately bring Paul Simon to mind, I'd have said to take off your crazy pants. Britt Daniel's blossoming songwriting and Jon Brion's amazing production needs to be paired more in the future.

* Tough and Lovely - Just When I Thought (from Teardrops)
Another band that I found from The Best Show. I don't know much about them other than that they are from Columbus, OH and this song is beautiful.

* Wilco - Impossible Germany (from Sky Blue Sky)
The song could be an instrumental and it would still be on this list even though the lyrics and vocals are both outstanding. If this is "Dad-Rock" (worst rock journo term ever, by the way), then load up my minivan with more of it please.

I am the New Year

Hey there internet!

I just wanted to let you know I got your urgent message about how concerned you are that there aren't enough blogs. I thought it was my duty to help out. That's just the kind of guy I am.

So this is where I will be posting random stuff from time to time. The page is named after the first song on one of my favorite albums, the mostly unknown/forgotten 18th Dye's Tribute to a Bus from 1995.

I have some plans for this space: some music writing, some movie writing, and some posting of music that I will be recording.

My big plan (and New Year's Resolution) is to post a song I've recorded every week this year, mostly covers with at least one original a month.

Before I get to that, here's my top 10 things that happened in 2007:

1. Fletcher/Susan
My first-born son and my lovely spouse that birthed him last March. Words are inadequate to describe how fond of these people I am.









2. The Best Show on WFMU
Three hours of mirth, music, and mayhem every Tuesday night. Tom Scharpling and Jon Wurster are doing things with comedy that are unique and strange, but I think universally awesome. I am still trying to convert all of my friends with good senses of humor to this show. This is one of my missions of 2008.

3. Future of the Left - Curses
From the ashes of the great Mclusky and fellow Welsh rockers Jarcrew. This album is profoundly brutal, funny, and catchy as hell. I can't believe that I missed them when they were here for SXSW. Hopefully they'll come back once this album is released in the USA.

MP3-> Future of the Left - adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood

4. Palaxy Tracks, June 2 at Emo's
I was asked to play guitar in one of my favorite bands ever with some of my favorite people/musicians. I was hoping that it would turn into a full fledged band, but it's looking doubtful. Even still, a definite highlight of my modest musical career.

5. Wilco - taping of Austin City Limits, September 15/Sky Blue Sky
I wasn't able to go the ACL festival this year, but this show and the Yo La Tengo show at the Parish totally made up for it without having to endure the heat, crowds, and parking miles away from Zilker Park. Jeff Tweedy said hello to my son during the taping, but it didn't make the air, which is too bad. Sky Blue Sky was our go-to CD to get Fletcher calm and to sleep and Nels Cline's guitar solos in "Impossible Germany" are magical.

Mp3 -> Wilco - Impossible Germany

6. 30 Rock
This show is so consistently hilarious that it almost makes me forget my grief over the loss of Arrested Development. Unfortunately, the writers' strike cut season 2 short although I support the strike.

7. Eastern Promises
There were a lot of movies that I missed in 2007 due to having an infant at home and all of the other stuff that occupies my time these days, but I'm really glad I made the effort to go see this one. I have not always been a huge fan of David Cronenberg, but after this one and A History of Violence, I have revisited a lot of his older films and now consider myself a fan.

8. Sam Seder Show/Seder on Sunday
I've become a bit of a political news-talk junkie and Seder pretty much hits the bullseye with his point of view, relevant guests, and sense of humor. Air America blew it by taking him off in the mornings and relegating him to Sunday afternoons. Thankfully, his show is podcasted now and his video chats with Marc Maron are very intriguing when the technical glitches don't get in the way.

9. Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
I can't put my finger on what makes this album so great, but it's really really fun and reminds me of lots of music I love without being derivative.

MP3 -> Blitzen Trapper - Futures & Folly

10. Hunter Pence
OK, so it was a bad season for the Astros, but Pence's enthusiasm and seemingly inability to avoid a multi-hit game made this lackluster team fun to watch. I have no freaking idea what to expect from this completely reloaded team in 2008, but I am glad that Ed Wade has shaken things up and seems to enjoy making trades in real life even more that I do when I play MLB2K7.

Honorable Mentions
Paul F Tomkins - Impersonal - "It's just a housebear"
Patton Oswalt - Werewolves and Lollipops - "Physics for Poets"
Tim and Eric, Awesome Show. Great Job! - Dr Steve Brule Rules
Kinks Hoot at Emo's - Missing Tapes broke the ice
Jay Reatard - I Know a Place 7"- The 3 C's: Creepy, catchy, and cuddly
Clark and Michael (Web TV series) - They're the future of comedy. Get used to it.


Next: Top 10 songs of 2007