Like I said yesterday, we'll be back to our extremely well written and intelligent discussions of local music on Monday... but for now, we're going to give you a list of shows happening tonight without our usually brilliant commentary. You even get to judge their quality for yourselves!
Evangelicals | Psychic Paramount | Dust Congress (Hailey's) I'm liking Dust Congress more and more every time I hear them. you might want to check them out.
Hey there. We've been doing holiday stuff with family, etc. this weekend, and we're a little busy taking naps and figuring out ways to avoid going shopping or even talking about shopping. We were going to do a big weekend concert list on Wednesday, but we just haven't had the time to get it done. So instead, we'll have little It Lists each day for the rest of the weekend before getting back to normal on Monday. Deal with it. Tonight:
Pleaseeasaur | El Paso Hot Button | Hardin Sweaty and the Ready to Go (Rubber Gloves) Pleaseeasaur is a joke band that probably listens to a lot of Ween and a little Captain Beefheart. Whatever. I hate joke bands. The real highlight here is El Paso Hot Button, and they are certainly a strong live band that is worth seeing if you're up in Denton. They play around here quite a bit, but I wish they did even more. They sound like they could be hugely successful and really goddamn good at the same time (imagine that), so I would recommend keeping your eye out for them. Great punky hard rock. And dude from Hardin Sweaty recommended a Swell Maps video to us on Youtube the other day, so he is awarded two WSJR bonus points.
...And You'll Know Us By the Trail of Dead | The Blood Brothers | Celebration | Brothers and Sisters (Granada) I haven't heard the new Trail of Dead album and I really don't give a shit. The last one was positively terrible (remember that song about the Twin Towers?), and I frankly don't even have the energy to make fun of this stupid crap. However, I've linked to what is apparently a fan Myspace page so that you can hear some of their better, earlier stuff if you feel like it. Yes, I did like Source Tags and Codes when it came out. Despite the suckness of the headliners, the rest of this line up looks pretty good. You probably either hate Blood Brothers or love them, so theres really nothing I can really say to influence you one way or another. You should know, however, that they can be unreal live. Celebration, who came through earlier this year with TV on the Radio, are surely the most interesting band in this line up with jagged guitars and infectious but understated rhythms that fight for attention with urgent and detached vocals that distinguish this band from the pack almost right away. They have a truly unique sound and a good one at that, and I would pay to see them alone. Brothers and Sisters: Son Volt with a slightly less entertaining singer and a Polyphonic Spree fetish. Enough said.
The Great Tyrantwill be playing at Amsterdam tonight. Not sure who is opening for them (sorry), but they are expected to go on around 1100.
Dove Hunter | The Backsliders | Team Evil (Doublewide) I suppose this show is one to catch if you're interested in seeing a couple bands that many of the other local music news outlets have been buzzing about in recent weeks and months. Unfortunately, my limited exposure to each of these groups hasn't inspired a lot of excitement around WSJR headquarters. Dove Hunter is probably the most worthwhile of the three, with a slightly country/folk influenced take on the kind of jammy, dark indie pop that takes nods from Arcade Fire and the more relaxed moments of Wilco. The musicianship is pretty solid and the songs are well put together in many of the ways that you could hope, but there just isn't a whole lot going on that you haven't heard before, and even less that will get any of you very excited. They're much more tolerable than the average popular local rock band to be sure, but thats only saying so much. The Backsliders don't really do it for me either since I just don't like Reverend Horton Heat or the Muffs... sorry. And Team Evil reminds me of a more directly punk influenced version of a Frank Black solo record. Not bad, I suppose, but I'm not going to pay for it without hearing more. The whole show reminds me of OKCola.
Jay-Z prodigy and crossover phenom Lady Sovereign will try to live up to the massive hype at the Gypsy Tea Room tonight. She is one of those rare and anomalous artists that is simultaneously on TRL and the only reason some withdrawn coolies I know will even attempt to dance. All I can say about Young Love is that they'll write some good car commercial music if Britt Daniel's hand gets tired.
If tomorrow's kickoff to the Holiday season isn't depressing enough for you, go to Hailey's and have a second helping of Micah P. Hinson after his free set at Good Records. Add a side of Chris Flemmons and you'll be staring blankly out the window while everyone else cheers on the Cowboys tomorrow. You are that guy in your family aren't you?
Since this is a Holiday week, we plan on doing the rest of the week's concert listings tomorrow so that everyone who only has internet access at work can see them before they go off to do whatever it is they do for Thanksgiving. Check back with us throughout the rest of the week if you want because we'll do some updates here and there if we hear about anything cool going on around town.
Peter and the Wolfwill be doing an in store performance at Good Records at 6pm. To be honest, I've only heard a handful of Peter and the Wolf's songs, but I've liked enough of what I've heard to think that the guy might be worth checking out, especially considering that the show is free. I would describe the songs I've heard as a kind of junkyard folk that seems to take inspiration from Tom Waits, Daniel Johnston, and the Squirrel Nut Zippers, as well as some of the same uneasy and exotic strangeness that I've heard most recently in Beirut, who is one of the most surprisingly likeable artists to emerge this year in "indie" town. And as a side note: I find it funny that SNZ were commonly dismissed as part of the Cherry Poppin' Dipshits swing trend that went in and out of style in the mid 90's, yet their influence fingerprints have been pooping up on a lot of the "hip" blog buzz indie bands for the past few years. The Decemberists and Arcade Fire both come to mind, even if the SNZ influence has as much or more to do with performance style than music. Peter and the Wolf will also be playing at Club Dada tonight with some singer songwriter types that I don't really care for.
Elsewhere, Wanz will be doing the Lost Generation DJ Night at the Cavern, which has been reduced from a once a week event to a once or twice a month event. Wanz tells us that he has been struggling to maintain a crowd on Tuesdays, and I guess I'm not really surprised considering the obscurity of the music he plays and the day of the week he plays it. I just hope that more people go out and have some drinks with him this week because I think its really great that we have access to a rock DJ night where you're more likely to hear Suicide than Sufjan Stevens.
Finally, SHQ will be doing a screening of Who Killed the Electric Car? tonight at 8pm. The film documents the design, release, and subsequent disappearance of the GM EV1, a fully electric car that was put on the market in 1996. The car produced zero emissions, required no gas, and was apparently quite cheap to maintain. Almost without explanation or notice by anyone, however, the car was taken off the market and no fully electric car has been mass marketed by a major automobile manufacturer since (at least to my knowledge). GM maintained that its disappearance was due to a lack of interest, but the filmmakers seem to think that more sinister economic and political factors were at work in the car's demise. Sounds like a very interesting documentary. You can read more about it here.
People who have read this blog regularly for the past several months probably know that I am a big fan of the New York art collective/band Lansing-Dreiden. Since first hearing their hazy psychedelic new pop a couple of years ago at a Waterloo Records listening station, I have continuously been amazed by their effortlessly mind blowing songs, their captivating visual art, and the overall organization, concept, and operational structure of the group itself. I imagine that a lot of people rolled their eyes a bit when they read that last sentence because people often become skeptical whenever they hear about art collectives that make music or musicians that make visual art. I can live with that I suppose. However, I'd like to assure you before we go any further: in each of the mediums that they utilize, these guys really pull it off.
Lansing-Dreiden is a band, to be sure, but they are also quite a bit more. Organized as an entity akin to both a corporation and an art collective, the group has produced two highly impressive full length albums, and absolute masterpiece of an EP called A Sectioned Beam, numerous visual art projects that have enjoyed quite a bit of success on the New York art circuit, and a literary journal containing original works of fiction written by various members of the group. All of their projects work perfectly as independent works of art operating in a single medium, but they also all have a common thread that ties them together in various thematic units.
For example, the group's latest full length, The Dividing Island, is an incredibly infectious yet subtle adventure through 60's psychedelic guitar pop, New Romantic synth pop, and bits and pieces of disco, 70's hard rock and glam. On its own, it is an amazing record (one of the best of the year) that requires no previous knowledge of the group or its work in order to enjoy it. However, when you learn a bit more about it and come to find out that it is a concept record based on a fictional story written by a member of Lansing-Dreident in the group's literary journal, the album takes on a whole new significance as a narrative work. The lyrics start to take on new meaning, and the tracks begins to seem more and more like a cohesive whole as opposed to individual pieces. And then when you see the group's self produced videos for the album, you begin to understand how the narrative elements are tied in with the music as the visuals transport the songs and story in a slightly different and unpredictable direction. The group creates these works and seemingly invites you to discover as many elements of their vision as you care to, but they also make sure that you don't have to do a lot of digging around to truly enjoy any small part of the whole.
I had originally wanted to do a telephone interview with the group, but they, like us, are anonymous in their work and prefer to do email interviews if at all possible. This worked for me just fine. I asked Lansing-Dreiden about their anonymity, their various projects, and the manner in which they conduct themselves as a unit. All of these aspects of the group's work are quite interesting, but if you aren't familiar with them, I would suggest listening to some of their music as soon as you can. I'm willing to bet that you'll develop an interest in the rest of their vision soon after.
What was the initial motivation for your band/collective to remain anonymous? Some have suggested that it is a gimmick, while your guys have said that you were more interested in building a "brand" for your project as opposed to linking yourselves to the work as individuals. Did shyness or self consciousness play any role in your decision? How many total individuals are involved in Lansing-Dreiden as a whole?
We don't see it as a gimmick. We are very interested in building a 'brand.' Shyness and such plays a role, for sure. The number of Lansing-Dreiden shifts depending on the project. 7 people played and sang on the last record.
I have read quite a bit about your conception of Lansing-Dreiden as a corporation, and I know that LD is involved in visual art and writing in addition to music. Does your anonymity make it difficult for your collective to do business? How do you go about promoting your work?
It's just a different way of doing things. It's got just as many ups and downs as the tried and true model of the 'high profile' celebrity. We're trying our best to run our company like a regular business and making necessary adjustments along the way.
The idea of a band as a small part of a larger art collective/artistic think tank/corporation has been explored in different ways throughout rock history. On one end of the spectrum, you get the early form of Scritti Politti, which was as much a group of friends doing drugs and reading books as it was a band, and on the other end, you get The Residents, who set up a very organized and structured corporation to deal with the business side of their art. What kind of organizational structure does Lansing-Dreiden have?
It's open and closed at the same time. We are a bunch of friends collaborating and trying to stay on the same page in a "laid-back" manner but at the same time we have a lot of filing cabinets and photo copiers.
Do your goals and inspirations in visual art creep in to what you are doing musically? How much does you work in one medium influence your work in another?
Yes, yes and Yes! We're always thinking about the whole picture... allthewhile, making sure each thing works on its own.
Could you tell us a bit about your literary magazine Death Notice?
Sure, it's 16 pages and about the size of the New York Times. It's a place where we can share some stories we're kicking around or have read somewhere and images that all serve to offer further info/readings on the theme of that issue. This last one was about the whole "Dividing Island" story.
Judging by the complexity of many of your songs and melodies, it seems that at least some of you must have some formal music training. What are your musical backgrounds?
It varies from music school nerd to sunday driver. The majority of us went to art schools but have been playing since we were kids.
I have read that your latest album, The Dividing Island, is a semi-concept record about a fictional island. Could you explain the concept if there is one? Have your other releases had a narrative conception behind their creation?
All our work comes from some narrative thread we're working with at the time. It ends up manifesting itself as everything from a sculpture to a song. The last record was about a Pangea-type island that splits in two, its inhabitants' opposing viewpoints cause a physical rift in the ground. These two forces are 'myth' and 'method.'
It seems that your music has evolved quite a bit since the release of the Incomplete Triangle. Where that album sounded very raw and rock oriented, A Section Beam was quite dreamy and psychedelic and Dividing Island is more snyth pop oriented. What is behind this shift? Changing influences? Improved musicianship? Simply a general desire to move forward?
It's all of the above. But we don't see the direction as forward or backwards. It sounds very cliche but we just do what feels good. We all like different types of music but we try to make music we all like.
Your music certainly builds bridges between the coldness of 80's snyth pop/goth and warmth of 60's psychedelic. Do you find these links to be natural, or did your purposely set out to create music that drew from influences that you saw as incompatible or in opposition on some level?
That's interesting. There are definite ways we tried to explore oppositions in a purely sonic sense. But it may have been more compositional or about instrument palettes. Sometimes that ends up creating a familiar production feel that people like to pinpoint or pigeonhole into a decade. The thing to keep in mind is that, if you look around, the culture's current "sound" seems to be "every sound available." This is something that our generation of artists may not always consider when they make whatever they are making, but it is happening nonetheless. There are a lot of bad things about it, like not knowing if the "avant-garde" can ever exist without any irony again. Kinda sad. But the main benefit is that the "stylistic mask" one wears is no longer actually relevant. What is relevant is the same thing that has been for centuries: a good tune--and hopefully one that tells a good story!
Do you have plans to record new material or tour any time soon?
Right at this moment... no. But we are in a self-imposed moment of stasis musically only because we have a lot of other loose ends to tie up elsewhere. We are constantly thinking about music and we plan on doing all those things as soon as possible.
What is your ultimate goal for Lansing-Dreiden? Which medium do you feel you have accomplished the most in? Is it fair to say that Lansing-Dreiden, as a corporation, makes at least some decisions based purely off a desire to make a profit?
The ultimate goal is something we can't imagine. It's not ours to decide. We haven't accomplished as much as we hopefully will. Right now we aren't really turning much of a profit because the money we earn goes right back into the company. We don't really base any decisions purely on making money. But, as making music, video/film, and artworks all together has proven to be ridiculously expensive, we have to consider these things if we want L-D to survive. The goal is really to have the company support itself with what it makes.
1. Joanna Newsom - Ys 2. Benoit Pioulard - Precis 3. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait 4. Damien Rice - 9 5. Demetri Martin - These are Jokes 6. Radiant - We Hope You Win 7. Annuals - Be He Me 8. Tenacious D - Pick of Destiny: Deluxe Version 9. Bright Eyes - Noise Floor 10. Decemberists - Crane Wife 11. Icy Demons - Tears of a Clone 12. Akron/Family - Meek Warrior 13. El Perro Del Mar - El Perro Del Mar 14. Jeff Tweedy - Sunken Treasure Live (DVD) 15. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar 16. Califone - Roots & Crowns 17. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House 18. Pavement - Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition 19. Baboon - Baboon 20. Skeletons & the Kings of All Cities - Lucas LP
