New York’s hip and loucheThe Virgins made a disco-rock daydream splash with the release of their single “Rich Girls”, an ode to the wealthy, privileged and clueless debutantes of New York. Debaucherous, slinky and dirty in that sexy kind of way, “Rich Girls” is a funk filled, thick and syrupy rock n’ bass track with plenty of sleazy disco thrown in for that downtown ‘get in the sack’ fun. But these rakes play with an awareness of the rich and wasted as Donald Cumming (pictured) sings with an air of listlessness, with his catchy voice reaching impressive, drolling highs and lows.
The Twelves Remix Oft have I featured remixes from The Twelves. The Brazilian boys are just making a push with great tracks. This mix is what really got me into this song in the first place. So much better, in that it achieves what a remix ought to, tinkering and adjusting a song, leaving it wholesome for the most part, but just dance floor ready. The Twelves speed up the song considerably, which adds a much needed urgency to the track. In fact I can barely listen to the original now because I feel it drags with the slower pace. It’s hard to say what The Twelves exactly do to this track, except for maybe just enhancing it. It really feels like the original, just goosed up, with thicker bass, fuller disco beats, and a rush of speed.
The RAC Remix The RAC take an interesting turn on the song. It’s heavy and jarrish, cut up and mechanical, very much in the vein of Justice. It’s almost as if they threw it on top of the original without really letting it percolate into the song. However, it works in some sort of cut up and reinvented way, with the touch of modified synths, laser sounds and bubbly guitars.
The Beatards Remix This one takes a little while to get into the crux of things. They take their time with the intro of some bleeps, widened synths and pseudo-Caribbean beats that dissipate just when you notice them. It doesn’t strive too far from the original, but it takes the track to a slower, house like groove. It’s calmer than The Twelves remix, probably the version you would listen to if you were too out of your mind to move.
XXXChange Remix This song harkens back to the decade of the 90s, when electronic/dance music was, well, not quite that great. This is a very clubby, urban mix, perfect for a trance party. I’m picturing a lot of green laser lights, glo sticks, all meshed together in a tightly packed, sweaty warehouse. Take what you will from it because I’m sure it’ll cater to some.
The hilarious and heartwarming comedy Soul Men features Samuel L. Jackson playing the bad ass, Louis Hinds, to the late Bernie Mac’s sweetheart, Floyd Henderson. The duo of Henderson and Hinds used to be backup singers, known as The Real Deal, for the fictionally famed Marcus Hooks, played by actual musician John Legend. The cast also includes funk and soul legend the also late Isaac Hayes, playing himself.
The film follows the reunion of Henderson and Hinds when it’s announced that Marcus Hooks has passed away and there will be a huge memorial concert in his honor at New York City’s Apollo Theatre put on by VH1. Saddened that his life is now adventureless, the internationally famous singer turned car wash king Henderson sets out to find Hinds so the two can head to New York and relive their glory days. Hinds wants nothing to do with a reunion, but is convinced to join Henderson on the road trip in an old El Dorado when he’s informed that the concert pays $40,000.00.
As the duo make their way across the country, they find themselves confronted with practice gigs in cheap motels, flat tires, the dredging up of old fights and Cleo, the daughter of Odetta, a former lover of Hinds’ and ex-wife of Henderson’s. After saving Cleo from an abusive boyfriend, Hinds and Henderson convince her to join them on the road. After some illegal hijinks in Memphis, the pair are arrested and are told they’ve been kicked off of the VH1 special. The news causes Henderson to break down while Hinds declares, “Fuck that. This shit ain’t over till WE say it’s over,” and the pair continue on to the Apollo for the performance of a lifetime.
Dedicated to Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes…two real soul men, special features on the disc include tributes to both Mac and Hayes, both of whom tragically passed away within days of each other in August 2008. The tributes feature cast and crew remembering the two stars and what they brought not only to the film, but what their presence in the industry meant. An interview with Mac reveals how much he truly appreciated all his fans and just what he gave to each performance: “I give it all, I live my life.”
One of the most interesting bonus features shows Mac and Jackson in a recording booth and recounts how the two mega stars actually did their own singing and dancing for the film. Both men had vocal training in preparation. Definitely a feature to watch and a movie not to miss. One lucky reader will win a copy of Soul Men.Leave a comment with your favorite memory of either Bernie Mac or Isaac Hayes (be it a role, a song, a joke, etc.) and a winner will be drawn randomly next week!
Soul Men Price:USD 17.49 47 used & new available from USD 10.99
The Waiting Room in Omaha, Nebraska is a strange venue. It less of a venue than it is a bar that thought if they knocked out part of wall and tacked on another room, it could be a good place for concerts. Consequentially, there is an awkward division of the room that causes for even stranger crowds. So on this particular night, a person walking in during the opening sets would have no idea that a show was even happening as the crack of cue ball over at the pool table and the chatter by the bar seemed to drown out any signs of a concert. I was dismayed at the inattention Joshua James and then Black Gold received. At least there was a small cluster of kids seated on the floor that appreciated the fact music was happening that night. As Black Gold put tons of energy into a set that so many seemed to miss, I began to get nervous about how headliners Lydia would be received.
I shouldn’t have doubted that this Arizona group could handle a tough crowd. At long last, people got off their bar stools and came up to gather around the stage, moving as a flock to empty the bar half of the Waiting Room and to finally fill in the venue portion. Now the real test would be to see if Lydia could keep this new-found audience’s attention.
The barefooted group stepped up to the challenge and delivered an entertaining set that surprised me with how energetic and danceable their laid back piano rock could really be. The previously unenthusiastic audience kept up with both old and new songs, but especially got into “I Woke Up Near the Sea”, a song for which Lydia just released a video. Pleased with the crowd’s reaction, lead singer Leighton Antelman would flash a wide, charming smile and constantly thank the audience. The band’s down to earth attitude only endeared them to the crowd even more.
For those missing the days when Michelle [Nolan] DaRosa added her warm vocal harmonies to her brother John’s in Straylight Run, Lydia may just be a saving grace. KeyboardistMindy White is the perfect compliment to Antelman and my only complaint of this show is that the microphone volumes needed to be adjusted to stop the sweet, gentle vocals from being drowned out in the wake of the more powerful drums.
Set List: Hospital Sea Twice Now Fine Evening Blood Stay Awake All I See Jam - Steve/a Taste 1 More Day Jam Interlude Pineapple Jam Smile Fate
The Tindersticks‘sound is just another bit of proof that some of the best music really does come from Great Britain. Though this may irk some American nationalists, get over it because great music is still great music.. no matter where it comes from.. even if that usually means across the pond.
Hailing from Nottingham, England, Tindersticks have been rocking out for nearly two decades and show no signs of cessation when it comes to their unique brand of lush orchestration, multi-instrumentation, and utterly soulful rock. Check out one of their shows and I guarantee you’ll not only hear the perennial favorites of guitar, bass, and drums, but also some organ, perhaps a trumpet, violin, trombone, and a glockenspiel. Sometimes they even throw in a bassoon for good measure. I kid you not.
In support of their latest release, The Hungry Saw (2008, released through Beggars Banquet), they’re taking their show Stateside and are hopefully coming soon to a city near you. And if you’re in DC, feel free to stop by the 9:30 Club and say ”hey” to our DC writer Fahad Ashraf because he’ll be there covering their set. Better yet, make that “Cheerio, ol’ chap!” because he, too, is British and might not understand you otherwise.
You can help yourself to some studio or live concert tracks here. If you like what you hear, see you at the show, mates!
Tour Dates: Mar 04 - World Cafe Live / Philadelphia, PA # Mar 05 - 9:30 Club / Washington, DC # Mar 06 - Brooklyn Masonic Temple / New York City # Mar 07 - Somerville Theatre / Boston, MA # Mar 09 - La Sala Rossa / Montreal, Quebec Mar 10 - Opera House / Toronto, ON Mar 12 - Epiphany Episcopal Church / Chicago, IL % Mar 13 - Henry Fonda Theatre / Los Angeles, CA Mar 15 - Great American Music Hall / San Francisco, CA
Having first seen Brooklyn’s Tigercity at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, it was an adjustment to see the fellas move to a smaller stage down the street at the M Room. A smaller venue, however, doesn’t mean a smaller sound or smaller performance from this dynamic foursome. “This is like the Storyteller’s version of us,” announced front man Bill Gillim to the crowd’s laughter. Intimate settings and a late start aside, the audience started a dance party the very second the music began and it was more than worth the wait.
Tigercity’s Hall & Oates-influenced style has produced indie rock/dance pop gems and ambient dreamlike ditties that attain perfection with Gillim’s spot on falsetto. The only unfortunate aspect of the show was the size of the crowd. Tigercity deserves a sold out Johnny Brenda’s on a Friday or Saturday night rather than a half full M Room on a Sunday, but the fellas took it all in stride, and I have no doubt they’ll be selling out bigger venues someday soon.
The night they played Philadelphia also happened to be the night of the Academy Awards, which didn’t phase this writer, but it seems a lot of people give a shit about movie awards. Halfway into the set, Gillim asked, “Anyone know who won Best Picture?” Everyone else in the place seemed befuddled (I don’t think the hipsters knew it was Oscar night), so I took it upon myself to shout out, “TIGERCITY!” It seemed to be the answer Gillim was looking for as he followed up with, “That’s right. This picture.” And we were right. Oscar be damned, Tigercity owned the night.
Tour Dates: Mar 02 - 1982 Bar / Gainesville, Fl. Mar 03 - Will's Pub / Orlando Mar 05 - Respectable Street / West Palm Beach Mar 07 - Vagabond / Miami Mar 08 - Harvest of Hope Festival - Mainstage / St. Augustine, Fl. Mar 10 - Engine Room / Tallahassee Mar 11 - Sluggo's / Pensacola Mar 13 - Prophet Bar @ The Door / Dallas Mar 14 - Rock Bottom Lounge / San Antonio Mar 17 - Rudyard's / Houston Mar 18 - Paradise / Austin (SXSW) Mar 19 - SXSW / Austin Mar 20 - Official Showcase @ Speakeasy / Austin (SXSW) Mar 21 - SXSW / Austin Mar 24 - Juanita's / Little Rock Mar 26 - The Brick / Kansas City Mar 27 - Moct 240 / Milwaukee Mar 28 - Double Door / Chicago Mar 29 - Rock Island Brewing Company / Rock Island, Il. Mar 29 - Daytrotter / Rock Island, Il. Mar 30 - Vaudville Mews / Des Moines Apr 02 - Highline Ballroom / New York City Apr 10 - Harper's Ferry / Allston, Ma. Apr 16 - Jadlodajnia Filozoficzna / Warsaw Apr 17 - Lizard King / Krakow, Poland Apr 18 - Eskulad / Poznan, Poland
When I moved to Portland last fall, my friend kept telling me that I had to check out this great local band, Blind Pilot. After picking up their album and catching a show at the Aladdin, I was sold. It seems like other people are, too. They’re getting high profile recognition on iTunes, NPR, and “Last Call with Carson Daly“. Recently, I was able to ask Blind Pilot drummer and cycler, Ryan Dobrowski, a couple questions via email about their recent success and upcoming plans. Jesse Gelwicks, PopWreckoning: So, how was your experience on “[Last Call with] Carson Daly”? Ryan Dobrowski, Blind Pilot: Carson Daly was great. We got there pretty early in the day and didn’t record until later in the evening, but it seemed like we always had something to do. Everyone was really nice and I’d say overall it was a really pleasant experience. We didn’t get to hang out with Carson Daly or T.I., who was also there, but it was still a lot of fun.
PW: What do you think about all the national attention you’re getting? RD: It’s great and exciting, but honestly a little weird. It doesn’t seem like it was too long ago at all that it was just me and Israel [Nebeker] biking down the coast and busking wherever we could.
PW: Have you noticed the difference at shows? RD: The shows keep getting better all the time. It is always the best thing in the world to go to another city and have a crowd of people singing along to your songs. We have some great musicians playing with us now and we’re all really enjoying playing with each other.
PW: I heard “White Apple” at the Aladdin in Portland. Are you working on more new material? RD: Yes. Although it will probably be a little while before we have time to go back into the studio. We have a lot of tours coming up that will keep us busy until fall, at least.
PW: At the Aladdin you had a full stage of musicians. Now that you are becoming more popular do you think you’ll bring more of them on tour with you? RD: It isn’t really a matter of becoming more popular, but yes. More people will be coming on this upcoming tour. Not all 10 that were at the Aladdin show, but six of us.
PW: I really liked what Kati Claborn added to your songs, both with her banjo playing and singing. Will you be recording new material with that group [Mighty Ghosts of Heaven]? RD: I think we will definitely continue to use Kati as she is really great to have in the group. What we will end up doing on the next album is still being worked out, but I’m sure she’ll be in there as well.
PW: What are your upcoming plans? Are you going to do any more bicycle based tours? Through Europe perhaps? RD: The plan is to just keep things going at this point. There is a lot going on and a lot to keep up with, but I think it is all happening in a really great way. We definitely want to do more bike tours and definitely want to do a bike tour in Europe. It might not be able to happen really soon, but it will definitely happen.
PW: Have you looked into getting a sponsorship from any of the local cargo bike makers so you can bring along more instruments/equipment? RD: I love the cargo bikes for around town, but I think for touring the trailer works best. I’d like to work on getting a better bike tour drum set, but other than that, I think we had everything we needed. I actually really enjoyed my little drum set just fine, but it is fun to think of ways to improve.
PW: What city has been your favorite tour stop? Which was the most bike friendly? How do think touring by bicycle changes how you visit the cities you play in? RD: L.A. was the biggest surprise. It was a great show and actually quite easy to bike around. We were also so used to cars going by us by the time we got there that it didn’t seem to really matter. Portland is still the best though as far being bike friendly. Eugene is good too, but a lot smaller. I think you see everything in a little bit better light on a bike. Even though we’re going to have to do some tours by more standard means, I’d love to bring bikes along so once we get to the city we can go ride around.
PW: Do you feel like you’re part of a scene here in Portland? Are there other musicians/bands you hang out with? RD: We definitely have a lot of friends in other bands, but I don’t really feel like we’re part of a scene. In fact a lot of the Portland scenes I find a little intimidating. I really was surprised that we were as well received here. It has been great meeting all of these bands and musicians in town that I had really only seen from the audience perspective. I used play in Sexton Blake with Josh Hodges and Ryan Byornstad who are now playing as Starfucker. I still love to see those guys and am glad to see them doing so well.
PW: I’m relatively new to town, so what local band or venue do I need to check out that I might have missed? RD: Definitely go to Mississippi Studios. I’m not just saying that because we play there soon. I think everyone was a little sad when it shut down and it is going to be one of the nicest mid-size venues in town for sure.
The move from Boulder to Brooklyn proved to be fruitful for dream-pop trio Chairlift. If you don’t know their catchy single “Bruises”, you must not own a television because the band has become another iPod commercial overnight sensation. The trio, comprised of Caroline Polacheck, Aaron Pfenning and Patrick Wimberly, have recently signed with Columbia Records and will be re-releasing last year’s Does You Inspire You through the major label next month.
On the heels of a successful run at this past year’s CMJ Music Marathon, in addition to touring with Yeayer and Vampire Weekend, Chairlift will kick off 2009 with an appearance at South By Southwest in addition to supporting YACHT, Sebastien Tellier, and Peter Bjorn and John this spring.
Check out the band’s new video for “Evident Utensil”:
Tour Dates: Mar 07 - Santo’s Party House / NYC Mar 13 - Grog Shop / Cleveland * Mar 14 - Schubas / Chicago * Mar 16 - The Gargoyle / St. Louis * Mar 17 - Jackpot / Lawrence, Ks. * Mar 18 - Opolis Production / Norman, Ok. * Mar 19 - Other Music Showcase @ Red 7 - 12AM / Austin (SXSW) Mar 19 - Gigotron/Videothing Showcase @ Club 1808 / Austin (SXSW) Mar 20 - Urban Outfitters Party - 5PM / Austin (SXSW) Mar 20 - Under the Radar Party @ Flamingo Cantina - 3:15PM / Austin (SXSW) Mar 21 - Filter Magazine Party @ Cedar Street Cafe 1PM / Austin (SXSW) Mar 21 - This Side Up Sounds Party @ Red Eyed Fly / Austin (SXSW) Mar 22 - House of Blues / Dallas * Mar 23 - Warehouse Live / Houston * Mar 24 - Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge * Mar 25 - House of Blues / New Orleans * Mar 26 - Club Downunder / Tallahassee, Fl. * Mar 27 - 40 Watt Club / Athens ATHENS, GA -40 WATT CLUB * Mar 28 - Exit/In / Nashville Apr 13 - Chop Suey / Seattle ^ Apr 14 - Richard’s On Richards / VANCOUVER, BC- RICHARD'S ON RICHARD'S ^ Apr 15 - Doug Fir / Portland ^ Apr 17 - The Independent / San Francisco ^ Apr 19 - Bluebird Theatre / Denver Apr 21 - Fine Line Music Cafe / Minneapolis # Apr 22 - Pabst Theatre / Milwaukee # Apr 23 - Metro / Chicago # Apr 24 - Southgate House / Newport, Ky. # Apr 25 - Phoenix Theatre / Toronto # Apr 26 - Capital Music Hall / Ottawa # Apr 27 - Le National / Montreal # Apr 28 - Paradise Rock Club / Boston # Apr 29 - Webster Hall / NYC # Apr 30 - Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn # May 01 - World Cafe / Philadelphia # May 02 - 9:30 Club / Washington DC # Jun 11 - Bonnaroo Festival / Manchester, Tn.
* w/ YACHT ^ w/ Sebastien Tellier # w/ Peter Bjorn and John
Ryan Adams has a loyal following. Playing to a sold-out crowd of seated but enthusiastic followers, Adams delivered a 90 minute set covering the last ten-or-so years of his career.
What we liked:
The Cardinals are an extremely tight group – the musicianship is top notch
The sound at the Uptown was spot on
Adams played a mix of music from his (and The Cardinals) many albums
What we didn't like:
Depression-level lighting. Adams, do you pay by the watt or something?
An extremely short set of under 90 minutes, including about 10 minutes of banter.
Abrupt ending with no encore, after waiting 9 months for this rescheduled show.
Set List: I See Monsters Everybody Knows Fix It Let It Ride Two When The Stars Go Blue Come Pick Me Up Born Into a Light -Intermission- Wonderwall (Oasis) Freeway to the Canyon Mockingbirdsing Goodnight Rose Oh My God, Whatever The Rescue Blues Peaceful Valley Bartering Lines
New York’s hip and louche 
The 
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