Dividing By Zero Will Get You Nowhere

WE'VE MOVED!!!!

2007-12-22T10:25:00.000-06:00

Please update you bookmarks, links, etc:

http://dividing.wordpress.com

Thanks!

In Which I Very Briefly and Very Belatedly Review Last Month's Of Montreal Show at The Pageant

2007-12-19T21:37:00.000-06:00

So, one month ago tonight, I saw Of Montreal at The Pageant. They put on, as they are wont to do, a great show. I have seen them play here in St. Louis three times, the first being just two years ago. Their progression through the venues of St. Louis in a two year stretch is indicative of their reach in pop-culture at large over that time period; the first show was at the tiny Gargoyle, then Mississippi Nights and now The Pageant. Their latest album, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?, is easily my favorite album from the band one one of my favorites on the year (Best of 2007 list coming soon, I swear!).

We got to the venue right after MGMT played, but the reviews I got from friends that had been there on time were mixed. Eh.

We did, however, get to see Grand Buffet. Wow, they were bad. Two white guys rapping as if the only band they had ever listened to was the Beastie Boys, but somehow managed to completely disregard the quality production and craftmanship of the backing tracks. They were entertaining for - maybe - one song. After that, it got old fast. A band like that really needs to be funny, or at least charming. They were neither. There were two rappers, and for ease, I will refer to one as the skinny guy and one as the fat guy. I consistently wanted to punch the skinny guy in the face. The fat guy could actually rhyme every now and then, had decent flow, and actually had a good voice. I breathed a sigh of relief every time he took over the mic from the skinny guy. They put me in a bad mood leading into Of Montreal, but I was at least aware of this issue and tried to not let it affect me going into the main event.

The stage setup for Of Montreal was way more elaborate than anything I had ever seen them utilize before. The trade-off, apparently, was fewer costume changes for the night. Alas. The band is known for its live covers, and this night was no exception, with the band opening the show with Prince's electro-ballad classic "I Would Die 4 U". Without missing a beat, they headed straight into another Prince song, "Baby, I'm a Star". It was a great way to start the show and made me forget all about the disaster that was Grand Buffet. The show was great, with the set leaning heavily on songs from the bands two newest albums. Much to my chagrin, but not to an excessive amount of surprise, the band did not play "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal" which they have been apparently playing on this tour. The other main, but minor, thing I notice about the show was that the set was more drum machine-heavy than previous shows I had seen. Some of their best songs feature the drum machine, but in a live setting, live drums add a layer of immediacy that is both welcome and flattering to the band's sound.

Todd of IShootShows has some OUTSTANDING (as usual) pictures of the show up.

I guess this review didn't end up being that brief, after all.

Additionally, I have mp3's of the two Prince covers from that night below.

MP3's:
Of Montreal - I Would Die 4 U (live Prince cover)
Of Montreal - Baby, I'm A Star (live Prince cover)

BONUS

The Main Drag's cover of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends" has absolutely no right to be as good as it is. Seriously, none at all. Thanks to cokemachineglow.

The Main Drag - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem)

Double Bonus:
In Which I Belatedy and Briefly Review The Black Angels Show I Saw A Few Weeks Ago

So I went down to San Antonio two weeks ago to go to the Big XII championship football game. Yeah. That went well.

Anyway, flights to SA were around $1200, so a friend and I flew through Dallas, which worked out well for me since my parents live there and I saved about a thousand dollars. On that Friday night, we went out to eat sushi at Blue Fish on Lower Greenville, which was, incidentally, great. As we left the restaurant around 10:30, we noticed that The Black Angels were playing at The Granada Theater, which was directly across the street. Telling my parents that we would cab it home later, we let them be on their way and headed over to the show. Very unexpected.

The Strange Boys were opening and were very... 60's. They were good, but their set only really needed to be about 15-20 minutes long. The Black Angels, on the other hand, were great. A band that plays the sort of music that they play has to be tight, and they were certainly tight. Unfortunately, we had to duck out a bit early due to a 6 am wake-up call before the four and a half hour drive down to San Antonio.

I will see them again.

That review was actually brief.

A Very Merry Christmas Spektacula!

2007-12-19T08:08:00.000-06:00

This weekend, there's a whole lotta Christmas going on at Off Broadway, as Tomko Bomb Co. presents the 3rd annual installment of A Very Merry Christmas Spectacular this December 21st and 22nd. Featuring four bands each night and the visual artistry of Columbia, MO's VIDEOLOGY, the full weekend's lineup looks like this:

Friday, December 21st:
The Bureau
The Hibernauts
Witch's Hat (Columbia, MO)
The Makeshift Gentlemen
& VIDEOLOGY

Saturday, December 22nd:
So Many Dynamos
Gentleman Auction House
Light Pollution (Dekalb, IL)
Laite
& VIDEOLOGY

Be sure to get there early, as last year's AVMCS was named by Spin Magazine as one of the three things that you MUST do in St. Louis in December.

A new feature to be included in this year's event is VIDEOLOGY from Columbia, MO, who in one form or another has worked with The Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, Elliot Smith, The Polyphonic Spree, Pavement, etc. VIDEOLOGY will be adding a unique visual layer to AVMCS by surrounding Off Broadway with four giant video screens to provide visualizations for all of the bands and to VJ in between the sets.

Both nights will start promptly at 9:00pm and are 18 and up shows. Tickets
can be purchased online at www.offbroadwaystl.com and at the door for $7.

MP3s:
The Hibernauts - Into the Storm/Out to the Sea
Witch's Hat - Bomb Squad
So Many Dynamos - In Every Direction
Gentleman Auction House - Your Days and Our Nights

New St. Louis Shows Announced

2007-12-18T07:12:00.000-06:00

A to Z is reporting shows this spring from Drive-by Truckers, Dan Deacon, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, among many others. Check out the link to find out more.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-12-17T12:44:00.000-06:00

This week's Mystery Mix is a Christmas Mix, of course (Christmastery Mix?).

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 23 - The Christmas Mix

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 22

1. The Lodger - Watching
2. Riddle of Steel - Quiet Now
3. Sunparlour Players - Dyin' Today
4. Destroyer - Foam Hands
5. Iron & Wine - White Tooth Man
6. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - Keep On Looking (Kenny Dope Remix)
7. Lacrosse - Sunshiner
8. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great

Fiery Furnaces

2007-12-13T08:02:00.000-06:00

Here is some footage of the Fiery Furnaces at The Paradiso in Amsterdam. You can see the whole concert at Fabchannel.com.

Update and Stuff

2007-12-10T20:49:00.000-06:00

I've got a couple things to let you know about...

First, I've got a bit makeover for the blog coming up in the New Year, as it's been over two years with the same layout. That and I don't know how to use a computer or the Interweb. Before that, though, you can expect to see my and others' "Best of..." lists for 2007. Joe already has his lists up over at Music Sucks. Check it out.

I will also be starting up the radio show again in February on KWUR. It looks to be on Tuesday nights and will focus on Local St. Louis music. I've got big plans for it. Speaking of Radio, every morning I wake up to the sweet sounds of KDHX. My favorite two morning shows have always been Darren Snow's Rocket 88 on Monday mornings and Cat Pick's Emotional Rescue on Thursday mornings.

Well, a few weeks ago, my radio work me up to the sounds of Mudhoney's cover of The Dicks' cult classic "Dicks Hate the Police"... It's a song I love but not one I expect to hear on Rocket 88, though. To make a long story short, it turns out that the KDHX morning lineup got a little bit of a rearrangement due to Cat Pick's retirement from the radio station. It's a shame, but she deserves some time off after serving the public good for so long. Rocket 88 moved to Thursday mornings and a new show, Green Eggs and Sam. Sam's playlists are kind of all over the place, but his show is a great addition to the KDHX mornings.

And I finally got to listen to Annie Zaleski's new(ish) show, International Pop Overthrow, on KDHX the other day. Being that it is on Mondays from 12-2 p.m., it's kind of tough for me to listen to while at work. If you are a fan of the music I feature on this blog or are familiar with her taste through her writing on A to Z, you will love her show.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-12-10T13:54:00.000-06:00

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 22

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 21

1. The Hives - Hey Little World
2. Vampire Weekend - A-Punk
3. The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - I Never Thought I Could Feel This Way For A Boy
4. The Mohawk Lodge - Everybody's on Fire
5. Luna - Straight Up
6. Names & Titles - Already Know
7. Sun Kil Moon - Neverending Math Equation
8. Rademacher - Stunts
9. M83 - Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun

Explosions in the Sky at The Pageant

2007-12-08T11:32:00.000-06:00

HOLE LEE SHIT NUT, A to Z is reporting that Explosions in the Sky have confirmed a show at The Pageant. No details, but check in with A to Z for updates. Is it just me, or does that seem like an outrageously large venue for a band that, by all accounts, has no track record in St. Louis and still, for all of their awesomeness, exists on the periphery of the popular music landscape? As far as I'm aware, they have not played a show in St. Louis since all of their big Friday Night Lights exposure. I would think Off Broadway would be way more appropriate....

...or maybe they're opening for another band, which would be pretty cool since any band willing to have them open is bound to be pretty cool.

MP3s:
Explosions in the Sky - Welcome, Ghosts
Explosions in the Sky - Your Hand in Mine
Explosions in the Sky - A Song For Our Fathers

Explosions in the Sky - "The Birth and Death of The Day" (live):

Explosions in the Sky - "Great Death" (live):

Explosions in the Sky - "First Breath After Coma" (live):

Explosions in the Sky - "The Only Moment We Were Alone" (live):

Explosions in the Sky - "Six Days at the Bottom of the Ocean" (live):

I Am DJing at The Royale Tomorrow Night

2007-12-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

I will be spinning music from 6 - 10 p.m. at the finest Public House on Kingshighway, The Royale. Dividing By Zero partner in crime, AJS, will spinning from 10 p.m. until close. It'll be a full night of Dividing By Zero. Oh yes I did.

Click here for directions.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-12-03T23:31:00.000-06:00

Well, I've made it through 20 Mystery Mixes, which is kind of crazy to me, considering how ADD I am. My idea all along was to never repeat an artist in order to keep things interesting and to prevent me from settling into my musical comfort zones. This strategy has worked well; through 20 weeks, I have featured 165 songs by 164 DIFFERENT BANDS (!)... I accidentally repeated Wilco once. But after five months, I think it's OK for me to loosen up this rule. As anyone who has followed these mixes knows, I follow a rough pattern in putting the mixes together -- the first couple songs are spanking new songs, in the middle I will feature some older, perhaps "classic" songs and I will usually end with a relatively modern (but not always) long song. The first reason for this change in policy is winter time is a slow time for new music, so I would really be stretching to include new songs that are good or that I like. Second, some of the bands that I used for the "older songs" are now releasing new material and I would hate to not include some great new songs because I had previously included a song by that band.

Not that any of you care about all of this, so, here's Vol. 21:

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 21

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 20:

1. The Little Penguins - Say It Once
2. Stars - The Ghost of Genova Heights
3. The Finns - Superstar Suicide
4. The Livers - Sinking Feeling
5. Bonnie "Prince" Billy - I'm Loving the Street
6. Mike Watt - I'm Burning For You
7. Shame Club - I Ain't Surprised
8. The Dismemberment Plan - The Ice of Boston
9. Battles - Tonto

Victoria CD Release Show

2007-11-30T14:57:00.000-06:00

DBZ contributor AJS checks in with the following:

This Saturday night (December 1st) at the Bluebird, St. Louis trio Victoria will put its garage rock frenzy on full display at the band's CD release party, which also features The Hibernauts, Jumbling Towers and Berlin Whale. Victoria has developed a reputation for putting on high-energy stage shows, and on Saturday they'll be releasing their first EP, a 7-song disc that features several of the tracks they've been playing at recent shows, including "Holy Roller Derby".

Here's a video for "Holy Roller Derby"

Check out Victoria onstage at Off Broadway:

Check out their recent interview with the RFT here.

Riddle of Steel CD Release Show

2007-11-29T22:32:00.000-06:00

St. Louis' very own and very-rocking Riddle of Steel is celebrating the release of their third full-length album, 1985, with a show at The Bluebird tomorrow night. Also on the bill will be faux-metal-gods Thor Axe. 1985 gets quite a bad rap for being a horrible year or music (see: Phil Collins' No Jacket Required, Paul Young's The Secret Of Association, DeBarge's Rhythm of the Night, Kiss' Asylum, Journey's Dream After Dream), but by a whole different set of criteria, it was a GREAT year for music (The Replacements' Tim, Husker Du's Flip Your Wig, REM's Fables of the Reconstruction, Minutemen's 3-Way Tie (For Last), and Meat Puppets' Up On The Sun), so there's really no telling what the reference means, from a histori-musical perspective. One thing you can definitely count on, though, is that the album will R.O.C.K. (A-HA! That's it - it's in reference to John Cougar Mellencamp's 1985 hit Scarecrow; riddle solved). The music is quintessential, Riddle of Steel.

I saw them perform some of these new songs at The Bluebird a few months ago, and they are easily some of the best songs the band has penned yet, even if the song titles do make you suspect that they've been hanging out with Minus the Bear a little too much ("Who's the Fella Owns This Shithole?", "This Van Burns Love"). I have included an mp3 of one of the new songs, "Quiet Now", below.

Read a great interview that Annie Z did with the band for The Riverfront Times here.

MP3s:
Riddle of Steel - Quiet Now
Riddle of Steel - Ass Kicker #1

Here are some live videos of Riddle of Steel performing some of the new songs:

Riddle of Steel - "Quiet Now" (live):

Riddle of Steel - "Who's the Fellow Owns This Shithole?" (live):

Riddle of Steel - "This Van Burns Love" (live):

Riddle of Steel - "Loose Talk" (live):

...and here's an old one for good measure:

Riddle of Steel - "Our Guitars Are Haunted" (live):

The Cult at The Pageant Tonight

2007-11-29T13:20:00.000-06:00

Please, please, please, for the love of Ian Astbury, do not forget to go to The Cult show at The Pageant tonight.

The Cult - "Fire Woman":

The Cult - "Edie (Ciao Baby)":

The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary":

The Cult - "Wild Flower":

The Cult - "Rain":

Built to Spill at The Pageant

2007-11-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

A to Z is reporting that Built to Spill will be playing at The Pageant on March 15th. Count me in.

Here's some fun Built to Spill footage (with an encore posting of the Over-Rock guy at the bottom of the post):

Built to Spill on Pancake Mountain:

Built to Spill - "Kicked It In The Sun" (live):

Built to Spill - "Conventional Wisdom" (live):

Built to Spill - "Carry the Zero" (live):

Doug Martsch - "I Would Hurt A Fly" (live and featuring the Over-Rock Guy!):

Every Now and Then...

2007-11-28T20:42:00.000-06:00

...you just need some Iron Maiden:

Iron Maiden - "Run to the Hills":

Iron Maiden - "Number of the Beast"

This Is American Music - A Rock & Roll Revue

2007-11-28T07:50:00.000-06:00

There's a great FREE show this weekend at The Billiken Club, being billed as “This Is American Music - A Rock & Roll Revue” featuring The Drams, Two Cow Garage, Grand Champeen, and Glossary. All the bands will be playing each other's songs and rotating members throughout the night. All four bands put on a great show, and it's free, so it'll be hard to find a reason not to go. If I wasn't going to San Antonio this weekend, I would most definitely be there.

MP3's:
Two Cow Garage - Should've California
Grand Champeen - One and Only
Grand Champeen - Threw A Fit

Two Cow Garage - "Ohio" (live CSNY cover, at Off Broadway):

Two Cow Garage - "Camo Jacket" (live at Off Broadway):

The Drams - "Unhinged" (live):

Glossary - "Shout It From The Rooftops" (live):

Grand Champeen - "Miss Out" (live):

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-11-26T07:38:00.000-06:00

I hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving weekend. I know I did... Mizzou is #1 for at least a week (what do the coaches know anyway?), so that is pretty amazing for us long-suffering Tigers fans.

It's another Monday, which means it's time for another Mystery Mix. I can't believe I made it to #20 on these Mystery Mixes; thanks to everyone who downloads them every week and thank you for listenign and providing feedback.

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 20

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 19

1. Cut Off Your Hands - Expectations
2. Pela - Lost to the Lonesome
3. OMD - Enola Gay
4. Yeasayer - 2080
5. Edwin Birdsong - Cola Bottle Baby
6. Bears - Wait and See
7. Luna - Freakin' and Peakin'
8. Scala Choir - I Touch Myself
9. The Potomac Accord - A Quiet White Cut By The Longest Blue Shadows

Delta Spirit at The Bluebird

2007-11-24T08:14:00.000-06:00

Dividing By Zero compatiriot, AJS, checks in with this post about a great show at The Bluebird tonight:

Southern California indie/folk rockers Delta Spirit are coming through St. Louis for a fantastic show tonight, headlining The Bluebird (that's Saturday, November 24). Fresh off playing several sold-out East Coast tour dates in support of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Delta Spirit is currently touring in support of its excellent new release, Ode to Sunshine. The band has gained momentum this year behind an impressive touring schedule, which in addition to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, featured spots alongside The Cold War Kids, Dr. Dog and Tokyo Police Club.

The Bureau will open the show, along with the talented kids of Say Panther and The Ghost in the Forest.

MP's:
Delta Spirit - Gimme Some Motivation
Delta Spirit - Streetwalker

Check out this SWEET footage of Delta Spirit on stage with The Cold War Kids, doing a chaotic version of "Saint John":

Check out Delta Spirit doing a live version of "Trashcan", a standout track from Ode to Sunshine

-- by AJS. ajs63101@gmail.com, www.myspace.com/ajs63101

Give Thanks for the Rock

2007-11-22T13:17:00.000-06:00

If you are looking for something to do tonight, after you've digested all of you food and the football is over (assuming you don't have the NFL network), head out to 2 Cents Plain to catch 7 Shot Sceamers, Bunnygrunt, Names & Titles and Quief Quota (here we come, radio!).

MP3s:
Names & Titles - Already Know
Names & Titles - Introducing Names & Titles

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2007-11-22T10:28:00.000-06:00

The Walkmen at The Duck Room

2007-11-20T17:30:00.000-06:00

The Walkmen are playing at The Duck Room on January 21 with White Rabbits, who have played a couple well-received shows in St. Louis over the past month or two. The last time The Walkmen played here, it was at The Gargoyle, so it will be nice to see them in the hops- and barley-friendly environs of The Duck Room. Get your tickets early, because this is going to be a great show.

Here's the video of what is easily one of my favorite songs of the last five years: The Walkmen's "The Rat":

MP3:
The Walkmen - Little House of Savages

Of Montreal at The Pageant tonight

2007-11-19T20:04:00.000-06:00

I am heading up to The Pageant to catch Of Montreal in just a moment.

Here are some clips of the various covers they are known for playing live:

Of Montreal - "Crazy":

Of Montreal - "Starman":

Of Montreal - "Suffragette City":

Of Monreal - "Harvest Moon":

Of Montreal - "Fuck Away the Pain" (somehow Of Montreal covering Peaches makes perfect sense):

Of Montreal - "You Keep Me Hanging On" (partial):

Of Montreal - "Final Countdown" (partial):

Also, I found out that Modest Mouse played "Trailer Trash" AND "Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset" in Coumbia, MO, the night after their show in St. Louis.

And I heard Neil Young busted out "Cortez the Killer" at his show at The Fox last night in what was otherwise an apparently great show.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-11-19T11:19:00.000-06:00

Here is the latest:

MYSTERY MIX, Vol. 19

And here is last week's playlist:

Vol. 18

1. Dolour - Naive
2. The Voom Blooms - Nine Ships
3. Low - Always Fade
4. Golden Bear - Galaxy Queen
5. The Bar-Kays - Soul Finger
6. Redd Kross - White Trash
7. Uncle Tupelo - D. Boon
8. Do Make Say Think - In Mind
9. The Beta Band - Dry The Rain

My Belated Review of Battles and Caribou at The Metro

2007-11-17T11:44:00.000-06:00

I was in Chicago two weeks ago for work and caught Battles, Caribou, Born Ruffians and White Williams at The Metro. The show was unique in that the Battles/White Williams tour and the Caribou/Born Ruffians tours just happened to be coming through Chicago at the same time and they just doubled up the bill. It was sold out. Lots of hipsters.

Unfortunately, we missed White Williams since the friend who had tickets at will call was late getting there from work, so we sat at whatever bar that is next to The Metro for a few beers untill he showed up. We walked into The Metro right as Born Ruffians started. A very young trio, I thought they were great. Sharp, punchy pop songs that rip off the weirder parts of Pixies. In fact the singer's yelp was a little TOO similar to Frank Black's sometimes, but I really liked them. The drummer was great, pounding aggressive rhythms over these pop songs, starting the overriding theme of the night: incredible and conspicuous drumming.

Caribou was next. I guess I didn't realize how shoegazey they were until I saw them live. They were good, but really just didn't do it for me. They played way too long and I was bored of them after about the 4th song. I think my biggest problem with them was the singing. If they never sang or opened their mouths, I would have liked the set a lot more... Instrumentally they were great, even if the most musically interesting moments were created by the laptop computer that overlayed their whole set with beats, noises and samples. I definitely preferred the more electronically-influenced songs. Overall, as I was watching their set, I felt like it should have been compelling, but it wasn't, it was just boring.

Battles were up next, and holy jesus, they were great live. So Radiohead opened up their new album with a song in five; la-di-freaking-da. The rhythms and counter-rhythms and odd times signatures all collided with each other in oddly perfect unison. Every review I've read of Battles refers to them as mathy or otherwise references their supposed mathiness. Kids, this is just jazz in a new outfit, and it looks and feels so good. I had listened to a grand total of about two Battles songs before this show, but that didn't make a damn bit of difference, as I was engaged, entertained and amazed by every second of their set.

Pitchfork has pictures of the show HERE, which is good, since I forgot to bring my camera.

Magnolia Summer at The Bluebird

2007-11-16T17:46:00.000-06:00

Here's a last minute option for tonight: Head to The Bluebird to catch Magnolia Summer (who are working on a new album), Shipwreck and, according to A to Z, Wake Up Report. And since I haven't written or talked about Wake Up Report in a while, I thought I'd throw up some of their songs.

MP3s:
Wake Up. Report - The Telephone Calls Keep Quiet
Wake Up. Report - Dres
Wake Up. Report - The No Vote
Wake Up. Report - We're Getting Weak

Tenement Ruth at The Lot

2007-11-16T07:37:00.000-06:00

Here's a belated clip of Tenement Ruth performing at this year's Lot Festival:

Rambling and Un-edited Review Modest Mouse at The Pageant Last Night

2007-11-15T15:44:00.000-06:00

In 1998, I was in college and DJing at KCOU, my college’s radio station. At the time, I was very much into punk rock and noisy for noisy’s sake music; I hadn’t hit my pop, alt-country, electronic, or anything else phase yet. I despised the idea of “college rock” (remember when people called it that?)… I never even listened to Pavement in the 90’s because I so strongly associated them with “College Rock.” Same with Tortoise. And Modest Mouse. To me, college rock was boring. While working at the station, I avoided playing Modest Mouse like the plague – without ever having even listened to them. But then something happened; for the full story, listen to Sebadoh’s “Gimme Indie Rock.” I studied abroad, diversified my friends and generally lightened up. I got into BritPop big time (about four years too late – did I mention I refused to listen to The Bends because the video for Fake Plastic Trees so turned me off? And that that led to my willful ignoring of OK Computer? I finally discovered The Bends to be one of my favorite albums of all time right about the time of the release of Kid A). I got into electronic music. I got big into alt-country. I started listening to the CMJ music sampler CDs (this was right in the very beginning of the Napster days, when Last Flight to Jakarta was about the only blog-like website out there, so this was actually a fairly efficient way of discovering new music) and came across “The Stars are Projectors” on a CD in early- to mid- 2000. I was floored. I loved it. I immediately hit Napster or Limewire or whatever we were using back then to download as many Modest Mouse songs as I could.

In a mere two years, I had completely flipped my mind on a band I had very strong opinions on by simply, you know, listening to them. I kicked myself for previously dismissing them so casually. I finally got to see them live for the first time in 2002 on the Unlimited Sunshine Tour, with the Flaming Lips, Cake, De La Soul and Kinky. The Flaming Lips clearly owned that night, but I was so impressed by Modest Mouse, that I drove to Columbia 10 days later to see them headline at The Blue Note with The Anniversary. It was just a great show. I have followed them closely since. For the past 6 or 7 years, they are the band that I feel comfortable enough call my favorite band (behind Def Leppard, of course). I have seen a few busts of shows (their performance at the ACL Festival in 2004 was very so-so and this year’s Lollapalooza performance was OK). I do not think they can do no wrong; I regularly skip over the Tom Waits-ian middle third of Good News For People Who Love Bad News. When Johnny Marr joined the band, I was not impressed, concerned, excited or bothered. When I heard We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank earlier this year, I loved it immediately but did not see the Marr fingerprints that everyone else seemingly so easily did. It sounded exactly like I expected Modest Mouse to sound.

All of that being said, I was very excited leading up to their show at The Pageant last night, but realized when I got to the venue that I hadn’t listened to any Modest Mouse for at least a month or two before the show.

I got to The Pageant after Love As Laughter played, which is unfortunate since I have enjoyed the few songs of theirs I had heard before. Man Man was second on the bill, and they were great. The sound was a little muddy, but their energy could not be denied. I would guess about 20% of the crowd never had any intention of giving them a chance; 20% gave them a chance, but were lost at some point between the banging on pots and pans and the throwing of a fake severed head; and the remaining 60% really appreciated their performance. By the end of their set, the crowd was very loud in their support of the band.

Modest Mouse came on at about 9:50 and played for approximately one hour and forty-five minutes, but it was a show that felt like it was 45 minutes long; you wanted them to just keep playing. It was easily one of the best Modest Mouse shows I’ve seen. The band and crowd’s energy noticeably increased as the show went on. They opened with “Bury Me With It”, “Paper Thin Walls”, “Dashboard” and “Fire It Up”. Fire It Up was my least favorite song on We Were Dead… but live, I really enjoyed it. The setlist was great, pulling out relatively obscure songs like “King Rat” and “Here It Comes” and older gems like “Broke” and “Alone Down There.” The band played a great banjo-lead version of “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” that morphed into a classic, extended but tight Modest Mouse jam. “We’ve Got Everything” and “The View” were also major highlights of the set. The encore was three songs long, consisting of “King Rat” and a song I wasn’t familiar with, and ended with the brilliant “Spitting Venom,” with snippets of “I Came As A Rat” thrown in to its extended jam for good measure. Isaac seemed exceptionally chatty, even if you couldn’t understand a word he said. Despite my coolness regarding the presence of Johnny Marr, he did make a notable difference to “BukowskI,” turning a song that is normally fairly ho-hum live into something great.

Modest Mouse Tonight/Man Man Interview

2007-11-14T07:26:00.000-06:00

I will be heading up to the Pageant tonight to catch Modest Mouse, Man Man, and Love As Laughter. I really like the latest Modest Mouse CD, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, but have only been able to see them live in support of this album at Lollapalooza in August. A full set will be nice. The show is sold out, but you can enjoy some music below. Joe at Music Sucks also has up a quick interview with Honus Honus of Man Man HERE, so please head over and check that out.

Modest Mouse - "Dashboard":

Modest Mouse - "Little Motel":

Modest Mouse - "Float On":

Modest Mouse - "Ocean Breathes Salty":

Man Man - "Van Helsing Boombox" (live):

Man Man - "Feathers" and "Engrish Bwudd":

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-11-12T22:42:00.000-06:00

Whoa I needed a week off. It felt good. Here's something to get you (and me) back in the swing of things:

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 18

Here is the playlist from two weeks ago:

Vol. 17

1. Les Savy Fav - The Year Before the Year 2000
2. The Poison Control Center - Make Love A Star
3. Henri Fabrege & The Adorables - Ventriloquist Love
4. The City on Film - I'd Rather Be Wine Drunk
5. The Rats and People - We Will Be There
6. Husker Du - Divide and Conquer
7. Brutal Juice - Cannibal Holocaust
8. British Sea Power - Atom
9. Sigur Ros - Saeglopur

Dividing By Zero Is Taking A Week Off

2007-11-05T20:42:00.000-06:00

Check back next Monday, please.

Shame Club CD Release Party

2007-11-01T19:17:00.000-05:00

Shame Club has just released their latest full length album, Come On and will be celebrating its release this Saturday, November 3rd at the Bluebird. The band, known around these parts as the loudest band in St. Louis, plays - bluntly - blues-based hard rock, but without any of the bells and whistles that typically accompanies the genre. They are just regular dudes. They drink beer. They like to skateboard. But most importantly, they like to ROCK. Think Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, The Who and ZZ Top. So come out and see the show, which also features Victoria and Laite, and remember your ear plugs.

Also check out the way more in-depth and generally better written Feature Story on them in the Riverfront Times this week.

Shame Club - Jonestown

Meat Puppets and Ha Ha Tonka at The Duck Room

2007-11-01T07:52:00.000-05:00

The Meat Puppets are playing with Ha Ha Tonka this Saturday at Blueberry Hill's Duck Room. This lineup features both of the Kirkwood brothers, so at the risk of sounding dramatic, you never know if you'll get to see them again. Ha Ha Tonka is from Spingfield, MO. I first heard Ha Ha Tonka one morning on on Steve Pick's excellent Sound Salvation on KDHX 88.1, and am excited to see them get such good exposure on a tour like this.

Meat Puppets - "Backwater":

Meat Puppets - "Plateau" (live):

Ha Ha Tonka - "St. Nick":

No Longer Singular Stuff

2007-10-31T21:12:00.000-05:00

A to Z has pictures of last night's Menomena show.

Singular Stuff

2007-10-31T21:03:00.000-05:00

Music Sucks has some pictures from Monday night's Fiery Furnaces show.

Pictures from Head of Femur and Jon Hardy & The Public

2007-10-30T08:03:00.000-05:00

Last week, I caught Jon Hardy & The Public, Head of Femur and Walkie Talkie USA.

I have been enjoying JH&TP's new CD, Working in Love for a few weekes now. The band was energetic and engaging live, and Jon's voice sounded great. I would definitely recommend you check them out live ifyou get a chance:

Head of Femur was next. They were appreciative of the crowd, but I felt bad there weren't more people to enjoy their solid set:

Walkie Talkie USA finished out the night. They were loud and had a decent-sized, enthusiastic crowd for a Thursday night. I had to leave early, and my camera died before there set, but I did get to catch their cover of The Soft Boys "I Wanna Destroy You."

Menomena, Jumbling Towers & Illinois at the Billiken Club

2007-10-29T19:49:00.000-05:00

(Tonight, I have a guest contributor, AJS, a man of many mysteries. He also writes a column at insidestl.com...):

On Tuesday, October 30, the Billiken Club in St. Louis will be hosting a "Hallowindie" show, which includes Menomena, Illinois, and locals Jumbling Towers. The best part about this show is that its FREE. Yes, FREE. If you haven't heard Jumbling Towers yet, I recommend getting there at the start time and checking them out. The band's excellent debut release has led to appearances at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City and Pygmalion Festival in Champaign, Illinois, and they've been one of the highest-charting unsigned bands on college and non-commercial radio in recent months.

Portland's Menomena headlines the show, and although I haven't seen them yet, their 2007 release Friend and Foe (Barsuk) has held up as one of the most critically-acclaimed CDs of the year, so I'm definitely looking forward to checking them out. Illinois should be interesting as well - in addition to touring with Menomena, they've also hit the road with The Hold Steady (one of my personal favorites). The band features a very unique brand of banjo-driven indie rock.....

MP3:
Menomena - Wet and Rusting
Jumbling Towers - Coward
Illinois - Alone Again
Illinois - Screendoor

Fiery Furnaces at The Duck Room

2007-10-29T18:47:00.000-05:00

The Fiery Furnaces are playing tonight at Blueberry Hill's The Duck Room with Pit er Pat. Check it out.

The Fiery Furnaces - "Ex-Guru":

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-10-29T07:17:00.000-05:00

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 17

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 16

1. Foals - Mathletics
2. The Changes - Water of the Gods
3. Siberian - Belgian Beer and Catholic Girls
4. Beastie Boys - The Melee
5. Eugene Blacknell - The Trip
6. Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized
7. A Sides - Diamonds
8. The American Analog Set - Punk As Fuck
9. Sleeping States - September, Maybe

Ring, Cicada

2007-10-25T20:50:00.000-05:00

Ring, Cicada played a rare show two weeks ago at the Bluebird. Here's some footage:

Head of Femur, Jon Hardy & The Public and Walkie Talkie USA

2007-10-25T07:41:00.000-05:00

There is a great show at The Bluebird tonight featuring Head of Femur, from Chicago, and St. Louis' very own Jon Hardy & The Public and Walkie Talke USA. Head of Femur plays catchy indie pop with some strands of psychedelia fuzz and brit pop harmonies thrown in for good measure. Walkie Talkie USA plays down and dirty buzzsaw rock and features veterans of the St. Louis music scene.

Jon Hardy & The Public just released an excellent album called Working in Love, and I have been listening to it nonstop for two weeks. The band has been described as alt-country, but their use of horms, xylophones and shimmering guitars makes them far more than that. The sound exists somewhere between Magnolia Electric Co. and Doves, and singer Jon Hardy's voice evokes Brent Best, Rufus Wainwright and a reverb-less Jim james. You should definitely check them out.

MP3s:
Head of Femur - Leader and the Falcon
Head of Femur - Curve That Byrd
Head of Femur - Elliott Gould Is In California Split
Jon Hardy & The Public - Love Gone Wrong
Jon Hardy & The Public - Cassius Clay
Walkie Talkie USA - Devil's Dog

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-10-22T23:07:00.000-05:00

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 16

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 15

1. Tokyo Police Club - Your English Is Good
2. Radiohead - Bodysnatchers
3. New Young Pony Club - The Bomb
4. Blonde Redhead - 23
5. Blur - Country House
6. The Future Kings of Nowhere - I Want You
7. Page France - Hat and Rabbit
8. DeVotchKa - How It Ends

Girl Talk Interview

2007-10-16T08:10:00.000-05:00

The Girl Talk show at The Gargoyle on Nov. 9th has been sold out for a while now (although they will be releasing 50 or so tickets at the door on the day of the show), but Music Sucks has an interview with Girl Talk's Gregg Gillis. Check it out.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-10-15T07:28:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend; the weather in St. Louis yesterday definitely could not be beat. Here's this week's installation of the Mystery Mix series:

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 15

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 14

1. The Fiery Furnaces - Ex-Guru
2. The Heavenly States - The Race
3. Jumbling Towers - He's A Cop Now
4. Fire Engines - Everything's Roses
5. The Fucking Eagles - When Will I Be Loved?
6. The Scourge of the Sea - Out of the Trash
7. The 75s - Finders Keepers
8. Grandaddy - Elevate Myself
9. Devo - Jerkin' Back'n'Forth
10. Stephen Malkmus - No More Shoes

Andy Samberg: SNL Digital Short “People Getting Punched Just Before Eating”

2007-10-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

I was half asleep when I watched this last night, but it rubbed me just the right way:

Adam Franklin tonight at The Bluebird

2007-10-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

Adam Franklin, of Swervedriver fame, is playing tonight at The Bluebird with two great St. Louis bands: Finn's Motel and Stella Mora.

MP3s:
Adam Franklin - Birdsong (moonshiner version)
Adam Franklin - Cannery Row
Adam Franklin - The Hitcher

The Show Me Blowout

2007-10-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

I had computer problems yesterday, so I couldn't do a post about this, but it definitely deserves some attention: The Show-Me Blowout! There are some great garage-rock bands playing this weekend at Off Broadway, including a bunch of St. Louis bands. I feel horrible that I didn't the post up sooner, because I really wanted to tell you about The Cripplers/Left Arm/show last night and The Vultures/The 75s show this afternoon. However, I can tell you about the great lineup tonight - The Geargrinders, Thee Fine Lines, The Von Hodads, Monte Carlos, and The Nevermores.

White Rabbits, White Denim & Jon Hardy

2007-10-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight at the Biliken Club (Happy Birthday to me!), White Rabbits, White Denim, and Jon Hardy & the Public (playing as jon Hardy and the Whites). White Rabbits played St. Louis just a few weeks ago and in just that month, they have gained even more momentum and popularity among the kids. Jon Hardy & the Public just released the excellent new album, Working In Love, so be sure to pick up a copy at the show.

MP3's:
White Denim - Wet Sand

GAH Recording Blog

2007-10-10T07:19:00.000-05:00

The good people of Gentleman Auction House have created a blog to keep you updated on the process of the recording of their first full length album at Silver Sonya Studios in Arlington, Virginia. You can check it out here.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-10-08T19:21:00.000-05:00

MYSTERY MIX, VOL 14

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 13

1. The Weakerthans - Relative Surplus Value
2. Tullycraft - The Punks Are Writing Love Songs
3. Beirut - A Sunday Smile
4. The Hibernauts - Scissors
5. The Pinker Tones - L'Heroes
6. Seabear - I Sing I Swim
7. The Bicycles - Paris Be Mine
8. Tunng - Bullets
9. Somme - Zeal

The Twilight Sad & Ghost in Light

2007-10-05T08:07:00.000-05:00

The Twilight Sad & Ghost in Light are playing at the Biliken Club tonight, in what is also Ghost in Light's final show. According to an email from the band, guitarist Chandler has "decided to part ways with Ghost in Light to pursue other things in his life." The band has a new EP that is currently being mastered and will be available for download as soon as they get it back (you can bet on me putting at least one track up here, too). So, if the great pop of Scotland's The Twilight Sad isn't enought to get you out, seeing the final show of one of St. Louis' great bands should be.

MP3's:
The Twilight Sad - And She Would Darken The Memory
Ghost in Light - The Snow is Soaking My Shoes

The Twilight Sad - Cold Days From the Birdhouse:

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-10-01T07:11:00.000-05:00

Happy October -- it's my favorite month of the year, despite the fact that the Cardinals aren't playing baseball during the month for the first time in years and the fact that the Rams are 0-4. At least Mizzou is 4-0.

Here's your Mystery Mix:

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 13

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 12

1. Pinback - From Nothing to Nowhere
2. White Rabbits - Kid on My Shoulders
3. Figurines - Hey, Girl
4. Midlake - Roscoe
5. The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
6. Council on Fidelity - Corpse on the Shore
7. Roddy Woomble - Every Line Of A Long Moment
8. Arab Strap - There Is No Ending
9. Circle Jerks - Behind the Door

Radiohead - In Rainbows

2007-10-01T06:59:00.000-05:00

By now, I'm sure you've heard that Radiohead is releasing their seventh full length album, called In Rainbows... next week. That's right, Radiohead is VERY GOOD at keeping secrets. You can download the new album next Wednesday, October 10th from the band's website. That's my birthday, so happy birthday to me. You also can pay WHATEVER YOU WANT for it. You can also buy a huge wicked awesome-yet-wicked expensive box set that features an extra CD and collector-weight vinyl and other goodies for 40 pounds, plus shipping, which would be international shipping for most people in the world. If you go that route, you can still download the album next Tuesday, but you'll have to wait until December to get all the extra goodies.

In Rainbows Tracklist
15 Step
Bodysnatchers
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
All I Need
Faust ARP
Reckoner
House of Cards
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Videotape

Bonus Disc:
MK 1
Down is the New Up
Go Slowly
MK 2
Last Flowers
Up on the Ladder
Bangers and Mash
4 Minute Warning

A Punch-Up at a Nirvana Show

2007-09-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

Some time back, I posted a clip of the infamous Nirvana show at Trees in Dallas, TX in which a bouncer beat Kurt Cobain's face for smashing the house's soundboard in a hissy fit. That was 1991. I was living in Dallas at the time, but was a few years too young to make it into the club. Boo for me. That bouncer, Turner Scott Van Blarcum, was in a band in Dallas called Ethyl Merman... until they received a cease and desist order from the late Ms. Merman's estate and changed their name to Pump'n Ethyl. He wrote a song about the incident called "Bleached."

MP3:
Pump'n Ethyl - Bleached (via yousendit)

Well, the whole show is now up on youtube. Here it is, in eight parts.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Part 6:

Part 7:

Part 8:

BONUS!
Pump'n Ethyl - "Betty Ford Clinic":

The Deathray Davies

2007-09-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

Anyone know what's going on with them?

For serious.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-09-24T16:59:00.000-05:00

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 12

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 11

1. VHS or Beta - She Says
2. Vicious Vicious - We Don't Call It Love
3. Arthur and Yu - 1000 Words
4. Birdmonster - Balcony
5. The Misfits - Horror Business
6. The Kinks - Well Respected Man
7. The Bottle Rockets - Thousand Dollar Car
8. Old 97's - Jagged
9. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cortez the Killer

Pictures from The Lot

2007-09-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

So, I posted some video from this year's Lot Festival earlier this week, and tonight I am going to post some GREAT photos taken at this year's event by Jim Courrier (see all of his flickr photos here and his myspace page here). He managed to snap pictures of all but one of the bands that night and, as usual, his photos are top-notch.

7 Shot Screamers:

Jumbling Towers:

Nite Owl:

Bunnygrunt:

Say Panther:

Tenement Ruth:

Everything Else:

Modest Mouse at The Pageant

2007-09-19T18:40:00.000-05:00

Modest Mouse just announced a show at The Pageant on November 14th. Woot Woot.

Play:stl, Pygmalion and ME

2007-09-19T07:31:00.000-05:00

This weekend, the good folks at Playback:Stl are putting on their first annual Play:Stl Festival. It is going to take place at various clubs along The Delmar Loop in University City this Friday and Saturday. For putting this together in such a short period, they managed to pull together a pretty good lineup, featuring Margot and the Nuclear So & So's, King Thief, The Hibernauts, and many, many more.

Also, if you happen to be... not in St. Louis this weekend, you could head to Urbana-Champaign, Illinois for the Pygmalion Music Festival, which started yesterday and features several St. Louis bands playing, as well, including Gentleman Auction House and Jumbling Towers. The Festival has a great lineup, featuring Okkervil River, Andrew Bird, Damien Jurardo, Margot & the Nuclear So & So's, ?uestlove, Foundry Field Recordings, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Bound Stems, Shapes and Sizes, Headlights, and Owen.

Fianlly, be sure to head up to The Royale this Thursday, from 6:00 - 10: 00 p.m. while I DJ. Come up and say hi.

Video from the LOT

2007-09-18T07:56:00.000-05:00

Hey there -- Bill Streeter of Lo-fi St. Louis did a great job documenting this year's Lot Festival, and annual local outdoor music festival that I help put on each year, and posted a few clips on hiw wonderful website a few weeks ago... I have included three performances here for your viewing pleasure:

Jumbling Towers:

7 Shot Screamers:

Bunnygrunt:

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-09-17T09:12:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who has been listening to these Mixes -- I have gotten a ton of positive feedback. One of the reasons I decided to do these is because I missed the sense of discovery and reliance on a DJ that I got when I listened to community radio or college radio. You didn't know what song was coming and you knew a good DJ would put thought into the flow of his or her show. Nowadays (wow I sound old...), the combination of the blogosphere culture and iTunes technolgy gives you so much control over what you hear, you often actually miss out on really good music. A lot of this has to do with the fact that you can immediately skip over a song if you don't like it within the first thirty seconds. Other times, you may have a preconceived notion of what a band sounds like, so you don't really give them a fair chance. You also may listen to a slow, ambient piece right after a bit of fast angular post-punk. Yes, angular. That sort of juxtaposition does neither you nor the music any favors (which certainly isn't to say some jarring juxtapositions don't work wonderfully sometimes). I wanted to bring back the idea of giving every song a fair shake, with out the baggage that so often comes along with bands in this era of over-hyped music where people have made up their minds before they even hear a band's music.

Anyway, those are my thoughts and thanks for listening.

Without further ado, here is Mystery Mix, Vol. 11:

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 11

Here's last week's playlist:

Vol. 10

1. The Octopus Project - I Saw The Bright Shines
2. Enon - Mirror On You
3. Earlimart - Nevermind The Phonecalls
4. The Gunshy - March 7, 1945, There's No Love in This War
5. Agent Orange - Living In Darkness
6. The Reverend Horton Heat - Baddest of the Bad
7. Kite Flying Society - If I Could Spit
8. Dirty Projectors - Police Story
9. Pavement - Embassy Row
10. Eels - It's A Motherfucker
11. Built to Spill - Carry The Zero

Grovefest 2

2007-09-14T19:05:00.000-05:00

Grovefest 2 is happening this weekend along the stretch of Manchester Road between Sarah and Boyle known as The Grove. There's all sorts of cool stuff going on, including performances by a bunch of great local bands. It's a two day event. Once again (like last year) they don't really provide much information as to when any of the bands are playing (or even which day they're playing), but here are some the bands lined up to play:

Bunnygrunt
Left Arm
Walkie Talkie U.S.A.
Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship
Caleb Travers + Big City Lights
The Museum Mutters
Rough Shop
Melody Den

The Hibernauts at The Bluebird

2007-09-13T21:39:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, The Hibernauts are playing with Victoria, Cold War Direction, and Dead Elephants at The Bluebird. Enjoy. I had never heard the Cold War Direction until I downloaded their songs five minutes before I made this post, and their Black Rebel Motorcycle Club-isms won me over completely. You should check them out.

MP3's:

The Hibernauts - Into the Storm/Out to the Sea
The Cold War Direction - Untitled Demo
The Cold War Direction - Say It Loud
Victoria - Holly Roller Derby

An Under Cover Weekend, Night 2

2007-09-11T21:36:00.000-05:00

So after a first night that blew away all of my expectations, I made it back to Off Broadway last Saturday for Night 2 of An Under Cover Weekend. Unfortunately, I missed Fattback's take on The Cars, but I heard was great. Bad Blogger, Bad. (I apologize that the video from this night wasn't of that good quality...) Be sure to check out my review of Night 1 here.

Fortunately, I was able to catch all of The Feed's outstandingly awesome set as The Clash. The Feed was the one band playing this weekend that I had never heard before. The band is a trio: a drummer, piano player and sax player/bassist. They tore through a great, great set of The Clash's best songs, including "London Calling", "Rock the Casbah", "Complete Control", "The Magnificent 7", and "Train in Vain" (with Mike Tomko on guitar). The drummer was crazy good, and the piano player was rocking out guitar solos on his Rhodes... perfectly. It was the set of the night.

The Feed as The Clash:

Ghost in Light was up next with their intense and moody Cure set. They definitely stayed away from the "hits" (with one or two exceptions) and played to the multitude of "true" Cure fans in attendance. It was yet another great set from this weekend.

Ghost in Light as the Cure:

We went from Goth to New Wave pretty quickly when The Bureau came up with a tight set of Duran Duran songs. They started off with "Girls on Film" and, of course, rocked out to "Rio" and "Hungry Like a Wolf."

The Bureau as Duran Duran:

7 Shot Screamers finished out the night with a sloppy set of Ringo-fronted Beatles songs... But no Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da... Hmmm. Despite this glaring omission, it was actually a great set, minus the overlong breaks between songs. You also got the feeling that guitarist Deano Sabella really wantd to be covering Black Sabbath...

7 Shot Screamers as the Beatles:

Read Annie Zaleski's re-cap of Night 2 HERE.

OMG!!!! It's Simon LeBon at The Clash show!!!!

The Mountain Goats at The Biliken Club

2007-09-11T18:08:00.000-05:00

I've known about this for a while, but since Pitchfork announced it today, I'll go ahead and re-announce it: The Mountain Goats are playing at The Biliken Club on November 10th. Word.

MP3s:
The Mountain Goats - New Monster Avenue
The Mountain Goats - Lions Teeth
The Mountain Goats - Source Decay
The Mountain Goats - There Will Always Be an Ireland

Here's some video of The Mountain Goats at The Gargoyle last October:

New Show Announcements

2007-09-11T07:53:00.000-05:00

A to Z has some big show announcements for St. Louis this fall: Neil Young on November 18 and Bob Dylan with Elvis Costello on October 22. Check out A to Z for details...

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-09-10T07:04:00.000-05:00

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 10

Last week's playlist:

Vol. 9

1. Band of Horses - Is There A Ghost?
2. Imperial Teen - Shim Sham
3. Bill Callahan - Diamond Dancer
4. Jon Hardy and The Public - The Flood
5. the pAper chAse - I'm gonna spend the rest of my life lying
6. Minus the Bear - Knights
7. Explosions in the Sky - First Breath After Coma
8. Supersuckers - All Right

An Under Cover Weekend Redux

2007-09-08T16:26:00.000-05:00

For all of you who missed the first night of An Under Cover Weekend, you seriously missed out on one of the most fun shows I've been to in a while. There was a great crowd and all of the bands destroyed.

Robb Steele, with special guests Pandelerium, in matching GREEN tracksuits, started off the night by throwing down a stellar set of The Beastie Boys tracks. They set bar ridiculously high for the night. I only wished they had played a longer set (a common theme throughout the night)...

Robb Steele as The Beastie Boys:

The Hibernauts were up next and played a tight set of Kinks' tunes...a 12 minute set. Seriously. C'mon guys... Anyway, they stuck to the earlier stuff, rocking out like it was 1965.

The Hibernauts as Kinks:

Heroes of The Kingdom kept things going with a faithful take on Cheap Trick, although I would have preferred a little more guitar pick-flicking, but what can you do? They rocked out "Surrender" but no "I Want You To Want Me".

Heroes of The Kingdom as Cheap Trick:

The Sex Robots' oddly faithful, yet completely-their-own take on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers was the definite highlight of the evening for me. They started off with a blistering version of "Runnin' Down A Dream" and continued with "Breakdown", "You Don't How It Feels", and "I Won't Back Down." They finished with the best performance of the night, a loud and destructive take on "American Girl."

Sex Robots as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:

MOV05538
Uploaded by jeff707

In true Shame Club fashion, the LOUDEST BAND IN ST. LOUIS closed out the night with an earth shaking rendition of classic Deep Purple. Shame Club are no strangers to busting out complete-set tributes to their idols (The Who last Halloween.. or was that two years ago?), so they did DP with nothing but love. My ears still hurt (in the best way possible).... and no, they did not play "Smoke on the Water."

Shame Club as Deep Purple:

Shame Club
Uploaded by jeff707

Night number 2 is going to be just as absolutely awesome. For Serious. Get there by 9pm to catch all of the bands...

TONIGHT!!!

In Order of Appearance:
Fattback
appearing as The Cars

The Feed
appearing as The Clash

Ghost In Light
appearing as The Cure

The Bureau
appearing as Duran Duran

7 Shot Screamers
appearing as The Beatles (Ringo Starr songs only!)

Doors: 8pm | Show: 9pm | 18+ | $10/$12
@ Off Broadway

Check out Annie Zaleski's article on An Under Cover Weekend from this week's RFT.

An Under Cover Weekend

2007-09-07T07:55:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned, here, this weekend is An Under Cover Weekend at Off Broadway. This is seriously going to be a great time, and you should definitely make it out. Annie Z has revealed what bands are covering who, in this week's A to Z column. The event features ten bands playing full sets of another bands material. Here are a few of band playing tonight, the first night of the two-night event:

Shame Club = Deep Purple
Sex Robots = Tom Petty
The Hibernauts = The Kinks

You'll have to read the article to find the alter-egos of Heroes of the Kingdom and Robb Steele.

In the spirit of the beoved cover-genre, here are a few for you (all via yousendit):

MP3s:
Foundry Field Recordings - Caribou (Pixies)
Bishop Allen - Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
Baboon - Gates of Steel (Devo)
Adam Green feat. Ben Kweller - Kokomo (Beach Boys)
Ruby Isle - Teenage Riot (Sonic Youth)

Mystery Mix Fixed

2007-09-05T21:00:00.000-05:00

ZOINKS!

In the last Mystery Mix, I had the levels WAY down for one of the songs and it was really noticeable and really affected the flow. The file is now corrected. So, if you care, you can go here and download the fixed Mystery Mix, Vol. 9.

To give a little more substance to this post, you can also go here to see all past Mystery Mix playlists.

Under Cover Weekend

2007-09-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

This weekend at Off Broadway, Tomko Bomb Co. brings you the first annual Under Cover Weekend, in which 10 of the best bands in St. Louis all take on a different musical persona. Five bands will play on Friday night and five more on Saturday night. Some of the bands include 7 Shot Screamers, Shame Club, Ghost in Light, the Bureau and the Hibernauts. Each band has chosen another band to transform into and will play an entire set of the chosen band's music -- and we're not talking about covering other bands that are also playing the event, but famous, well-known superstars... like Def Leppard or Meatloaf or Run DMC or Debbie Gibson. Up until now, the bands have been practicing their new sets in secret, not letting anyone know who they are covering. In this week's Riverfront Times, Annie Zeleski will let the cat(s) out of the bag with regards to which bands will be covering which bands. Be sure to check out her A to Z column later this week to find out Who is Who.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-09-03T21:38:00.000-05:00

I hope you had a great Labor Day Weekend; I had a nice weekend in Vermont. Here's this week's Mystery Mix:

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 9

Last week's playlist:

Vol. 8

1. John Vanderslice - White Dove
2. Eagle Seagull - I'm Sorry, But I'm Beginning to Hate Your face
3. The Tough Alliance - First Class Riot
4. Dead Kennedys - Too Drunk to Fuck
5. The Deathray Davies - The Fall Fashions
6. Owls - Everyone is My Friend
7. RJD2 - Ghostwriter
8. Laurie Anderson - O Superman (For Massenet)

Hey Dude

2007-08-30T07:53:00.000-05:00

Be sure to check here in the near future for photos and video of last weekend's Lot Festival. Bill Streeter of Lo-Fi St. Louis will also be posting a bunch of video from the event, since he (and others) did a great job helping film it.

In the meantime, Matt at Highway 61 Revised took some video of 7 Shot Screamer's take on OutKast's classic "Hey Ya!" (Lo-Fi can't post it due to copyright rules):

Part 1:

Part 2:

People Noise and Stella Mora

2007-08-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

Head out to the Lucas School House to catch fellow St. Louis-blogger Your Standard Life's first showcase, uh, show this Saturday, featuring People Noise, Stella Mora and Jason House, in his first solo performance since leaving Ghost in Light.

MP3:
People Noise - The Killing Fields

Terra Diablo at The Bluebird Tonight

2007-08-29T07:31:00.000-05:00

Scotland's Terra Diablo is playing at the Bluebird tonight with Ghost in Light. This is a great show for fans of shoegaze, post-rock, grunge and otherwise moody music. DJ A to Z will be spinning music beforehand. See what Ms. A to Z had to say about the show here.

MP3:
Terra Diablo - Satellites

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-08-27T08:53:00.000-05:00

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 8

Last week's playlist:

Vol. 7

1. Wilco - Kamera (alt version)
2. Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
3. Funland - Shitty Weather
4. Junior Senior - Can I Get Get Get
5. DATA.SELECT.PARTY - She's an Eyeful on the Alley
6. King Kong - Scooba Dooba Diver
7. Joe Jackson - I'm The Man
8. Centro-Matic - D. Boon-Free (A Ninth Grade Crime)
9. Modest Mouse - Spitting Venom

A Few Things

2007-08-24T13:31:00.000-05:00

I would be remiss if I failed to mention a great show at The Bluebird tonight, featuring Team Tomato, The Museum Mutters, Wake Up Report and Krafted in Korea.

So Many Dynamos have been all up in the RFT's grill over the past week.

Speaking of the Riverfront Times, be sure to vote for me in their Best of St. Louis Poll for Best Blog.

Did I mention that The LOT is taking place tomorrow?

I swear, I will get reviews of Days 2 & 3 of Lollapalooza up this weekend.

In the meantime, here are some videos to keep you occupied:

Shocking Blue - "Venus":

Murray Head - "One Night In Bangkok":

The Shins - "Breathe" (live Pink Floyd cover):

Butthole Surfers - "The Colored FBI Guy" (live):

The Dicks - "Dicks Hate The Police" (live):

The LOT

2007-08-22T11:17:00.000-05:00

This Saturday, August 25th, Metropolis St. Louis presents the 2007 edition of The Lot Music Festival. The event takes place outside, in the parking lot of the Schlafly Tap Room in downtown St. Louis. The event is FREE, ALL AGES, and RAIN or SHINE. This is one of our best lineups yet, so make sure you make it out on Saturday. The music starts at 5:30.

It will be good times.

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-08-20T07:36:00.000-05:00

Another Monday, another Mystery Mix...

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 7

Last week's playlist:

Vol. 6
1. Sunset Rubdown - The Mending of the Gown
2. Ruby Isle - Teenage Riot (Sonic Youth cover)
3. Iron and Wine - Boy With A Coin
4. Dinosaur Jr. - Crumble
5. Def Leppard - Switch 625
6. Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues)
7. The Tallest Man on Earth - Walk the Line
8. Mogwai - 2 Rights Make 1 Wrong

I am DJing at The Royale On Monday

2007-08-18T22:31:00.000-05:00

You should come. I will be there from 6-9:30 p.m. It will be good times. Buy some dinner. Drink some drinks. The Royale is located at 3132 S. Kingshighway (at Arsenal) in Saint Louis, Missouri.

One For The Team at The Bluebird Tonight

2007-08-17T07:34:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Minneapols-based One For The Team is playing at the Bluebird with Thor Axe (members of So Many Dynamos), The Ghost of The Forest, and Tree Heart Orchesstra. One For The Team plays upbeat, indie-pop in the vein of Pavement, Hockey Night (redundant, I know), and Wolf Parade. Ian Anderson, the frontman for One For the Team, also runs Afternoon Records, who released an album by St. Louis' very own Target Market. They have a new album coming out this November, and it looks to be great. "Best Supporting Actor" comes from that album.

MP3s:
One For the Team - Best Supporting Actor
One For the Team - Good Boys Don't Make Noise

Lollapalooza, Day 1 - The Review

2007-08-14T23:18:00.001-05:00

Well, here it is, almost a week and a half after the fact: my review of Day 1 of the 2007 Lollapalooza Music Festival, held in beautiful Chicago, Illinois, USA.

My flight arrived in Chicago from St. Louis around 10:15 a.m. on Friday morning. I hopped on the Orange line and headed up to the Loop to meet a friend of mine that works downtown for lunch, where I was to hand off my traveling bag, which he was to then take back to his place where I was staying so I could head on to the Festival. First, though, we made our way to the Billy Goat Tavern where I promptly ordered a triple cheeseburger and fries, without fully considering the implications of making such an order before heading out to an all-day music festival in the sun and 95-degree heat...

After lunch and (somehow) stops at three different Walgreen's, I made my way into the festival. I didn't make it to Lollapalooza in 2006, but I was there during the record-setting-hottness of 2005. In 2006, they more than doubled the size of the festival grounds to alleviate many of the over-crowding and sound-bleeding problems of 2005. The trade-off, of course, ended up being that it took a good 15 minutes to get from one end of the park to the other and, if your personal schedule of bands to see for the day didn't work out just right, you could find yourself walking back and forth all day, missing a chunk of each set in transit, since they didn't really buffer any time between the sets.

The first band I caught was Chin Up Chin Up. They are a great band and one I have been a fan of for a while, but have never had a chance to see live. Unfortunately, I was only able to catch the last two songs of their set, which were both quite good. They had a small but very enthusiastic crowd at their stage.

(Chin Up Chin Up)

(Chin Up Chin Up)

After CUCU, I headed over to catch the rest of the Ted Leo & The Pharmacists set, which overlapped with CUCU by about 15 minutes. They were playing "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?" to a good size crowd (especially for 1:30 pm on Friday) when I walked up. The band was, as usual, full of energy and worked through some of my favorites songs of theirs, including "Timorous Me" and "A Bottle of Buckie".

(Ted Leo & The Pharmacists)

(Ted Leo & The Pharmacists)

After Ted Leo, I made my first park-length trek to the north side of the festival grounds to get a good spot for and catch The Polyphonic Spree and meet up with a friend. While waiting for PS to set up, I could hear the end of the Son Volt set from across the field, including set closer, "Drown." As I'm sure you've read, The Polyphonic Spree have shifted away from wearing their trademark flowing robes to wearing militant black jump suits. No worries though; the band's music is as happy and uplifting as ever. Surprisingly, they only played two or three songs from their latest album, The Fragile Army, including a great version of "Mental Cabaret" that featured the dance stylings of the Chicago Tap Theater. The Fragile Army song that benefited most from a live treatment, though, was “The Championship,” a highlight of their set. There was also an appearance during their set by Beatle Bob. For the encore, the band switched into the their traditional white robes and made their way through the crowd before playing a three-song encore. The crowd's reaction to the band's take on Nirvana's "Lithium" was one of the biggest reactions of the weekend for a non-headliner.

(The Polyphonic Spree)

(The Polyphonic Spree)

(The Polyphonic Spree)

We thought we'd catch a bit of Electric Six next, and while I enjoyed their first album quite a bit, their set wasn't quite right for the bright sunlight and heat of a Friday afternoon in August in Chicago when you are more concerned with chugging water so you don't pass out. They are more of a 1:30 in the morning, chugging beer in order to pass out sort of band. In the middle of the set, we headed over to check out the Improv stage, but the environment wasn't quite right for that either, especially since they were being drowned out by some screamo band from across the way.

Because I felt it was my duty as a self-respecting music blogger, we headed over to see M.I.A. Bad idea. She was outrageously obnoxious. The bass was so loud you could hear her voice at all and when you could, she just sounded like she was wounded whale. I'm sure it would have been much, much more enjoyable in a small club.

(M.I.A)

After abusing our eardrums at M.I.A., we made our way over to see The Rapture, who put on a great show. It was a shame they were relegated to one of the smaller stages, as it diminished the size of a lot of their new songs and suffered from a lot of sound bleeding from M.I.A.'s set.

(The Rapture)

On our way over to catch Blonde Redhead, we caught two songs from Silversun Pickups, including the ubiquitous "Lazy Eye." Meh. Blonde Redhead, on the other hand, was one of the best surprises of the weekend for me. Their latest album, 23, is one of my favorites of this year, but I was really surprised at how well the droning, haunting melodies were translated into a live setting. They sounded great. Kazu Makino was an engaging front woman… and she used a stuffed horse for her piano bench – you gotta give her some credit for that.

(Blonde Redhead)

It was at this point that my Festival Friend had to leave, since he had a show that night, so I headed over in the general direction of The Black Keys (on the complete other side of the park), where I planned on getting some food as well. I never made it much closer to the stage on which The Black Keys were playing than a few hundred yards; I was being overly ambitious in my walking plans and decided to park it near the food stand. I grabbed a bite to eat and enjoyed the sweet sounds of the Black Keys (mental note: do NOT pass up a chance to see them in a small club setting) from a distance. I didn’t stick around for more than a handful of songs, as I was determined to get a good spot for the next band…

(LCD Soundsystem)

LCD Soundsystem. I was obsessed with their latest album, Sound of Silver, for pretty much all of May and June and I had heard only good things about their live performances. But before they took the stage, we had to wait for Satellite Party to finish on the big stage. How people like this band, I guess I’ll never know. They did play “Been Caught Stealing,” though.

Finally, the band, minus James Murphy, took the stage. The band quickly locked into the deep groove of “Us v. Them”. Soon, Mr. Murphy emerged from the back of the stage, making a pit stop on his way to the front and center to turn up bassist Phil Skarich’s bass amp. This would mark the first of many moments throughout the set in which Murphy – a known perfectionist – would micromanage his band, peering over the shoulders of his bandmates’, adjusting and tweaking their instruments and settings. This performance proved to be the true revelation of the weekend for me.

(LCD Soundsystem)

They next tore into “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House,” which everyone, of course, was waiting for since Daft Punk was actually playing after them, across the field, on the big stage; Murphy noted that this was “kind of funny, I guess”. The crowd went absolutely nuts during “All My Friends,” a performance that was a definite highlight of the weekend for me. Other standout performances included “North American Scum” and the awesomeness that is “Yeah” performed live.

(LCD Soundsystem)

(LCD Soundsystem)

Daft Punk finished out Day 1 of Lollapalooza 2007. It was incredible. What I would have given to be seeing them for the first time again… I will never be able to top seeing them at Coachella in 2006, though, when nobody in the crowd had any idea of what to expect (read my review of that performance here). Their stage show is now well-documented and near-legendary. Nonetheless, there is no denying the power and intensity and pure awesomeness of Daft Punk live. You could have only heard Daft Punk songs in your life via going out to bars, hanging out in dorm rooms, and watching TV commercials, and you still would have sworn you had a religious experience after seeing them live. They’re THAT good live.

(Daft Punk)

(Daft Punk)

(Daft Punk)

(Daft Punk)

All in all, it was a good first day – hot, dirty, and tired.

I swear my reviews of Day 2 and 3 will be shorter, though.

The Flaming Lips at The Pageant on 9/28

2007-08-14T17:36:00.000-05:00

The Flaming Lips have just announced a show at The Pageant on Septemeber 28th. Tickets go on sale this Friday.

The Flaming Lips - "She Don't Use Jelly (live)":

The Flaming Lips - "Do You Realize?"

The Flaming Lips - "Fight Test":

The Flaming Lips - "Yoshimi Fights The Pink Robots, Part 1":

The Flaming Lips - "Bohemian Rhapsody (live)":

The Lot Pre-Party

2007-08-13T21:29:00.000-05:00

In addition to the outstanding lineup of the previously-blogged about Lot Festival, we are also putting on a Pre-Party to get everyone excited about the main event. The Pre-Party is taking place this Wednesday, August 15th, at the Lucas School House and features Sex Robots, Upright Animals and Grand Beauty.

MP3s:
Sex Robots - Take Me Out Dancin'
Sex Robots - Jet Awesome

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-08-13T08:04:00.000-05:00

Here it is - the sixth podcast in my Mystery Mix Monday series.

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 6

Here is last week's playlist:

Vol. 5

1. Art Brut - People In Love
2. Gentleman Auction House - Your Days and Our Nights
3. Kings of Leon - Fans
4. Mission of Burma - Einstein's Day
5. Two Gallants - Seems Like Home To Me
6. Kevin Drew - Safety Bricks
7. UFOFU - A Letter
8. Rodrigo y Gabriela - Orion

The Bureau CD Release Party

2007-08-10T18:25:00.000-05:00

The Bureau is celebrating the release of the debut full-length album, We Make Plans In Secret, at the Bluebird tomorrow night, Saturday, August 11. They will be playing with Riddle of Steel and the Roman Numerals. I'll be there. You should be, too.

The Lot

2007-08-09T22:40:00.000-05:00

The 2007 edition of The Lot Festival is taking place on Saturday, August 25th at the Schlafly Tap Room from 5:30 p.m. - 1:30 a.m. The event is ALL AGES and FREE. The lineup is outstanding with local stalwarts Bunygrunt and 7 Shot Screamers, hip-hop allstar Nite Owl, the young indie rockers in Jumbling Towers and Say Panther, the slick sounds of Jonathon Cour and the country-influenced Tenement Ruth rounding out the lineup.

Emerging Artists: On the Verge

2007-08-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

This Friday night, head out to Lucas School House to see Matthew Santos, Jumbling Towers and Gentleman Auction House. It will be good times.

Lollapalooza review coming soon!

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-08-06T22:40:00.000-05:00

It's Monday, so it's time for another Mystery Mix...

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 5

Last week's tracklisting:

Vol. 4
1. Throw Me The Statue - Lolita
2. Ratatat - Lex
3. Super Furry Animals - Baby Ate My Eightball
4. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Need Some Air
5. Butthole Surfers - The Annoying Song
6. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - Bottle of Buckie
7. Oh No! Oh My! - Finally Found A Home
8. Of Montreal - The Past is a Grotesque Animal

Lollapalooza quick check-in...

2007-08-04T12:35:00.000-05:00

Top Three Performances of Day 1 at Lollapalooza 2007*:

1. LCD Soundsystem
2. The Polyphonic Spree
3. Blonde Redhead

* I am keeping Daft Punk out the running for this honor for two reasons: 1) it simply would not be fair to the rest of the performers to compare them to Daft Punk and 2) I have seen them before, at Coachella 2006 (see my review of that show here), and that was easily the best show I'd seen in the past decade, if not ever, so my Lolla 2007 experience was informed by that experience. Expectations are a bitch.

Ted Leo, The Rapture, and The Black Keys were also really good, too.

My whole body is sore today: my feet, my back, my sinuses.

Lollapalooza

2007-08-03T12:14:00.000-05:00

Hey kids, I am up in Chicago this weekend for Lollapalooza. I will try and check in with some quick posts and pictures... but if I don't, you will definitely be getting a full-on review and and a ton of pictures next week.

Tonight at Cicero's

2007-08-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

There's a great show at Cicero's tonight featuring some excellent St. Louis- and Columbia-based bands. I have previously written many a school-girl-on-her-notebook-like love letters to many of the bands playing, including Gentleman Auction House, Witch's Hat, The Hibernauts, and Jumbling Towers. All are outstanding live performers. If you have not caught Witch's Hat live, you are truly missing out. I am only unfamiliar with the final band rounding out the bill, The Overtones, but from the songs I've heard of theirs online, I think they will fit in just fine.

Annie Z recently spoke with Mike Tomko about Gentleman Auction House's plans to record their first full-length album this fall...

MP3s:
Witch's Hat - Bomb Squad
Witch's Hat - Supply and Demand
Gentleman Auction House - A Hospital Or Heaven
The Hibernauts - Into The Storm/Out to the Sea
Jumbling Towers - He's A Cop Now
The Overtones - Jungle

Maritime

2007-08-01T08:40:00.000-05:00

About 4 years ago, Maritime was considered a bit of an "indie super group", being, as it was, formed out of members of The Promise Ring and The Dismemberment Plan. In 2004, they released their debut album, Glass Floor, which was a nice bit of indie-pop. In 2006, they released their follow-up, We, The Vehicles, which continued down the guitar-pop path.

But the band never quite made the splash that you would expect of a band with a pedigree like theirs. That just might change with the release of their third album, Heresy and the Hotel Choir, which should appeal to the likes of Death Cab for Cutie fans...

MP3s:
Maritime - Guns of Navarone
Maritime - Science Fiction
Maritime - Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-07-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

I bet you thought I wasn't going to get this post in before the day was out, but you were wrong. I'm sneaky like that. Anyway, here's Mystery Mix, Vol. 4. Listen away...

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 4

Here is last week's playlist:

Vol. 3
1. The Polyphonic Spree - The Championship
2. Sloan - Who Taught You To Live Like That?
3. Belle & Sebastian - White Collar Boy
4. !!! - Yadnus
5. Baboon - Into the Sea
6. The White Stripes - You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)
7. Descendants - Silly Girl
8. El Ten Eleven - My Only Swerving
9. The National - All the Wine

This Weekend at the Bluebird

2007-07-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you noticed, but the Bluebird has some outstanding shows lined up over the next few weeks and months. You can check out their full calendar here.

This weekend, there are two great shows you should go out of your way to check out.

On Saturday, Berlin Whale, Bunnygrunt, The Ten Thousand, The Undoing of David Wright, Bears, and The Great Tyrant are playing. It'll be an Indie-spolsion! Or something.

Then, on Sunday...

The Ladybug Transistor is playing with Jumbling Towers, Bound Stems, and Say Panther. This show is truly not to be missed. Except I will be out of town. Again. I need to pare down my travel plans, apparently. Daytrotter has done live sessions for both Bound Stems and The Ladybug Transistor and has free live tracks to download.

MP3's:
Bound Stems - Andover
Bound Stems - Western Biographic
Bound Stems - Totipotent

The Circuit

2007-07-24T15:30:00.000-05:00

Hey! Look at me! I'm on The Circuit, a new St. Louis-based networking site that, in addition to being St. Louis-centric, is loosely based around music, arts and media types and the people who love them. Discovering The Circuit was more fun than discovering I was a part of The Matrix, that's for sure.

Dan Deacon

2007-07-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

Super-analog nerd and computer whiz Dan Deacon brings his dance music freakout to the Biliken Club on October 11.

Dan Deacon - TV appearance:

Dan Deacon - "Silence Like the Wind":

Dan Deacon - "Wham City" (part 1):

Dan Deacon - "Wham City" (part 2):

Dan Deacon - "Silence Like the Wind":

Mystery Mix Monday

2007-07-23T07:20:00.000-05:00

It's time for another insatllation of Mystery Mix Monday, when I provide you with a mix, or a podcast if you're nasty, of 6-10 songs for you to listen to on your computer at home or your iPod (or other preferred listening device) while you are on your way to school or work or jail...

MYSTERY MIX, VOL. 3

Here's last week's tracklisting:

Vol. 2
1. Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe
2. Bishop Allen - Middle Management
3. The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour
4. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - Phantom of the Opera Song
5. Witch's Hat - Huzzah
6. Habitual Sex Offenders - The Monstat Seven
7. The Tubeway Army - O.D. Receiver
8. Interpol - Obstacle 1
9. Television - Marquee Moon

* Thanks to Joe Stumble at Last Days of Man on Earth for turning me on to the Gary Neuman-led Tubeway Army...

The Hibernauts CD Release Party

2007-07-20T08:05:00.000-05:00

There is a great show this Saturday at Off Broadway, featuring The Hibernauts, Gentleman Auction House and Foundry Field Recordings. The show serves as the CD release party for The Hibernauts' new CD, Periodic Fable. You can read a big write-up on The Hibernauts in the Riverfront Times here (and read the outtakes from the interview here). I have included an mp3 of "Into the Storm/Out to the Sea", which is from the new album and is, if I may say so myself, an outstanding advancement from their previous album. The song bursts with energy and excitement and has me wishing I wasn't going on a float trip this weekend so I could actually attend the show. I have yet to see The Hibernauts live, but have only heard great things. You all are well aware of my love for Gentleman Auction House, and Foundry Field Recordings are one of Missouri's best-kept (unfortunately) secrets.

MP3s:
The Hibernauts - Into the Storm/Out to the Sea (via yousendit)
Gentleman Auction House - A Hospital or Heaven (via yousendit)
Foundry Field Recordings - Caribou (Pixies cover) (via yousendit)
Foundry Field Recordings - Beneath The Winter Frames (via yousendit)
Foundry Field Recordings = Buy/Sell/Trade
Foundry Field Recordings - Daryl Loves Vicki

Upcoming Shows

2007-07-19T19:50:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the bigger shows coming to St. Louis in the next few months that I'm planning on going to, and live footage of each band, to boot:

August 1 - Interpol @ The Pageant

Interpol - "Slow Hands":

Interpol - "C'mere":

August 4 - The Polyphonic Spree @ The Pageant

The Polyphonic Spree - "Lithium":

The Polyphonic Spree - "Running Away":

The Polyphonic Spree - "Light & Day/Reach For the Sun":

August 7 - Peter, Bjorn & John @ The Pageant

Peter, Bjorn & John - "Young Folks":

Peter, Bjorn & John - "Amsterdam":

August 8 - Reverend Horton Heat @ Pop's

Reverend Horton Heat - "Baddest of the Bad":

Reverend Horton Heat - "Galaxy 500":

Reverend Horton Heat - unknown -- this video is from 20 years ago at the Fry Street Fair in Denton Texas. I just dicovered it, and Holy Jesus.

August 28 - Ben Kweller @ Off Broadway

Ben Kweller - "Penny on the Train Track":

Ben Kweller bleeding at ACL '06:

Ben Kweller on Cooking with Rockstars:

September 14 - Bloc Party @ The Pageant

Bloc Party - "Helicopter":

Bloc Party - "Banquet" (I was actually at this one - Coachella '06):

Bloc Party - "Like Eating Glass" (I was at this one, too - ACL Festival '05):

October 10 - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists @ The Gargoyle (that's my birthday)

Ted Leo - "Since You've Been Gone/Maps":

Ted Leo + The Pharmacists - "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?"

Ted Leo + The Pharmacists - "Timorous Me/Walkign To Do":

Ted Leo + The Pharmacists - "One More Time":

Ted Leo + The Pharmacists - "Dancing in the Dark":

November 19 - Of Montreal @ The Pageant

Of Montreal is known for their incredibly wide array of covers they bust out at shows...

Of Montreal - "Crazy" (this one, too, at Mississippi Nights last year):

Of Montreal - "Starman":

Of Montreal - "Suffragette City":

Of Monreal - "Harvest Moon":

Of Montreal - "Fuck Away the Pain" (somehow Of Montreal covering Peaches makes perfect sense):

Of Montreal - "You Keep Me Hanging On" (partial):

Of Montreal - "Final Countdown" (partial):