Burned By The Sun........

I Must Be Doing Something Right
'Cause someone just sent me a virus! Like a dumbass, I was about to open the attachment, but fortunately some virus scan thing (can't you just hear my blondeness?) told me not to. So I think I'm okay.

What's the point of me telling you this? The point is that this dumbass is no longer opening attachments of any kind. So don't send me any, 'cause I won't even look at 'em.

[Note: I don't mean to sound like some paranoid jerk who's accusing everyone of trying to assassinate her computer. All the email I've received so far (with the obvious exception of the virus) has been really cool. I just issued the last bit of warning to try to avoid any possible confusion at a later date.]

Note to Hipsters and People Who Dress Like Them
Don't ever try to walk three miles in Chuck Taylors. Your feet will hate you.

Pixies Tickets Sell Like Hotcakes
Is this even news? Seriously, did anyone think those reunion shows wouldn't sell out?

What a Dumbass! Or: How to Become a Social Outcast Without Even Trying
Some stupid college kid sent prank emails to his friends saying he turned their names in to the RIAA for filesharing. One of those students ran the campus filesharing service and shut it down. The kids on campus were not amused.

Misc.
British Sea Power are at the Echo tonight. Hopefully I won't be too lazy to write a review tomorrow.

Bootlegs!

Ride, Milan 1992

Buddy Holly Rarities, Outtakes

Beatles Outtakes, Rarities

MTV Puts Risque Videos Back In Regular Rotation
...realizes that reducing sleaze on the channel would result in the loss of all their programming. More here.

Strike While the Iron is Hot
I guess that's what the authors of most band biographies figure. In the coming months we can look forward to some books on the Darkness and the White Stripes.

What ever happened to band biographies written by people who were chosen by the band? Personally, I think the best music biographies I've read, Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana, and Buried Alive: The Biography of Janis Joplin, are the ones where the writer was specifically chosen to write the biography, he/she was given full access to the band (Michael Azerrad spent 24 hours interviewing Kurt Cobain alone) and was actually able to interview sources and uncover original information. Not to mention that the writer had the benefit of getting to know the artist, yet was not close enough the person to have their objectivity affected by it.

Are these types of biographies even written anymore? All I seem to see lately are books that have been pieced together from magazine interviews. Are writers lazy, or are bands becoming too difficult to access? I'm sure you've seen at least one article lamenting the death of rock journalism. But could it ever really be as good today as it was back in the 60s and 70s? Back then, it was not uncommon for a writer to go on tour with a band. Nowadays, a writer has to be a big shot or work for Rolling Stone to get so much as a day with an artist. Usually interviews are conducted just after soundcheck, and you get about 30 mins.

"That song makes me cry. That line about walking down life's lonely highway."
"You know when I wrote that part, it was supposed to be a joke..."

You can read Filter's Strokes/ Lou Reed cover story here. While it's interesting that the writer doesn't want this to be your typical "Oh, they're SO cool!" story, the focus is on the fact that stories/interviews are just advertisements. Really? Wow. I thought the reason bands agreed to interviews was to sell records. Oh wait. That's advertising. Did anyone not know this?

The Dirtbombs In Japan
An entertaining read from Detroit's Metro Times. As reported by drummer Ben Blackwell.

Spin In Trouble?
This article says that the mag is having trouble selling ads, and the acting publisher and associate publisher both resigned under pressure. They have since been replaced.

"This could just be a last ditch effort by management," said a source close to the magazine. "The thinking is: 'Let's give them a respectable ad sales team and try to turn things around a little bit.'"

Etc.
You can hear the new single from Pete Doherty of the Libertines here.

To Be Read With Your Frankenstein Eyesight Television
Don't worry, that's not supposed to make any sense. So. I was going to do some actual work. Seriously. I have a paper due Thursday. And then my friend Tony instant messaged me and asked if I'd heard of Francis E. Dec.

Turns out, the guy was some disbarred New York lawyer who went into seclusion and wrote some of the most hilarious conspiracy theories I've ever seen.

I'd recommend rants two and three at this site. Apparently, Dec believed that a Communist Gangster Computer God rules the earth, and we are being lobotomized one by one. And of course, the 'Parroting Puppets' of the computer god are trying to kill him.

Four billion wordwide population, all living, have a Computer God Containment Policy brain bank brain, a real brain in the brain bank cities on the far side of the moon we never see. Primarily, based on your lifelong Frankenstein Radio Controls, especially your Eyesight TV, sight and sound recorded by your brain, your moon brain of the Computer God activates your Frankenstein threshold brainwash radio lifelong, inculcating conformist propaganda, even frightening you and mixing you up and the usual, "Don't worry about it." For your setbacks, mistakes, even when you receive deadly injuries. This is the Worldwide Computer God Secret Containment Policy.

Yeah, so that's how that works.

The poor guy doesn't seem to enjoy flying too much though:

These deadly Gangster CIA passengers, they PRESSED THE FRONTAL PANEL OF THE ASH TRAYS IN THE SEAT ARMS to release the DEADLY POISON NERVE GAS SMOKE! Indubitably, all of the others deadly CIA underling GANGSTERS upon this staged-return flight, they ALL had taken the TOP-SECRET POISON NERVE GAS ANTIDOTE PILL, immuning them from the deadly poison nerve gas smoke! Deadly poison nerve gas smoke was sprayed at me from CIGARS, CIGARETTES and even from BALL-POINT PENS also from the WIG of a woman sitting next to me, even the Swiss cheese-type ice cubes were evaporating into poison nerve gas smoke in all of the "free" drinks!

On a side note: Is it just me, or does 'Computer God Frankenstein Earphone Radio' totally sound like a title for a Guided By Voices song?

The New Rite of Passage For Shitty Pseudo Grunge Bands?
The lead singer of Puddle of Mudd, you know, the guy who was in trouble a few years ago for beating his wife, spent a few hours in a Toledo jail after being too drunk to finish a show. A few passages from this story cracked me up:

The group performed four songs, which fans said werent' very good.

Um, hello? Do we remember what band we're dealing with here?

On the guy's reaction of seeing the cops:

"Well he seemed to be relieved because he was pretty concerned about being harmed by the crowd," said Earl Mack, Ohio Investigative Unit.

I always think it's funny how these stupid lead singers (remember the Creed case in Chicago?) always pick the midwest to pull this shit. The midwest is the LAST place you'd wanna do this. You could probably get away with it here in LA, because crowds here, at least the ones I've seen, are really polite. If they dislike a band, they don't boo, they just go to the bar or go outside for a smoke or something.

Most midwesterners, especially crowds in larger venues, do not mind booing. Or throwing things. If you're playing a shitty set, by God, you WILL NOT get away with it. More bands should know this.

I Wouldn't Want This Title At The Top Of An Article About My Second Album
'The Second Coming'? As in the Stone Roses' long awaited sophomore effort that flopped? The album after which the band broke up? Anyway, that's besides the point. The point is that the Libertines are working on their second album.

The Completed Smile To Be Released This Fall?
According to Pitchfork, that could be the case. Sounds like the performance of the album is going over really well in the UK.

Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson to Offer Relationship Advice
They're trying to find a book deal so they can write about marriage, Jessica tries to convince us she can read and write, etc. Make up your own sarcastic comment. I'm late for class.

From the Guardian...
A history of pop scandals.

Speaking of pop scandals, here's Mick Jagger's account of being framed in that infamous drug raid.

A look at 10 novelty songs. Man, I remember my brother used to sing song number one all the time. And he was 14 at the time. It would get stuck in my head for days. Damn Bob the Builder!

Music Industry Discovers That Old People Like Music, Admits "There's An Awful Lot of Trash Out There"
Well, duh. CD sales are on the rise. If this keeps up, maybe the RIAA will stop suing people.

Random Mp3s
I don't feel like doing a theme this week, but I still want to put up some mp3s.

"Doors Fan"- Kids in the Hall
This is pretty infamous, and it's hilarious, especially if you're, you know, a Doors fan. I always crack up at the part where the nutty clerk says "I will let you into the most prestigious hotel...Morrison Hotel!" I only live a couple miles from the Morrison Hotel, so I went to check it out once. What a dump! The big window the Doors posed in front of is no longer there, the place is falling apart, and it is now painted white with seafoam green shutters. I have to admit though, I'm still kinda curious to see the inside, but there's no way in hell I would sleep there.

"Ayeyaiyai (Alpha Song)"- Power Jet
My little brother LOVED the Power Rangers. So of course he bought the soundtrack for their movie, which is where this song came from. And he made my mom and I listen to it in the car. For the most part, the soundtrack sucked, but I always liked this song. Is it cheesy? You bet. But it's so lame it's funny, and the music is pretty cool, I will go out on a limb here and say this is a good power pop song.

Music As Torture
After a case in Florida where a man was listening to a 50 Cent album at five a.m. way too loudly and subsequently sentenced to listen to two and a half hours of opera, the Guardian thinks that judge has the right idea. Maybe Sartre was wrong. Hell isn't other people, it's other peoples' music.

No, Sartre was probably right. But anyway...

This had my attention from the onset, because years ago my aunt warned my cousin about a man nearby (in Illinois) who was listening to rap music too loud, and the judge gave him the choice of paying a $400(?) fine or listening to polka for three hours. The man couldn't afford the fine.

"I would pay the fine!" my cousin yelled.

Hell, so would I. If these judges really wanna torture people, polka is the way to go. Although, The Shaggs' Philosophy of the World would be pretty effective as well. Can you imagine listening to "My Pal Foot Foot" on loop for a few hours?

Burninating All the People: Trogdor Elected as Hall Representative

Who could be a more fearsome representative than Trogdor? However, some did not agree:

After the election results were announced last week, some Preston residents were outraged. Preston Government Secretary Chris Coyle said he "found the display disturbing and a mock of democratic principle," and that he was "disappointed in the Preston east wing."

[Edit: It has come to my attention that you now have to register to see the story. Weak!]

Evil Overlord Do's and Don'ts
This is great. Some of my favorites:

One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.

I will hire a talented fashion designer to create original uniforms for my Legions of Terror, as opposed to some cheap knock-offs that make them look like Nazi storm troopers, Roman foot soldiers, or savage Mongol hordes. All were eventually defeated and I want my troops to have a more positive mind-set.

All bumbling conjurers, clumsy squires, no-talent bards, and cowardly thieves in the land will be preemptively put to death. My foes will surely give up and abandon their quest if they have no source of comic relief.

If I am fighting with the hero atop a moving platform, have disarmed him, and am about to finish him off and he glances behind me and drops flat, I too will drop flat instead of quizzically turning around to find out what he saw.

Take THAT, MTV!
Anybody remember The Alarm? If you don't, that's okay, they're pretty old. I think they had a couple hits over in the UK in the 80s. Anyway, they have a new hit over there. How did a bunch of old dudes who aren't U2 manage to have a hit in the image-obsessed music industry of today? Simple. They released the song under a pseudonym (sorry kids, if you liked The Poppyfields) and picked out some young band to "play" the song in the video.

For some reason, this reminds me of the Blues Traveler video for "Run Around". You know, where there are these annoying poseurs onstage that you think are the band, and then the dog pulls back a curtain and reveals the real band?

It's too bad that The Alarm spilled the beans so soon. It would have been interesting to see how far a fake band can get.

Neutral Milk Hotel Bootlegs, Videos

New Big Star Album
Two of the original members of the band will be joined by a couple of guys from the Posies to record Big Star's fourth album, 25 years after the third came out.

New Beasties Album
The follow-up to Hello Nasty should be out in early June.

Yeah, That's A Fitting Tribute
How do you pay homage to the greatest guitarist of all time? By getting a bunch of washed-up has-beens and a few talented (but relatively unknown) musicians to play three dates in the Pacific Northwest. At least that's what the people behind the Experience Hendrix Tour seem to think.

The Darkness Have Another Goal, Besides World Domination
...and that's writing their second album. They also took home three of the four Brit Awards they were nominated for.

Lollapalooza Rumors
Rumors are already circulating about the bill for this year's tour, and those rumors mention Nine Inch Nails, the Pixies, and the Libertines. If that's any indication, this year's lineup won't suck nearly as much as last year's.

Etc.
The Strokes have confirmed the opening acts for their upcoming tour. The Sounds will be on the bill through April 2 (the LA date), and the Raveonettes will open on the dates after that.

"Ring of Fire" Will NOT Be Used In Hemorrhoid Product Commercial
But you have to admit, it was a pretty funny idea.

Another Side of the Story
Courtney Love has been making a lot of news headlines lately, for ditching court appearances due to "security concerns" and losing her daughter at the Grammys.

Interestingly, this article written by Jim DeRogatis (of Ryan Adams voicemail fame), explains that the "security concerns" actually referred to a Seattle documentary filmmaker who had hounded her during her two previous court appearances, screaming questions that accused her of having a role in her late husband's death. And she "lost" her daughter for just a few minutes in the crowded, high-security press area backstage at the Staples Center.

Although, it is true that she made some poor dress designer cry.

Etc.
There are a ton of new links up in the "Coachella Audio" window. I think now there are links for every artist on the bill, except for 7 or so. Thanks to everyone who has emailed me links so far!

Tom Morello's "Yuppie Move"
From an interview with Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante:

"You don't cut in front of somebody just to be the hotshot standing next to Jimmy Page," Frusciante spits. "What, he deserves to stand next to him more than I do?"

The guilty party, it turns out, is Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello. Or as Frusciante prefers to call him, the dude from Rage Against the Machine. "He's supposed to be Mr. Nice Guy,'' says Frusciante, 33. "But when you cut in front of another man to be seen in a photograph next to somebody else, that's just greed. That's a businessman move. That's not a move of a rock musician or somebody that cares about music. That's the move of somebody who wants to be seen a certain way. It's a yuppie move."

Sorry, Washington Voters, You'll Have to Pick Someone Else
Krist Novoselic decided not to run for Lieutenant Governor, but will remain politically active.

Another Reunion?
Rumors are circulating in Liverpool that founding members of The La's, Lee Mavers and John Power, have been seen out together and are collaborating again.

Man, if they do decide to reunite, I don't envy those guys. Yeah, like the Pixies, they'll be much more popular this time around, but still. They have one classic album. If the follow-up isn't very good, it's going to diminish the band's legacy. It must be a really tough choice to have to make: Have one great album and retain a flawless legacy, but never release another album or release a new album and risk everything.

But then again, those guys never liked their debut in the first place. So maybe it's not a tough choice.

Strokes Rarities
This site has a couple of really old, unreleased, Strokes tracks along with one of their live covers of "Clampdown". (link via Largehearted Boy)

New Guns N Roses Album
Betcha thought it was gonna be Chinese Democracy. Nope. That album is so never coming out. This new record is a best of. You can see the tracklisting here.

Spiffy. The Pixies now have a website.

School of Rock
A class of college students analyzes the lyrics to Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out", with interesting results.

This article reminds me of a horrible, but hilarious lit class I had in high school. The teacher would always ask us what the symbolism was...in practically every paragraph of the books we read. Even in instances where there clearly was none. We quickly figured this out, especially one kid in the class, who consistently came up with the dumbest explanations (on purpose), which the teacher accepted. Meanwhile, the rest of us wanted to kill ourselves.

Teacher: What is the symbolism behind the name Mersault?

Kid (in dramatic, totally obvious bullshitting voice): Well, "sault" sounds a lot like salt. I think the author is trying to say that he is like a salt crystal. He has so many different sides, and so much to share with the world, yet he keeps it all packed inside.

Teacher: Good!

Kid 2: But Camus was French! Don't they have another word for salt??

Teacher: Oh, that's true.

Kid 2 (incrediby agitated): Didn't you minor in French??

One time I said that the horse in a Robert Frost poem represented society. Well, I guess the class wasn't a total waste. I'm an excellent bullshitter.

Love Hurts
I was supposed to put these up last Monday, you know, for Valentine's Day, but then I forgot. So I'm putting them up now, because I can.

"Love Hurts"- Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris

This also could have gone with the theme of two weeks ago, Covers That Are Actually Good. It's so sad and beautiful at the same time. It's as if they're mourning the death of their own romantic idealism. I'd sound like an idiot trying to describe the greatness of this song, so you'll just have to listen to it.

"Devil Got My Woman"- Skip James

You may remember this as the song Enid falls in love with in Ghost World. Blues singers are fascinating to me, because their voices are absolutely terrible. Every single one I've ever heard. However, the more awful they sound, the more poignant their lyrics. The worse the recording, the more authentic it seems. In the south, bluesmen would perform in 'jukes', shacks out in the middle of the woods. I can just see this guy drunk, depressed, and playing to three people in one of those joints.

"She's Got You"- Patsy Cline

Country music, the stuff that doesn't suck, that is, is pretty similar to blues, in that the music will not tell you the story, you have to hang on the singer's every word. Also, a good country singer will have a mournful voice, just like blues singers, except unlike blues singers, they can actually sing.

Anyway, this is my favorite Patsy Cline song. It's very simple, yet very effective. She's basically surveying her souvenirs from a failed relationship, and realizing that the various objects are worthless without the guy who gave them to her.

And there's some news...
Two days ago, Rivers Cuomo made a surprise appearance during Matt Sharp's set at Cal State Fullerton. More here.

It would be cool if they got Sharp BACK IN THE BAND. For those who don't know, Sharp was the bassist for The Blue Album and the classic Pinkerton. In other words, the band's good albums.

Download The Grey Album
You've probably heard about Danger Mouse's The Grey Album, which is a mashup of the vocals from Jay-Z's The Black Album with the music from the Beatles' White Album. EMI (the company that owns the Beatles catalog) sent out a ton of cease and desist orders, even to kids selling the album on eBay. Well, you can get the album here right now, but I'm not sure for how long.

[Note: The page loads VERY slowly, but if you give it time it'll eventually come up. Patience, Grasshopper. From the tracks I've listened to so far, it's worth it.]

Tracklisting For New Wilco Album
According to the band's mailing list, A Ghost Is Born should be released on June 8.

The tracklisting is reportedly:

At least that's what you said
Hell is Chrome
Spiders (kidsmoke)
Muzzle of Bees
Hummingbird
Handshake drugs
Company in my back
I'm a wheel
Wishful thinking
Late greats
Theologians
Less than you think

The Worst Poem of All Time
I was gonna post this tomorrow, for Valentine's Day, but whatever. My friend's 16-year-old brother wrote this unbelievably atrocious (and extremely hilarious poem) to get a date with some girl. It includes lines like the following:

You love is a third degree burn
My stomach is what you churn
Your love gives me butterflies
With your love i'm in the sky

and.....
My life is just a waste
I love the way you taste
I don't need an attourney
My love with you a journey

If you want to read the whole thing, click here.

Doesn't need an attorney? What the hell is he talking about? Unless before he wrote this the girl threatened to get a restraining order...

You know, I'm not going to make fun of it anymore. The poem makes fun of itself.

Queens of the Stone Age Split
Well, technically Nick Oliveri and Mark Lanegan left, but since Josh Homme and Oliveri were the core members, this looks an awful lot like a split. The whole thing comes as a surprise since the band was claiming this most recent lineup would be in place for awhile.

Courtney Love Skips Court Date
...cites 'security concerns'. Does she sit around and try to come up with ways she can make bad situations worse?

Hear The New Hives Song!
You can hear the whole awards show they performed at on real player by clicking here. "Walk Idiot Walk" is at 34:20. The song is different from the blitzkrieg punk on Veni Vidi Vicious, but it's still pretty cool.

Brilliant Doors/ Blondie Mashup
Audiojunkies is hosting a killer mashup, "Rapture Riders", by Go Home Productions. It's Jim Morrison singing "Riders on the Storm" over Blondie's "Rapture". It'll probably only be up for a couple more days, so if it sounds like something you'd want, you'd better pick it up now.

Coachella Additions
It's been a while since I've looked at the lineup on coachella.com, and I've noticed some changes have been made.

Saturday:
Sparta
Mindless Self Indulgence
Da Lata
Savath & Savalas

Sunday:
Donald Glaude
Elefant
Richard Fearless
Danger Mouse
Thelonious Monster
Pretty Girls Make Graves
Eyedea & Abilities

Noise Pop Festival Looks Pretty Cool
Yeah, I'd definitely check this out if I were in the Bay Area. The list of bands confirmed includes Super Furry Animals, British Sea Power, and the Detroit Cobras, to name a few. But if you're like me, and can't make it, you can still listen to some mp3s of artists who are appearing.

Pazz and Jop Poll Released
Check it out here. As usual, it's pretty predictable, with Outkast picking up both Best Album and Best Single honors.

What?? Electic Six only got #11 for "Danger! High Voltage"??

"Death Letter" Download
White Stripes fans have heard the band play "Death Letter" a zillion times, but what they might not have heard is the original version by Son House. Bornbackwards is hosting a download of the song (as well as the White Stripes' studio version) here.

Also, if you missed the Stripes' performance at the Grammys, you can download it here. It's a great performance.

I Want to Fly A Helicopter, Not Look At A Bunch Of Crazy Dials
The Onion does it again.

Um, there's not a whole lot of news to comment on...so you know what that means...
Bootlegs!

Uncle Tupelo's last show
"Truck Drivin Man" is pretty cool. Can you ever really go wrong when putting a fiddle in a song?

Iggy Pop, live in New York, 1988
To my understanding, the song "Johanna" was a Stooges outtake that never made it onto record.

The Pogues, live in Dublin, 1986
For those unfamiliar with the Pogues, I would suggest "Sally MacLenanne".

Plus, there's a bunch of new links in the "Coachella Audio" section.

Can You Believe This??
MTV, not content to let the Superbowl Incident go, is now removing eight "hot button" videos from regular rotation, placing them in the graveyard shift (between 10pm and 6am). FMQB reports that Britney Spears, Maroon 5, and Blink 182 had videos that were moved, and Incubus' latest video was deemed inappropriate for primetime because there's an Adolf Hitler-type character in it.

"We support the creative community, but we have to take into account what's in the culture right now," an MTV spokesperson told the Times. "It's part of our responsibility as broadcasters."

WHAT?? Since when did MTV care about things like 'responsibility'? They had no problem airing orgies on television until this asinine fuss about a bared breast came up. Does this mean they'll stop showing episodes of the Real World, you know, that show where people regularly fuck in the jacuzzi? Cause if they keep airing those, they're really going to look like hypocrites.

On the other hand, this programming shift may inspire people to, oh, I don't know, DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT with their videos, as opposed to having naked models running around. If this new policy is done right, it may prevent more idiotic attempts to shock people.

Although, the Incubus video isn't about sex. I haven't seen the video, so I don't know if it's attempting to make some kind of political statment, or if it's just using a Hitler figure to be shocking. If it's attempting to make a statement, couldn't this be considered a form of censorship? I mean, I imagine under this policy that they'll put someone like Marilyn Manson's videos in the graveyard shift. But while Manson's videos often display disturbing imagery, he uses it to make a point. Most of the time. Will artists no longer be allowed to do this?

I wonder what the hell the MTV suits were thinking when they came up with this idea. Is this an attempt to placate the FCC? Wait...what am I saying...of course it is. They're just trying to save their asses. Yeah, MTV is SO badass and revolutionary!

Jack White Peel Session
Looks like Jack White recorded a few songs on the John Peel show a few days ago. Check them out here. I like the Loretta Lynn and Blanche covers.

Grammy Rundown, If Anyone Cares
Billboard has an article here. Outkast won Best Album, so that's pretty cool. I read in some other article somewhere that the White Stripes won Best Alternative Album and Best Rock Song.

The Pixies Love Canada
Well, it sure looks that way when you check out their warm-up tour dates.

90s Nostalgia
[Edited: noon] That's this week's mp3 theme. These songs were all over modern rock radio in Detroit in the mid 90s. I have a ton of songs by 90s one hit wonders, but these are the cream of the crop.

"Devil's Diary"- The Caulfields
This song seems to be a parody of the Beatles' "We're bigger than Jesus!" statment. A friend of mine said the song is blasphemous, but I think it's funny. How can a song with the line "I'm stagediving/ off the church/ of the holier than thou" not be funny?

"Rocket Ride"- The Dwellers
It's so cheesy, yet so good. I actually had this band's album, and if they had only beaten the Goo Goo Dolls to the punch, they might have actually had a career beyond this one song.

"I Got a Girl"- Tripping Daisy
My friends and I always thought the twist ending was pretty funny. We were easily amused.

"Molly"- Sponge
Is this song about Molly Ringwald? I remember people always asked that back in the day. Probably because the song is called "Molly" and there's the line, "sixteen candles down the drain". I also remember a dj had to clear up a lyrical misunderstanding. Apparently they're not singing "cigarette stains on your ass", it's "cigarette stains on your HANDS". I think one of the dudes from this band is now a member of the Detroit Cobras.

Guardian Article Roundup
I'm going to try to remember to do this every weekend, since the Guardian has so many interesting articles. This week:

Here's a fascinating piece of ruminations about the cult of the dead rock star, Gram Parsons' life, the strange evens surrounding his death, and the writer's own obsession with his music.

This article suggests that giving artists complete creative control over their music may not be such a great idea.

The Darkness Sell Out the Henry Fonda In 3 Minutes
At least that's what the Ticketmaster guy at Tower told me. And I was right at the Ticketmaster window at the Robinsons May downtown at 10, only to find that it was closed. So I took a subway and then a bus to get to Tower, only to find I'm 2 hours too late. Weak!

Oh, and since when did it cost $20 to see a show at the Troubadour? This is getting ridiculous.

Some Cool Songs
Here are a couple of Stereo Total songs that I'm digging right now:

"Prends Moi"

"LA, CA, USA"

Van Gogh. Goya. Asheton? Pop?

Listen to Coachella Artists
Since the official lineup has been announced, we don't really need the rumor list anymore. But I thought it might be cool to put together an mp3/media list of the bands so that we could listen to some of their stuff ahead of time (and more than just one song), so we'd know who to see. Especially since there's so many different genres represented at Coachella, hopefully this will give rock fans a chance to hear some of the electronic and rap groups and vice versa. So if you're interested, click on the "Coachella Audio" thing in the left column.

Official Coachella Lineup Released!

Coachella Update!
Pretty Girls Make Graves are confirmed for Coachella, via their official site.

Cursive are further confirmed on their message board.

Both bands mention they're psyched to see The Pixies. Whether this means that they'll be playing Saturday or just hanging out for the show is anyone's guess.

Basement Jaxx have said on their official site that they'll be playing Sunday.

And the official word from Goldenvoice is now supposed to be revealed Monday.

Bootlegs and Stuff

This Stone Roses gig (Glasgow Green, 6/9/90) is pretty cool.

This is a bunch of covers by Pavement. My 8th grade history teacher made us watch the 'America Rock' episode of Schoolhouse Rock all the time, so the cover of "No More Kings" cracks me up.

And in the spirit of Coachella, here's a Kraftwerk gig from 1981.

Huge Coachella Update
The NME has confirmed 12 bands we didn't already know (for sure) were going to be there. Looks like all of the bands confirmed by Mean Street (except the Mars Volta) panned out:

Desert Sessions, BRMC, Turbonegro, Junior Senior, Black Keys, Cursive, Future Sound of London, Hieroglyphics, Sparta, The Sounds, Stereolab, Thursday

NME claims it is the full list as of press time, but there's no way in hell this will be the whole lineup. I only counted 36 bands here. Plus, there are people like Erase Errata, Paul van Dyk, and Mogwai who are confirmed on their own site or their label's site that aren't on this list. And besides,there needs to be at least two major bands to play before The Cure on Sunday.

As for the list we've been keeping, we now have...54 bands confirmed, I believe. Still room for more. Weren't there 77 last year?

Another Coachella Confirmation: Living Legends
Thanks to an email contribution, we have this confirmation from the group's email list:

And we'll also be performing at this year's Coachella Festival which is May 1st & 2nd, but I'm not sure on which day we will be performing yet. That should be tight-there's going to be a gang of people performing there as usual!

Erase Errata Confirmed For Coachella
They're playing May 1, according to their official site. There are also a couple of mp3s there that you can check out if you've never heard of them.

More News
First of all, Death Cab For Cutie will have to be playing Sunday at Coachella, because they're in Vegas on May 1.

Second, Bornbackwards is reporting that the Stooges are going to release a DVD of their Detroit reunion show. Live In Detroit is scheduled for release on March 23. Although, the venue they played at was in Clarkston, which is what? An hour from Detroit? Oh well.

Dammit! Now I Have To Go To San Diego Again!
Tour dates for the Strokes are on the band's site. There are two dates here in LA, at the Universal Ampitheatre (4/1-2), but I'll probably go to Soma in San Diego (3/30), cause it's general admission and a much smaller venue. Now I just have to figure out how the hell I'm going to do that, since I have no car.

Oh, and the Strokes are gonna be on the cover of Filter with Lou Reed. That's pretty cool.

In Other News...
This is the stupidest thing a Gallagher brother has ever gotten in trouble for.

Didn't Jack White say at some point that the Stripes were gonna quit after a certain number of albums? Well, don't worry, he's gonna work on the follow-up to Elephant between now and the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

Johnny Rotten has cursed on television, again, and the network suits are falling all over themselves to apologize for it. Who is offended by swearing anymore? Seriously. Rotten is the current favorite to win the reality show he's on, meanwhile sales of the Sex Pistols' classic Nevermind the Bollocks... are up 184%. If putting rock stars on lame tv shows is getting people to buy decent music...maybe it's a good thing.

Le Tigre Is Going to Coachella
It's confirmed by their booking agency, Flower Booking.

Musical Distractions
Since it's a slow news day, why not check out these mp3s?

Elephant 6 Library
All kinds of goodies from a bunch of E6 bands. If you're not sure where to start, may I suggest Beulah? Great band. Actually, I took the name of this site from one of their songs. And the outtake from The Coast Is Never Clear is great.

White Stripes Peel Sessions
I bought this from some guys selling bootlegs on campus. Totally worth it. I listen to it more often than the studio albums. Now you can have it for free.

The Streets For Coachella
I was sent an email that said Magnum PR has confirmed the Streets (as well as Basement Jaxx and the Crystal Method, but we already knew about them). Unfortunately, I can't find any URL for the company. I'll just add the Streets to the confirmed list and hopefully a URL will show up, or the official word from Goldenvoice.

UGLIEST. LAMP. EVER.

Mogwai Confirmed For Coachella
According to their official site, they're playing Sunday.

This Will Be Either Really Awesome Or Really Lame
Courtney Love is looking for a book deal. Apparently she wants to do an autobiographical journal like she assembled for her late husband.

Also, you can hear some of the songs from her new record here, including "But Julian I'm a Little Older Than You". As much as I hate to say it, I actually agree with a Rolling Stone reviewer. But her voice really does sound busted up. And, um, the songs aren't very good either.

Belle and Sebastian Confirmed For Coachella
They're playing Sunday, according to the band's Official Site.

Meanwhile, Pitchfork tells us a bunch of stuff we already know. I kinda wonder why they cited the Coachella Message Board as the source of the Death Cab for Cutie confirmation...'cause Pitchfork are the ones who started it.

Oh, by the way. First the official lineup was supposed to be announced yesterday. Then it was supposed to be today. Now Goldenvoice is currently saying it will be sometime this week. Stay tuned.

The Making Of 2003's Best Single

Covers That Are Actually Good
Yes, that's the new mp3 theme. Inspired by that awful list from the Guardian that I found over the weekend.
As usual, right click, Save Target As. Mac Users: Click, wait 3 seconds or so, and drag to Save Link to Disk.

"Twist and Shout"- The Beatles
Yeah, everyone has heard this one. Hopefully, I'm going to make you notice something about this song that you've never noticed before. And there's a fun story:

The Beatles recorded their first album, Please Please Me, in one day at Abbey Road studios. That was all the time they were allowed. John walked in that morning with a terrible cold and a sore throat. He treated the throat by alternating between sucking on cough drops and chain smoking. And drinking milk, which I guess is something serious singers NEVER do. The band had used up the majority of their time doing several takes of originals, and as the hours wound down they started recording covers from their live shows. The final cover was "Twist and Shout". For some reason unbeknownst to this day, he decided to strip to the waist and scream out this song. It was supposedly very painful for him to do. The band tried to do a second take, but his voice gave out. So the one you're hearing is actually the first.

I can't really even tell his throat was sore, or that he was in pain...except at around the 23 second mark, where he screams "work it on ouuutttt." Although, instead of out, it sounds more like "owwww." Listen. You can hear it. Moving on...

"Johnny B. Goode" (live)- Jimi Hendrix
Hendrix was probably the best cover artist ever. He's best known for his take on Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" (in concerts, Dylan ditched his version in favor of Hendrix's. Still does.), and you're probably familiar with his rendition of Billy Roberts' "Hey Joe". This song, in my opinion, has been overlooked. I always liked Chuck Berry's version, but I thought that it should be played faster and with more energy. Hendrix wasn't the first to play the song, but he was the first to play it right.

"Fuck Tha Police"- Rage Against the Machine
A cover of the NWA classic, Rage performed this song at a benefit for Mumia Abu-Jamal, a man convicted for killing a Philadelphia police officer. That's why you hear Zack say "I'd like to send a nice, friendly message to the Fraternal Order of Police in Philadelphia..." before launching into the song. The guitar sounds like a siren, and Zack sounds even more pissed than the dudes in NWA.

"I Will Survive"- Cake
Cake slows down Gloria Gaynor's flamboyant, sweeping disco classic and turns it into a sparse, awkward, guitar-based tune. Weird? Yes. But it's brilliant. I really don't know what else to say.

"Hallelujah"- Jeff Buckley
Most of you have probably heard this take on the Leonard Cohen song (or maybe you remember John Cale's rendition in the movie Shrek). But someone out there might not have heard it. And that really bothers me, because I think it's one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, and it's the only song that has ever sent chills down my spine the first time I heard it. If even one person downloads this and hears it for the first time (and enjoys it), it's worth posting. That's how much I love this song.