Nu Rave Brain Wave

So back in 2006, I was in London to see Dirty Pretty Things at Wireless Festival and anyway, I ended up going to another one of the days with Massive Attack or The Flaming Lips or w/e and ended up meeting up with some friends from LA by chance and we went to some stage and watched Metric. After 5 minutes I was like um, lets GTFO and I will never hear them again and will once again enjoy life. Then my friend started sending some advent mp3′s (great idea btw- i know what NRBW’s doing next year) and I downloaded this Bob Dylan cover expecting to hate it, though why I do these things I honestly have no idea… But fuck, this cover is amazing! Emily Haines’ voice sounds really amazing and whoever the male member of metric is – they mix really well and I’ve been listening to this song a lot anyway, but here it is:

They will play at:

Fri-Mar 27, 09 Tallahassee FL Club Down Under
Sat-Mar 28, 09 Miami FL Ultra Music Festival
Sun-Mar 29, 09 Gainesville FL Common Grounds
Mon-Mar 30, 09 Atlanta GA Masquerade
Tue-Mar 31, 09 Carrboro NC Cats Cradle
Wed-Apr 1, 09 Washington DC 9:30 Club
Fri-Apr 3, 09 New York NY Webster Hall
Sat-Apr 4, 09 Boston MA Paradise
Sun-Apr 5, 09 Montreal QC Studio Juste Pour Rire
Mon-Apr 6, 09 Toronto ON The Mod Club
Tue-Apr 7, 09 Cleveland Heights OH Grog Shop
Wed-Apr 8, 09 Chicago IL Metro
Thu-Apr 9, 09 Kansas City MO The Record Bar
Fri-Apr 10, 09 Denver CO Bluebird Theater
Sat-Apr 11, 09 Murray UT Murray Theater
Mon-Apr 13, 09 Vancouver BC Commodore Ballroom
Tue-Apr 14, 09 Seattle WA Neumos
Wed-Apr 15, 09 Portland OR Hawthorne Theater
Thu-Apr 16, 09 San Francisco CA Mezzanine

Look for their follow up to “Cookies” out in Mid-march, with a UK tour around then!!!

I got you a little something for Christmas because even though I’m a total scrooge, I still feel the winter spirit (its 48 degrees outside omg) so, you get a FREE Roses, Kings, Castles show in Los Angeles on December 29th at SPACELAND. Did I mention it’s free? FOR FREE, You get to see Adam play for FREE! I demand everyone show their support.

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If you don’t feel like tilting your head slightly to the right to read the poster, the lineup is:

The Moon Upstairs (really great band, check them out)
Winter Flowers
Exploding Flower
The Lonesome Pines
The Chapin Sisters
Bluniform
Miranda Lee Richards
Magic Mirror
He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister
Lily Marlene
Pam Shaffer

Should be a good night, lots of “famous” faces.

Marathon Live @ Three Clubs Hollywood
1123 Vine St

Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has refused to be drawn on the subject of reforming his old band.

Rumours have been circulating all week that Morrissey and Marr have been speaking again and a reunion could be on the cards.

But the guitarist told BBC 6 Music that he hasn’t “really given it much thought”.

Marr also revealed that he has been mastering the forthcoming Smiths compilation, which is due out next month.

He added: “I think everyone was glad that I stepped up to the breach. I didn’t have to do it, it could have come out anyway – but I just felt like it was doing a disservice to the band and the people who were buying the records.

“Over the years there have been releases of the records and I wasn’t happy with the way they sounded. So I rolled my sleeves up and fixed that, and I’m pretty happy with the way that turned out.”

IT’S TONIGHT! Full deets below…

FREE! ALL AGES!
Doors @ 8:00 PM
The Troubadour
(9081 Santa Monica Boulevard)
West Hollywood, CA
(310) 276-1158

There will be no line ups allowed before noon on Saturday.

If you line up before then, you will be asked to leave. [LOL]

As always, this show is first come first served.

Buddyhead Holiday Party @ Hotel Cafe: December 21, 2008

The Duke Spirit
Dead Meadow
The Entrance Band
Josh Homme (Screaming Trees, Kyuss)
Jeordie ‘Twiggy’ White (Marilyn Manson)
Sweethead (feat. Troy Van Leeuwen of QOTSA)
Aaron North, Troy ‘Boy’ Petrey & Fiends (Jubilee, Rob Gnarley)
Alain Johannes (Eleven)
Nick Jago (BRMC)
Xu Xu Fang
Dean Fertita (QOTSA, The Raconteurs)
Alessandro Cortini (NIN, Modwheelmood)
Wires On Fire
Dios Malos
HT Heartache
Sid Brown (feat. Bryan Brown of Bluebird)
Todd Congelliere (The Underground Railroad To Candyland, Toys That Kill, F.Y.P)
Tony Bevilacqua (Spinnerette, The Distillers, The Drips, Darker My Love, Har Mar Superstar)
Birthday Twin (feat. Fred Sablan of Goon Moon)
Brandon Intelligator & The Sheriffs
Tsk Tsk (The Breeders, Work Sucks, Balloon)
Ryan Ritchie (performing short stories, rantings, poetry, etc.)

…And many, many more VERY special guests to be announced soon! There will also be a photo / art exhibition including contributions (which will also be available for purchase) from Nick Jago, Chrissy Piper, Aaron Farley, Sonny Kay, and Travis Keller. Also, a raffle contest giving YOU the chance to win multiple boxes of over 4,000 brand new, useless, old, and shitty Buddyhead cd’s! Plus giveaways, and various other underwhelming and anticlimactic surprises!!!

Sunday, December 21st, 2008
@ The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood
1623 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd., 90028
Doors @ 7pm
$10
21+

Hotelcafe.com
Buddyhead.com

Geez. What a lineup. My friends and I loved reading the Buddyhead Rules of Rock back when we were wee middle schoolers who solely listened to AFI. Ironic, right?

From Gigwise:
‘Something Is Squeezing My Skull’

Morrissey lays down his intentions for the whole album with ‘Something Is Squeezing My Skull’. It’s a rampant conglomeration of powerful guitar chords, hurtling drumbeats and lyrics that detail the singer’s cathartic state of mind. “I’m doing very well, I can block out the present and the past now,” Morrissey sings as the song opens. “I know by now you think I should have straightened myself out / Thank you, Drop dead.” As guitars continue to swirl aggressively, he talks about there being “no love” and “no hope” in modern life.

‘Mama Lay Softly On The River Bed’

The message is once again heavy with reflection. “Mama, why did you do it? / Mama, who drove you to it?” Morrissey laments as a military drumbeat hits hard in the background. It continues for the following three minutes, as Morrissey evocatively details – one presumes – the fraught experiences of his own mother when he was a still child. It’s a song riddled with questions which Morrissey sounds desperate to find the answer to. “Was it the pigs in grey suits?” he asks tragically. The rather funereal drumbeat colours the whole song alongside occasional flashes of psychedelic guitars.

‘Black Cloud’

After two intense tracks, ‘Black Cloud’ hints at something a little different. A midway acoustic guitar breakdown provides a relaxing pause – albeit one that sounds like it’s taken in a Spanish Tapas bar. Lyrically, Morrissey is still in an intense place of frustration and self-doubt. As his quest for a love he can’t obtain develops, the song’s energy builds amid a hectic climax of raw guitar and powerful, infectious basslines.

‘I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris’

The album’s first single proper, ‘I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris’ is awash with melodic guitar riffs which are reminiscent of Morrissey’s legendary former band, The Smiths. As good as that will sound for some fans, the song develops into a rather uninspiring, wistful effort. “In the absence of your smiling face, I travel all over the place,” Morrissey sings. Again the message is inspired by love – and Morrissey’s inability to obtain it. Here he has to settle for the “steel” of the French city.

‘All You Need Is Me’

Released earlier this year year to coincide with the singer’s greatest hits, ‘All You Need Is Me’ is still the same pompous stomp of thrusting guitars and wails that it was as a single. The bassline gallivants up and down the guitar neck beautifully as well. Suddenly, like the music, Morrissey sounds intent, purposeful again – boasting that his love will “miss me when I’m gone.”

‘When I Last Spoke To Carol’

Six tracks in and a real gem. The Spanish guitar from ‘Black Cloud’ is introduced again along with a brash horn section that gives the whole track a carnival feeling. To the production credit of the late Jerry Finn, the music is a complete juxtaposition to Morrissey’s stunning lyrics, which are some of the darkest on the album. As he sings, “When I said goodbye to Carol, black earth upon the casket fell,” Morrissey sounds like he’s amid an intense bullfight. Sure to be an absolutely unforgettable track live. Morrrissey will do well to keep his shirt on.