tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-187418132024-03-19T04:21:44.018-07:00Read:MezzanineA collection of written work by Scott T. SterlingScotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.comBlogger209125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-88831009825010436052015-12-11T16:51:00.000-08:002015-12-11T17:02:26.410-08:00Not Fade Away: Air’s ‘Talkie Walkie’ Turns 10<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoRHGBfKRONB5ao8sNv6waEg75ACiCDXeOiwhnFHizEaFsXgnHwFx-gbv10wxXT8CM_eZm5kV9gsW4aokDZfw0jx_LlCzXjpw3RdXsEt0JSGR9Wth-Km8slQ5M3_A2JV2fGsrAQ/s1600/sentireascoltare-Air-Band.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKoRHGBfKRONB5ao8sNv6waEg75ACiCDXeOiwhnFHizEaFsXgnHwFx-gbv10wxXT8CM_eZm5kV9gsW4aokDZfw0jx_LlCzXjpw3RdXsEt0JSGR9Wth-Km8slQ5M3_A2JV2fGsrAQ/s640/sentireascoltare-Air-Band.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean-Benoit Dunckel (L) and Nicolas Godin of Air</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>With <a href="http://news.radio.com/tag/not-fade-away/" target="_blank">Not Fade Away</a>,
we take a look at the legacy of some of the greatest albums of the past
few decades – some iconic, some lesser known – as they celebrate
significant anniversaries. Here, we focus on Air’s 2004 full-length</i> Talkie Walkie<i> which turned 10 this month, with a special anniversary reissue package due later this year.</i><br />
<br />
When the band <a href="http://radio.com/tag/Air" target="_blank">Air</a> emerged from Versailles, France, in 1998 with their debut album Moon Safari, the group’s dreamy sound swept over the music world like a cool summer breeze. From the opening instrumental, “La Femme d’Argent,” to the album’s appropriately cheeky left field hit, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC6vZOgYduk" target="_blank">Sexy Boy</a>,”
the duo’s mélange of lounge-intensive ‘60s sounds with the whimsy of
fellow countryman Serge Gainsbourg was an immediate hit in hip,
dimly-lit bedrooms around the world.<br />
<br />
Following <i>Moon Safari, </i>Air released the highly successful film score for Sofia Coppola’s gauzy 1999 movie, <i>The Virgin Suicides. </i>The duo’s upward trajectory stalled a bit with the release of the experimental <i>10,000 Hz Legend (</i>2001). Heavy with Daft Punk-like
vocoder and a dizzying variety of sounds, the relatively muted response
to the record gave the duo a renewed sense of purpose when approaching
its’ follow-up full-length.<br />
<br />
“We were kind of pretentious going into <i>10,000 Hz Legend</i>,” admitted Air’s Nicolas Godin during a recent phone call from France to discuss <i>Talkie Walkie</i>, now 10 years old (it was released on Jan. 27, 2004). “We were kind of full of ourselves after <i>Moon Safari</i>, so there was a lot of ambition on [<i>10,000 Hz Legend</i>]. I think we tried too hard with it. So for <i>Talkie Walkie</i>,
we didn’t have any expectations or particular ambitions. It was just JB
and I, no collaborators,” he said in regards to the band’s other half, Jean-Benoit Dunckel. “We just wanted to make something simple.”<br />
<br />
Over the course of two interviews, both Godin and Dunckel looked back on <i>Talkie Walkie</i>
with palpable fondness, placing it high in their personal rankings of
the band’s discography. They answered questions honestly and frankly,
particularly Dunckel, whose personal recollections of the time bordered
on the TMI (more on that later).<br />
<br />
Both members agree that Air is taking 2014 off to work on individual
projects, including the first solo release from Godin (“all I can say is
that it sounds nothing at all like anything I’ve ever done”) and
Dunckel releasing the second album by <a href="http://www.tomorrowsworld.fr/" target="_blank">Tomorrow’s World</a>,
a collaboration with vocalist Lou Hayter) but plan to reconvene for a
new Air album and tour in 2015. In the meantime, they’re sifting through
outtakes and live tracks from the era for a special 10th anniversary <i>Talkie Walkie</i> reissue.<br />
<br />
<b>Did you have any other concepts in mind for <i>Talkie Walkie</i>, other than it just being the two of you? </b><br />
<b>Nicolas Godin</b>: I also wanted to have no bass lines on the
album, even though I’m known as a pretty good bass player. The only bass
line is on ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-9c-FIaWCw" target="_blank">Biological</a>,’ and that’s because the song was recorded before I decided to make an album with no bass lines. So we kept it in anyway.<br />
<br />
<b>Jean-Benoit Dunckel:</b> We were not in our big studio. We were in a small place in Bastille that we rented from a guy that used to have a music <a class="itxtnewhook itxthook" href="http://radio.com/2014/01/27/not-fade-away-airs-talkie-walkie-turns-10/#" id="itxthook1" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; display: inline; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook1p"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook1w" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #009900; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; padding: 0px 0px 1px ! important; text-decoration: underline ! important;">store</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" id="itxthook1icon" style="margin-bottom: 0px!important; margin-left: 0px!important; margin-right: 0px!important; margin-top: 0px!important; padding-bottom: 0px!important; padding-left: 4px!important; padding-right: 0px!important; padding-top: 0px!important; vertical-align: baseline!important;" /></span></a>. It looked a bit like a ski lodge, with wood on the walls. We wanted to make pop songs, but with a lounge, dreamy vibe. <i>10,000 Hz Legend </i>was more experimental, trying to be more crazy. We were really trying to find the perfect pop song with <i>Talkie Walkie</i>.<br />
<br />
<b>What was it like working with Nigel Godrich on the album? </b><br />
<b>NG:</b> Nigel was great. He is one of the best producers in the world, and he helped us a lot on <i>TW</i>.
He was able to show us little things that would make the songs that
much better. The songs were already quite simple and straightforward,
and he gave it them that special touch.<br />
<br />
<b>JBD:</b> I like to think of Nigel as the guardian of the mood on <i>Talkie Walkie</i>.
Like on “Cherry Blossom Girl,” I wanted to redo some of the vocals. So I
went into the studio and recorded more vocals for it, but Nigel didn’t
like them. He preferred the original take, even though there were some
minor mistakes. He really helped us maintain the spirit throughout the
whole album. It was kind of difficult in that he was working with other
artists, like Radiohead at the time and wasn’t always around. We had a
lot of fun, actually.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Talkie Walkie</i> includes the song ‘Alone in Kyoto,’ which was originally featured in the movie <i>Lost in Translation</i>. How did working with Sofia Coppola on <i>Virgin Suicides</i> and then again on <i>Lost in Translation</i> affect the band and your approach to making music? </b><br />
<b>NG:</b> Working with her was fantastic. It’s like
working with a friend. I have nothing but fond memories of Sofia. Being
the director, she was often busy with filming, but (music supervisor)
Brian Reitzell was right there with us along the way. We put “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWgPljqOzWM" target="_blank">Alone in Kyoto</a>” on <i>TW</i>
because when we finished recording the album, we didn’t have enough
songs (laughs). We thought to just put it on there to fill out the
album, and it’s gone on to become a fan favorite that always gets a
great response when we perform it live.<br />
<br />
<b>JBD:</b> The success of <i>The Virgin Suicides</i> was
very important for us in France, where we have a very special
relationship with cinema. We were much more respected in our country
after the success of that film score. Before that, I think we were seen
(by the French) as just a couple of guys doing light, easy music that
was kind of clever.<br />
<br />
<b>Is there a track on <i>Talkie Walkie</i> that stands out for you?</b><br />
<b>NG:</b> I love the song “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWh3uK9qY-A" target="_blank">Venus</a>.” As a child, I was very taken with <a href="http://radio.com/tag/John-Lennon" target="_blank" title="Kendrick Lamar, Imagine Dragons Team Up for ‘Radioactive’ Remix">John Lennon</a>’s
first solo album, which was mostly just his voice and piano. With
‘Venus,” I wanted to make my version of something from that first Lennon
solo album. I also quite like the song ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zwfKTBiXfo" target="_blank">Run</a>.’
‘Cherry Blossom Girl’ is also a favorite, as it was our second big hit
after “Sexy Boy.” We’re not the kind of band to have very many hit
songs, so when we do manage to create one, it’s a big deal for us.<br />
<br />
<b>JBD:</b> “Cherry Blossom Girl” and “Alone in Kyoto” both worked really well. I think that <i>Talkie Walkie</i>
is maybe the most important album for Air, because it was very
successful commercially, and in a lot of ways legitimized us as a band.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wcUrEn7xmNE" width="420"></iframe> </div>
<br />
<b>There’s an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7VtOpKfMqo" target="_blank">alternate version</a> of “Cherry Blossom Girl” that features Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star on vocals. How did that take come about? </b><br />
<b>NG:</b> We’d seen Mazzy Star play in France, and the experience
was just so slow and beautiful. We were quite moved by the show, and
inspired to write the slowest Air song ever, so we wrote “Cherry Blossom
Girl” with her in mind, and she was kind enough to sing it for us. It
didn’t work for the album, since it ended up just being JB and I on the
record, but that version is very special to me.<br />
<br />
<b>Lyrically, it feels like a very personal album </b><br />
<b>NG:</b> Yes, after a couple of albums, artists tend to get kind of
narrow-minded and just focus on themselves. JB and I aren’t any
different (laughs). The album definitely captures a special moment in
time for the band. It was just JB and I in a small home studio, with a little drum machine writing these very simple songs. It’s a very cute album. I love <i>Talkie Walkie</i>. It’s a very special record to me. As a kid, I dreamed of making a classic album, and I think we achieved that with <i>Talkie Walkie</i>. It’s such a great feeling to realize that dream. To me, <i>Moon Safari</i>, <i>Talkie Walkie</i> and <i>The Virgin Suicides</i> are classic albums that I’m very proud of creating.<br />
<br />
<b>JBD:</b> It was extremely personal for me. That year I ended a
15-year relationship, so I opened myself to a world of sex (laughs). It
was kind of like becoming a teenager again, or in my case, for the first
time. I really had no experience with the opposite sex. I could express
myself with a keyboard, but not with a woman. I think a lot of those
emotions definitely made their way onto <i>Talkie Walkie</i>. It was a time of sexual hope.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://radio.com/2014/01/27/not-fade-away-airs-talkie-walkie-turns-10/" target="_blank"><i>Originally published on Radio.com 1/27/2014</i></a>) Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-23600096358731370742015-12-11T16:28:00.004-08:002015-12-11T16:30:46.098-08:00Not Fade Away: The Strokes’ ‘Room on Fire’ Turns 10<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_toaRskxZ1g55NyOl1EHCnmVHmoh6QFFDYMKXLmf2j0wGydzz02Aqy51_mXSEz6MI7Vlb0kIIbpO52sYsO0GPBQ8nkAGrzC3xuCnDagzMnHB_50of8OIP56dP8x3T-3OlwdQfg/s1600/Strokes_f3_40x30600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_toaRskxZ1g55NyOl1EHCnmVHmoh6QFFDYMKXLmf2j0wGydzz02Aqy51_mXSEz6MI7Vlb0kIIbpO52sYsO0GPBQ8nkAGrzC3xuCnDagzMnHB_50of8OIP56dP8x3T-3OlwdQfg/s640/Strokes_f3_40x30600.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>(The Strokes circa 2003, Dean Chalkley/NME)</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i> In <a href="http://news.radio.com/tag/not-fade-away/" target="_blank">Not Fade Away</a>,
we take a look at the legacy of some of the greatest albums of the past
few decades – some iconic, some lesser known – as they celebrate
significant anniversaries. Here, we focus on New York garage-rock icons
the Strokes’ sophomore album, </i>Room on Fire, <i>and how its’ fiercest competition came from the band’s own catalog.</i><br />
<br />
It was late October of 2003 when the Strokes released the band’s second album, <i>Room on Fire</i>.
The album was recorded over the summer of that year, after two solid
years on the road supporting their wildly received debut, <i>Is This It</i>.<br />
<br />
With that 2001 debut, the Strokes had vaulted to the front
of the indie rock nation, the band’s denim and leather swagger all but
personifying New York City cool at the dawn of the new millennium. The
quintet’s road-honed chops from the <i>Is This It</i> tour were not lost on the band’s producer, Gordon Raphael.<br />
<br />
“What was really awesome about [the <i>Room on Fire</i> sessions] was
when they came in that first day, this was a band that had been on tour
for two years straight, playing concert after concert,” Raphael recalled
during an interview from a Seattle studio during a break while
recording the band Red Martian. “The level of ability, tightness and
power that they gained from that tour was unbelievably noticeable when
they came back. They were not this fun, basement-y band anymore. They
sounded more like Led Zeppelin than the Velvet Underground. It was so
huge sounding. They still had the attitude and having fun, but they sounded like incredibly powerful and accomplished musicians.”<br />
<br />
Raphael had a bird’s eye view of the Strokes’ rapid rise to indie rock
notoriety, having produced the band’s initial rush of releases, from
their debut 3-song <i>The Modern Age</i> EP through the first two studio albums, <i>Is This It</i> and the follow-up, <i>Room on Fire</i>.
His relationship with the band is enduring, as emerging outfits
consistently enlist his services hoping for just a touch of what he
brought to those hallowed recordings.<br />
<br />
“The day I arrived in the studio, they played me <i>Room on Fire</i> in
its entirety, like, ‘here’s what we’re gonna do,’ and just ran through
every song live right there,” the producer recalled. “So it wasn’t like
three months of wondering what the parts were going to be or developing
ideas. The songs were done, the parts were done, and Julian
[Casablancas, the band’s singer] just wanted three months of making
every tone and every performance perfect."<br />
<br />
The recording got off to something of a rough start, with Raphael coming
in to reprise his role manning the boards only after the band found
itself unhappy with early sessions overseen by producer Nigel Godrich of
Radiohead fame.<br />
<br />
“There was no weirdness from anybody. I took over<i> Is This It</i>
from another producer, too,” Raphael laughed. “They started both records
with different producers. We dealt with it in the moment, moved on and
never thought about it again.”<br />
<br />
After recording <i>Is This It</i> in Raphael’s modest personal studio, the album’s success found them in TMF Studios for <i>Room on Fire</i>, a facility the producer had discovered working with Regina Spektor on her 2005 full-length, <i>Soviet Kitsch</i>. “They
wanted to keep a lot of the identity they’d created on the first album
in the small studio, but here we were in a very big room with a lot of
gear at our disposal, and more time.”<br />
<br />
With a larger room, “The mood and they lyrics were considerably heavier [on <i>Room on Fire</i>],”
Raphael mused. “Whatever caused that I can only speculate. There were
personal things and romantic things going on with certain band members.
The sheer joyous, party, happy, cut loose kind of thing that might have
been on the first record was gone.”<br />
<br />
Led by first single, “12:51” (with a synthesized guitar melody that would’ve sounded right <a class="itxtnewhook itxthookactive" href="http://radio.com/2013/10/28/not-fade-away-the-strokes-room-on-fire-turns-10/#" id="itxthook2" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; display: inline; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook2p"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook2w" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #009900; font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; padding: 0px 0px 1px ! important; text-decoration: underline ! important;">at home</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" id="itxthook2icon" style="margin-bottom: 0px!important; margin-left: 0px!important; margin-right: 0px!important; margin-top: 0px!important; padding-bottom: 0px!important; padding-left: 4px!important; padding-right: 0px!important; padding-top: 0px!important; vertical-align: baseline!important;" /></span></a> on the Cars’ 1979 classic, <i>Candy-O</i>), <i>Room on Fire</i>
did indeed come with denser and more muscular arrangements. Songs like
“Reptilia” and “The End Has No End” brought new dynamics to the band’s
early catalog.<br />
<br />
While the album was for the <a href="http://www.metacritic.com/music/room-on-fire/the-strokes" target="_blank">most part positively received by critics and fans alike, </a>there has long been the general sense that <i>Room on Fire</i> will forever exist in the shadow of <i>Is This It</i>, and that in retrospect, the 2003 version of the Strokes has yet to truly collect the accolades it deserves.<br />
<br />
“There’s a phenomenon when you hear something brand new for the first
time. Part of what makes you go crazy is you’ve never heard anything
like it before,” Raphael said of <i>Room on Fire</i>‘s status in relation to <i>Is This It</i>.
“So even though the second record may have much more powerful
musicianship with lots of interesting stuff going on, they’ll never
recapture the feeling of some 15-year-old hearing the Strokes for the
first time. They had a lot of competition from their own impact when
they made <i>Room on Fire.”</i><br />
<br />
While the Strokes continued to evolve and move further away from the
bare-bones sound of the band’s first string of recordings, Raphael says
his door is always open if they ever wanted to reconvene and tackle
another round of new music together.<br />
<br />
“I have fond memories of every moment I have to do with the Strokes. Maybe getting fired from making the third album (<i>First Impressions of Earth</i>)
wasn’t one of my favorite moments, but it’s a good story,” he admitted.
“There was definitely hard work involved in both albums, like really
pushed to the limit kind of stuff, but certainly all within the realms
of fantastic adventure and good spirit.”<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://radio.com/2013/10/28/not-fade-away-the-strokes-room-on-fire-turns-10/" target="_blank"><i>Originally published on Radio.com 10/28/2013</i></a>) <br />
<br />
<i> </i> Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-54201744441211797872015-12-11T15:16:00.003-08:002015-12-11T15:18:21.640-08:00Opinion: From Run the Jewels to J. Cole, how today's musicians carry on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn73xITEtT51Q0WazDL3lFc-_w6MMYu50znTgj7fkpH25ONIij8w3XMzB0gkQY5b94cKYGikjiXcqvd2aoyMI1ibP_4AMJ4KI8bmSZ2_HvRdXQtF1lSxxoj_ARZkSTe1NL6xBgbQ/s1600/run-the-jewels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn73xITEtT51Q0WazDL3lFc-_w6MMYu50znTgj7fkpH25ONIij8w3XMzB0gkQY5b94cKYGikjiXcqvd2aoyMI1ibP_4AMJ4KI8bmSZ2_HvRdXQtF1lSxxoj_ARZkSTe1NL6xBgbQ/s640/run-the-jewels.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Run The Jewels @ Coachella 2015</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the recent 2015 <a href="http://content.p2p.tila.trb/content_items/edit/82556506#" target="_blank">Golden Globe Awards</a>, show host <a href="http://content.p2p.tila.trb/content_items/edit/82556506#" target="_blank">Tina Fey</a>
delivered one of the most poignant and effective jokes of the evening
in regards to the multi-nominated film “Selma,” based on the Dr. <a href="http://content.p2p.tila.trb/content_items/edit/82556506#" target="_blank">Martin Luther King, Jr.</a>-led voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. <br />
“The movie ‘Selma’ is about the American Civil Rights movement,” <a href="http://youtu.be/V_XUSOLVRzA?t=7m35s" target="_blank">Fey quipped</a> ironically during the opening monologue, “that totally worked and now everything’s fine.”<br />
<br />
Nominated in five categories, it was the John Legend and <a href="http://content.p2p.tila.trb/content_items/edit/82556506#" target="_blank">Common</a>
song from the film, “Glory,” that would take home “Selma’s” only award
that night. “As I got to know the people of the civil rights movement, I
realized I am the hopeful black woman who was denied her right to vote.
I am the caring white supporter killed on the front lines of freedom. I
am the unarmed black kid who maybe needed a hand, but instead was given
a bullet. I am the two fallen police officers murdered in the line of
duty. 'Selma' has awakened my humanity,” <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-golden-globes-2015-rapper-common-selma-glory-speech-20150111-story.html" target="_blank">Common said in his acceptance speech</a>.<br />
<br />
At a time when waves of civil unrest continue to ripple across America in light of <a href="http://content.p2p.tila.trb/content_items/edit/82556506#" target="_blank">Michael Brown</a>
and Eric Garner’s deaths at the hands of police under what can safely
be called murky circumstances, citizens are taking to the streets (and
in some cases, <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-black-brunch-20150105-story.html" target="_blank">popular brunch spots</a>) in protests that have become more common than in years.<br />
<br />
The
current state of race relations in America has sparked the world of
music to respond in myriad ways, even among some claims that some of the
most visible and influential musicians have been mute on the situation.<br />
<br />
“I
urge and challenge musicians and artists alike to push themselves to be
a voice of the times that we live in,” said Roots drummer Ahmir
“Questlove” Thompson implored <a href="http://instagram.com/p/wMVJ3AQa8p/" target="_blank">via Instagram</a>.
“We need new Dylans. New Public Enemys. New Simones. New De La Roachas…
Seriously just ONE or Two songs that change the course.”<br />
<br />
Rappers like <a href="http://content.p2p.tila.trb/content_items/edit/82556506#" target="_blank">J. Cole</a>
were already there, having penned the moving song, “Be Free,” last
August after Michael Brown was shot dead by police officer Darren Wilson
on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., using a December appearance on “Late
Night With David Letterman” to perform the track instead of promoting
one from his recently released and chart-topping album, “2014 Forest
Hills Drive.” “There ain’t no drink out there that can numb my soul,” <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-j-cole-be-free-ferguson-david-letterman-20141211-story.html" target="_blank">he sang in the stirring performance</a>. “All we want to do is take the chains off/All we want to do is be free.”<br />
<br />
Reclusive R&B artist D’Angelo was moved to rush-release his long-awaited (more than 14 years long, to be exact) <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-dangelo-releases-black-messiah-his-politically-charged-new-album-20141215-column.html" target="_blank">third full-length, “Black Messiah,”</a>
after a grand jury chose not to indict Darren Wilson for Brown’s death.
While not overtly political in content, D’Angelo contends in the liner
notes that the album is "about people rising up in Ferguson and in Egypt
and in <a href="http://content.p2p.tila.trb/content_items/edit/82556506#" target="_blank">Occupy Wall Street</a> and in every place where a community has had enough and decides to make change happen.”<br />
<br />
Other
artists have taken a more direct and personal approach, none more so
than hip-hop super-group Run the Jewels and rapper Michael “Killer Mike”
Render in particular. The band was coincidentally booked to perform in
St. Louis the same night as the grand jury’s non-indictment, and it hit
Render hard. Instead of the group’s show opening to the strains of
Queen’s classic rock song, “We Are the Champions,” he delivered an
emotional address to the audience: “I have a 20-year-old son and a
12-year-old son, and I am so afraid for them today,” he admitted while
choking back tears.<br />
<br />
Render’s passion led him to <a href="http://www.stereogum.com/1700293/watch-killer-mike-discuss-the-ferguson-crisis-on-cnn/video/" target="_blank">speak on the situation on CNN</a> as well as <a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6221865/op-ed-killer-mike-on-the-problems-underlying-the-chaos-in-ferguson" target="_blank">pen an op-ed article</a>
for Billboard to further amplify the frustration and outrage felt by so
many African-American across the country. “The police are paid by the
public and carry a public trust, and they take an oath to protect us as
citizens. The police have lost sight of that and must be reminded that
we pay them to protect us, not to simply engage and cage us,” he wrote.<br />
<br />
Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s enormous sacrifices for human rights set into
motion so much of what we’re seeing on the streets of America today.
While the visions of equality he spoke of in his life-changing “I Have a
Dream” speech have yet to be fully realized, he was paramount in
generating the idea that people can instigate change through unity, in
lifting their voices in protest against injustice and oppression,
refusing to accept the status quo of institutionalized racism that’s
still a part of America’s very fabric.<br />
<br />
While a song is not going
to end racism in America, music and musicians can inspire people to take
matters into their own hands and work toward a better, safer and more
just world to live in and leave behind for generations to follow.behind for generations to follow.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.latimes.com/opinion/opinion-la/la-ol-martin-luther-king-jr-day-run-the-jewels-j-cole-civil-rights-20150116-story.html" target="_blank"><i>Originally published on L.A. Times 1/19/2015</i></a>) Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-66503180963179989702015-12-11T15:06:00.002-08:002015-12-11T15:07:40.028-08:00Jonesy's Jukebox, as Irreverent as Ever, Returns to Daytime Radio<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCBlWeV-ejlIzl6VPDXTaO9K_cZanfkcl6z5ULu18WEjdFHyFe-xmgW3Fh0UjSe6ec5kry_g3ZWE4TwIBVh1WNGGL_m0dvzUT2gkMwk0UX9ZuIIBLY1tzmcwhj95qe58kUF8DUQ/s1600/music1-1_11-19-15-5d674937ade18ac8.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCBlWeV-ejlIzl6VPDXTaO9K_cZanfkcl6z5ULu18WEjdFHyFe-xmgW3Fh0UjSe6ec5kry_g3ZWE4TwIBVh1WNGGL_m0dvzUT2gkMwk0UX9ZuIIBLY1tzmcwhj95qe58kUF8DUQ/s640/music1-1_11-19-15-5d674937ade18ac8.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
It's a whirlwind of activity around the broadcast studio of 95.5 KLOS
FM, as Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and producer Mark Sovel make
last-minute preparations for the second episode of <i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i> on the venerable classic-rock radio station.<br />
<br />
They
get everything situated just as the clock strikes noon, and kick off
the show with a ticket giveaway to see reunited '90s shoegaze heroes
Ride at the Wiltern. After that, it's free-form FM radio at its finest.
Jones cues up an eclectic mix of music, including AC/DC, Peter Green–era
Fleetwood Mac, Ronnie James Dio and Sniff 'n' the Tears' lone hit from
1978, "Driver's Seat."<br />
<br />
Jones interrupts the music to tell a story
about relieving himself on Elvis Presley's grave. Then he welcomes the
show's guest, actor-comedian Fred Armisen, whom he's known since the
'80s. Armisen takes the opportunity to interview Jones as much as Jones
interviews him, getting the guitarist to open up about his childhood and
relationships with both his father and stepfather.<br />
<br />
It all makes for exceedingly riveting radio, harkening back to the all-too-brief run of <i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i> on its first home, Indie 103.1 FM.<br />
<br />
Between Christmas Day 2003 and January 2009, Indie 103 snuck onto L.A.'s
airwaves to deliver a vast expanse of alternative music, from
then-burgeoning local bands The Airborne Toxic Event, Giant Drag and She
Wants Revenge to a deep well of classic alt-rock and proto-punk icons
such as Joy Division, New York Dolls and The Stooges.<br />
<br />
At the heart of Indie's appeal was weekday lunchtime show <i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i>,
which found the former Sex Pistols guitarist hosting two hours of
completely off-the-cuff radio, waxing on about his own experiences in
the roller-coaster world of rock with an enviable who's who of guests
such as Johnny Ramone, Jerry Lee Lewis and fellow ex-Pistol John Lydon.<br />
<br />
<i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i> survived the dissolution of Indie 103 in various
forms, resurfacing online and for a brief stint on KROQ Sunday nights.
But the show now is experiencing its splashiest revival yet, returning
to the daytime airwaves via KLOS on Oct. 30.<br />
<br />
"I really enjoyed it. It went smooth. I thought I was gonna be rusty,
but I fell right back into it," Jones says of the show's KLOS debut.
It's scheduled to run every Friday from noon to 2 p.m.<br />
<br />
Jones has lived in L.A. since the early 1980s. He followed his initial
run with the Sex Pistols by becoming an in-demand session guitarist,
working with the likes of Billy Idol, Joan Jett and even Bob Dylan. He's
also delved into the world of acting, most recently with a recurring
role over the final two seasons of Showtime series <i>Californication</i>.<br />
<br />
"It's weird, really, but it fits," he says of his new radio home.
"They're so old-school and I'm kind of old-school. I love their classic
logo with the rainbow circle."<br />
<br />
He's also happy to be back on the daytime airwaves, saying his Sunday
night timeslot on KROQ was not a good fit for the show. "I wouldn't say
it was a disaster, but no one listens to radio on a Sunday night
anymore. Me hands were tied as well. I couldn't really do what I wanted
to do. But here, they're letting me pick my songs and do what I do."<br />
<br />
The new run also reunites Jones with Sovel, aka "Mr. Shovel," who has worked on <i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i> as producer and Jones' occasional on-air foil since the days of Indie 103.<br />
<br />
While the show was Jones' first foray into radio, Sovel's career on the
dial goes back to the '80s and his hometown of Detroit. There he worked
on the groundbreaking stations WABX and WLBS, which for a time shook up
the Motown airwaves with daring post-punk formats unlike anything
happening on Detroit radio at the time.<br />
<br />
After moving to L.A. and working at a handful of stations around town,
Sovel became the founding music director at Indie 103. Currently, he's
in his third year as music director at KCSN 88.5 Los Angeles, where he
also hosts his own free-form radio show, <i>City of Night</i>.<br />
<br />
"It's exciting to be on KLOS. For me, it has such a legendary stature, so to be allowed to go on there and do <i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i>
seems like quite an honor," Sovel says. "At the same time, we know a
lot of their audience might not be familiar with the show or even Steve
Jones, so it will be something new to a lot of people."<br />
<br />
Sovel says the on-air chemistry between him and Jones came naturally.
"It just sort of happened. Steve would start talking to me on the air
and I had no choice but to open up the mic and start talking back, and
we had a goofy rapport, much like in real life. It's an interesting
chemistry, and I'm happy for the opportunity to go back and work with
him again."<br />
<br />
Jones is equally sanguine about his connection with Sovel. "We did it
for a lot of years. We both know our roles," he says. "I think people
who know <i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i> like that me and him are back together. I've got a lot of good response on social media about it."<br />
<br />
"The Indie format was an anomaly on commercial radio," Sovel says of the storied station that birthed <i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i>.
"The situation as it is now, it's even more rare, which is why it seems
shocking that KLOS would allow this show to go on the air there. But to
Keith Cunningham's credit, he's had the courage to put it on, and I'm
grateful for that."<br />
<br />
Cunningham, KLOS' program director, says that a show like <i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i>
is essential to keeping terrestrial radio competitive with the
onslaught of alternatives, from streaming to subscription services.<br />
<br />
Radio is at the point right now where we need to start thinking outside the box and push new boundaries," he explains. "<i>Jonesy's Jukebox</i>
was so wildly popular on Indie 103, and many of our listeners grew up
listening to The Sex Pistols. He's playing rock music, and he fits the
psychographic appeal of this radio station. For me, it was kind of a
no-brainer."<br />
<br />
For Jones, it's a platform he clearly relishes,
spinning tunes that influenced his own musical style ("Playing New York
Dolls on KLOS was a real kick for me") and sharing his catalog of
stories from a lifetime spent in the rock & roll trenches.<br />
<br />
"There's
a bottomless pit of great old rock classics that are never even
touched. It's exciting for me to turn listeners on to that stuff," Jones
says of his ever-changing playlist.<br />
<br />
"The whole thing for me is
you're doing it live there in the studio, as opposed to podcasts or
whatever. I love the fact that I'm on the radio live locally. I guess
it's just an old-school thing. The way those '70s DJ would pick their
own songs instead of just filling space between a set that's already
been laid out and they have no control over. That's what I love, and
I'll do it as long as they'll let me."<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.laweekly.com/music/jonesys-jukebox-as-irreverent-as-ever-returns-to-daytime-radio-6284820" target="_blank"><i>Originally published on L.A. Weekly 11/17/2015</i></a>) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-85127580301029160702015-12-11T15:00:00.001-08:002015-12-11T16:55:58.539-08:00Fear of a Lana Del Rey Planet <style>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb7vvNawzdN5T646VUTrUPqcWuWi7XubK5LVJpVwaDELDGOspBU2BFA4S-KQc-Jg1UKIfB_iuvPxBuODXrd9C6IAO-pa3swg69vgHNheaj212VbcE1QBN0ap7s_y9x6etw-_KGg/s1600/Lana-Del-Rey.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXb7vvNawzdN5T646VUTrUPqcWuWi7XubK5LVJpVwaDELDGOspBU2BFA4S-KQc-Jg1UKIfB_iuvPxBuODXrd9C6IAO-pa3swg69vgHNheaj212VbcE1QBN0ap7s_y9x6etw-_KGg/s640/Lana-Del-Rey.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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On his 2015 breakout album, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beauty Behind the Madness</i>, R&B Lothario the Weeknd performs a
duet with pop singer Lana Del Rey on the full-length’s penultimate track,
“Prisoner.” </div>
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A song about addictions, Del Rey’s verse plays out like an
encapsulation of her musical ideology in just four scant lines: </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I think I’ve been in
Hollywood for too long <br />
Cause I can feel my soul burning, feel it burning slow<br />
But I would be nothing without the touch</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I feel the rush and
it’s amazing </i></div>
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Over the course of her still ascendant career, Del Rey has
carefully crafted a persona that stands well apart from the current crop of
female pop stars. </div>
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Where the likes of Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, <span class="dwd"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lauren
Mayberry of CHVRCHES, et al. make a decided point of projecting powerful,
determined women, Del Rey’s image is one of codependency; where her admitted
addiction to Hollywood and all its trappings, steel-hearted men and rapturous
bliss that’s always just out of reach is her driving force—even if she already
knows it’s just a pipe dream of diminishing returns that’s slowly burning her
from the inside out. </span></span></div>
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<span class="dwd"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There’s a casually tossed off masochism
and latent submissiveness at play, one that surely makes many critics uncomfortable.
The epitome of the classic trope of the doomed American beauty who still revels
in the very trappings that hasten her downward spiral, Lana Del Rey’s music
casts a shadowy pall that simultaneously hurts so good for her millions of fans
around the world who obsess over every song lyric and Instagram post. </span></span></div>
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<span class="dwd"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In reality, however, Del Rey is no
Marilyn Monroe. Far from a victim, the singer is in complete control of her
surroundings, unafraid to lay bare predilections some would surely prefer she left
unsaid (when asked why she’s depicted being choked in music videos during a </span></span><a href="http://www.thefader.com/2014/06/04/cover-story-lana-del-rey-is-anyone-she-wants-to-be"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2014
interview with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">FADER</i></span></a><span class="dwd"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, Del Rey’s response: </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I like a little
hardcore love.”<span class="dwd">) </span></span></div>
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<span class="dwd"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a time when social phenomenon like
Ashley Madison and sugar baby/daddy culture are prominent in the public eye,
Del Rey’s musical modus operandi of perpetually chasing a particularly kind of
emotional high that comes from being desired and coddled is one many would
consider dubious at best. </span></span></div>
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<span class="dwd"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As such, the singer has been vehemently
attacked as antifeminist, particularly after she was noted on record as calling
feminism “boring” in the same <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">FADER</i>
interview. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“For me, the issue of feminism is just
not an interesting concept. I’m more interested in, you know, SpaceX and Tesla,
what’s going to happen with our intergalactic possibilities,” she said.
“Whenever people bring up feminism, I’m like, god. I’m just not really that
interested.”</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s a telling quote, one that
emphasizes the distinction between Lana Del Rey the artistic persona and Lana
Del Rey the human being. Having carefully crafted this character that
personifies every sullen teen and heartbroken romantic weeping over crushed
dreams, in reality she’s obsessing over technological breakthroughs and meeting
Elon Musk, which </span><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/8/10/9128251/lana-del-rey-elon-musk-spacex-beats-1-honeymoon"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">she
told Apple Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> was “one of the best
days of my life.”</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Given Del Rey’s rapidly ascendant
career, it’s amazing to remember that she first hit pop culture consciousness
on the mass scale with a 2012 appearance on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Saturday
Night Live </i>that was </span><a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/1677389/lana-del-rey-snl/"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">mercilessly
skewered</span></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, eliciting harsh words from such
public figures as Juliette Lewis, Eliza Dushku and disgraced newsman Brian
Williams. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In retrospect, her <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">SNL</i> showing feels like the ultimate long con, the perfect setup to
position herself as the beautiful loser, the comeback kid, the wallflower at
the party who still draws a lion’s share of the attention. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What the singer has done is carve out a
unique niche in the increasingly crowded musical landscape, eliciting desire,
controversy, and obsession: all components of a true star in 2015 (her recently
released album, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Honeymoon</i>, is already
generating some of the best reviews of her career and is poised to make a sizable
impression on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Billboard</i> charts). </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span>The luxury we have as a younger
generation is being able to figure out where we want to go from here, which is
why I’ve said things like, 'I don’t focus on feminism, I focus on the future,'”
Del Rey explained during an <a href="http://pitchfork.com/news/61059-lana-del-rey-clarifies-comments-about-feminism-in-new-james-franco-interview/">interview
with actor James Franco</a> earlier this year. “It’s not to say that there’s
not more to do in that area. I’ve gotten to witness through history the
evolution of so many movements and now I’m standing at the forefront of new
technological movements. I’m not undermining other issues. But I feel like
that’s obvious, like I shouldn’t even have to bring that up.”</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Or as she even more succinctly put it
back in 2014: “My idea of a true feminist is a woman who feels free enough to
do whatever she wants.”</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(<a href="http://smashd.co/planet-lana-del-rey/" target="_blank"><i>Originally published on Smashd.com 11/23/2015</i></a>) </span></div>
Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-73646217326279242402015-12-11T14:53:00.000-08:002015-12-11T14:54:50.588-08:00Life After Dark: The Neon Indian Interview <style>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bhN5lJg_Asa0G7kXcrHwC0xZAc1u9_DlJiUK8Ag5tv6rspyNc1O1lSCFlK2XEf8E4aRClW9yItc4nuuxd-GH-XY7v7k3c4rDPAf31NrThXCxHLuMYJ4IJAl9R_4yD97E94cd7g/s1600/NEON_INDIAN_AUG_11_417+by+Ben+Rayner.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bhN5lJg_Asa0G7kXcrHwC0xZAc1u9_DlJiUK8Ag5tv6rspyNc1O1lSCFlK2XEf8E4aRClW9yItc4nuuxd-GH-XY7v7k3c4rDPAf31NrThXCxHLuMYJ4IJAl9R_4yD97E94cd7g/s640/NEON_INDIAN_AUG_11_417+by+Ben+Rayner.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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<br /></div>
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Neon Indian’s latest album, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">VEGA INTL. Night School</i>, is an after-hours soundtrack that deftly captures
the blurry euphoria of life after dark. The rituals of nightlife are chronicled
across 14 tracks of dense, synth-drenched dance beats that recall ‘80s funk-pop
like Ready for the World and one-time Prince protégé Andre Cymone on an
Italo-disco jag for an imagined Patrick Nagel-drawn life simulation video game.
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Created by band leader Alan Palomo, this third Neon Indian
full-length is a Technicolor explosion of influences that’s the most accessible
of his still burgeoning music career which followed a background in film study,
which the Mexican-born and Denton, Texas raised artist pursued at the
University of North Texas. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During a phone interview from New York between tour dates,
Palomo was open and forthcoming about his latest creation and translating the
new songs into an expansive live experience and possibly a full-length
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It feels like this
album has touched a positive nerve with a much wider audience than ever in your
music career. What do you think it is about this record that has such an appeal
with new as well as old fans? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s tough to quantify. For me, I get tunnel vision pretty
easily because I’m so focused on the task at hand that I never really entirely
sure what the reception of anything is. I would venture to say that a lot of is
due to the narrative that we’ve been building for years. The growth has been
slow and steady since 2009 when the first record came out. I was surely trying
the patience of fans that were expecting something much sooner. For the first
time in my life I was getting straight up threats about my lack of output. As
far as the sensibilities of the record go, I intentionally wanted it to be a
very eclectic undertaking. In that sense, maybe there’s a lot for people to
enjoy. You look at the song “Annie,” which is of the more compositionally
developed and straightforward pop songs that I’ve written, compared to
something like “61 Cygni Ave” or “Smut,” which might be a little bit more
obtuse. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">While it’s such an
upbeat album musically, there seems to be an underlying lyrical darkness to
songs like “Annie” and “The Glitzy Hive” – it feels like through all of the
fun, there’s a grim ending for the song’s characters. </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It sort of coincides with my personality. I’m certainly a
social animal, both habitually and because it’s what makes me happy. But also I
would say there’s always going to be some dark undercurrent. I occasionally see
the world through the lens that I think a lot of people in this generation look
at it with which is a sort of giddy nihilism. I’m always trying to offset that
with a tremendous amount of positivity. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">You’ve spoken in
recent interviews about the structure of the music industry, and how bands are
treated like horses or stock options that can be bet on. Do you have the sense
that Neon Indian is currently filed under bands to watch right now? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not necessarily. It’s one of those things where I’m always
going to be my own harshest critic and always thinking about the next thing. My
accomplishments with his record were fulfilled when I turned it in. I look at
my calendar and I literally down have a day off until two days before
Christmas, so that’s gotta be worth something. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Are you seeing this
broader appeal reflected in the audiences? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This initial tour run we’re doing is more intimate venues,
so that’s tough to say. I feel like you get a sense of where things are headed
when you play a festival show. You get this very broad sampling of people and
how many of those people are interesting in seeing you. We haven’t had much
opportunity to do those kinds of shows as much lately, but the few we have,
it’s been cool. There are new people jumping onboard. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What’s the experience
been like translating the new songs live? Is there a particular track that’s
resonating more than others? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Glitzy Hive” always gets people moving. When I tour
with a live band, I’m always on board with a certain amount of
reinterpretation. There’s some reimagining of the songs, which to me is kind of
important to keep it interesting for me. I started writing some of these songs
as far back as 2011, so by the time they actually got out there it was pretty
wild. So in addition to the fact that I’ve been seeing the songs undergo all
these different permutations, now they have to be performed every night. That’s
what keeps the adrenaline going. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Is touring the fun
part for you?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think people look at touring like it’s a vacation, but
it’s kind of grueling. I’m more of a studio rat by nature. I’d rather be
creating than performing. But it’s for the fans. They’re the ones listening to
the record, so you better give them a damn good show and you should sweat it
every night. We have nights where we play a show and then just start driving
through the night, stop in a hotel, sleep for three hours and keep driving.
Those are the nights where it’s not quite the payoff that I think a lot of
people have the perception that it is. We’ve had some really high highs, too.
There have been some really affirming moments of why you became an artist. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What was one of those
affirming moments? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first show we played on this tour, which was our first
show in three years, was in Mexico City. We played in a city square in <i><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Zócalo as part of a bigger arts
festival that happens that. That was fucking insane. From not having played in
three years to suddenly being in front of 15,000 people… We just got thrown in
the fire and had to make it work. It was amazing seeing the show go from
theoretical to practical over the course of an hour. I was making changes to
the MIDI brain that triggers a lot of sounds and feeds the band with click
tracks minutes before we took the stage. It wasn’t official until we went up
there. </span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">At the end of
November you’re playing shows in China. Is this your first trip there? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve done Japan, but we’ve never done Mainland China
before. That’s gonna be wild. I’m pretty excited about it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What’s something
you’re looking forward to in China?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I just want to stare slack-jawed at the amazing, futuristic
skyline. I can’t wait to see a skyline that completely dwarfs New York, because
that’s just inconceivable to me. It will be an expansion what my interpretation
of the world is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l0wPHAau1ts" width="560"></iframe> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What’s your response
to the </b><a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/make-slumlord-rising-a-season-long-netflix-show"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">petition</b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> to turn the </b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0wPHAau1ts"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Slumlord
Rising</i> video</b></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> into a series? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was really surprised by it, especially since it was the
first time I really got to sink my teeth into some non-union directing. I
directed an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0wgUmNkrco">animated
short</a> with my friend Johnny (Woods) for the MOCA, and that was really
awesome. But this was definitely the largest undertaking that I’d ever really
done. The petition really made me start thinking about what that plot would be
should it ever arise. If anyone ever wants to do something, they know where to
find me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">So do you have an
idea of where the story goes after the video ends? </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, to some extent. The intent when I was making the video
was to imagine it as an excerpt, a climax of a film that doesn’t exist. Much of
what we imagined was to try to have as much auxiliary story components written
down. Like every character had a backstory that I explained meticulously to all
the actors, even though none of that was going to be portrayed in the video. I
just wanted them to have something to hang onto and inform what they were going
to do. The only people that really have answers are (co-director) Tim <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nackashi
and myself. So unless we created some sort of series out of it, then none of those
answers will get revealed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(<a href="http://smashd.co/night-school/" target="_blank"><i>Originally published on Smashd.co</i></a> 11/20/2015) </span></div>
Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-85040499840047951212015-12-11T14:37:00.000-08:002017-07-24T09:57:26.446-07:00HARD Summer 2015 Day 2 Recap: Justin Bieber & Jack U, Chromeo, Fetty Wap & More<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-c2tvBB36ewMqpJNce7NmIjsI2kHAiU_daxxSMdTHL2W9wpzhpkbHKzqYNM0zgyOLDV_ZOVx8ettzqKPPILUvXEut3e3j-ClKTS7jvhxPpJgCdR7eJGilqEaDt3Y7RKpBUBrdA/s1600/chromeo-hard-summer-2015-billboard-650.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-c2tvBB36ewMqpJNce7NmIjsI2kHAiU_daxxSMdTHL2W9wpzhpkbHKzqYNM0zgyOLDV_ZOVx8ettzqKPPILUvXEut3e3j-ClKTS7jvhxPpJgCdR7eJGilqEaDt3Y7RKpBUBrdA/s640/chromeo-hard-summer-2015-billboard-650.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
The second day of HARD Summer 2015 started on sobering note, with
news breaking overnight that two young female festival-goers died of
suspected drug overdoses after attending opening night.<br />
Early into
the second day, fans trickled in at a slower pace, with an abundance of
signs that many had indeed partied hard on Saturday. The festival felt
like it was nursing a collective hangover.<br />
<br />
<b>3:37 pm:</b> An unconscious young woman is sprawled out on a
gurney and is being wheeled towards the exits. Over on the HARDer
stage, Bakermat is doing his best to lift spirits with a set full of
upbeat house, although the irony of the DJ dropping Zhu’s “Faded” into
his mix is not lost.<br />
<br />
<b>3:54 pm:</b> The chants for Fetty Wap begin almost immediately at the end of Bakermat’s set.<br />
<br />
<b>4:01 pm:</b> Fetty Wap hits the stage to the strains of “My
Way,” and a massive headliner-sized crowd under the sweltering hot sun
sings along to every word. Charging through a brief set of hits
including “Again” and “A Couple Bandz,” the rapper makes it clear that
his voice is voice is hoarse and almost gone, but he carries on with the
set. He jumps down into the crowd and makes it rain cash money on the
front row. “Trap Queen” is one of the biggest moments of the whole
festival, with the crowd more than making up for the rapper’s faltering
vocals.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="und">
😳 <a href="https://twitter.com/HARDFEST">@HARDFEST</a> <a href="http://t.co/0QL2zq42FT">pic.twitter.com/0QL2zq42FT</a></div>
— Ol Saint Lit (@diplo) <a href="https://twitter.com/diplo/status/628113293903724544">August 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><b>4:36 pm:</b> DJ Mustard sets the party off straight away
with Kid Ink’s “Be Real.” Rifling through a set of party jams ranging
from Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” to the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are
Made of This),” the main stage crowd is lapping it up.<br />
<br />
<b>4:45 pm:</b> Well, not the entire crowd. “This is stuff you
can hear in any club,” gripes an unimpressed young woman about
Mustard’s set as she takes off to see what else she can check out.<br />
<br />
<b>5:14 pm:</b> Billed as DJ Mustard and Friends, the show
sets off a flurry of rumors about supposed surprise guests. Kid Ink
eventually comes out for a quick performance of “Show Me.”<br />
<br />
<b>5:36 pm:</b> Jamie xx is digging deep for an eclectic DJ
set on the Pink Stage, mixing classic New York vocal house with Chicago
acid and more experimental sounds before wrapping up with his own solo
track, “Loud Places,” featuring his band-mate in the xx, Romy Madley
Croft.<br />
<br />
<b>6:06 pm:</b> Manic rave-rap outfit Die Antwoord is bounding
around the stage in brightly colored furry costumes to start their
show, before rapper Ninja strips down to a pair of Pink Floyd <i>Dark Side of the Moon</i>
trunks and his partner Yolandi Visser goes through as many costume
changes as a brand-name pop star. The show’s highlight comes when
actor/comedian Jack Black joins the band onstage in a powder blue velour
tracksuit to show off some nifty dance moves and leap off the DJ
platform right in sync with the music. “Ninja couldn’t get me the
backstage pass,” Black joked from the stage. “So I had to climb the
mother f---ing fence.”<br />
<br />
<b>6:49 pm:</b> Canadian Dan Snaith (AKA Caribou) and his band
churn out a dense, sprawling live techno sound that could be
categorized as Underworld meets Carl Craig. It hits even harder than the
outfit’s well-received 2014 full-length, <i>Our Love</i>. An audience of chin-stroking listeners and flailing dancers alike revel in the heady mix.<br />
<br />
<b>7:24 pm: </b>Hudson Mohawke pummels the Purple Stage with
dark and brutal beats. No matter how hard or punishing, his fans scream
for more, resulting in a dark-lit dance party.<br />
<br /><b>7:51 pm:</b> Chromeo has evolved into a well-oiled
electro-funk machine that could rock a festival crowd while asleep. Band
members Dave 1 and P-Thugg are fully engaged for the HARD Summer crowd,
cruising through hit tunes like “Bonafied Lovin’ (Tough Guys)” and
“Sexy Socialite” as the sun sets over the HARDer Stage.<br />
<br />
<b>8:02 pm:</b> Detroit house pioneer MK is rolling out his
signature mix of rumbling bass lines and percolating melodies on the
Pink Stage. It’s no wonder why he’s one of Disclosure’s favorite DJs.<br />
<br />
<b>8:26 pm:</b> ILoveMakonnen is a brave artist, not only
playing his biggest hit, “Tuesday,” towards the front of his set but
also cutting it short to launch into “I Don’t Sell Molly No More.” The
risk pays off, as the crowd packed at the front of the Purple Stage is
apparently made up of far more than casual fans. Turning up as much for <i>Drink More Water 5 </i>mixtape
tracks like “Whip It” as they do for “Tuesday,” their rapturous
response inspire the L.A. native to call his HARD Summer set “a dream
come true.”<br />
<br />
<b>9:49 pm:</b> Diplo and Skrillex’s DJ super-group Jack U hit
the stage like they have something to prove, despite being two of dance
music’s most recognizable and successful producers working today.
Blazing through remixes (Drake’s “Energy” and Beyonce’s “7/11”),
original tracks (Major Lazer’s “Lean On”) and a guest spot from 2
Chainz, they kicked things up to an even more frenzied level with the
surprise appearance of Justin Bieber, who joined the dynamic duo for the
Jack U hit, “Where Are U Now,” to really put their stamp on the
festival.<br />
<br />
There’s definitely a level of irony that one of the country’s biggest
underground-powered music festivals (this year’s sold-out event sold
130,000 tickets over two days) would be highlighted by a mega-star of
Bieber’s magnitude. It’s a testament to the current state of popular
music, where mixtape heroes and DJs and old-fashioned pop stars are on
equal footing in the eyes of fans.<br />
<br />
“Nowadays, people have a really open mind. Radio is really friendly to
people who don’t have as much of a history there right now,” Diplo told
me during a recent interview. “There are hits coming out of everywhere. I
feel like our music is in that world, and we’re getting better at it.”<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<div dir="ltr" lang="en">
Thank you. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HSMF15?src=hash">#HSMF15</a> <a href="http://t.co/23omsi4PAo">pic.twitter.com/23omsi4PAo</a></div>
— Captain D (@DestructoHARD) <a href="https://twitter.com/DestructoHARD/status/628270419204685824">August 3, 2015</a></blockquote>
<br />
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/music-festivals/6649653/hard-summer-2015-day-2-recap-justin-bieber-jack-u-chromeo" target="_blank"><i>Originally published on Billboard.com 8/3/2015</i></a>)<br />
<br />
(Chromeo Photo: Chelsea Lauren/WireImage) <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-62628971606237569282015-12-11T14:10:00.000-08:002015-12-11T16:56:39.496-08:00HARD Summer 2015 Day 1 Recap: The Weeknd, Chemical Brothers & More Highlight Opening Night<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GmmEJu7FP1Lcsy1XfTv3jYpYjo-GgCxuGmxlHgjLxl6oE4whkcRTI5d2NKoPOk8heB8iUYv5333aIjJfSyxYeehrGj-uESslacLskShggTODkT9eLXzlMQ7cgLr0wVOWV0PnfQ/s1600/the-weeknd-hard-summer-festival-2015-billboard-650.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0GmmEJu7FP1Lcsy1XfTv3jYpYjo-GgCxuGmxlHgjLxl6oE4whkcRTI5d2NKoPOk8heB8iUYv5333aIjJfSyxYeehrGj-uESslacLskShggTODkT9eLXzlMQ7cgLr0wVOWV0PnfQ/s640/the-weeknd-hard-summer-festival-2015-billboard-650.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
“HARD Summer is not a rave. It’s a music festival.”<br />
<br />
This wry
but apt joke delivered by HARD founder Gary Richards (aka DJ Destructo)
in the notorious promo video announcing the 2015 event has never been
more apparent than this year.<br />
<br />
Since the inaugural HARD event back
in 2007, Richards and his squad have made it a decided point to craft
lineups that not only dig deep into the dance music underground and
current zeitgeist, but also stacked them with crowd-pleasing hip-hop
acts to deliver a diversity and edge rarely found in similarly
BPM-powered fests.<br />
<br />
This year, HARD Summer scored a coup by landing <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/419413/weeknd/chart">The Weeknd</a> to top the first night’s bill, along with dance music legends <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/392806/chemical-brothers/chart">The Chemical Brothers</a> next to young rap sensations like <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/6140339/rae-sremmurd/chart">Rae Sremmurd</a> and breakout U.K. synth-pop heroes <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/5895220/years-years/chart">Years & Years</a> among the dozens of scheduled acts.<br />
<br />
Set this year in the sprawling Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., the
opening day of HARD Summer 2015 was not without its hiccups, but still
provided plenty of highlights over the course of the festival’s first
day of music.<br />
<br />
<b>4:10 p.m.: </b>Emerging
British dance-poppers Years & Years are 20 minutes late taking the
HARDer outdoor stage, but make up for it with a charming and engaging
set of their signature moody synth-driven songs. Lead singer Olly
Alexander is sporting a fresh shock of bleached blond hair and is in
strong voice as he leads the trio (augmented by a live drummer) through
tracks like “Shine,” “Desire” and their biggest U.S. hit, “King.” With
their debut album, Communion, already topping the U.K. charts, Years
& Years seem more than ready to make an impact here in the States.<br />
<br />
<b>5:22 p.m.:</b> Inside
the sweltering Purple Stage (which, like the Green and Pink stages, are
set in large freestanding buildings), a sweaty fan says he’s on the
verge of passing out, despite draining three water bottles, which he
holds up for inspection. While Sweater Beats is still playing, the crowd starts chanting “<a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/5883339/young-thug/chart">Young Thug</a>,” who was originally scheduled to go on at 5:10.
Apparently, they hadn’t seen his message on Twitter early in the day
explaining that due to “unforeseen circumstances” he wouldn’t be
performing. By the time the following act, <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/6328861/giraffage/chart">Giraffage</a>, takes the stage, the message is received as dejected Young Thug fans stream toward the exits.<br />
<br />
<b>6:09 p.m.: </b>British duo <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/1561483/gorgon-city/chart">Gorgon City</a>
is serving up classic ‘90s garage and poppy house, energizing the
sun-drenched mob at the HARDer Stage with melodious hits like “Ready for
Your Love” and “Go All Night.” Announcing it’s their first show with a
live band, singer Lulu James shines with her strong vocals and engaging
stage presence.<br />
<br />
<b>6:51 p.m.:</b> “Total buzzkill, dude,” mutters a disgruntled fan at the main stage when <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/278330/schoolboy-q/chart">Schoolboy Q</a> still hasn’t taken the stage despite a scheduled 6:25 start
time. While diehards hold out hope, a noticeable number of them start
drifting toward the exits to see what else is going on.<br />
<br />
<b>6:56 p.m.:</b> A huge contingent has shown up to see <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/5841230/odesza/chart">Odesza</a>,
with the Seattle duo returning the favor with a charged-up set of their
dreamy, danceable pop songs including “Say My Name” and remixes
augmented with the occasional trap drop to keep the crowd on their toes.<br />
<br />
<b>7:07 p.m.: </b>“It
is not my fault why I came onstage late,” Schoolboy Q gripes to the
crowd when he finally appears wearing a bright green dashiki and a sad
face. “It’s my management’s fault, my DJ’s fault and the people who run
the band’s fault. I’m having a very bad day, so I need y’all to cheer me
up,” he explained before launching into “Collard Greens.” Running
through his hits “Hands on the Wheel” and “Studio,” the rapper salvages
what’s left of his set time, and despite his dour mood gets the sizable
crowd of fans who waited it out to bounce along to his beats.<br />
<br />
<b>7:55 p.m.:</b> Originally billed as “DJ Question Mark,” the surprise act on the main stage was <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/1488413/dj-snake/chart">DJ Snake</a>,
who turned up the delighted masses with a whiplash set of high-energy
party hits, tearing through builds and drops with abandon. Mixing songs
at lightning speed, snippets of <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/5645407/flosstradamus/chart">Flosstradamus</a>’ “Moshpit” and <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/5811922/valentino-khan/chart">Valentino Khan</a>’s “Bloodsucker” were among the whirlwind of tracks he hurled at the crowd.<br />
<br />
<b>8:12 p.m.:</b> The
Weeknd’s breakout year marches on, with R&B’s new star pulling one
of the biggest and most fired-up audiences of HARD Summer’s opening day
to the relatively intimate confines of the HARDer Stage. Sound issues
are noticeable from the start of his set, with pockets of the crowd
chanting “Louder!” Rolling out fan favorites like “House of
Balloons/Glass Table Girls,” “The Morning” and <a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/301284/drake/chart">Drake</a>
collaborations “Crew Love” and “The Zone,” the audience energy explodes
with newer songs “The Hills” and especially “Can’t Feel My Face,” which
adds an entirely new wrinkle to The Weeknd’s sexually-charged show. The
moment is so electric that his set-ending Fifty Shades of Grey hit “Earned It” feels almost anticlimactic.<br />
<br />
<b>9:10 p.m.: </b><a href="http://www.billboard.com/artist/347025/porter-robinson/chart">Porter Robinson</a>
is eliciting all of the feels on the main stage with his future-retro
video game soundtracks, drawing heavily from his latest album, Worlds,
with tracks like “Sad Machine” and “Flicker,” complete with plenty of
pyrotechnics and full-on fireworks.<br />
<br />
<b>9:23 p.m.:</b>
The bass line of Rae Sremmurd’s “No Type” can be heard blasting from an
overstuffed Purple Stage, with a mob of fans clamoring around the
building unable to get in due to capacity.<br />
<br />
<b>9:34 p.m.:</b> Dance
music OGs the Chemical Brothers set it off with “Hey Boy Hey Girl,”
charging through a blistering and dynamic set that stands out among the
day’s most satisfying sets. Picking through their extensive catalog,
founding member Tom Rowlands (Ed Simons is not performing on this tour)
fires up Chems classics “Out of Control,” “Setting Sun” and “Star
Guitar” from behind banks of gear and fog machines and particularly
dazzling visuals. They also drop in new songs from the recently
released Born in the Echoes album, including “Go” and “EML Ritual.”<br />
<br />
<b>10:27 p.m.: </b>Hometown
hero/Snapchat star/meme master Dillon Francis packs the main stage area
for the last set of the night, mixing a slew of massive Moombahton
tracks to his faithful flock that dance and crowd-surf to every drop.
Grabbing the microphone, he tells his fans, “I’m playing all of this Moombahton
for you.” Cranking out fan favorites like “Not Butter” and surprises
like a remix of The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face,” he pumps so much bass
through the system that the speakers toward the back of the crowd cut
out during his set. The crowd’s energy doesn’t diminish at all, and the
first day of HARD Summer 2015 ends on a high note.<br />
<br />
(<a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/music-festivals/6649538/hard-summer-2015-day-1-recap-the-weeknd-chemical-brothers"><i>Originally published on Billboard.com 8/2/2015</i></a>)<br />
<br />
(Photo: Erik Voake) Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-3442318983498336672010-11-09T06:34:00.000-08:002010-11-09T06:39:41.389-08:00CD REVIEW: Kid Cudi, "Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEsDycuZwt5Dl3YMcr3xcrpWoKWkfoa02u58JJrDtM5k_-U7iRfXYMbJAtcPxTJoqYJbMkOJG0xDVrq7XJM4OG1oCUVegXR18TZ7xdjZzV93vVDBmy3Di_isuIo_PVfWSWG_sEg/s1600/Kidcudimanonthemoonthelegendof.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEsDycuZwt5Dl3YMcr3xcrpWoKWkfoa02u58JJrDtM5k_-U7iRfXYMbJAtcPxTJoqYJbMkOJG0xDVrq7XJM4OG1oCUVegXR18TZ7xdjZzV93vVDBmy3Di_isuIo_PVfWSWG_sEg/s400/Kidcudimanonthemoonthelegendof.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537559216066064338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;" class="label_info"><span>(G.O.O.D./Dream On/Universal Records)</span> </span>Kid Cudi is one of hip-hop’s most curious cases. Snapped up by Kanye West soon after releasing his first mixtape, Cudi’s debut album MAN ON THE MOON: THE END OF THE DAY sounded like an inspired spin-off of West’s own paradigm-pushing 808S & HEARTBREAK. All maudlin melodies, moody atmosphere and Cudi’s introspective lyrics made for a murky brew that played like Pink Floyd for indie hip-hop stoners. But it was Cudi’s real-life antics that thrust him into pop consciousness at large; from getting thrown off of Lady Gaga’s tour for punching a fan to his arrest in Manhattan over drug and disturbances charges, his bad behavior has become constant tabloid fodder. Cudi addresses all of that and more on his dense, confessional sequel MAN ON THE MOON II: THE LEGEND OF MR. RAGER. Completely opening the floodgates of his sound, this album is even more self-indulgent than his debut — but it’s also a much better record for it. Spreading 17 tracks over four “acts,” the album veers from an obvious Weezer homage (“Erase Me,” featuring Kanye West) to inspired collaborations like the aptly titled “MANIAC” featuring the distinctive guitar playing of alt-rock hero St. Vincent and a guest rap from underground rapper Cage. It’s a dark and nuanced collection that solidifies Cudi’s position as rap’s new reigning tortured soul and reluctant emo king.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(originally published on Shockhound.com)</span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-25956406794991433942010-11-03T06:55:00.000-07:002010-11-03T06:57:56.650-07:00CD REVIEW: N*E*R*D, "NOTHING"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcE738q-j6-6aF0U8XJ6imZKH4qOd6vN1r0OKKHvMkJ4HQOE3n5oQQw74zYSy0ZyGQS7MZQcokm77_Q-ElsUkd8AB8Z-Iy7QleEheYF5TcxxWS9scoJFMX5rtBSuR2G7VaTBnzA/s1600/nerd-nothing-cover.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcE738q-j6-6aF0U8XJ6imZKH4qOd6vN1r0OKKHvMkJ4HQOE3n5oQQw74zYSy0ZyGQS7MZQcokm77_Q-ElsUkd8AB8Z-Iy7QleEheYF5TcxxWS9scoJFMX5rtBSuR2G7VaTBnzA/s400/nerd-nothing-cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535322222048583794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">(Star Trak/Interscope)</span> The line on NOTHING is that Pharrell Williams and N.E.R.D scrapped a finished album and simply started over. In any case, the stark militaristic cover and blatant political overtones of the album make it clear that there’s a message to be found in the music. The juxtaposition of simple party jams like “Party People” (featuring a verse from rapper T.I.) next to “The Man,” a cynical observation on how to opiate the masses, speaks volumes, as do the spacey acid-blues rants (“It’s in the Air,” “Help Me”) and bouncy, Ben Folds-styled piano-pop meditations on success (“Victory”). The dreamily melodic but too brief “Inside the Clouds” is a “hidden” track on the end of “I’ve Seen the Light” (there is full-length version worth tracking down). Somehow, the collaboration with electronic pioneers Daft Punk (the plodding “Hypnotize You”) ends up sounding like a missed opportunity. But it’s album highlight “Life As a Fish” that brings it all together into a blissfully sublime moment that invokes classic ‘60s pop acts like the Association and Classics IV. NOTHING is ample proof that N.E.R.D are fully capable of delivering music with the same quirky inventiveness that made their 2001 debut IN SEARCH OF such an instant classic.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Originally published on Shockhound.com)</span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-29781592626623718402010-10-21T09:07:00.000-07:002010-10-21T09:10:26.858-07:00Die Antwoord, "$O$"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVfpD8138UQjmk9ngP4TcEAqr3WSV0apxjCg8jqE5VHUjxyWguWCUJNI7uwACeihUKkuPA8CAsu59eOpVnkVypbiWMcljF43saR-0OsLc_FdQIP_RRRqgEc3B-Mb5aPskS2T1vA/s1600/Die-Antwoord-SOS-Cover.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 392px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIVfpD8138UQjmk9ngP4TcEAqr3WSV0apxjCg8jqE5VHUjxyWguWCUJNI7uwACeihUKkuPA8CAsu59eOpVnkVypbiWMcljF43saR-0OsLc_FdQIP_RRRqgEc3B-Mb5aPskS2T1vA/s400/Die-Antwoord-SOS-Cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5530532227113221378" border="0" /></a>Is it real? Or is it a very elaborate hipster joke? Those are the questions that lingered around South African outfit Die Antwoord when they first crashed the scene. From their manic mélange of old-school rave rhythms to the colloquialism-filled rhymes of rappers Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er, their sound and aesthetic is insistently unusual. Still, the band’s culture collision runs surprisingly deep. Alluding to such obscure sounds as hip-house beats, South African “zef” culture and the ruthless machismo of gangster rap, Die Antwoord is so anti-cool it veers perilously close to parody. Blending lyrics English with lyrics sung in the Afrikaans language, songs like “Evil Boy” could fill most underground dance floors, even though it’s about forced male circumcision on pubescent boys in certain South African tribes. This major label version of $O$ is an update on a free album the band distributed digitally in 2009. New songs like “In Your Face” find the band’s production style maturing without losing their signature lawless energy. While only time will tell if their appeal can transcend their current of-the-moment buzz, it’s safe to say that Die Antwoord is definitely no joke.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Originally published on Shockhound.com)</span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-72061818709606126922010-09-28T11:16:00.000-07:002010-09-28T11:18:24.457-07:00No Age, "Everything in Between"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TOga-P1btuP-bRwGT9owgD3-eehMOUb95ZAm7JgAUzh0yv9VxcrkysqJKx6DfrwQqZnLJO71xWnlJuHFM_Qm4_tNTz2LrDRHlk3Xm1W0YKTK1qaO6da-QNqqbvSdrhJPZOAppQ/s1600/No-Age-Everything-in-Between.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4TOga-P1btuP-bRwGT9owgD3-eehMOUb95ZAm7JgAUzh0yv9VxcrkysqJKx6DfrwQqZnLJO71xWnlJuHFM_Qm4_tNTz2LrDRHlk3Xm1W0YKTK1qaO6da-QNqqbvSdrhJPZOAppQ/s400/No-Age-Everything-in-Between.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522030313230745218" border="0" /></a>In 2010, the term “punk rock” has evolved into myriad meanings, each one depending on who’s doing the defining. For LA noise-punk duo No Age, it represents a fiercely independent DIY ethos that permeates everything they do. On their third full-length (and second for indie giant Sub Pop), the duo continue to steadily expand their sonic palette while creating more of their emo-tinged slabs of deceptively melodic mayhem. From the sunny Beach Boys aesthetics of “Life Prowler” to the college-radio-at-4am whirr of “Glitter,” it would be easy to say this is the band’s most accessible release to date. But it would also be true: Glossier production values don’t detract from the songs’ sneering defiance, which is never too far from the music’s surface. No Age even flirt with getting downright pretty on tunes like the dreamy, My Bloody Valentine homage “Positive Amputation” and “Chem Trails,” which is reminiscent of classic Sonic Youth. Evolving without losing sight of their roots in now-famous all-ages LA club the Smell, No Age are rightful heroes for a new generation of emerging indie rockers eager to really go their own way.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Originally published on shockhound.com)</span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-36023339029943533282010-09-28T11:14:00.000-07:002015-12-11T13:54:39.139-08:00Soundgarden, "Telephantasm"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4q0daWFb93w5t-ExHlJpVLCohs_uJ3BAm5LRH6qK85fzSMic-vNKLPijkq8n-_We9mipWkVMnSMSOKyaUtja4iqSgsp8mhf_bwCvv3y4LDPfB-BsbVbvHWfi_ScCH2yEAnnM2Q/s1600/Soundgarden_Telephantasm_cover.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522029638677411954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4q0daWFb93w5t-ExHlJpVLCohs_uJ3BAm5LRH6qK85fzSMic-vNKLPijkq8n-_We9mipWkVMnSMSOKyaUtja4iqSgsp8mhf_bwCvv3y4LDPfB-BsbVbvHWfi_ScCH2yEAnnM2Q/s400/Soundgarden_Telephantasm_cover.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 400px;" /></a>Soundgarden was always among the more intriguing outfits of the early ‘90s rock generation. Their dichotomy of being cool, brainy guys that could rock you as hard as any mob of meatheads put them in an exclusive class. Frontman Chris Cornell was blessed with a testosterone-charged yowl comparable to Robert Plant, and just as pretty. Kim Thayill’s textured guitar playing leaned toward the sublime and substantive over flash. But it Soundgarden's ability to craft tight, explosive songs that made them famous. This comprehensive retrospective concentrates on the big hits like “Black Hole Sun,” but mixes in a few fan favorites to keep it interesting — like “Hunted Down,” a caustic down-tuned roar from their early Sub Pop era, which already hints at their expansive potential. The draw here for fans both old and new is “Black Rain,” a monstrous, previously unreleased song from their fertile BADMOTORFINGER era. But track for track, TELEPHANTASM is a fitting testament to the legacy of these rock legends.<br />
<br />
(<i>Originally published on Shockhound.com</i>)Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-65780779027322829282010-08-31T07:28:00.000-07:002015-12-11T13:53:43.945-08:00Philip Selway, "Familial"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWMs4QnMOeo1X4TEromZWtsPTj4vCO3eonsRJD8K06F-cvcokm_D1QqdTtNdYT7tpKXyTnRIO0mRiWnypTbV3JARUJUXHaZ7z6k8iuHMO8_NVnjQ6rdC_vF10XlqjM9eF6HgapQ/s1600/familial452.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511581447054861986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizWMs4QnMOeo1X4TEromZWtsPTj4vCO3eonsRJD8K06F-cvcokm_D1QqdTtNdYT7tpKXyTnRIO0mRiWnypTbV3JARUJUXHaZ7z6k8iuHMO8_NVnjQ6rdC_vF10XlqjM9eF6HgapQ/s400/familial452.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 400px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 400px;" /></a>It’s easy for the casual Radiohead listener to get lost in the cult of Thom Yorke. Of course, a band so potent is going to consist of more than just one musical prodigy, and Radiohead is no exception — but a solo record from the drummer of any band is still going elicit more than its fair share of groans and rolling eyes. All of which makes Phil Selway’s achingly graceful solo debut that much more surprising. Granted, opening tracks “By Some Miracle” and “Beyond Reason” both boast a subtle swing and ghostly vocals that will feel familiar to fans of Selway’s day job. But it’s not long before the production flourishes and implied beats give way to good old-fashioned singer-songwriter lamentations, highlighted by Selway's elegant singing style. Tastefully understated contributions from Lisa Germano and members of Selway’s most recent tour-mates Wilco blend right into the melancholy, occasionally heartbreaking collection. Songs like “Falling” even invoke images of classic Simon & Garfunkel. It’s somehow fitting that it turns out to be the drummer who provides the softer side of Radiohead. <span style="font-style: italic;">— Scott T. Sterling</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">(Originally published on Shockhound.com) </span><br />
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Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-4237377220785810212010-07-13T12:40:00.000-07:002015-12-11T13:53:16.010-08:00M.I.A., "/\/\/\Y/\"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VRkywDmf0BIdM5JL4Ez0FnyTorw8CbiY0D_6gaUZcY0NEMrATmP78B0qw2l8oN5aBCOA1fGFKhL1qjb0vhyMrItetq-dJiFuKHbOJ85MuijWclJ9m2uSWv2xDlgU9ydHWXM8iw/s1600/amd_mia.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493479002648194354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3VRkywDmf0BIdM5JL4Ez0FnyTorw8CbiY0D_6gaUZcY0NEMrATmP78B0qw2l8oN5aBCOA1fGFKhL1qjb0vhyMrItetq-dJiFuKHbOJ85MuijWclJ9m2uSWv2xDlgU9ydHWXM8iw/s400/amd_mia.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 240px;" /></a>(N.E.E.T./Interscope) It’s impossible to talk about M.I.A.’s music without discussing her drama; she’s made sure of that. But Maya Arulpragasam has always swaggered around the music world like the most braggadocios of rappers. Where she once applied an artistic stroke to her propaganda-laden dance-pop, M.I.A.’s latest finds her crudely flying two middle fingers in the face of the same fashionable media that made her a culture star. Less songs and more dense blasts of digital noise designed for maximum impact, /\/\/\Y/\ is beyond reactionary. Like Lou Reed’s “Metal Machine Music,” /\/\/\Y/\ challenges you to like it. Couching what few melodies she grudgingly tosses out in swaths of effects and bass, M.I.A. makes it clear that she’s not here for your love or your money (“Cuz I got it,” she brags on “XXXO”). Given the corrosive crunch of tracks like “Meds and Feds” down to the eye-taxing cover art and stylized album title, it seems like she’d rather annoy you anyway. Even the lovers’ rock of “It Takes A Muscle” and 22nd century girl-group pop of “Tell Me Why” are pointy enough to go down hard. /\/\/\Y/\ is also among the most genuinely entertaining major label releases of 2010. Go figure. (<i>Originally published on Shockhound.com</i>) Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-17208575399803473312010-07-08T11:21:00.000-07:002010-07-08T11:23:54.311-07:00Kelis, "Flesh Tone" (A&M)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh722jMsg13Aat5TEZLMJKatawZFiF3aX9ui7Dc89MbhxH_PiXMTcTVDEMJA5WN6nOVKUVUgDftUd_whk3ypzqyX2mVAeFNz7QMTr3cwS77pjdbTI1oX-spb-cjrlgVBgwRzuOjQ/s1600/kelis_flesh_tone-1.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 398px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh722jMsg13Aat5TEZLMJKatawZFiF3aX9ui7Dc89MbhxH_PiXMTcTVDEMJA5WN6nOVKUVUgDftUd_whk3ypzqyX2mVAeFNz7QMTr3cwS77pjdbTI1oX-spb-cjrlgVBgwRzuOjQ/s400/kelis_flesh_tone-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491602741762266546" border="0" /></a>What a long, strange trip it’s been for Kelis. She broke onto the music scene like a black Alanis Morissette with 1999 single “Caught Out There,” armed with an endless supply of Neptunes beats. After finally breaking through with 2003 smash hit “Milkshake,” Kelis’s profile became more about her tabloid-baiting personal life than musical impact. Possibly realizing just how little fan base she had left in the States, her complete reinvention into modern dance diva is a savvy if cynical move. Working with DJ mega-stars like Benny Benassi and Dave Guetta alongside electro heroes Boys Noize, Kelis has crafted a quick-fix soundtrack for her shiny new persona. Clocking in at under 38 minutes, “Flesh Tone” explodes with bombastic club beats and hands-in-the-air euphoria designed for maximum summer impact. Tracks like“4th of July/Fireworks” exude an Ibiza-at-4AM energy ideal for any dance floor—but little else. Which in this case, is pretty much the point. Much like the sonic equivalent of a perfectly trashy summer beach novel, “Flesh Tone,” is just for fun.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Originally published on Shockhound.com) </span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-85184910122003922882010-07-06T14:36:00.000-07:002010-07-06T14:39:07.331-07:00Kylie Minogue, Aphrodite (Parlaphone)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7Gb8FYTE__niJLu5LkbV4v15Rd_1rjyo2fp9ZBiFapBINPwYysKXDywe5TLw5tx08gy90joHhyphenhyphen2sesUKSd_IPwpaaYeAjOcUBSU9-u_siJt6QteJ69P1BBFtD2Wx3fJ3Ebe5ng/s1600/Kylie+-+Aphrodite.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN7Gb8FYTE__niJLu5LkbV4v15Rd_1rjyo2fp9ZBiFapBINPwYysKXDywe5TLw5tx08gy90joHhyphenhyphen2sesUKSd_IPwpaaYeAjOcUBSU9-u_siJt6QteJ69P1BBFtD2Wx3fJ3Ebe5ng/s400/Kylie+-+Aphrodite.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5490910962825399202" border="0" /></a>Aspiring divas, take note: THIS is how an icon gets made. Kylie Minogue has been running game on the music industry since the tender age of 19 with her 1987 debut single, “Locomotion.” Often saddled with the tag of “the Madonna of Europe,” Ms. Minogue could actually teach Ms. Ciccone quite a bit about maintaining credibility and sales numbers over a long musical career. Never afraid to tackle new sounds, Kylie’s secret weapon is that she’s never compromised good songs for a fleeting trend. Like contemporaries the Pet Shop Boys, quality songs have always kept her lifted above the fray of your garden-variety dance act. With Stuart Price as her executive producer, Kylie Minogue has crafted one of the finest full-lengths of her illustrious career, if not her magnum opus. Fully stocked with an arsenal of top-flight dance-pop anthems, APHRODITE doesn’t flag for a moment. From the emo-disco one-two punch of “All The Lovers” and “Get Outta My Way” through the Daft Punk-like power of “Can’t Beat the Feeling,” APHRODITE is the party-positive summer dance album that will stay hot well into the winter months and beyond.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">(Originally published on Shockhound.com)</span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-19256472705899528452010-06-07T10:19:00.001-07:002018-04-23T15:28:15.373-07:00The XX for 944 Magazine: Summer 2010<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ayAl4K8KRkn9QKSyXin2FefclKBcD88GQwmaqjvVjcZ95teyLjGDhuliFzh6GN4bDPL4-dW-_K48FC0FkptevyoH1PAIKoJD9KBe8VLRNtJ2vPaMvgb1EV79d-s-NQiosTowtA/s1600/large-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480082812566805746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ayAl4K8KRkn9QKSyXin2FefclKBcD88GQwmaqjvVjcZ95teyLjGDhuliFzh6GN4bDPL4-dW-_K48FC0FkptevyoH1PAIKoJD9KBe8VLRNtJ2vPaMvgb1EV79d-s-NQiosTowtA/s640/large-2.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 309px;" width="494" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONu_wQlevL4MGVfnt_aIgW8dwQde54ij3CYUAAJznKe0ioPiAnTlJQSOKdJ-OZ8VU1uR8s138OXs8OcOjty3mS5rUrxmUn87i8sKNAr0sH9gBCxntaJ3ZOpDVUdLOPaZ6nkbbrQ/s1600/large-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480082806231459730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONu_wQlevL4MGVfnt_aIgW8dwQde54ij3CYUAAJznKe0ioPiAnTlJQSOKdJ-OZ8VU1uR8s138OXs8OcOjty3mS5rUrxmUn87i8sKNAr0sH9gBCxntaJ3ZOpDVUdLOPaZ6nkbbrQ/s640/large-1.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 309px;" width="494" /></a>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-86686259029999882222010-05-25T14:48:00.000-07:002010-05-25T14:50:39.612-07:00Massive Attack live @ Wiltern Theatre, L.A.. CA 5/19/2010<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WDcIetnXeeg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WDcIetnXeeg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />Massive Attack played L.A. for three sold-out nights last week.<br /><br />I went on the "middle" night, Wednesday. The show was awesome. Massive Attack is still one of my favorite bands of all-time, and they did not disappoint in the least.<br /><br />Here is my video of them performing "Karmacoma" that night (from the pit, thank you very much!). Good times.Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-67375667628503905052010-05-18T11:45:00.000-07:002010-05-18T11:54:52.939-07:00LCD SOUNDSYSTEM, "This is Happening (DFA/Virgin)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AKWR-o5VbBoxz4ZsL0RUum6tNIJdi0A04CS17CMEQ86l_VMu0lCEfeVVj76PkrTHbsGgjA-PDemlDq8IpYDFdqd0JLVGolwdPVSbqdVqq0XWaB0Ix3kXWLokaIewdzc5j_wDWQ/s1600/63.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-AKWR-o5VbBoxz4ZsL0RUum6tNIJdi0A04CS17CMEQ86l_VMu0lCEfeVVj76PkrTHbsGgjA-PDemlDq8IpYDFdqd0JLVGolwdPVSbqdVqq0XWaB0Ix3kXWLokaIewdzc5j_wDWQ/s400/63.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472685318841655570" border="0" /></a>Like many great modern artists, James Murphy is a master emulator. He has built LCD Soundsystem from a well-studied pastiche between “indie” nonchalance and “underground” dance aesthetics — and, for the most part, it works. “This is Happening” is a meticulously crafted album of New York cool meets Pitchfork-informed self-consciousness, all the right moves made with a nudge and wink. Opening with the almost nine-minute-long epic “Dance Yrself Clean,” the third LCD Soundsystem full-length is only a couple of curious retreads away from being a 5-star achievement like 2007's SOUND OF SILVER. The single “Drunk Girls” lurches about like “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” remixed with zing-heavy lyrics that read more like Aziz Ansari than James Murphy. But when referencing Berlin-period Bowie and classic Psychedelic Furs in one song (“All I Want”), crafting heartfelt dance-floor love songs (“I Can Change”) and signature DFA grooves (“You Wanted A Hit”), THIS IS HAPPENING is ample evidence of how much sonic goodness can be wrung from only a handful of the right references.<br /><br />(<span style="font-style: italic;">Originally published by Shockhound.com. Photo by </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://countessian.com/">Rachel Carr</a>)Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-50317471510549585992010-04-09T00:04:00.000-07:002015-12-14T18:08:21.672-08:00Last song of the night: Tel Aviv, "I Have Met A Writer" (Teen Beat, 1997)<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jrjcU3x2bH8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jrjcU3x2bH8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5ecKCje-Jm61B6u6k9-5C-lo2MwGa8PyBt3DmC_wa6GHq30RQ4o3rzi5IeATw_DgRg6OgYmIZ02GzNFjzSMK8_c0jjAPQk5aeoR0q1zL0M_WVq7KdiZNi3Sz5HMnapeT-PdQTw/s1600/TA.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><br /></a>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-48226311120462916062010-04-07T11:35:00.000-07:002015-12-14T18:10:47.692-08:00My Definition of House Music<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gFo9a2-FnM4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gFo9a2-FnM4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="385" width="480"></embed></object><br />
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<br />Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-70054955462415086982010-03-22T10:38:00.001-07:002010-03-22T11:12:18.552-07:00Photo of the Day: Emily Gail makes the new Runaways movie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilECaZ8-aWLTHIIKylixiEywtnOzFRvhhFgQJbDMmDRbl3IY1eWGswtnPqT1syLpr4RFpJMo07J4s4E5iFiVWDMEMqLr_oJqfIeGVb7cTzvI4YbQuazrxk0ftAtXuXybrFbrLzxg/s1600-h/the_runaways12.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 293px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilECaZ8-aWLTHIIKylixiEywtnOzFRvhhFgQJbDMmDRbl3IY1eWGswtnPqT1syLpr4RFpJMo07J4s4E5iFiVWDMEMqLr_oJqfIeGVb7cTzvI4YbQuazrxk0ftAtXuXybrFbrLzxg/s400/the_runaways12.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451515796547806418" /></a><br />I can't shut up about the fact that Kristen Stewart rocks a classic Emily Gail "Detroit" logo t-shirt in the new Runaways movie. <br /><br />Emily Gail is a serious Detroit legend. She was the original pro-Detroiter back in the 1970s, even opening a store in downtown that sold all sorts of cool stuff. She would also organize "fun runs" around the city (my dad ran in many of them). I was recently thinking how much I wanted to either track down some of those classic designs (which is all but impossible--so far, anyway). <br /><br />So when "Joan Jett" breaks this baby out in the Runaways movie, I almost choked on my popcorn. Where in the HELL the movie's stylist found that baby is beyond me. All I know is that it's AWESOME. <br /><br />Detroit writer Neil Rubin explains Emily Gail perfectly in this excerpt from a July 2,2009 story from the Detroit News: <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br />"For more than two decades now, Emily Gail has been saying nice things about Kailua Kona, Hawaii. But the woman who believed in downtown when nobody else did is still saying nice things about Detroit, too.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zAxbq4BHXtAd2N2wa3M8HKboJ2uqvxzwAAaMn0MitozVfDMVF5RFhEjanOQQYR4X1QFKaxIvmXNdundOr97JplxgtxmAETKwhHl06dtgivmmL-DFU_wVgzp9zVZvD09ZtxF7iA/s1600-h/6a00d8341d471653ef0115719eecb0970b-320wi.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zAxbq4BHXtAd2N2wa3M8HKboJ2uqvxzwAAaMn0MitozVfDMVF5RFhEjanOQQYR4X1QFKaxIvmXNdundOr97JplxgtxmAETKwhHl06dtgivmmL-DFU_wVgzp9zVZvD09ZtxF7iA/s400/6a00d8341d471653ef0115719eecb0970b-320wi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451516074042035810" /></a><span style="font-style:italic;">That was her slogan in the '70s and '80s: "Say Nice Things About Detroit." She put it on T-shirts and bumper stickers and the occasional banner trailing behind an airplane, and now it's embedded in the history of an era.<br /><br />Gail is 62, not that she looks it, and her naivete and trademark braids are long gone. <br /><br />A quick word about downtown Detroit back when Gail began to make herself known:<br /><br />Ugh.<br /><br />Hudson's was still around, but dreariness had descended. Then the Renaissance Center opened in 1977, sucking tenants out of the old office buildings and into the glass fortress on the river.<br /><br />'People walked with their heads down,' she says. The streets were so empty that Gail and beau Herb (Pooh) Squires would bring out her old baseball gloves and play catch on the asphalt.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60Bv-Aih4MfkRKj8vSjfhepntCQiSyKC3Cfft6LZzOGfcjXNDAY3cF1px879kUlZGxpgEc3Oyw5sn7b7pb8mlJ7fTe4yAlxhPO1_fx05oxkECiSM4eJkVOK_egvzvXTnBdxMt0w/s1600-h/0702emily.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 197px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh60Bv-Aih4MfkRKj8vSjfhepntCQiSyKC3Cfft6LZzOGfcjXNDAY3cF1px879kUlZGxpgEc3Oyw5sn7b7pb8mlJ7fTe4yAlxhPO1_fx05oxkECiSM4eJkVOK_egvzvXTnBdxMt0w/s400/0702emily.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451522524105376914" /></a>Her family owned Gail's Office Supply in the Penobscot Building. She opened a tiny gift shop in the skyscraper, then a larger one at Congress and Shelby called Emily's Across the Street. She sold jewelry and T-shirts, often using one day's receipts to buy the next day's merchandise, and branched out into hot dogs, ice cream and cookies.<br /><br />Profit margins were minimal, but the fun factor was high. She sponsored bike days and a fun run that grew from 100 pairs of feet to more than 20,000. Emily became the first name in civic boosterism.<br /><br />Then she lost her lease, married Pooh and moved to Hawaii. No more stickers, no more fun run, no more Detroit, except in her heart."</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSTCd8GVUj-EYyx-VYAEGzg6MpOxEWq0AAXmU1EkbRo6WxfR2BDgY2lrMtTUus1IT1-P7cnL9KimuTFEmWW9EqN7ADYAaZo8a7SGF67pXgI6vJuQ4uS4JEbjNLgryvK5u8QPq_A/s1600-h/detroit_matches.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYSTCd8GVUj-EYyx-VYAEGzg6MpOxEWq0AAXmU1EkbRo6WxfR2BDgY2lrMtTUus1IT1-P7cnL9KimuTFEmWW9EqN7ADYAaZo8a7SGF67pXgI6vJuQ4uS4JEbjNLgryvK5u8QPq_A/s400/detroit_matches.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451517456507764242" /></a>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-7018537821838555722010-03-21T18:28:00.000-07:002010-03-21T20:18:19.040-07:00Cherie Currie "Neon Angel" book signing @ Book Soup<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LWqAt_TP7GboT4xDIHRgvznkACHt-KFsnp2b_IGtlzd9eO_AILGTRuQT70pgdLwQJHryp4H-SqQW-fTyAwTGV_zLN4IGwM8OwEveRfKMyvmp30mLkx6gEnI19tq4SIGY1ZubOw/s1600-h/CherieC.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LWqAt_TP7GboT4xDIHRgvznkACHt-KFsnp2b_IGtlzd9eO_AILGTRuQT70pgdLwQJHryp4H-SqQW-fTyAwTGV_zLN4IGwM8OwEveRfKMyvmp30mLkx6gEnI19tq4SIGY1ZubOw/s400/CherieC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451266604818548770" border="0"></a>I can honestly say I was nervous walking up to this one. I've had a crazy pre-teen crush on this woman since, well, I was a crazy pre-teen. Not just from the Runaways, either. her shoulda-been star-making turn in the 1980 movie "Foxes" is my jam forever. It's all about Annie, baby. Even though today was all about "The Runaways," the movie you might have heard something about recently. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvM7OQBjhNoXTQaIxloME8jEJ_7TVdCuU5rpiAE62_XsAlYrj7eKyDAOiFiflakcV3PSEKwc7MoSMPffQRt4YfKBxW8mlRbwF3SyxU-il5hAmc4s6G_whcpcfdT8eAV0JU2S7tg/s1600-h/earlybirdz.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvM7OQBjhNoXTQaIxloME8jEJ_7TVdCuU5rpiAE62_XsAlYrj7eKyDAOiFiflakcV3PSEKwc7MoSMPffQRt4YfKBxW8mlRbwF3SyxU-il5hAmc4s6G_whcpcfdT8eAV0JU2S7tg/s400/earlybirdz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451266623348695970" border="0"></a><br />I got to the spot early enough to see her show up in a chauffeured town car with her mom. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFtt9oaRjjSs7RNAB3z70f1fZB0_Q_zmQspWnC8b-hnnC2TEqG_LcRQ6q5j-WrgiTvoPep-fbLaISe9bQh1YR3Qe7vD2P9ltCfu4B_wLyzs_L7i4XQjYNLwhFC8JQpjylAqVrpw/s1600-h/cheriesmom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDFtt9oaRjjSs7RNAB3z70f1fZB0_Q_zmQspWnC8b-hnnC2TEqG_LcRQ6q5j-WrgiTvoPep-fbLaISe9bQh1YR3Qe7vD2P9ltCfu4B_wLyzs_L7i4XQjYNLwhFC8JQpjylAqVrpw/s400/cheriesmom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451281477059696642" /></a><br />The line behind me quickly got really thick. Soon, we were all crammed into Book Soup to listen to Cherie talk and answer questions, including the Mayor of the Sunset Strip, Rodney Bingenheimer. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNDD9Hbz4Bx7HGzZ2vJZ0_1XqbruCvpuL47JiN9UECgxFCuQqMcP4Sf1iO_DAIrWsWnht1WlXB1guBWgp424J4_hpN-9ozwO6CcUY9JFj4mV8rtD9WSqTmInN_QCoeXGMkJKuXQ/s1600-h/RodneyB.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNDD9Hbz4Bx7HGzZ2vJZ0_1XqbruCvpuL47JiN9UECgxFCuQqMcP4Sf1iO_DAIrWsWnht1WlXB1guBWgp424J4_hpN-9ozwO6CcUY9JFj4mV8rtD9WSqTmInN_QCoeXGMkJKuXQ/s400/RodneyB.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451267439779540386" border="0"></a><br />I stuck my hand up and she picked me. So I asked her what really happened between the Runaways and Rush. I had no idea that the drama went down in DETROIT, and at Cobo Hall. Here's what she had to say. Sorry for the shaky picture. I told you I was nervous! ; ) <br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-tOjYIlk9G8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-tOjYIlk9G8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Another good question was the whereabouts of the infamous corset. Cherie said that after a tour, she took it to a shop on Sunset Blvd to get repaired. The shop was owned by Billy Squier's then-girlfriend. When she came back a couple of weeks later to pick it up, the shop was gone. As was the piece of rock history. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig75o8-ymlafjT2rQULnuQ5_TN2fUG7N4WPUedH0ZngGSiDpa5prGxqnVXyk6HKmxEUkElIxVM7e65-UPsOI2rBLxPKL5qqENFyH0K-AiYK_uTpr_EB0nIihVF8w4z1YIKJLZxTg/s1600-h/cherieFan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig75o8-ymlafjT2rQULnuQ5_TN2fUG7N4WPUedH0ZngGSiDpa5prGxqnVXyk6HKmxEUkElIxVM7e65-UPsOI2rBLxPKL5qqENFyH0K-AiYK_uTpr_EB0nIihVF8w4z1YIKJLZxTg/s400/cherieFan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451285262202890498" /></a><br />Cherie was really sweet when I went up to get my book signed. The woman a few people in front of me totally starting crying, which seemed to kind of unnerve Cherie a little, but she handled it like a pro. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIockOIRXEXo8xj2tFy988Mnu-ze-OucRC-_s3p-9o1cQbFWVsiYBfpo1x0TLYcKeShH-p49fM3LF76ySlJ3X50QikU7NDk3qav2zn_k7PS5AjoOpQL08IctukEaI9I7L3n9RTg/s1600-h/cooldude.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNIockOIRXEXo8xj2tFy988Mnu-ze-OucRC-_s3p-9o1cQbFWVsiYBfpo1x0TLYcKeShH-p49fM3LF76ySlJ3X50QikU7NDk3qav2zn_k7PS5AjoOpQL08IctukEaI9I7L3n9RTg/s400/cooldude.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451266602065826642" border="0"></a>This dude wearing the "Britney Spears is God" pin was awesome. He had lots of great stories about seeing everyone from the Runaways to the Currie Sisters to the last Sex Pistols show at Winterland in SF. He also LOVEs teen pop music. He even gave me a "Britney is God" pin. Score. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhGhCNvaoxNRuXUbpKxynNSfyoAsr0f8yuj6tpuGZwQSi_DayLy7UPKxqGqd_eevOPVTn5L8oYUqQQUFLA2heT1Py7A4LqgVtwrqYjHUa1a6PuKZ5wcRBgYnpp9fzgTOKnQbFTA/s1600-h/MarieC.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhGhCNvaoxNRuXUbpKxynNSfyoAsr0f8yuj6tpuGZwQSi_DayLy7UPKxqGqd_eevOPVTn5L8oYUqQQUFLA2heT1Py7A4LqgVtwrqYjHUa1a6PuKZ5wcRBgYnpp9fzgTOKnQbFTA/s400/MarieC.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451266630162931906" border="0"></a>On the way out, I spied Cherie's twin sister, Marie Currie, hanging out in front of the store with friends and fans. Good times.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://cheriecurrie.com/">Cherie Currie</a></span> is doing a handful of dates this summer, including a gig with JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS at the OC Pacific during the Fair on August 11. </span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18741813.post-771211984900734242010-03-12T21:48:00.000-08:002010-03-12T22:01:35.968-08:00Jackie Fox of the Runaways remembers Detroit 1976<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXq1BYGonUpElVn7i6oxybGleqbQxrUd0shHSHuqI7IL3AvskUc_hwUjjX7TuQyZ0UnZN7zFmD_y-nRZBjTBNwq2u40CqR0Rsr8iRqX7f8-ewxSLJWfvVmieypVPJqqJO_L4mypw/s1600-h/Runawaysbanner1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXq1BYGonUpElVn7i6oxybGleqbQxrUd0shHSHuqI7IL3AvskUc_hwUjjX7TuQyZ0UnZN7zFmD_y-nRZBjTBNwq2u40CqR0Rsr8iRqX7f8-ewxSLJWfvVmieypVPJqqJO_L4mypw/s400/Runawaysbanner1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447992701917945522" border="0" /></a><br />Early 1976:<span style="font-style: italic;"> "Driving across country with the Runaways was always an experience. I always wore a skimpy little t-shirt, no matter how cold it was, and Joan always wore her leather jacket, no matter how hot it was. We never had enough money for food and, somehow, our travel agency always managed to find us a hotel in the most inappropriate part of town.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I will never forget staying at the Holiday Inn on Trumbull Avenue in Detroit, supposedly the only hotel in the country at the time in which the night clerk's window had bullet-proof glass. Creem magazine was located in Detroit, and whenever we would tell the writers we were staying at the Holiday Inn, they would always get a look of panic on their faces and say not the one on Trumball Avenue?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Detroit was one of our first stops on tour, and the night we got there we decided to go to a movie at a theater nearby. It was a Clint Eastwood movie (one of the Dirty Harry series), and that night was the first time in my life that I really realized I was white, since we were staying in a totally black neighborhood and we were the only white people in a fully packed theater. And there we were, five teenage girls, with no chaperone. Don't ask me where our manager was, I don't remember. But he wasn't there. Lucky for us, the people in Detroit were really nice (although they did seem a bit surprised to see five 16 year old white girls running around their neighborhood at night)."<br /><br />— </span><span>via Jackie Fox's <a href="http://runawaysstories.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"The Runaways Remembered"</span></a> blog<br /></span>Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09087358273889423137noreply@blogger.com0