Category: unsorted

INCHES001: Local revolutions w/ Mika Miko, Xasthur, Rx Bandits, Castledoor, Shafiq Husayn

I’m exceedingly proud to announce the debut of my new weekly vinyl column, “INCHES” on the LA Weekly music blog, West Coast Sound. The full title of the inaugural installment is “INCHES001: Local revolutions, pt.1 — five L.A. vinyl exclusives revealed and reviewed.”

This edition features five releases by L.A.-area artists on L.A.-area labels — Mika Miko (PPM), Xasthur (Hydra Head), RxBandits (Sargent House), Castledoor (Seven Inch Project), and Shafiq (Poo-Bah) — that either are not available on CD, or sport a drool-worthy design. A free MP3 accompanies each writeup, along with a photo of the package shot, for better or for worse, by yours truly.

Mika Mikos We Be Xuxa (PPM)

Mika Miko's We Be Xuxa (PPM)

Future installments will include up-to-date reviews of wax by L.A. artists and/or L.A. imprints, profiles on local vinyl shops and labels, cratedigger-curated selections, swap meet outings, and whatever else seems like a good idea at the time. If you haven’t clicked over there already, please do so here.

L.A. Experiential: Dam-Funk, Casiokids

If you live in/around the L.A. area, seriously consider attending these:

  • Dâm-Funk and Computer Jay at the Hyperion Tavern (Calling All Kids) on Friday, August 7 (read more at LA Weekly).
  • Casiokids, The Wave Pictures and Slow Club at Spaceland on Saturday, August 8 (read more at LA Weekly).

Enjoy!

Cult Bit: Amoeba Gets Stoned (and Thrown)

As if any of us needed an excuse to spend Sunday afternoons at the nation’s greatest record store (as if that’s not what we do already), Amoeba Music and Stones Throw Records have teamed up for a series of premium Sunday DJ sessions throughout the month of August. Get the details and sample the wares here (via LA Weekly).

Q&A: The Duke Spirit nearly quits

England’s The Duke Spirit specializes in primal blues-fueled rock whose emotional subtleties are blasted forth on a take-no-prisoners wave of guitar squelch and sass. So it comes as some surprise to learn that the band almost called it quits before recorded last year’s Neptune LP out in the California desert with Queens Of The Stone Age producer Chris Goss. Singer Liela Moss talks about this, about spending seven weeks in the Palm Desert, and about Miranda July in this interview.

And for good measure, a ballad:

Cult Bit: Daedelus/Jogger RMXs, free Nosaj MP3

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An exciting, young L.A. label has just officially released a sweet set of remixes from the likes of Nosaj Thing, Eliot Lipp, Mexicans With Guns, Meanest Man Contest, and others. The label is Friends Of Friends, and the original artists: Daedelus and Jogger. Read about it here (via LA Weekly), where you can download Nosaj’s remix of Jogger’s “Nice Tights,” learn about the label’s remix contest, and play with a rad mixing widget.

Friends Of Friends Vol. 1 Remixed

Friends Of Friends Vol. 1 Remixed

Q&A: Foreign Born leaves “no spot un-percussed”

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You may have read about Foreign Born’s intimate record release show a few weeks back, or about singer Matt Popieluch’s role in the fantastic Glasser project, but in this new interview, Popieluch covers it all: past, present, future, collaborations with outfits like Cass McCombs’ and Fool’s Gold, and the genesis of FB’s fantastic ode to summers in Los Angeles, Person To Person. Read up.

“Winter Games,” from Person To Person.

Q&A: Tortoise talks aging, crit backlash, Dilla

Chicago post-rock juggernaut Tortoise has been with us for nearly 20 years, turning genre, and the band’s own history, on its head with each new album. Beacons Of Ancestry might be the first to display an overt hip-hop influence — and to feature thrash metal. I recently spoke to multi-instrumentalist Dan Bitney, who waxed profuse on J Dilla, the last album’s critical backlash, and growing older with Tortoise.

Below, the band’s latest video.

Q&A: Blitzen Trapper’s new, weird America

On it’s recent Sub Pop debut, Furr, Portland band Blitzen Trapper tows a wonderfully weird line between Pavement, Beck, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin. In this interview, singer/songwriter Eric Earley talks plainly about ripping off Dylan, tweaking the format by adding a little Neil Young, and his more literary lyrical influences (i.e. Cormac McCarthy).

Also, the video for “Furr.”