Tindersticks "The Hungry Saw"

Stuart Staples has a voice like some humble king searching for his crown in the dirt. There’s a somber longing that his unique vocal style expresses and the intense, often dark string and brass arrangements only emphasize the grandeur that is the Tindersticks. The U.S. release of their seventh studio album, The Hungry Saw, marks their first with Constellation Records and shows perseverance despite the loss of founding member Dickon Hinchcliffe.

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Someone likes me!

A few months ago MediaPost.com wrote about Beyond Race and mentioned the article on George Carlin that I wrote. I won't post the whole thing, but here's the gist of it. If you want to read the whole thing you either need to sign up at their website or ask me to read you the rest over the phone.

Beyond Race
By Douglas Quenqua

I was prepared to say nice things about Beyond Race before I happened upon the George Carlin obituary on the magazine’s Web site. Now, damn it, I need to be effusive. Let me explain. If you’re anything like me (mid-’30s, balding, kinda sleepy), you were saddened enough when you heard Carlin had passed away. But what really stung was how every obit writer in the country somehow managed to reduce his entire career to those “seven dirty words.” So when I read the opening line to Beyond Race’s obituary, it felt like a redemption: “Comedian George Carlin, a devout atheist and lover of foul words, died last night from heart failure at the age of 71.” Greatest. Description. Ever. A devout atheist and lover of foul words. It’s irreverent, honest and totally without pretense. Something tells me Carlin would have preferred that to all the “champion of free speech” hooey.

The Gay Blades

They call their sound “trash pop,” which is a pretentious way of saying that The Gay Blades are full of indie bullshit. The good news is this duo—who sound like a full band—make undeniably catchy pop perversions. With song titles like “Robots Can Fuck Your Shit Up” and “Why Can’t I Grow A Beard?” it’s obvious that this band is totally meant to be taken seriously. Regardless of the intent and despite singer Clark Westfield’s annoying emo vocals, Ghosts is an awesome album.
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Wes Borland of Black Light Burns

I liked Limp Bizkit because it was like a metaphor for high school: a bunch of jocks and one odd man out. Everyone knew Wes was too talented for that band. Black Light Burns is his new child, and it's some of his best work ever. -JKR

Wes Borland never really made sense in Limp Bizkit. The band was huge during nu metal’s peak but Borland’s talent seemed out of place, like putting the cool art student on the football team wearing a cardboard helmet. Borland’s new band, Black Light Burns, proves that he still is musically relevant despite the fresh crops of young, mediocre talent that sprout up on the airwaves every other day.

In the interim of recording a follow up to their 2007 debut Cruel Melody, Black Light Burns have released Cover Your Heart and the Anvil Pants Odyssey, an album of brilliant covers, unreleased music and a documentary. Borland is a busy man, but took a few minutes of his time to indulge this little writer’s quest for knowledge.

Beyond Race: What was it like transitioning to the “front man” of your own band?

Wes Borland: It was sort of done out of necessity because I couldn’t really find anyone to work with that I felt like I could get behind… I couldn’t really get behind the lyrics of someone else and the idea and the voice of someone else. I tried for years to form other bands and it never really hit for me. I started songwriting just, naturally, by myself and writing lyrics and vocals and stuff like that and it was really hard making the transition mostly because…the performance part of it is a lot easier than the in studio trying to find who I am, what’s my voice, how does this work, how does my throat work. Trying to find that whole ability-to-sing thing was a really long arduous process. And then live, the main difference is that I can’t drink a lot of alcohol or eat spicy food or stuff like that while I’m on tour. I’m not working with much so I really have to be careful with what I do have vocally.
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Interview with the dude from Black Kids

Before they even had their first album out, Jacksonville based party band Black Kids managed to gain hordes of fans wherever they went. Their gender ambiguous single, “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You,” has been so highly praised you’d think the band is in cahoots with the devil. So how did a band from the same city that spawned such gems as Limp Bizkit become music’s next golden child?

Beyond Race: If I’m not mistaken this is your first headlining tour. How is it going so far? Any shows really stand out for you?

Reginald Youngblood: Yes, this is our first and it's been wonderful. All the audiences have been scary generous, but Manchester stands out. They invaded the stage!

BR: Can you give a back story on how the band came to be?

RY: Well, Owen, Kevin and I have been playing in various groups for the past decade since meeting in Sunday school. After a lot of trial and error, it occurred to me that my younger, talented sister Ali, would give us the vibrancy we were lacking. And I thought she would be easy to manipulate. Turns out, she was the conniving one, because she insisted we let her best friend, Dawn, into the group. We conceded, and have only the slightest regret.
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The Dresden Dolls' Amanda Palmer

Yes, Virginia, This is Only the Beginning…

The enchanting cabaret band known as The Dresden Dolls have carved their name into music’s heart, inviting those willing into their seductive world of punk meets performance art. The past few years have been appreciative of the Dolls and after a successful sophomore album, Yes Virginia, vocalist/keyboardist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione released No, Virginia, an album of b-sides and extras to quell the rabid masses as Palmer finishes her solo album.

Beyond Race: So I’m sure all the fans are loving No, Virginia, I just wanted to know if you felt pressured to release something because it’s been two years since Yes, Virginia and if there are any plans for the next one?

Amanda Palmer: No, we felt no pressure at all in fact the whole thing was my idea. We had to kind of talk the label into it, but I don’t know. Our plans for our next record are kind of vague. I felt such a huge project coming up would be the solo record, and that’s gonna take out a significant chunk of time, probably a couple of years while I go out and properly promote it. But the general plan, when I get done with it we’ll start the next record.

BR: What made you choose “Pretty in Pink” as a cover song?

AP: That actually was because we were asked by this record label… [American Laundromat] were putting out a compilation called High School Reunion and asking a bunch of bands to pick songs from their favorite 80s soundtracks. Some people were doing songs from Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Better off Dead and stuff like that – the whole John Hughes collection. And I love that soundtrack. The soundtrack to Pretty in Pink and Breakfast Club are like two of my staple record albums growing up. So I thought that that would be a really, really quick and easy one for the Dolls to cover. We were in the studio anyway working on the record and we just banged it out in one afternoon and sent it along. I never thought we’d use it after that but we really ended up liking it so we decided to throw it on the record.
(Read the whole interview HERE or HERE)

A review of The Cure

If you grew up listening to a band as brilliant as The Cure it’s hard to hold back the anticipation of seeing them live. This is a band that, after 30 years of playing, is still relevant in the hearts and lives of so many people. I like to think that by now the misconception that Cure fans are a bunch of brooding goth kids smelling up concert arenas with clove cigarettes and hairspray is gone. If you could see the cornucopia of music fans – all ages and races – dancing their hearts out in Madison Square Garden from the floor to the very top tiers on June 20, you’d understand just how powerful The Cure still is.
(Read the rest HERE)

RIP you miserable genius bastard...

I loved George Carlin. His comedy was unrivaled because not only was he quick witted but he was a fucking genius. No one has made better arguments against religion, politics and society as a whole. It was a sad, sad day when I wrote this and not many asshole critics did him justice in their thoughtless obits, so I hope this helps. -JKR


Comedian George Carlin, a devout atheist and lover of foul words, died last night from heart failure at the age of 71. Carlin checked into St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pains before dying later that evening, his publicist, Jeff Abraham said. Carlin broke out in the ‘60s and was very influenced by the counterculture. He pissed off a lot of people, much like his idol Lenny Bruce, with his brazen approach to comedy. He wasn’t afraid to talk about Vietnam or the drugs kids were experimenting with, and during his 40 plus years as a comedian he never stopped talking about war, politics, drugs and religion, offering hilarious yet insightful arguments against everything that he felt was morally corrupt with society.
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We Are Scientists

I interviewed Keith Murray from WAS just before their album Brain Thrust Mastery came out around May or so. The interview was great because he's really funny, but I didn't get to make a huge story out of it. It's hard cutting an hour of material down to 300 words... -JKR


Keith Murray is somewhere in Holland: “I want to say we’re in Utrecht but that’s just an educated guess.” The grueling tour schedule of We Are Scientists may be taking its toll, but they are enjoying playing material from their new album, Brain Thrust Mastery, a big improvement since their major label debut, With Love and Squalor. “I feel like the last album had a sort of ephemeral charm to it,” Murray says. He describes With Love and Squalor as a dancey, up-tempo album that was made to get attention as quickly as possible when performed live. “We sort of got fatigued with that philosophy of song writing.”
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