Tuesday, March 31, 2009

barsuk

some new stuff from the barsuk lable. my new favorite band, the wooden birds. their album is supposed to drop sometime in may. this is their second single off said album.



and viva voce's new single devotion

Monday, March 30, 2009

guitar tips

the mad genius captain beefheart has given us some amazing music throughout his illustrious career. now he has given us his 10 commandments for playing guitar. this guy is either the smartest man in the world or bat shit crazy. i'm still undecided.


Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing


1.
 Listen to the birds
That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.

2. Your guitar is not really a guitar Your guitar is a divining rod
Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.

3. Practice in front of a bush 
Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush dosen't shake, eat another piece of bread.

4. Walk with the devil 
Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.

5. If you're guilty of thinking, you're out 
If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.

6. Never point your guitar at anyone 
Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.

7. Always carry a church key 
That's your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He's one. He was a Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. His song "I Need a Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty-making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he's doing it.

8. Don't wipe the sweat off your instrument 
You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.

9. Keep your guitar in a dark place
When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it.

10. You gotta have a hood for your engine 
Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.



Sunday, March 22, 2009

weekend update


i went to austin to see my favorite band in the entire world, american analog set. they played friday at club deville as part of the sxsw music fest. in honor of the 10 year anniversary of their album 'the golden band', they played it in it's entirety. chappaboogie and i got their early because this is probably going to be the last time they ever play together and we happened to see the handsome furs, an electronic rock duo from montreal, that played their goddam hearts out. i never really paid attention to this band prior to watching them but they put on a hell of a show. 






i know this picture blows, i'm just trying to show how goddam close we were
plus i feel like such a tool taking pictures with my phone. 

amanset slowed the groove down as they do best. playing at the same venue where they played their first show, everyone in the band was smiling and having a genuinely good time and i really got the feel that even though they were truly enjoying themselves, they all knew that this was the end of an era. i did spot a fan on the opposite side of the stage who was singing along and crying at the same time. i felt like weeping also but i was so excited just knowing that i was at what i can only assume is their last show ever.
you can still get your fill of amanset style music with lead singer andrew kenny's new band, 'the wooden birds'. the sound is reminiscent of amanset.



here's a video from the golden band which teaches us bicycle safety



when i got back to fort worf, the lost nation brewers concocted an imperial ipa recipe that is retardedly hopped. over a pound of 5 different varieties of hops. just look at this hop bill

1.5 oz - Chinook (Mash Hop)
2.5 oz - Warrior (90 Min.)
.5 oz - Chinook (90 Min.)
1 oz - Simcoe (45 Min.)
1 oz - Columbus (30 Min.)
2.25 oz - Centennial (Flameout)
1 oz - Simcoe (Flameout)
3.25 oz - Columbus (Dry Hop)
1.75 oz - Centennial (Dry Hop)
1.75 oz - Simcoe (Dry Hop)


if you're not a brewer this may not mean much but let's just say that's a lot of fucking hops. the beer will be done in 5 weeks and needs a name. suggestions are welcome.

the power was turned off today so i picked up a book. ender's game came highly recommended by fuckmurder mcgillicutty and i done finished it pretty much all in one sitting. so yeah, i liked it. i'm not really into the whole sci-fi thing but this book grabs you by your space rocket testicles and doesn't let go till you reach saturn.




after expanding my brain parts, i went back to the lost nation brewery and tried beer with different ingredients such as pepper, sassafras, and grapefruit. suggestions are also welcome on different beer ingredients for the next batch. 

Friday, March 6, 2009

nme c86 + dong



nme's infamous c86 mixtape is available for download on
chocolate bobka. if you don't know what i'm talkin about, read it here. word

also, i saw the watchmen last night and it was pretty incredible. plenty of dr. manhattan's lower manhattan, if ya know what i mean. 



i'm going camping, later bitches.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

mucho importante

thumbnail icon: Grizzly Bear Blog About Veckatimest Leak, Announce Tour Dates

firstly, grizzly bear are gonna be at granada june 16th. secondly, there's a tron 2.0 coming out and daft punk is scoring it. thirdly, i just poo'd myself.

Monday, March 2, 2009

ram on L.A.



aquarium drunkard has a new compilation album available for free download here. a handful of los angeles artists have covered paul mccartney's 1971 solo album, 'ram'.