Monday, January 26, 2009

I'll come running with a heart on fire

When you search "Calvin Johnson" on Google image search, you get a billion pictures of the Detroit Lions throwball player. But when you search him on Flickr, where the be-camera'd indie kids hang out, you get the REAL Calvin Johnson.

Founder of corporate-ogre-fighting label K Records, Mr. Johnson will be performing on the UC Irvine campus at the Cross Cultural Center on January 31st for the low low price of $5 (with special guest Doctor Bird).

Seriously, this dude and his bands (The Halo Benders, Beat Happening, etc) and his label changed my musical life. You'll DEFINITELY see me there. Hell, you let me know and I'll come pick you up so you can make it.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Playlist for 1-22-09

(*) = New release

High Places - The Storm - High Places

(*) Animal Collective - Brother Sport - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Dosh - O Mexico - The Lost Take
Liars - There's Always Room on the Broom - They Were Wrong So We Drowned
Man Man - Black Mission Goggles - Six Demon Bag

(*) Anavan - Take It Back - Cover Story
Best Fwends - Skate or Live - Alphabetically Arranged
(*) Totally Michael - Winona - Totally Michael
The Death Set - Impossible - Rad Warehouses, Bad Neighborhoods

(*) Matt and Kim - Lessons Learned - Grand
ocdj - The Milk's Gone Bad - Hooray
Nose Bleed Island - Pizza Planet - More Tales from Blood Island
Los Campesinos! - C Is the Heavenly Option - The International Tweexcore Underground

Jonathan Richman - Just for Fun - Having a Party with Jonathan Richman (For Ali in Chico, CA)
Bishop Allen - Flight 180 - April
The Dismemberment Plan - Girl O'Clock - Emergency & I (For Brian in Irvine, CA)
I'm From Barcelona - The Painter - The Believer June/July 07

(*) Andrew Bird - Effigy - Noble Beast
Charlotte Gainsbourg & Calexico - Just Like a Woman - I'm Not There Soundtrack
The Mountain Goats - Commandante - Devil in the Shortwave
(*) Foot Ox - The Distance Between Us - Ghost

(*) Antony and the Johnsons - Epilepsy Is Dancing - The Crying Light
Mirah - Land Ho! - The Old Days Feeling
Yo La Tengo - Sugarcube - I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One
(*) The Lucksmiths - How We Met - First Frost

Low - Fearless - A Lifetime of Temporary Relief
Spacemen 3 - Walkin' with Jesus - Perfect Prescription

Rocketship - Friendships and Love - A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness

This will probably be the last not-interrupted-by-basketball show for a while. I hope you tuned in while you had the chance. I treasure the time we spend together on Thursday nights. Aren't I a sweetheart? :)

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Settin' 'em wild

In preparation for their upcoming Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free, which will be released in May, Akron/Family has set up some SoCal tour dates in March.

03/10/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Steve Allen Theatre
03/11/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Steve Allen Theatre
03/12/09 - Los Angeles, CA - Steve Allen Theatre


I saw Akron/Family four times live over two weeks, and I would have taken the steps to double that number in a second. There is a dangerous amount of face-rocking going on at an Akron/Family show, so make sure you are prepared to glue your face back on (perhaps with some type of special face glue).

Behold, and feel the power of rock and roll:

Friday, January 16, 2009

Playlist for 1-15-09

The Replacements - Bastards of Young - Tim

Guided by Voices - My Valuable Hunting Knife - Alien Lanes
Lake - Blue Ocean Blue - Oh, the Places We'll Go
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone - Toby, Take a Bow - Twinkle Echo
High Places - From Stardust to Sentience - High Places

Shocking Pinks - You Can Make Me Feel Bad - Shocking Pinks
Arab Strap - (Afternoon) Soaps - (Afternoon) Soaps
Belle and Sebastian - I Don't Love Anyone - Tigermilk
Destroyer - Trembling Peacock - This Night

The Olivia Tremor Control - NYC-25 - Dusk at Cubist Castle

Lightning Bolt - 2 Towers - Wonderful Rainbow

We're still getting pre-empted for basketball, and we probably will for another month or so. Thanks for tuning in for the truncated version of the show.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Brian Chippendale is an unstoppable killing machine

Lightning Bolt's drummer, Brian Chippendale, would eat the face off your grandmother and laugh at you for crying about it. That is science. The man is simply an animal.

Check it:




Download the full Lightning Bolt Peel Session MP3s right here

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Let's go get High (Places)




Upcoming concert: High Places at UC Irvine's Pacific Ballroom on Jan 20th, with special guests 60-Watt Kid
After a day of inaugural elation, keep the good feelings going with the electro-afrobeat-trip-folk of a pair of charming young Brooklynites.


Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Playlist for 1-8-09

(*) = New release

(*) Belle and Sebastian - Here Comes the Sun - The BBC Sessions

Nose Bleed Island - When We Won the War - More Tales from the Blood Island
Galaxie 500 - Snowstorm - On Fire
Spacemen 3 - Lord Can You Hear Me? - Playing with Fire
(*) Los Campesinos! - You'll Need those Finger for Crossing - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed

Jeffrey Lewis - If You Shoot the Head You Kill the Ghoul - It's the Ones Who've Cracked that the Light Shines Through
The Thermals - Pillar of Salt - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
The Vaselines - Sex Sux (Amen) - The Way of the Vaselines: A Complete History
Beat Happening - Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive - Black Candy

Animal Collective - Peacebone - Strawberry Jam
Akron/Family - The Rider (Dolphin Song) - Meek Warrior

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