Author Archives: the OCMD

SXSW Thursday Highlights

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The day couldn’t have kicked off better than with The Phenomenal Handclap Band.  With 10 members deep, it was one of the better dance rock bands I’ve seen in a while.  Truly infections.  Especially with San Francisco’s Bart Davenport joined them in his 70s attire on stage.  Everyone one who was anyone in the indie rock world seemed to be there.

Other highlights of the night were definitely Girls and Grizzly Bear at Central Presbyterian Church.  I had goosebumps for the entire Grizzly Bear performance.  Sitting in pews and hearing them perform in a beautiful stone church was one of the better music experiences I’ve had of late.  Truly awesome and transcendental.  My religion!

Listen to Phenomenal Handclap Band “Testify” 

The Decemberists Death Count

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Listen to “The Rake Song”:

I loved this article in Paste Magazine that analyzes the death count of all 76 songs in The Decemberists’ catalogue of music.  The Decemberists frontman and songwriter, Colin Meloy, has killed upwards of 70 characters of his own creation. That averages out to about 0.92 deaths per track.   They detail the characters causes of death nicely in a spreadsheet, but here’s a summary:

Leading causes of death:

1. Cannibalism (31)
2. Drowned (6), unspecified (6)
3. War, unspecified (6)
4. Shot (5)
5. Childbirth (3), suicide (3)
6. Abandoned (1), beaten (1), beaten then burned (1), consumption (1), hanged (1), killed by ghosty kids (1), mining accident (1), poisoned (1), premature birth (1), stuck in chimney (1)

Deadliest releases:

1. Picaresque (44)
2. The Hazards of Love (8)
3. The Crane Wife (5)
4. Castaways & Cutouts (4)
5. Her Majesty (3)
6. Always the Bridesmaid EP (2), 5 Songs EP (2)
7. The Tain EP (1), Picaresquieties EP (1)

Deadliest songs:

1. “16 Military Wives” (36)
2. “The Rake’s Song” (5)
3. “Leslie Anne Levine” (3)
4. “I Don’t Mind” (2), “We Both Go Down Together” (2), “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” (2), “The Perfect Crime #2” (2), “Days of Elaine” (2), “Hazards of Love 4” (2)

Mixtape: SXSW Picks, Part 1

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My rock-n-roll vacation is just days, hours away.  I’ve been combing the line up of 1400 bands for weeks now. My list is made, I’m checking it twice and trying to keep the panic at bay as I struggle to find a way to fit it all in. 

SXSW is the equivalent of Mecca for the indie music junkie, like me. It’s the place you go to discover the best new artists everyone else will be listening 6 months or a year from now, depending on where you fall on the music curve.  And already I’ve found some gems.  Here’s a sample of a few bands I’m particularly excited to see. Believe me, there are many, many more.  Some of them are classics reunited – like Echo and The Bunneymen and Red Red Meat – others somewhat establish, but most are new to the scene and trying to break out.  Enjoy!

the OCMD SXSW Playlist #1

1. Benjy Ferree – “Pisstopher Christoper”
2. Obits – “Pine On”
3. Abe Vigoda – “Don’t Lie”
4. New Villager – “Rich Doors”
5. Foreign Born – “Vacationing People”
6. Iran – “Buddy”
7. Red Red Meat – “Gauze”
8. Wheat – “El Sincero”
9. Echo & The Bunnymen – “Killing Moon”
10. Handsome Furs – “Dumb Animals”
11. Wintersleep – “Drunk on Aluminum”
12. White Lies – “Death”
13. Let’s Wrestle – “I Won’t Lie to You”
14. The Transpersonals – “Twenty Twelve”
15. White Denim – “Mess Up Your Hair”

AT&T Fails SXSW iPhone Test

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Hey all you iPhone users heading to SXSW this week: good luck Twittering, texting and making phone calls. The annual SXSW geekfest has been well underway and already reports for iPhone reception is dismal.  This is likely the first year thousands of iPhone users have descended on Austin and AT&T is unprepared.  A recent update says the company is adding capacity but it may be a good idea to buddy up with a friend on a different network just in case.

Dan Auerbach @ Bimbos

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Rock and roll hoochie coo! Man, my musical stars were aligned last week. There’ve been so many good shows and so many more to come with SXSW merely days away, I think my head’s going to explode.  Dan Auerbach‘s show at San Francisco’s Bimbos last Friday was just another display of rock-n-roll awesomeness.  

Better known as half of The Black Keys, Auerbach’s solo endeavor is more of the same swampy, blues-tinged rock but, dare I say, even bigger and more dynamic. Whereas The Black Keys have that stripped down two-man band vibe, Dan has a 5 piece band supporting him (mostly comprised of musicians from the project he produced, Hacienda): two drummers, keyboardist/organist, rhythm guitar and bass player.  Wow!  I lost my socks somewhere at Bimbos.

If you’re going to SXSW and don’t have Dan Auerbach on your agenda, you’re a bona fide fool.  Pencil it in and make sure you pick up his new album, Keep it Hid.

Mar 18 2009 10:45P
SXSW – The Parish Austin, Texas
Mar 20 2009 8:00P
SXSW – Bill’s Place Austin, Texas
Mar 21 2009 1:30P
SXSW – The Mean Eyed Cat Austin, Texas

 

 

 

Listen to “I Want Some More”:

TSOOL @ The Independent

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I thoroughly enjoyed what felt like a TSOOL (The Soundtrack of Our Lives) private concert last night at The Independent. These guys know how to rock and have the attitude to match the music.  Clad in satin red ‘The Who’ jackets and hippie tunics, they put on quite a performance with their guitar jams and theatrics.  

TSOOL is one of my favorite rock bands from the 90s that have endured the test of time.  The seasoned rockers are touring in support of their new double album, Communion, and wrapping up the limited US leg tonight in LA before heading back to Europe – where they are well know and adored.

Listen to: ‘Babel On’

Say Hi @ Bottom of the Hill

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Listen to: “Oh oh oh oh oh oh”:
I’m in full on training mode for SXSW.  Last night’s Say Hi show was my third this week and I’ve got two more to go. And that’s still not going to hold a candle to what’s in store for me in Austin.  But it’s definitely getting me in the right frame of mind.

As I mentioned last week, I’m in love with Say Hi’s latest effort Oohs & Aahs.  Eric Elbogen is basically the band, so it was interesting to see how his laptop rock concoctions would translate live.  And it sounded great!  They kicked off their tour last night in San Francisco and played the new album in it’s entirety before launching into the old stuff.  A truly enjoyable singalong show.  If you’re going to SXSW, I highly recommend catching them at one of their following scheduled performances:

March 19, 1PM: Room 710 (SXSW Day Party Show)
March 20, 6PM: Home Slice Pizza (SXSW Day Party Show)
March 21, 1PM: SXSW Daystage
March 22, 8PM: The Parish (Barsuk & Merge SXSW Showcase)

Jack White’s New Band: The Dead Weather

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My man Jack White announced the formation of a new band, The Dead Weather, this week.  The supergroup features Alison Mosshart, of the London-based The Kills as lead singer; Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stone Age on guitar; and Jack Lawrence, from the Raconteurs, on bass. The renowned guitarist, Jack White, plays drums. Go figure.

Their debut album Horehound will be released in June.  The single “Hang You From the Heavens” is available now on iTunes.