» Think good thoughts for: my 6 hour flight [i hate flying], my paper presentation [saturday 8pm est]

» I can’t belive I’m reading this:

Boycott Yuengling Beer Products
From Daniel Grace, Secretary-Treasurer, Teamsters Local 830

http://phillyunions.com/teamsters830/

The Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters has announced that it supports
Teamsters Local 830 in its efforts to protect its members’ jobs and
officially endorses Local 830’s boycott of Yuengling products.

SITUATION:

On March 9, 2006, D.G. Yuengling & Son withdrew union recognition,
declaring it would no longer continue negotiating with Teamsters Local 830
Mgmt. Yet, the contract between Teamsters Local No. 830 and D.G. Yuengling
& Son did not expire until March 31, 2006. By these actions D.G. Yuengling
& Son is jeopardizing the working standards, conditions and livelihoods of
many hard-working Local 830 workers whose efforts and dedication have
helped this local company achieve the national acclaim and success they
now enjoy.

Several attempts by Local 830 management to resume good faith negotiations
in hopes of coming to a fair and amicable agreement have been spurned by
the beverage manufacturer.

Local 830 has filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board, which
are pending.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

1) In support of those local 830 workers whose livelihoods are now in
jeopardy because of this very serious situation, the Pennsylvania
Conference of Teamsters is urging Philadelphia area union members, their
families and supporters, as well as local tavern owners and liquor
licensed establishments and all those who patronize these establishments,
NOT TO PURCHASE the following Yuengling brands until further notice:
Yuengling Premium Beer, Yuengling Light, Lord Chesterfield Ale, Dark
Brewed Porter, Traditional Lager, Light Lager, and Original Black & Tan.

2) Local 830 urges you to contact D.G. Yuengling & Son at the address
and/or phone number below and express your support for the workers of
Teamsters Local 830. Let them know you will not purchase or consume their
products until they resume good faith negotiations with the Local,
recognize the union, and demonstrate their willingness to maintain fair
working conditions, wages and standards.

Yuengling Brewery
5th & Mahantongo Streets
Pottsville, PA 17901
(570) 622-4141

Additional information is available on the company web site at
http://www.yuengling.com/contact.htm.

3) FORWARD THIS MESSAGE to your fellow union members, family, friends,
local taverns and liquor establishments, etc. and ask them to boycott
Yuengling products and support Local 830 as well.

We thank you very much for your support!

I’m taking off for the week to prepare for the EMP, so don’t expect too much excitement ’round here.

Speaking of academic papers, here’s one by a Princeton University professor examining the cost of concert ticket prices. [thanks, Coolfer]

First-wave Philadelphia post punks Bunnydrums regroup in preparation for cd re-issue of the groups last album Holy Moly. Original members DAVE GOERK and FRANK MARR are joined by guitarists HOWARD HARRISON (Terratoma, Martin Bisi), MARC LAURICK (Sensory Fix), and drummer MIKE MONGIELLO.

In addition, the group are currently updating the website, preparing an all new cd that includes material contributed by TOM ‘VOSCO’ ADAMS / AKA AGENT A (Sensory Fix, Ruin), and look forward to returning to live performance in summer 2006.

*Mahogany “Supervitesse”*

I have this new saying, perhaps you may have heard of it: don’t hate the player, hate the game. This afternoon I was sitting on College Green, soaking up those last moments of sunlight and slogging through my EMP paper when “Cybele’s Reverie” found its way into ye olde ipod shuffle [what they say about the ipod's shuffle being better than a real DJ is untrue; so far I have been pretty unenthused by its selections -- why does it *always* want to play that damn Rita Lee Beatles cover album which I've been meaning to delete?] and I thought to myself, “Man, remember how awesome this band used to be? Remember how fun it was to sing along with their crazy commie anthems?”

I can’t get annoyed when Mahogany [who are based in NYC yet have distinct Philly connections] sound so much like Stereolab; I should be annoyed that Stereolab are slack motherfuckers. [and yes, I know I can't completely blame their joylessness on ProTools -- Mary Hansen RIP, divorce, etc etc.] “Supervitesse” sounds like a band overcome by realization that they’ve stumbled upon Stereolab’s sound and rightfully inject playfulness back into the formula. There’s an airy quality a la Durutti Column or Dif Juz here as well, speed up just enough to blur the lines in a pleasing manner. What keeps me listening is the physicality of the sounds; you can hear fingers pressing down on the bass and the struggle of metal against metal, grounding the whirlwind just enough so that you’re not totally floating away.

(Visit Mahogany online HERE. Or HERE.)

Notekillers “Airport”
Sonic Youth “Reena”

I was writing about the new Notekillers single when a copy of the new Sonic Youth fell right into my lap, which is totally funny because that version of the review said, “…all I can think is that someone swiped my copy with a promo of the forthcoming Sonic Youth record.”

Here I thought the Notekillers heavy jams, so ferocious they might qualify as metal, were trace elements of a harsher return to form for Sonic Youth. It seem everything new I like hearkens back to some old sound without sounding like a historical rehash — OxC/Embos, Clockcleaner/Flipper and so on — that I was prety convinced with all the No Fun festing, UPenn backlash, reissuing of early material, Sonic Youth were going to go old-school on us. Needless to say, I felt pretty clowned when I threw on Rather Ripped, only to discover how completely modern and gorgeous this album sounds. In fact, I’m having a real hard time picking the most “pop” song on this record because there’s several.

And I guess there is my lesson for the day — you can’t make something new by simply sounding old. This is why more than half of the post-punk revival sounds awful; slapping an Ian Curtis soundalike over some discopunk beats sounds fucking tired. [post-punk is not the only culprit] It’s like what the modernists used to say, “Take the old and make it new.” These two tracks, I suppose, sound fantastic because they’ve taken the ethos to heart. Notekillers are relentless in their pursuit on this killer three-chord romp, right from the opening wail of the feedback. The metallic guitars, heavy like a thousand-pound weight and grinding like so many of Branca’s compositions, reside somewhere in the grey area between metal and no wave.

“Reena” opens up with a killer solo so Grateful Dead that its ridiculously awesome, but before I think the band has veered off into complete jam band territory, Kim Gordon intones “You keep me comin’ home again,” as if to remind the audience that no matter how hard they stray, they’ll return to what put them on the map in the first place. And that much is true when the breakdowns hit, a wall of shimmery dissonance comes up that isn’t too far from the sturm und drang of Sister. It’s the revisitation that’s thrilling with both of these songs, but even more comfort’s gleaned in knowing how far they can take those ideas, in this case twenty years into the future.

(Visit the Notekillers online here. Visit Sonic Youth online here.)

i have started a new category to keep track of all the music i acquire. also, i made easter eggs the other day with co-workers. please note the lower left hand of the carton and how those two eggs eerily resemble the design of this blog.

first half of april:

Curtis Mayfield, Curtis
X, Wild Gift
Nothing Painted Blue, Future of Communications
Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings & Food
Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow
Notekillers, Airport
Okay Paddy, The Cactus Has A Point
Sonic Youth, Rather Ripped
Parts & Labor, Stay Afraid
Flin Flon, Dixie
The Bottom Lip, White Dot Warriors
V/A, URGH! A Music War
V/A, The In-Kraut: Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1966-1974

Shit, people. This is getting out of hand.

PLEASE RE-POST AND IF FOUND ANY LEADS EMAIL
http://www.myspace.com/rosiethomasmusic

Rosie
1) Takamine cutaway acoustic guitar normal looking brown w/ black pick guard electronics cut into the top of the guitar. The inner storage area of the case had a purple handmade bracelet in it. There were also notes in the case under the guitar. Case was black with fragile stickers all over it.

2) Boss tuner pedal

Johnathon
1) Fender P-Bass - 1975-78 - Brown Body, Black Pick Guard: one piece of pick guard is broken close to input jack and covered with red electrical tape. It has one black tuning peg on the D string… the rest are silver. The back of the neck is messed up a bit
It has faded wear marks on the front of the bass. The back of body has a few chunks taken out of it. The case has holes in it and it has 2 stickers: one says John Ford, the other is a Thrasher skateboard sticker. Bottom latch of case is broken.

2) Ernie ball volume pedal (bottom, top right hand base peg is gone)

3) Boss compression sustain pedal

4) Boss chromatic tuner

5) Ampeg Rocket Bass Amp

Jeff
1) Black Fender ‘72 deluxe tele re-issue one hum-bucker on front position Replaced custom bridges in a black hard-shell case covered in Ryan air and fragile stickers on all sides black ernie ball guitar strap on it.

2) Custom black felt flight case pedal board with the following pedals:
morely a/b/y switch pedal
boss tuner
morely alligator volume pedal
minitone top boost in a can overdrive pedal (RED)
boss digital delay / reverb pedal (grey)
line 6 delay unit pedal (green)
Voodoo labs pedal power
power supply

3) Korg micro control midi control keyboard

Brian
1) Yamaha P-120 Keyboard Stage Piano it is dark brown with black trimming. Black soft case / perfect fit

Andy
1) Martin Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar / LR baggs deluxe EQ preamp on the top in soft case. There is a Fishman soundhole pickup in the case as well.

2) Fender blues jr. relic amp (tweed)

3) Fender pro junior amp (silver and black)

4) midi man oxygen 8 keyboard

5) 3rd generation 30 gig ipod

i did it. i took the plunge. i bought an ipod. now why do i feel like crying? oh right, because i just saw this:

» Brendan Newnam is a pretty decent guy. I mean, he’s gotta be OK if he like’s “middling American indie-rock”, right? Sounds like a dude after my own heart. So check out his podcast:

Now that podcasts have gone the way of Merlot, Ugg boots, and rational foreign diplomacy, I have finally activated my website, Audiovant.

If you get a moment please check it out. Each interview clocks in at a little over ten minutes and incorporates music, interviews and commentary. Even if you are too cool for indie maybe hearing Alec Ounsworth drop the k-nowledge on Charles Mingus and Bessie Smith will make you think twice before reaching for Haterade the next thousand times you hear his band. Jens Lekman tells the secret story of how David Berman’s poetry ended up in his music - plagiarism? You decide. And the Tapes n Tapes interview is naked pandering to the kidz on my part (hey better them than the Man, plus I’m a sucker for middling American indie-rock.)

All of the pieces can be heard directly on the website. You can also subscribe to the Audiovant podcast by going to the I-Tunes music store and clicking on “podcasts”. Search for “Audiovant”, then press subscribe. (It’s pretty nondescript right now b/c I haven’t figured out how to tart-up my HTML for Apple.). After you subscribe, each new episode will be magically zapped into your I-Pod.

» Take that, Penn kids! Not only has Sonic Youth been accepted by the Gilmore Girls, the Library of Congress thinks they’re worthy of historic preservation. I’m willing to wager that O.A.R. isn’t going to receive similar treatment.

» I bought records this weekend! Not as notable as the LOC inducting the Yoof, but this kind of shit only happens a couple times a year for me:

Curtis Mayfield Curtis, X Wild Gift, V/A URGH! A Music War, Nothing Painted Blue Future of Communications, Talking Heads More Songs About Buildings & Food, Jefferson Airplane Surrealistic Pillow, V/A The In-Kraut: Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1966-1974.

It was kind of a canon day for me, but enjoyable nonetheless. If you are into movie soundtracks from the 60’s, you shoudl check out that In-Kraut comp.

» Stoner Jam: Julia Factorial brings forth the awesome indie jams [not to be confused with actual jam bands] from 1994…

tomorrow night RADIO ON! will be celebrating with a listening party and evening of collective favorites from the built to spill / halo benders/ beat happening trifecta.

all night long!

because you like your twee punk but only if it sounds like john wayne is singing.

because you secretely like indie-jam-bands.

because you’re still in love with your boy/girlfriend from 1996.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 12 (tomorrow)
700 club! 2/fairmount!
10pm-2a

I asked for some Treepeople and got rejected! I guess that means I’ll have to do my own C/Z Records tribute night in the future.

this? found at the marvelous during lunch, when i went to put up some show posters. i think we should all follow its advice, except that im never going to tell you my actual home address.

» last night i caught some bands at the m-room. okay paddy covered the signature tune of the event, “somebody’s baby”. good times but i had to leave early before i turned into a pumpkin.

» yes, like everyone else in the world, im fascinated by youtube. here’s a piece about the action news theme changing its arrangement, robert wyatt covering the monkees and REM’s first television appearance. also: TONS of figure skating videos.

» more cinema for you: okay paddy’s “fretboard” video. i like this song a lot ['cause it sounds like pavement] but im a bit confused as to whats going on in the video. duh, i know, fake suicide, but arent a lot of these shots rather, um, long? still trying to wrap my mind around how it works.

» hey penn kids — sonic youth are coming back to philly in june! thats the word according to sean agnew of R5. funny thing about this illustration in the DP is that they still don’t fucking get it. then again, looking at my comments, perhaps we dont either. the whole problem to this countercultural thing is that well, its supposed to stay on one side. so when i see people say “Our Thing Is Winning”, they’re completely missing the point. but i guess if i believe that, then what to make of SY’s upcoming appearance on gilmore girls?

anyways:

Celebrating their 25th Anniversary the legendary SONIC YOUTH will return to Philadelphia to play a cool “indie/punk” show at The Starlight Ballroom. This is absolutely going to sell out with the quickness. Get your tickets in advance for sure! This will likely be the only time you get to see this band in such an intimate, fan friendly enviroment. GET PSYCHED PHILADELPHIA!

Wednesday June 14th 8:00pm
At The Starlight Ballroom (460 North 9th Street)
(9th and Spring Garden Sts in Philadelphia)
All Ages / 21+ To Drink / $20 /
Tickets On Sale At Spaceboy Music and R5Productions.Com NOW !

The Legendary…..
SONIC YOUTH
Celebrating their 25th Anniversary! Playing a wide full collection of past and present material. This show will be soo insane. The band is totally excited to play a normal fun place again (instead of a parking lot or giant giant airplane hanger)

Tickets Are On Sale Now - Direct Ticket Link