The Spinto Band meets No Love For Ned on Kelsey Grammar Drive!

It’s nice to have fun shows. Not that trainwrecky ones aren’t good — they’re valuable learning tools, but sometimes you need a good show to make the time pass. I spotted the JFA album in the stacks the week before and had been itching to play it since then. Yes, I veered into some math rocky territory, but what do you expect? I grew up listening to WPRB, for crying out loud. Angry math rock’s in my blood, man. I guess thats why I dig the new Marnie Stern.

2/21/2007

marnie stern - vibrational match - in advance of the broken arm - N
—
guns n’roses - better - chinese democracy
green river - take a dive - rehab doll
actionslacks - self conscious spiel - one word
home blitz - stupid street - live outside 7″ - N
autoclave - its not real live - autoclave
mekons - only darkness has the power - mekons rock’n'roll
woolly leaves - people and the planets - quiet waters
lavender diamond - in heaven there is no heat - the calvary of light - N
—
the ponys - burn in hell - sunday nights: the songs of junior kimbrough
yoko ono - walking on thin ice (w/ jason pierce) - yes im a witch - N
JFA - pink slip - nowhere blossoms - placebo
gun club - for the love of ivy - fire of love
saccharine trust - sunk - surviving you always
june of 44 - the dexterity of luck - four great points
—
aqueduct - living a lie - or give me death - N
trans am - the campaign - the surveillance
let’s active - in between - afoot ep
the broken west - brass ring - i cant go on ill go on - N
guv’ner - almond roca - hard for measy for you
—
dinosaur jr - yeah we know - bug
dead meadow - dragonfly - s/t - N
runrunner - the rest of us - s/t
—
arto lindsay - whirlwind - noon chill
big sir - blutrausch - und die schiebe andert sich immer - N

Oh PhillyCarShare, your cars are constantly a mess and your members walking shitstacks who always screw my reservations over, but you do know how to market yourselves and throw a party, so I’ll let it slide.. Well, let’s be honest, looking at my bar tab, I could have thrown this party anywhere else. But see, I wouldn’t have scored a new protective skin for my ipod. (Now I know where my subscriber dues are going.)

So what the hell is a “Philly SoundClash”? No, it’s not some new lame hipster DJ night. It happens to be a Battle of the Bands style contest, where bands had to rely on their marketing power — actually, more like Myspace power — to gain a slot on the show. From there it’s 15-20 minutes of noodling to impress dudes with baggy jeans and their whiny girlfriends.

By some sheer stroke of luck, RunRunner (your pals & mine!) wound up as one of the six finalists, but as I quickly learned they were just filling a quota and giving this event some shred of credibility. Turns out this “SoundClash” was really a battle of genre, and not based on being a good band. All the strands of popular music were represented — dudes who all wear track jackets like they’re friggin’ Oasis (Band #1, aka, “Band of Track Jackets”), “eclectic” R&B white girl singer who apparently forgot to try out for Idol (#2), legitimately good local indie band who gets stuck with the sound problems (RunRunner), live hip-hop act (#4), group of dudes who are waaaaay into Dave Matthews (#5), suburban emo band (#6).

It should come as no surprise the pretty blahsville live hip hop act won (#4); this is what I know about The Music Business: people love bland music like there’s no tomorrow. When good bands are stacked up against aural douchebags of this variety, there’s no hope. And it’s kind of a shame, since the audience seemed to be into RR, or at least what I could gauge on the screen of scrolling text messages in between bands (how very Live 8 of them). But good for them getting on this bill and all their recent luck as of late.

As for the atmosphere, I have a sneaking suspicion this event was on par with the lameness of the recent PLUG awards. It was emceed by some dude (a comedian who wasn’t funny) and a member of the Jazzyfatnastees (as a friend said, “who?”). Josh Wink, King Britt and Dave P spun between sets. Dave’s is the only one I actually remember (”Maneater” into “Standing In the Way of Control” — Making Time Lite!) and then one of the DJ’s entertained the post-show crowd with some bad New Age rave crap. As previously mentioned, they set up a screen where you could send text messages, where everyone promoted themselves (hey, I plugged this here blog), along with shout outs to BCO, aging hipsters and Sean Agnew calling me a sellout (no offense taken, I found it hilarious). Wang Newton did some stuff in the crowd but there were technical difficulties all around. There was also a dance contest where some dude jumped up on stage mid-competition, blew away the others with his moves and managed to lose.

So there you go, a summary of the evening, and I didn’t walk out empty-handed — no, I am now the proud owner of a green Philly Car Share iPod skin and some PCS gum. THANKS GUYS

Who would I have picked to win? Dave P, of course. RunRunner, a close second.

» It’s been 5+ years since my graduation from good ol’ UArts. Lo and behold, the alumni association has finally reached out to me for A Very Serious Matter — making sure I show my school pride and vote for Nicole Tranquillo in this season of American Idol:

UArts Voice Major Makes Final 24 on American Idol

Nicole Tranquillo, a junior voice major at UArts, has been thrust into the national spotlight as one of the final 24 contestants on the sixth season of the wildly popular American Idol. She was chosen from over 100,000 individuals who auditioned. On Wednesday, Nicole will perform for millions of viewers along with 11 other women semifinalists and on Thursday she’ll find out if she will advance to the next round of the competition.

Tune in to WTXF Fox29 Wednesday beginning at 8 p.m. to find out how to vote for Nicole. Help support Nicole in her pursuit of superstardom by voting early and often!

Bring your cell phone and join the University community for an American Idol screening event Wednesday from 8 - 10 p.m. in the Hunt Room in Hamilton Hall (320 S. Broad Street).

» Can Kristen Bell please stop being awesome? Otherwise I am going to turn into a creepy stalker [thanks, maura]:

They have to believe she is magic — I certainly do! The New York Post reports that Kristen Bell has been offered the lead in the upcoming Broadway production of roller-disco musical Xanadu (based on the awful ’80s movie with the terrific ON-J/ELO soundtrack). 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski, whose involvement in the project helped rope investors, had been expected to play the mystical muse until — poof — she dropped out of the running. Maybe it isn’t as easy to sing on skates as Livvie made it look.

» The forthcoming Parts & Labor record is AMAZING. Chinese Democracy, on the other hand, is a hot mess.

» Oh yeah, one more thing: Think back to the most debauched moment in your life — you know, a night/day/week/year/etc where you got totally fucked up and did crazy shit — and imagine the media following every single moment. Would you be able to cope properly? Doubt it. Sure, whatever’s ailing Britney is probably worth talking about but even worse is the media attention it’s received. She’s no victim, but I don’t think she really deserves any of this. In the meantime, let’s watch “…Baby One More Time”, think back to how much we all loved her and think good thoughts:

Guv’ner, “Almond Roca” (From Hard For Measy For You)

There’s a fine line between being an asshole and a smart aleck, though I’m never sure how to exactly make the distinction. Songs like this aren’t much help, either. Yet, this is what I liked best about Guv’ner. Through the course of three records (one for Ecstatic Peace, two for Merge) and a slew of singles, the band managed to simultaneously define the 90’s indie aesthetic and push it out of its safety zone. Bands like Pavement got all the fame and glory, but was there a more indier-than-thou band than Guv’ner? The privileged stab of their name, the famous friends with famous names — Thurston, Kim, Julia and so on — even their post-band careers paved the way for everyone who’s ever turned sewing ipod covers into a lucrative business. (Even the ice skating album cover of Hard… reeks of upper-class elitism in a way only indie rockers can provide.)

Unlike a majority of indie rock, Guv’ner’s orbit revolved around sex, which isn’t a surprise since the band comprised of two married folks. When Pumpkin busts out lines like “I’m not like the rest / I’m better / You can’t fake me”, then spends the rest of the song being completely indecisive about her affections toward another and patting herself on the back for this behavior, you can’t help but wonder what’s going on between these two. Don’t even get me started on the part where she compares her goods to Almond Roca. Would a couple’s therapist think its OK to act this way?

Amidst the predicated metaphors for sex and desire, the band never fully answers the topic at hand. In the hands of Guv’ner, “Almond Roca” winds up being less gray area and empty sentiment, more penumbra. Each verse is built upon questions and effrontery, knocked down by basic human desire — Charles’ and Pumpkin’s guitars fumble and take turns with each other, plodding bass lines brushing up against a trebly guitar, eventually finding their way, albeit briefly.

Help Ecstatic Peace keep a clean and tidy stockroom — buy this record now!

Sometimes I think I’d be happier if I pelted every thing/person/concept greatly irking me with oranges, as they do in Ivrea once a year. Everything that’s been on my mind these days trickles down to annoyance, disappointment, etc, which is kind of a shame since I am glass-half-full sort of person on a base level. Who gets pelted with oranges this week? Lets see…

…Philadelphia. If this city were to be pelted with oranges, it would happen all the fucking time. Thing is, the city wouldn’t bother cleaning up the mess. Kind of like how my street never got plowed last week. Blaming the city is pointless however, since those valuable tax dollars will be probably needed to pay off some dillhole in city goverment for yet-another cover-up. I used to wake up everyday thinking “What now?” and with a chuckle in my heart, turn on local radio. Now I pray for a day when mayoral candidates don’t get arrested or the interstate highways are shutdown-free.

That’ll do for now. Writing about stuff I hate is no fun. Onto a list of things I like…

…KYW 1060AM! S’true. I love how the broadcasters crack corny jokes, screw up what they’re saying and so on. Keeps things lively as the city goes to shit. It might be the only thing left in Philadelphia that I still actually like. Why the hell was I listening to NPR for so long?

…Glasslands Gallery! I caught the Oxford Collapse (BTW: Mike’s lyric switcheroo in “Loser City” = not funny) & Meneguar there Saturday night — just might have to make the trek up to NYC for more shows there. Imagine if Space 1026 booked shows all the time and it had a section just for doing arts & crafts while a band is on stage. (This is sort of what their ICA installation is like, to be honest.) There’s something fascinating about the perceived neutrality of performance spaces, despite a pecking order inscribed into them — who’s the owner, who’s on the guest list (and who’s not), who gets in for free, who’s on stage, and so on. The order gets etched deeper into the walls at a house show, no matter how well-meaning or welcoming the hosts might be. I realize that I might be advocating for more “neutral” venues (which is impossible in über-territorial Philadelphia), but anything worth watching is happening at a house show these days — I guess what I really want is an arts & crafts table at every show I attend.

…My new blog layout? I get my hair cut quite often because it grows so quickly, this blog is no different, I suppose.

That’ll do for now. My good-to-bad ratio is 3:1 — GLASS HALF FULL MOTHERFUCKERS. More to come in the week. (I do realize that 3:1 is more than 50%.)

I think if I had one more hour, I would have been able to get around to everything I wanted to play. Regardless, what a fun show! This was much closer to how I used to do radio shows — pick out a bunch of records and then decide on the fly what to play. Not that what I do now isn’t spontaneous, its just a different way of playing the game. ANYWAY… good times. A nice split between listener-submitted stuff [i realized i forgot a couple of requests, and i will make good on that next week] and records I picked out. Sam, who does the show afterwards, played the Neutral Milk Hotel version of “I Love How You Love Me” to kick off his set. What a nice boy.

Note to self: Time to clearly mark what song is what and on what side it is on that Zombies tribute 7″. This is ridiculous — every time I play this record, I screw up and play the wrong track.

the feelies - original love - 7″
miranda july - let’s make a vow - me you and everyone we know
jonathan richman - the origin of love - wig in a box

buck - the suicide pact - 7″ - R
tsunami - valentine - deep end
connie haines - what’s easy for two is hard for one - the complete motown singles
peter bjorn & john - young folks - writers block

matthew sweet - i’ve been waiting - girlfriend
sam cooke - cupid - the man & his music
buried beds - camellia - portolo
malcolm mclaren - love will… - mp3 - R
orange juice - lovesick- the glasgow school
the mccoys - fever - 45 - R

ida - what holds the world together - come on beautiful: songs of the american music club - R
the darkness - i believe in a thing called love - mp3 - R
green pajamas - a rose for emily - wake up your windows lets do the zombies 7″
cass elliott - it’s getting better - dream a little dream
silkworm - couldn’t you wait - marco collins sessions ep
prince - i would die 4 u - purple rain
magnetic fields - i don’t want to get over you - 69 love songs - R

the breeders - do you love me now? - last splash
superchunk - brand new love - the freed seed 7″
gun’s ‘n’ roses - sweet child o’ mine - greatest hits
comsat angels - will you stay tonight - 12″
the spinanes - hawaiian baby - the imp years

small factory - if you hurt me - working holiday - R
gloria jones - tainted love - 45″
bobby vinton - i love how you love me - 16 most requested songs

public image ltd - this is not a love song - 12″

Lovers Rock is still happening today. 4PM EST on WQHS.org. Be there.

…we both think Bob Lefsetz is a fuckin’ douchebag.

Hi Bob,

As usual, I’m shocked by your attitude towards Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I’m convinced you haven’t listened to their new record, and I’m saddened that the model created with this band isn’t given more recognition by the one person who has called for all the changes we’ve actually put into practice. To call what we’re doing “IRRELEVANT” undermines every single email you send out.

“There’s no buzz here, nobody cares.”

I don’t know what world you’re living in, but I think selling 19,000 records in a week means lots of people care. Maybe you’re talking about that traditional buzz you’re used to, the barrage of radio and video, snipes and singles, playing the game. This is a band that’s never made a video, never played with Nickelback at a radio show, never done all those things every other band is forced to do. The marketing/publicity/radio/video budget for this record is under $15,000. They made a record, they put it out. And they live much better than 95% of all bands I’ve worked with, including the vast majority of acts I worked with during my time at a major - all this while owning their masters and publishing, touring in a bus, and not being forced to do anything they don’t want to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUIsP23LTk0

You’re so fond of using Pollstar numbers to prove people don’t care about bands - go check out ours, from around the world. You’ll see the band has been headlining shows for a year now, and maybe 5 or so haven’t sold out. Check the numbers from last time they were in LA, two sold out nights at the Fonda. Check out the numbers in Tokyo, London, Paris, Hamburg, Minneapolis, Boston, Chicago, Seattle….go look Bob, you’ll see that people do actually care ALOT about this band.

Last year you made some list of 25 things that band’s should or shouldn’t do. CYHSY had followed 24 of them, the one exception being that they played Letterman. I can never fault a band for wanting to play that show. It’s fun playing on the same stage the Beatles played on. But seeing as how we’re pretty much your poster children, I’m amazed you don’t show us more respect.

And go listen to their music. You might actually like it.

Nick Stern
Manager, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

How To Lose 5 Listeners With One Song: play the Happy Flowers. S’true, folks. But as I said during the show, it separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls.

Also of note is some new background music, Gila’s “Kollektivitat”, in addition to Solex’s chopped and screwed version of Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger”.

Had fun doing this show and I think I finally figured out what ails the turntables… just in time for next week’s program.

the buddyrevelles - moods - don’t quit
the broken west - so it goes - i cant go on ill go on - N
looker - born too late 1978 - born too late - N
erectus monotone - soul taker - glider 7″
shocking blue - out of sight out of mind - inkpot/attila
louie louie & the lost hombres - soul finger! - s/t
happy flowers - simon - lasterday i was been bad

magic dirt - dirty jeans - 1999 demos
spoon - let the distance keep us together - the devils dishes
spiral jetty - suburban optimism - art’s sand bar
mal - who is like unto god? - preacher from the black lagoon
unrest - hey london - b.p.m. (1991-1994)
pants yell! - kids are the same - compound 440R: local collections 2006
slade - let’s call it quits - nobody’s fools
the woggles - it’s not about what i want (its about what you got) - rock and roll backlash - N

sloan - listen to the radio - never hear the end of it - N
fiery furnaces - quay cur - blueberry boat
dj reset - frontin on debra (feat. beck, jay-z & pharrell) - 12″
pell mell - cinecitta - no age

okay paddy - gas money - the cactus has a point
superchunk - i guess i remembered it wrong - on the mouth
the evens - cache is empty - get evens
yoko ono - revelations (with cat power) - yes im a witch - N
blood on the wall - right to light tonight - awesomer
the breeders - when i was a painter - pod
nothing painted blue - a shaky start - future of communications

oxford collapse - kenny cant afford it - remember the night parties - N