NEW MUSIC MONDAY
RADIOHEAD - Lotus Flowers
This was recorded at the band’s Haiti benefit last week. It’s a new Radiohead song. What could you possibly want me to say about it?
Revivl is linking to this site, which contains a full download of the band’s set from that night. Enjoy!
The Oscars are one of the few awards programs I actually look forward to. They regularly honor films that I actually think deserve it. Sure there’s politics involved, but it’s in no way as embarrassing as some fraud program like The Grammys. So let’s look at the highlights real quick:
Avatar is up for 9 major awards, as predicted. And why shouldn’t it be? Sure the plot is recycled (most are, come on) but it really pushed the envelope visually. It’s changed effects based movies forever. Congrats James Cameron.
District 9 is up for 4 notable categories (Best Picture being one of them).
Inglorious Basterds is up for 8 awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for the show-stealing Christopher Waltz.
I’m also happy to see Up! and Food Inc. getting nods.
I feel a little nauseous about Precious and The Blind Side. They feel so cheap to me, in the most sappy and artificial way possible. Mo’nique and Sandra Bullock getting acting nominations? Seriously?! And I love the underlying racism of The Blind Side: any underprivileged minority can make something of themselves, all they need is help from rich white folks.
EDIT: So some one read this and actually thought when I said I “love” the underlying racism of The Blind Side that I actually meant that I loved it, and not that it was ridiculous and unfortunate. I shouldn’t have to make that distinction, but I guess some of us have a hard time reading.
For a complete list of categories and nominees, go here.
What are your Oscar picks?
The new LCD Soundsystem record is looming on the horizon! While us listeners teem with excitement, James Murphy continues to tease us with little bits and pieces. The mansion in this video looks like Rick Rubin’s Mansion, which is really a magnificent place and has played home to many a storied recording session. Check it out:
clip 1 from lcd soundsystem on Vimeo.
Who else is excited?
NEW MUSIC MONDAYS
FRONTIER RUCKUS - Mount Marcy
Frontier Ruckus is hardly the type of music you’d expect to emerge from the Detroit area, a region better known for the acts like Eminem, Insane Clown Posse, and The Stooges. However, as Michigan continues to bear the brunt of much of the current economic downfall, it almost starts to make sense that this is where Frontier Ruckus calls home. The music is emotive, full of lush imagery, and while it sounds more like Appalachia than the Motor City, it reeks of authenticity, desperation, and hope.
Above all the banjos, guitars, horns, and yelping harmonies, lies Matthew Milia’s wavering vocal. Untrained and raw, it’s utterly endearing, with a tone and confidence reminiscent of Conor Oberst or Bob Dylan. Yet the most fantastic part of about Frontier Ruckus is that they’re so engaging, constantly turning the listener’s attention to hidden melodies, mood shifts, smart lyrics, and all sorts of other audible twists and turns.
Frontier Ruckus is currently on tour supporting their album, The Orion Songbook, and will release their new record, Deadmalls and Nightfalls, this summer.
NEW MUSIC MONDAYS
MINIBOONE - Devil In Your Eyes
MiniBoone is a five piece indie rock band from Brookl-WAIT! Stop right there. You’ve heard this shit before, right? Yes, there are a LOT of indie rock bands from Brooklyn, but not like this. This one is good. This one is unpretentious. This one isn’t riding the coattails of DFA or Grizzly Bear (not that there’s anything wrong with that). This one is different because they rock like a rock band should, while managing to bring the party AND keep it interesting for all of us nerdy music kids out there.
“Devil In Your Eyes” is the exemplary MiniBoone track: a tight rhythm section, dynamic harmonies, and lyrics that would make David Byrne smile with approval. The band’s new EP Big Changes, comes out January 26th (that’s TOMORROW kids!) via online retailers. Until then, listen to more music on the band’s myspace and check out one of their high energy live shows.
On a personal note, I like MiniBoone so much that I decided to work with the band on the press side. Dude, isn’t that like, a conflict of interest or something? Who cares? It’s my blog and I do what I want!
Enjoy!
I’ve found a new professional home, and I’m excited about it. Starting Monday, 1/25, I’ll join the staff at The Music Resource Group as their Marketing and PR Coordinator. We do two things at The Music Resource Group: The Independent Music Awards and The Musician’s Atlas.
For those of you that are unfamiliar, the Independent Music Awards happen annually, covering nearly every genre under the sun, and focus on honoring and encouraging independent musicicians. The IMA’s have featured acts like Ra Ra Riot, Cursive, fun., and The Matches, as well as judges like Zooey Deschanel, Tom Waits, Pete Wentz, and Kevin Lyman.
The other part of the Music Resource Group, the Musician’s Atlas, is an annual database of talent buyers, venues, radio stations, record labels, etc. The Atlas helps artists reach out to those in the industry by organizing all of their contact info and details for easy accessibility.
For me, the best part about this new job is the opportunity to work with independent artists again. As someone with intimate knowledge of the sacrifice and dedication that comes with being an independent musician, I like the idea of getting my hands dirty with those that are carrying on that lifestyle. Those of you that read Get Fresh USA regularly, already know this about me. Hopefully this new position will help me reach more of you directly.
Whether I’m working in an office or traveling the world on tour, my connection with music will always be what fuels my fire. I’m looking forward to this next step in my career, but don’t worry, I’ll still be running Get Fresh USA with passion and fervor, and I’ll continue to occasionally take the stage myself. Thanks to all of you that have supported me in my career, my music, my writing, or my life in general.
Lastly, feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts and comments on The Independent Music Awards, The Musician’s Atlas, or Get Fresh USA. Your feedback is what helps me to better do my job.
Thanks!
Alex
NEW MUSIC MONDAYS
GIVERS - Up Up Up (Remix)
It’s hard to believe an act like Givers is still under the radar. While still a young band, they’ve already managed to pack venues in their home state of Louisiana, and land a tour opening for indie darlings, The Dirty Projectors. Givers’ affinity for auxiliary percussion, nontraditional instruments, and a natural tendency to play their asses off, help the band create bouncing, danceable, harmony-laden world-pop.
At their core, the band’s rhythmic focus and flawless guitar interplay brings to mind the sunny, fun-loving cousin of Battles, while their big harmonies and tasteful electronics give bands like Ra Ra Riot and Discovery runs for their money.
Givers won’t remain a secret for long, Having recently recorded a new full length, and with a whole slew of tour dates ahead of them, the band is due their spotlight.
Check out Givers playing a live version of “Saw You First” from their EP, Givers EP.
“Saw you first” from eliot brasseaux on Vimeo.
Shortly after my post about the previously unreleased Minor Threat track, “You Betrayed Me By Growing Up,” which made its way online earlier this year via More Than A Witness, I decided to contact Ian MacKaye for comment. Here’s an excerpt from what Ian had to say:
“The reason you and others are having such a difficult time finding any information about the song is that it was only played out one time and the music was then scrapped (I don’t recall why). The lyrics ended up as ‘Betray’. To be honest, when this song was first brought to our attention (someone sent me a link to a posting of it a year or two ago) none of the members of Minor Threat even remembered this version of the song… that’s how short-lived it was.”
Ian also provided me with a link to Double Cross Webzine, to whom he gave a similar statement on the matter, but also provided the lyrics to “You Betrayed Me By Growing Up.” Check it out here: Double Cross Webzine.
NEW MUSIC MONDAYS
THE WINTER SOUNDS - The Anthem is a Gift
I’m drawing a blank on who suggested this band to me, but whoever you are, thank you. The Winter Sounds, from South Carolina, feel new to me. I mean, I know they’re not treading entirely original ground, but they pull together my favorite elements of other bands into a cohesive one-stop-orchestral-indie-pop-shop. They have the harmonies of Fleet Foxes, the soaring melodies of The Gloria Record, and the aural aesthetic of Of Montreal’s more poppy moments but without all that obnoxious shock-and-awe, avant-garde shit. EDIT: I just got the new record from the band, and add a heavy dose of The Killer’s style pop/rock to those references and you’ve got a pretty accurate description!
But the thing I think I like most about The Winter Sounds is their work ethic. The band averages 150-200 shows a year, and they do it all without a booking agent or label. I appreciate that kind of work ethic because it reminds me of me about 5 years ago. It’s a nomadic lifestyle and it’s really fucking hard to maintain. So props to you, The Winter Sounds, I wish there were more bands like you. Keep fighting the good fight!
Check out The Winter Sounds doing a bitchin’ live cover of Toto - Africa, below.
NEW MUSIC MONDAYS
MINOR THREAT - You Betrayed Me By Growing Up (LIVE)
And we’re back folks! Hope you all enjoyed your holidays. While we were on break, I came across this rare, previously unreleased Minor Threat song, and I thought it would be great to share with all of you.
While Minor Threat isn’t the type of music I generally cover here, they are near and dear to my heart as one of the first hardcore bands I ever laid ears on. The members’ subsequent work in Fugazi and Bad Religion further shaped my young, musical mind, and as such, I feel a debt of gratitude to these guys.
This song is called, “You Betrayed Me By Growing Up,” and it was recorded at Woodlawn High School in Arlington, VA back in 1982. The quality isn’t the best, nor is the mix, but this is the only version that exists.
EDIT: I’ve been notified that “You Betrayed Me By Growing Up” was originally discovered by the good people at More Than A Witness, and I am happy to give them the credit for originally sharing this. Check out them out and find a whole bunch of rad hardcore bootlegs: More Than A Witness.
Enjoy a full Minor Threat set from 1983 below!
