White Williams and the rest of Tigerbeat6 hit SF

White Williams is playing Cafe du Nord this coming Saturday, along with Bridez and Eat Tapes. It should be an awesome show. White Williams is essentially Joe Williams out of Cleveland plus a backing band of a few. He recorded his latest album, Smoke over a period of a couple years while bouncing between SF, Cleveland, and NY. The album was released last year on the Tigerbeat6 label, and it's been a repeat player ever since. White Williams' pop sense is reminiscent of 70s-era Eno albums, before Eno got all into that space-y ambient tribal stuff.

Bridez and Eat Tapes are also on Tigerbeat6. These three groups typify Tigerbeat6's affinity for experimental pop/punk/electro groups. An eclectic mix, but the same spirit inspires all three acts..

White Williams, Eat Tapes, and Bridez @ Cafe du Nord, SF.

For the meantime, check out www.myspace.com/whitewilliams

blood on the wall

remember Blood on the Wall's last album, Awesomer, from 2005 ? probably not, because it seems like little do (if so, high five), but it ripped, and so does this hugely underrated lo-fi rock band's new LP, Liferz. it seems like they might be garnering more buzz this time, and here is one of the stars off the new record, called Junkee...Julieee... :



fuck yeah. www.myspace.com/bloodonthewall

Dae Kim "Postcard" Video

Dae Kim is simple shoegaze in "Postcard." Their myspace shows more of their garage-rock side. It also says they're out of Bordeaux, France. Maybe jaded expatriates? Who knows... The three songs posted there are pretty low-fi tracks - nice and simple. I'm a fan of what they can bring to the table with a little higher production value, though. The little electronic blips and fuzz are used sparingly and effectively. Otherwise, the vocals really stand out in this track with heavy reverb and subtle but consistent harmonies. The video itself has a few of its own tricks. I dig the slow-motion shots of them playing in the living room, and that view of the ocean is shot with really cool light. The video adds context to the simple lyrics, and pretty much captures the washed-out mood of the whole song. Smile!

A Place to Bury Strangers at Death by Audio

A Place to Bury Strangers, the self-proclaimed loudest band in New York, played a show a few nights ago at Death by Audio, a janky, unmarked Williamsburg warehouse which is home to a practice space, audio pedal workshop, and small stage. The show was recorded for an upcoming live LP, and the band played through their first album from start to finish. I kind of freaked because i forgot to bring earplugs and was anticipating leaving the venue completely deaf, but the sound must have been subdued as it had been when I saw them in LA, because I didnt notice any blood trickling out of my ears. The show was good, no exceptional performance, but im always kind of amazed that the sound they make is actually coming from a guitar, bass and drums, just with super heavy pedals. i took a bunch of photos at the show, so click the photo below for the gallery..

if you dont know APTBS, id say think jesus & mary chain my bloody valentine industrial shoegaze.


http://www.myspace.com/aplacetoburystrangers

Abe Vigoda!!!

Recognition for this band is overdue... "Dead City/Waste Wilderness" is my latest fix. The song rips through riff after riff after riff, and it's so poppy and bright and energetic. It captures the good vibes of local LA joint The Smell, which has remade LA into a center for new experimental punk music. Check out the New Yorker article on The Smell and Abe Vigoda-pals No Age here. Anyway, Abe Vigoda rocks off socks, so check out this jam...


Then check out their blog of bizarre random photos if you really have some free time on your hands.

some older pictures

we played a show a bit ago at the treehouse in los angeles. daniel berkman of rough cuts also played a pleasant set of tunes. a lot of friends showed up for a good time. here are some quality pics taken by our friend ian rios...

and so it goes

so much for a day-by-day log of the recording process. we've been recording track by track, and it's been a very tedious but rewarding process. after spending five full consecutive days in the "studio," we have the basic groundwork for nearly seven new jams. some are a bit more rockin' and dance-able than others, but there's definitely a dose of melancholic drone that will transport you to other planets. each day leaves me pretty exhausted, and there's plenty of work to be done. needless to say, it's not necessarily the booze-trip whore-fest i expected it to be... i think that happens once we land the opening slot for the whitesnake reunion tour. i'll try and post some pics of the neighborhood we recorded in. it was pretty atmospheric. there were so many signs of life - houses, cars, shopping centers - but there were no people to be seen anywhere. just a bizarre, silent ghost-town vibe. the sky was perpetually gray, except for a brief period when a patch of teal space pierced through the thundering clouds. my feeling is that these surroundings influenced much of the recording process...

things i'm listening to...
50s/60s motown (the supremes, the isley brothers, vandelles, etc.) - this stuff still has such a fresh production style. it's upbeat and simple, but i dig the positive vibes.

talking heads "fear of music" - t-rock recently bought me this vinyl, and it has many of the major talking heads hits on it. you can always count on these guys for an instantly catchy groove.

king khan and the shrines "what is?!" - saw these guys at 12 galaxies in sf and was blown away. such fun summer jams, with bitingly witty lyrical twists.

as i continue to plunder the jewels of music's past, the recording continues. at least some of these tracks will be posted sooner than later.

-guido.

wiz khalifa

it must be a year since ive posted to this blog, but being at home lends to more free time, and this song is too jamming to pass up. this is a DJ Howlermonkey remix of Wiz Khalifa's Youngin On His Grind. i havent heard the original, nor do i know anything about either of these two artists apart from what i read on pitchfork this morning, but the remix has this kind of simultaneously futuristic- and 80s-sounding beat made up of synths and drum machine and bass funk, all of which fit startlingly well with Khalifa's crisp, fresh vocals.


and you can cop the mp3 here

IM begin recording in friend's bedroom, day 1

This post begins a short journal while IM is together to record for an upcoming 10-disc box set of their greatest hits. Should be fun!

Our New Years festivities were pretty massive although we were all separated by the time the ball finally dropped. I spent the last moments of 2007 in front of a liquor store chatting with a bunch of friends and some homeless guys. When I finally decided to make the long trek back to Lee's place I was chased there by two dudes with knives. Not exactly what I was hoping for in the first hour of the new year but I guess you gotta take what you can get.
Yesterday was the first day of actual recording in the studio and things went really well. It's hard to know what to expect when you first get started. We have been planning and thinking so much about this record and now it's time to just let go and let it happen. Now it's time for round 2. We'll let you know how that goes.

t

road trip playlist
Grizzly Bear
Of Montreal
Liars
Lil Wayne
Deerhunter
Betty Davis
Art Blakey
Dirty Projectors
The Talking Heads
Beirut
The Good, The Bad and The Queen
Interpol
The Clash