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Concert Review: The Breeders in St. Louis
Saturday, May 10, 2008 - Pop’s

(Photos by Sarah Paradoski; setlist by RØB Severson, review by Jaime Lees)

It used to take a lot for me to drag my ass to the East Side. But after last weekend, good ol’ Sauget, Illinois, might be one of my favorite places to hang out or see a show. Saturday the Breeders played Pop’s, and the whole experience was just so damn pleasant. One would never know they were mere yards from the terrifying, toothless tranny hookers that congregate just on the other side of Route 3.

Before the show I was disappointed to hear that Pop’s was going to close off half of the venue (something the venue does at certain shows), but when everyone made it inside, it was clear that this was the right decision. Floor space was tight, but not smashed and the balcony was cozy.

Sure, drinks are always more expensive on that side of the Big Muddy, but the staff was helpful and laid back, showing no signs of the aggro tendencies I’ve witnessed there during other shows. The staff seemed to recognize that this was a show for sleepy indie folks and acted accordingly. I asked a bartender if he caught the sound check and he said, “I didn’t. And you know, I don’t know anything about the band. But I’ll tell you what: those sure are some nice people. Great smiles, too.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Watching the band is like catching up with old friends. Older songs (”I Just Wanna Get Along,” “Divine Hammer”) induced much heart-swelling and the newer songs from latest album Mountain Battles (”German Studies,” “It’s The Love”) blended perfectly into these live sets. On stage, Jose Medeles and Mando Lopez, also of pumped-up punkers Fear, kept the rhythm section bumpin’ and thumpin’ while remaining mostly heard and not seen. New kid Cheryl Lindsay hopped in where needed with extra vocals and instrumentation, and mostly stood calm and still on the side of the stage.

Predictably, Kim and Kelley Deal (and their mega-watt smiles) took center-stage. Both seemed at ease, happy and comfortable with the audience, sharing jokes and answering questions. In addition to Breeders jams, the Deals sang quite a few songs by the Amps (including “Empty Glasses,” a rarity), Kim’s other band. Kelley graciously stepped into the wings when she wasn’t needed during Amps songs, but could still be seen through a rip in the stage curtain rocking out and enthusiastically singing along as if she was a mega-fan.

1. Tipp City (Amps song)
2. Huffer
3. Bang On
4. Shocker in Gloomtown (Guided By Voices cover)
5. Divine Hammer
6. Night Of Joy
7. No Aloha
8. Pacer (Amps song)
9. We’re Gonna Rise
10. It’s The Love
11. Walk It Off
12. New Year
13. Cannonball
14. I Just Wanna Get Along
15. Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Beatles cover)
16. Iris
17. Safari
18. German Studies
19. Empty Glasses (Amps song)

ENCORE:
20. Overglazed
21. Fortunately Gone
22. Here No More
23. Saints

• article - link
• The Breeders - website

She’s Crafty: The Breeders’ Kelley Deal talks knitting, nudity and Steve Albini’s bodily functions
By Jaime Lees
Published on May 07, 2008

Kelley Deal co-leads the Breeders with her sister Kim, who’s best known for being a member of the Pixies (and later, the Amps). The Dayton, Ohio, quartet first found fame in the early ’90s with songs such as “Cannonball” and “Divine Hammer” and is in the midst of a most welcome comeback thanks to a new album, Mountain Battles.

Its first release since 2002’s Title TK, Battles displays all of the familiar Breeders qualities — i.e., sugary vocals and inventive songwriting — while highlighting genre experimentation and improved instrumentation. Written and recorded over years with quite a few influences (most notably, engineer Steve Albini), Battles is an album that becomes more accessible with each spin, as its dazzling subtleties grow more prominent.

The sisters’ voices together are as striking as ever, producing Phil Spector-worthy harmonies that sound angelic in any language. (No, really: The Deals sing one song in Spanish and another in German.) Other album highlights include “Here No More,” a simple, prairie-style folk song and “We’re Gonna Rise,” which is a shifting and hopeful ballad. “It’s the Love” sounds the most like a classic Breeders pop tune, and seems to be a crowd favorite.

We caught up with Kelley last week while she was on a tour stop in Las Vegas.

Jaime Lees: Tell me about when you were recording your album. I love Steve Albini and obviously you like him, ’cause this is the third Breeders album you did with him.

Kelley Deal: Well, here’s the thing: We did not do that much of this record with him. But people read his name and just go [with it] because he’s such an interesting character, and he has such an interesting history with the Breeders. The thing is, on the album credits, we don’t go through everything, ’cause we went to a lot of places and worked with several different people.

The guy we worked with most on this record? His name is Manny Nieto. We met him in East Los Angeles. He had a studio there and his people call him “Albiner” ’cause he’s a huge Albini fan. He knows Steve, he talks to Steve. Now, we did go to Albini’s and we recorded. “Here No More” and “Walk it Off” were recorded and mixed by Steve. He recorded “Overglazed” and “It’s the Love” and he mixed “Regalame Esta Noche” and he did some other stuff. But “Overglazed” was mixed by Manny, “Bang On” was recorded and mixed by Manny. “German Studies” was recorded and mixed by Manny. So he actually did most of the work.

And there’s this other woman, her name is Erika Larson, she recorded “We’re Gonna Rise” and “Regalame Esta Noche.” But it’s interesting, I’ve noticed when I talk to people they say, “So you worked with Steve Albini again on the record.” And I explain it, but a lot of times they just say “worked with Steve Albini” and I don’t blame them, ’cause Steve Albini is a freak, basically. He’s a wonderful character to talk about.

Yeah! I always wanna know if he’s as serious as he leads on. I’ll watch him in interviews, and he’s just so serious.

Oh, totally. You know, in the middle of a serious discussion, he’ll lean over a cheek and fart without blinking an eye. And it’s not like he’s doing it to get a reaction, and it’s not like this huge stinky thing. [He'll say] something about, “It’s a natural bodily function.” He’s just gonna give it a poot! If you did the same thing, he wouldn’t blink an eye. He’s just the weirdest guy. He’s so smart, too. He’s so smart it’s weird.

All of the records he makes always sound really good in my car. Does that make any sense?

Absolutely! That’s the mark of a great engineer.

OK, so, tell me about your knitting book. [the forthcoming Bags that Rock: Knitting on the Road with Kelley Deal]

[Laughs] Yes, you know, I like to knit. I did an interview with somebody in San Francisco, and when we got there I saw the interview [in print] and the caption said “Kelley Deal knits up a new record.” And I started blushing. ‘Cause, you know, it’s so uncool. But on the other hand I’m like, fuck that, man. I’m not gonna be embarrassed by it. You know, I’m gonna let my freak flag fly. You know, I like to knit, fuck everybody else. But just the word “craft.” “I craft.” It’s so lame. But anyway, yes, I like to knit. And I have a book coming out in October. Enough said about that.

What else are you doing on tour to just, like, chill?

Let’s see, what else are we doing on tour? What do I like to do? You know, I do a lot of reading. When you’re on a bus with a lot of people, when you get some time, you kind of just want to have “me time,” whatever that is. Also, I’m in Las Vegas, I’d really like to hit up a meeting, as they say. A twelve-step meeting. I’ve been to a meeting before here in Vegas, and there’s nothing cooler than that, go to an AA meeting in Vegas. You can bet it’s raw, you know? [Laughs] Like, “Oh, look at that guy. He sold his car. He gave his baby away.” But I want to go, even though I feel like I’m just an observer. I mean, and I need to go, I think it’s a good idea.

I think it’s great that you talk about stuff like that.

I never… everything is kind of open, it’s all up for grabs. I’m totally, I’m so Midwest, you know? Like, Chatty Cathy. I don’t feel like people hold back or, like [whispers], can’t ask me something because it’s inappropriate.

I’m glad the tour is going well. When I saw you guys in Austin in March you seemed kind of nervous. Oh man, but the audience was freaking out. They were really stoked to see you.

Oh good. Damn! Good! You know when we play the new songs, people love ‘em. They fit right in. It’s not like people are just sitting there looking at us.

So you’re gonna come here to St. Louis. Do you know about the place you’re playing? It’s kind of like that place you’d go to see a Journey cover band.

Ha! The place that we’re playing there? Really? Oh God, I hate when you tell me shit like that, it’s so weird!

No, it’s a fun place, but it’s in East St. Louis, and it’s sort of like, you have to stay on that street or you die.

[Laughs]

So don’t go roamin’ around there.

OK. I mean, will people not come because of the location?

No, you can totally go there, you just have to go straight there and then leave. Its like, in the middle of a couple of strip clubs.

I can take my clothes off, that’s what you’re saying?

Well, uh, next door at least. Or, uh, probably there, too. It’s your show.

I’ll just take ‘em off there, too.

8 p.m. Saturday, May 10. Pop’s, 1403 Mississippi Avenue, Sauget, Illinois. $17 in advance, $18 at the door. 618-274-6720.

• article - link
• interview outtakes - link
• The Breeders - website
• The Breeders - MySpace
• photo credit - Chris Glass

The Hood Internet
9 p.m. Friday, May 9. Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street
By Jaime Lees
Published on May 07, 2008

The two dudes in the Hood Internet are multitasking experts. In addition to the occasional remix, the Chicago DJ crew pumps out frequent mash-ups, which layer beat-filled songs on top of each other to create new, booty-poppin’ super-songs. The Hood frequently meshes current phenoms with old-school jams (Tag Team vs. LCD Soundsystem, Mos Def vs. Battles, Prince vs. Kid Sister). Plus, unlikely combinations (like R. Kelly vs. Shellac) abound. Yes, R. Kelly and Shellac are played in tandem to produce bumpin’ results — all of which are downloadable (for free) at its Web site (www.thehoodinternet.com). Come out and kick it dance-party style, because Dan Deacon ain’t got shit on this.

• article - link
• The Hood Internet - MySpace
• The Hood Internet - website
• photo credit - Rob Warner

Folk Meets Noise Meets Whatever
Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore on Nashville’s noise scene
by Jaime Lees
Sonic Youth play Friday, 25th at City Hall w/Leslie Keffer

As a singer and guitarist for America’s preeminent indie rock band, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore has devoted the better part of three decades to engaging and electrifying the alternative underground scene. A life-long booster of punk rock and punk ethics, Moore believes in doing it all (and doing it all by himself). His many projects include scoring film soundtracks, playing in other bands, releasing solo work, running his own label, guesting in documentaries and writing and editing books.

With the recent album releases of Sonic Youth’s spectacular Rather Ripped and Moore’s own deliciously lo-fi Trees Outside the Academy, he has been roundly praised as being at the top of his game. His small record label, Ecstatic Peace!, has found success with quite a few Nashville bands, most notably with the noisy garage rock of Be Your Own Pet. Moore enthusiastically describes BYOP as “totally hot” and elaborates, “I remember thinking, who are these kids? When I was 17, I was just mowing lawns and being very afraid of girls and stuff. And these guys were on the road, punking-out across the world.”

Moore claims roots in McKenzie, Tenn., and therefore, good “Tennessee radar,” so it’s no surprise that he’s tuned in to regional acts, or that Nashville is one of only five show dates for Sonic Youth in April. Between Moore’s fondness for Grimey’s New & Preloved Music and deep, historical knowledge of the Nashville underground music scene, he could easily pass as a lovably weird local noise dude.

We caught up with Moore over the phone last week, and his passion, humor and laid-back boyish charm clearly translated across the wire.

Scene: So aside from Be Your Own Pet and Turbo Fruits, who else on your label is from the area?

Moore: Well, Leslie Keffer moved to Nashville from Ohio, and she makes harsh underground noise music. She sets up her own sort of idiosyncratic kind of noise gear with radios and cassette tapes and stuff. And there’s a certain kind of pure sound that she deals with, you know? She kind of filters radio signals into this kind of noise wash and I thought it was good stuff, so I kind of reached out to her. She’s a huge Be Your Own Pet fan and we were putting their records out. And she sort of hooked up with Angela Messina—there’s this whole Nashville noise underground of bands and [Messina] was in a bunch of them, like Taiwan Deth, Tan as Fuck, The New Faggot Cunts and I think she was in Vegan Brand. [laughs]

Scene: Those band names are all…uh…poetry.

Moore: [laughs] She’s kind of an artist and poet. And she’s been on the scene for a while and she’s great. There’s also this other guy in Nashville that I really like. His name is Derek Schartung, he’s in the underground Nashville noise scene [also in Taiwan Deth] and plays really good stuff. Then there’s bands like Cherry Blossoms. They’re really great. They had a record out that was really happening. [It was] open-ended, kind of beautiful folk meets noise meets whatever.

Scene: How are you finding time to get all of the stuff done that you get done?

Moore: I’m kind of trying to figure that out myself, you know? Sometimes it gets really overwhelming and I start having anxiety attacks and I just sort of want to climb under the covers and escape it all and hope it all goes away. But the thing is, I’m so enamored by this stuff. I love it. I always wanted to be in a position where I could actually make records and make books and make cassettes and make films and write and play music…. That was my ambition as an adult…to be able to do that.

Scene: What are you doing with your down time, if you ever have any?

Moore: That doesn’t include getting together with some people doing cross-country improvised noise music in basements, which is what I really want to do? Or starting a black metal band and like completely disguising myself as a black metal guitar player in a nefarious, bleak and dim black metal band, which is also what I would love to do? Do you mean, how do I step away and what do I do? [laughs] Hmm…. I guess I sort of do what any normal person would do—I’d start watching successive episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Scene: Are you doing anything today for Record Store day?

Moore: Record store day is today, isn’t it?

Scene: It is!

Moore: I was gonna come down to Grimey’s and sort of totally hang out and drink beers and get into the groove of the day, but you know what? It’s not gonna happen. I’m here and I’m babysitting my 13-year-old. Not babysitting, I’m child-rearing.

Scene: You produce a lot of limited-edition cassettes and LPs on Ecstatic Peace!

Moore: Nobody buys records anymore. So it’s hard to do things on any level. It’s really super-duper slumped right now. Nobody buys records. I mean, that’s why, in a way, for me, it’s more rewarding and more fun sometimes to make real boutique edition stuff of real subterranean artists.

Scene: So about this show on Friday.

Moore: I hope people show up.

Scene: I don’t think that’s a problem for you.

Moore: Yeah, well, it’s kind of a big place. You hope people show up and have a good time. That’s all we can say, it’s gonna be a good time in a sonic way.

• article - link
• Estatic Peace! - website
• Thurston Moore solo - website
• Sonic Youth - website
• photo credit - Dave Markey

Using Their Illusion: Ferocious — and funny — locals the Livers hope video builds the radio star
By Jaime Lees
Published: April 23, 2008
9 p.m. Friday, April 25. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street. $7 21-plus, $10 under 21. No phone.www.myspace.com/bluebirdstl.

BFFs Scot Freeman and Luke Roulston hit a rough patch last year. Mired in typical twentysomething malaise, they found themselves working too hard, drinking too much and continually complaining about their lack of a creative outlet. Both were seasoned musicians who admired each other’s skills and former bands (Freeman’s Chiaroscuro and Roulston’s Poe’s Music for Weirdos), and so as an extension of their bromance, these multi-instrumentalists decided to quit their bitching and put together a new band.

There was just one problem: They only wanted to play with each other.

Freeman and Roulston began trying to find a way to multiply their sound without adding any extra people. They jokingly wished they could form a band with clones of themselves to fill out the empty instrument positions. As the story goes, one day Roulston said, “What if we just did that?” And so after considerable preparation and months of trial and error, they managed to invent something brand new: a four-person rock band with just two band members.

This is accomplished by both Livers playing guitar in front of a prerecorded video of themselves as the rhythm section (with Roulston on bass and Freeman on drums). But the virtual band members don’t just play, they also have names (Karl and Merl), distinctive personalities and sassy attitudes. Through the magic of painstaking video editing and green-screen wizardry, all four band members have the ability to interact with each other. (In fact, the video Livers frequently talk back to the live Livers.)

This elaborate presentation is helped along by Zak Thenhaus, the unofficial third (fifth?) Liver. Similar to the Wizard of Oz, Thenhaus fills the role of the unseen magical man behind the curtain (or video screen) who assists the real-life Livers in their video interactions, largely by handing them props. Between songs every last Liver gets to catch a break as hilarious commercial-like clips — such as a Laverne & Shirley spoof, or one for Evan Williams brand whiskey — appear on the video screen. (These riotous, between-song bits are also known as the “interstitiary videos” in Freeman’s professional-speak.)

The result is both spectacularly effective and logistically bewildering. Roulston dryly explains, “Yeah, it’s kind of our motto: ‘To do everything the hardest way possible.’”

Entering the Livers’ headquarters — a.k.a. Roulston’s spacious Benton Park bedroom — one immediately begins to get an idea of just how detailed the band’s production process must be to pull off this kind of act. The vast space is part living area and part artist workshop, with enough cameras, lights and cables to outfit a television studio. In addition to the clothes, electronics, books and numerous art pieces strewn around, tiny strips of green tape on the wood floors mark frequently used instrument and filming positions. It is here that all of the “rhythm section” and comedic segments are taped.

Though these ingenious videos and fun live additions make the band instantly unique, without competent songwriting and playing prowess, the Livers would be little more than an interesting live art project. But the band’s tunes stand alone and can be enjoyed, even separate from its shtick.

The admitted “control freaks” extended their hands-on attitude to their debut album, Vino in Uriam Mutando, which they self-mixed. Recorded locally at Firebrand Recording studios, Vino sounds strikingly professional (with solid lyrics, wicked riffs and intimidatingly heavy drum hits) and contains recordings of a few songs that are quickly becoming audience favorites. Freeman’s “Autistic Girlfriend” was written as a “rock juggernaut” about a cold lady with insincere feelings and “a hole where her heart should go.” In contrast, Roulston’s “She-Wolf” is a wistful, gently sung pop-punk musing on missed opportunities and misdirected emotions. Other standout tracks include the sweetly seductive “Humble Plight” (a salute to the pleasures of love and makin’ love) and “2 Legs to Dance,” a jolting bass-and-beat-filled swoop into the world of dance rock that implores listeners to get up, get drunk and start dancing.

Between the Livers’ unprecedented musical presentation and strong tunes, it’s rumored that the young band has already been fielding label and distribution interest. When questioned on this development, both guys just smile and coyly decline to discuss this topic on the record, claiming superstition. It wouldn’t be surprising; the band contains the kind of natural charisma and overflowing raw talent that label scouts are always looking to unearth. Plus, Freeman and Roulston seem to have a very brotherly relationship — where both compliments and playful ribbing are common — and both are good-natured, smart and funny as hell.

On meshing their musical styles:
Scot Freeman: Luke’s music is really complicated and the time signatures are all weird and stuff and I can only play, like, uh…
Luke Roulston: 3/4 and 4/4 or a combination thereof. [Laughs]
Freeman: Yeah! Really, just like, Top 40. I just wanna play riffs and sing soaring choruses and that kind of stuff. So when I write a song it’s usually really simple but his stuff is all over the place and I’m like, “I’m gonna go ahead and dumb this shit down.”
Roulston: Well, that’s called “rocking it up.”

On their perfectionism in the videos:
Freeman: I think I’ve worked harder on this than on anything I’ve worked on, ever. There have been times that my actual job has bummed me out, but there have been times with this shit where I wanna cry.
Roulston: It’s toil.
Freeman: There’s been times when we worked on this 50 or 60 hours a week, while still working our regular jobs 40 hours a week. I mean, [we were] working to the point where it’s almost ruined friendships and relationships.
Roulston: But the best thing about it is, the other members of the band? They don’t seem to argue! [Laughs]
Freeman: On the videos, I’m of the opinion that Luke could pretty much fake it, that he could hit some wrong notes. But he refuses. He refuses to hit one wrong note, even though it wouldn’t matter.
Roulston: If there was a bass player [in the audience] that actually had perfect pitch and knew his shit, he would know.
Freeman: And that’s why he obsesses. We’ll get done taping and he’s like “I missed a note,” and I’m like “I played it fucking perfectly! I’m bleeding!” and he’s like “Let’s do it again.” And I’m like “Fuck!” and I fucking duct-tape my hand back together, [and] do it again.

On the band’s sound and influences:
Roulston: Thus far, we’ve been compared to ’90s music. But I love ’90s music. Our big influences are the Jesus Lizard and the Pixies and Nirvana and the Foo Fighters and, you know, just hard-hitting drums. And he [Freeman] plays better than most drummers I’ve ever seen.
Freeman: Yeah, all my favorite bands are fucking gone. Jesus Lizard and fuckin’ Seaweed, Failure, whatever. Bands that nobody remembers.
Roulston: At least the Pixies came back, I guess. You know what I liked? When Frank Black came to the Duck Room. That was a really fucking awesome show. I have nothing but respect for him. Actually, I have nothing but respect for anybody in the Pixies. They’re just… God! What a great fucking band! I would say, like, that’s the band that I would aspire to lick their…
Freeman: Junk!

• article -  link
• interview outtakes - link
• The Livers - videos
• The Livers - MySpace
• Lo-Fi St. Louis - video link

• link

The Safes
9 p.m. Saturday, March 5. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street
By Jaime Lees
Published: April 2, 2008

The Safes groove a familiar sound that is wholly unoriginal but entirely excellent, by nodding to Brit-garage, Mod and all kinds of power pop. (Think early Kinks spliced with any bubbly Superchunk tune.) The Chicago trio’s 2007 release Well, Well, Well earned the brothers O’Malley — and they’re real brothers, not “band brothers” à la the Ramones — plenty of positive attention from tastemakers like Pitchfork. Some of the Safes’ studio detail is lost in translation live; the blasting rock elements overpower the music’s pop intricacies. But its show always brings a welcome punch of rock & roll fun — and a chance to shake your tail feather.

• article - link
• The Safes - website
• The Safes - myspace
• photo credit: Andrew Ballentyne

By the Numbers

Rarely, if ever, do we get jealous of Chicago — save for its big pizza and its 4 a.m. bars, which means that the city’s still partying while we’re driving through Taco Bell. But there’s one thing St. Louis can’t claim: The 1900s. And now we’re officially stamping our feet and whining, “No fair!”

Each exuberant element of the band’s sound calls to mind different comparisons: the boundless organ favored by the Zombies; John Denver’s tranquil simplicity; the honeyed vocal interplay of Fleetwood Mac or the Mamas & the Papas; and the omnipresent tension of the Velvet Underground. But even with these various influences, the 1900s aren’t close to being a rip-off; it’s like the band took only the best parts from these classic groups and combined them to design and birth a pretty little pop baby. In fact, the band was born so perfect that it signed to the Urbana, Illinois, label Parasol after its very first public show, in May 2006.

Now seven members strong, the 1900s’ first full-length for Parasol, Cold & Kind, is an indie-pop masterpiece. Main songwriter/vocalist Edward Anderson says the band wanted to make a “big, epic record,” and though the process was grueling (all band members still have day jobs) he modestly admits that “[Kind] seemed to come out all right.” Credit this satisfaction to his creative approach to music: Although Anderson writes lyrics the old-fashioned way — “I’ll just sit and smoke a lot of cigarettes and drink, like, a bottle of wine and try to figure it out” — recording music is another story.

“Like, the first run-through will be maybe on my phone while I have an idea,” he says. “And then I’ll do it on GarageBand for a couple weeks or months or whatever it takes, kinda iron it out. Then I’ll do a ProTools demo, then I’ll give a CD to the band. [The songs] usually change quite a bit [when] they all add their parts.”

For being barely two years old, the 1900s have received a ridiculous amount of good press. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to find a negative printed word. When questioned about this phenomenon, Anderson laughs and seems embarrassed. “Kind of miraculously, for the most part [the press] has been pretty good,” he says. “In Chicago a lot of people have the perception that we’re this band that made it and everything, because we do really well [there] and all the papers write about us and stuff. But then we go on tour and no one knows who we are.

“For us the main goal is to try to get a little more known outside of the city. It’s kind of exciting, though. You get people on MySpace or all over the world writing and stuff and someone will be like ‘Oh, there’s some teenagers in Paris listening to the record,’ and it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s strange.’”

— Jaime Lees

9 p.m. Saturday, March 29. The Billiken Club, 20 North Grand Boulevard. Free. 314-977-2020.

• article - link
• interview outtakes - link
• 1900s - website
• 1900s - MySpace
• photo credit: Rebecca Uhle

These snaps were just too hot not to post.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: Dead Confederate
WHEN: Wednesday, March 12, 11p.m.
WHERE: Stubb’s BBQ, big outside stage
NOTE: This band opened for R.E.M. (Athens represent) and might have been the best surprise of the festival. Read our coverage here.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: AA Bondy
WHEN: Thursday, March 13, about 9:30p.m.
WHERE: The gorgeous poolside rooftop stage of a heavily sponsored free party.
NOTE: This was one of 12 AA Bondy shows in a 3 day time span in Austin.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: downtown Austin, TX, view from the AA Bondy rooftop show
WHEN: Thursday, March 13, late night
WHERE: at 3rd Street and Guadalupe looking East
NOTE: There should be more rooftop shows. Always.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: Autolux’s Eugene Goreshter
WHEN: Friday, March 14, afternoon
WHERE: Red Eyed Fly backyard venue
NOTE: Goreshter’s amazing vocals on Autolux albums? Not studio magic. Dude actually sings like that.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, solo show
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, mid-afternoon
WHERE: Garden Party (read: gorgeous yard), the French Legation Museum
NOTE: J Mascis is a God among men (who just happens to use a baby pink Razr as his preferred cellular device.)

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: Thurston Moore and the New Wave Bandits
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, afternoon, slot after J Mascis
WHERE: East Austin, French Legation Museum
NOTE: Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore stole the show with his expansive talent and boyish charm. Read our coverage here.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: The Breeders
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, about 9p.m.
WHERE: Waterloo Park, north of downtown, 2nd stage
NOTE: Two Deals are always better than one. Read our coverage here.

photo by Jaime Lees
PHOTO: Kid Sister at the Fool’s Gold Showcase
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, 1a.m. (after Flosstradamus, before Chromeo)
WHERE: Volume nightclub, next to the told Emo’s on 6th Street
NOTE: Kid Sister claimed she was crunk but she still held down her raps with a little help from brother Josh “J2K” Young (of super-fly duo Flosstradamus) as back up.Category: Music, Reviews, SXSW, Snapshots

• article link
• also, article in Village Voice blog - link
• AA Bondy - MySpace
• Autolux - website
• Breeders - website
• Dead Confederate - MySpace
• Dinosaur Jr - website
• Flosstradamus - MySpace
• J Mascis - website
• Kid Sister - MySpace
• Thurston Moore - website
• Sonic Youth - website

The Breeders played an unofficial South By Southwest show in Waterloo Park last night and gave the audience a small preview of its upcoming tour. The band dished out a long set of classics from its albums, plus selections from the Amps (Kim Deal’s other, other project). Instead of serving as a nostalgia act, the Breeders seemed fresh, well rehearsed and enthusiastic about the show. Surprisingly, even songs off of the forthcoming Mountain Battles went over well. As usual, Kim and Kelley Deal were gracious, dorky, sweet, smiling and sang in perfect angelic harmony. Kelley, especially, seemed into the performance. On stage wearing her “Dayton, Ohio” t-shirt, she picked up the bass and joked “I wish I knew a Korn song.” Their parents really should have had more kids.

Setlist (from picture):
Overglazed / Bang On / Tipp City / No Aloha / Huffer / Walk It Off / We’re Gonna Rise / Pacer / Shocker in / Gloomtown / Night of Joy / Divine Hammer / Cannonball / Happiness in a Warm Gun / Iris / Saints / Safari / Here No More Encore: Fortunately Gone / German Studies / Regalme

Note: pictured setlist isn’t entirely accurate, “Regalme Esta Noche” wasn’t played and I remember rocking out to quite a few songs that weren’t listed (”Doe,” “Hellbound,” “It’s the Love,” etc.)

• article link
• also, article in the Village Voice blog - link
• The Breeders - website

Whenever my fellow St. Louisans asked if I liked local favs Shame Club, my standard response was “I like them as dudes, but I just can’t hang with their tunes.” I’d last seen the band a couple of years ago and wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t at all bad, I just didn’t *get it*. And you know what’s a damn shame? That I had to come all the way to Austin to find out that my hometown band is bitchin’ after all.

I went to see the band at the Small Stone Records showcase last night and was not at all prepared for the bombastic blast. Each band member is electrifying and the dynamic combination produces everything you could want in a hard rock band: shredding guitar licks, thumping bass grooves, evil drum beats and wailing vocals. Holy shit, I’ve seen the light.

Andrew Elstner, singer and guitarist for fellow St. Louis band Riddle of Steel was along for the trip as roadie/groupie/merch dude, and it was his band that gave me a revelation about a year ago. Let’s call it the Revelation of Steel. I’d also filed his band in the “cool, but not awesome” section in the list of local bands in my head. After not seeing the band for years, I accidentally caught it at a random bar show and they blew me away. Much to my delight, practice does, indeed, make perfect and the Riddle prompted me to go back to bands I’d previously avoided and give them a second listen.

So now the same thing has happened with Shame Club. A band that was previously alright is now super tight. Man, do I feel like a tool. Hey, Shame Club, I’m down with you. And I take back any smack I’ve ever spoken about any local band ever. Don’t disregard your hometown superstars, kids. They might just rock you.

– Jaime Lees

• article link
• also, article on the Village Voice blog - link
• Shame Club - website

Von Bondies
7 p.m. Friday, March 7. Creepy Crawl, 3524 Washington Boulevard
By Jaime Lees
Published: March 5, 2008

The Von Bondies produced one superior, bliss-pop hit a few years ago: “C’Mon, C’Mon,” a ringing, hook-filled tune that’s jump-up-and-down-on-your-bed-in-your-underwear perfection. Sadly, the Motor City band’s albums (such as 2004’s Pawn Shoppe Heart) consistently score a solid rating of “a’ight,” and though it’s set to release a new disc (Love, Hate and Then There’s You) in the fall, it’s unlikely the group will again reach the chart heights it once enjoyed. That’s fine, though, because the coed quartet proves itself at gigs. Live versions of the songs possess more grit than they do on the diluted recordings. By alternating between cutesy-girl harmonies and dirty Midwest bravado, the Von Bondies leave crowds with delightfully alternating urges to either make out with someone or punch them in the face.

• article link
• Von Bondies - MySpace

The Felice Brothers
8 p.m. Friday, February 29. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard
By Jaime Lees Published: February 27, 2008

The Felice Brothers — which is actually three brothers and a non-relative named Christmas — embrace and transcend its Americana roots. On its self-titled debut (out this Tuesday on Team Love), the songs are mostly patterned on skippy, toe-tapping beats and are frequently punctuated with accordion and old-Western saloon-style piano prancing. Any of the quartet’s songs might morph from throwback, “Scarborough Fair”-style folk to a rumbling, doom-filled jam at any moment. Though the lyrics are of the classic variety (booze, ladies, Jesus, heartbreak, lust), a few punchy one-liners stand out (”I put some whiskey into my whiskey”) Even the dangerously derivative Bob Dylan-style vocals don’t come off as plagiarism, but as charming and warmly familiar. The Brothers’ robust multi-member chorus sing-alongs during its live shows are also not to be missed. Drive-By Truckers — who recently released Brighter than Creation’s Dark — headline.

• article link
• Felice Brothers - MySpace

Bret Michaels (sort of) talks dirty to RFT
By Jaime Lees
Published: February 13, 2008

Bret Michaels is a horny beast. Throughout his time as the lead singer and frontman of the classic hair-metal band Poison, this was a well-documented fact. He initially wooed women with a hyperactive stage personality — music videos showed him makin’ eyes and advances on wickedly dressed über-babes — but then he’d slow it down and aurally caress their lady-spot with smoothly strummed, sensual power ballads. With his tight clothes, vampy attitude and requisite rocker-length hair, he was quintessentially ’80s sex-on-a-stick. Similar to his perma-boner peers in Mötley Crüe, he seemed to have a thirst that only ‘tang would quench. Today, it seems as though not much has changed in the life of Bret Michaels. Though grunge came along some time in the early ’90s and made hair metal look like yesterday’s used condom, he released several fairly well-received solo albums and became a talking head on VH1. Through it all, he’s still a dude who aspires to rock — even if the hairline of his long blond hair is now strategically hidden under a doo-rag.

But being (potentially) follically challenged hasn’t exactly hurt Michaels’ game. He still has the enviable luxury of sitting back and letting the honeys just fall into his lap — quite literally, it seems. As the star and subject of the recent hit VH1 reality show Rock of Love, Michaels is currently entertaining audiences in a whole new way. The dating show arouses rumor and scandal as a gaggle of busty gals basically punch one another in the breast implant over who gets to date him. (And we use the word “date” very loosely here.)

Still, Love is glorious. The show’s trash factor makes it irresistible, while its popularity seems to have greatly helped Michaels ease back into the media spotlight. The intimate details he reveals in the show — about things like his debauched past and medical issues — also add a whole new dimension to the public perception of the man, because he comes off as cooler, sexier and funnier than you would expect. But mostly, the show serves to illustrate that Michaels is still, God love him, a lustful rock star to the core. In honor of his Valentine’s Day concert at the Bottleneck Blues Bar, we’ve dug up some classic Poison lyrics in hopes of getting you in the mood for makin’ love (or just straight-up doin’ it). Some of these lyrics are romantic, some of them are titillating and some of them are just plain obscene. We’ve also completely fabricated quotes from an imaginary conversation we had with Bret Michaels, in which he explains the meaning behind these bits of suggestive soft-core literotica.

Song: “Look What the Cat Dragged In”
Lyrics: “No tell, motel, hotel bed/If it wasn’t for the sunlight I’d swear I was dead/I got a girl on the left of me/A girl on the right/I know damn well I slept with both last night”
Bret Michaels might say: “Oh yeah, I remember that night. I usually score with more than five babes a night, and that night I only banged these twins. Eh… it was just a Tuesday. I forgive myself.”

Song: “Talk Dirty to Me”
Lyrics: “‘Cause baby we’ll be at the drive-in/In the old man’s Ford/Behind the bushes/’Til I’m screamin’ for more/Down in the basement/Lock the cellar door/And, baby/Talk dirty to me”
Bret Michaels might say: “That is poetry. It’s truthful. It’s moving. It’s inspirational. And doesn’t it make you hot? I’m the Shakespeare of turning you on.”

Song: “Nothing But a Good Time”
Lyrics: “They say I spend all my money on women and wine/But I couldn’t tell you where I spent last night/I’m really sorry about the shape I’m in/I just like my fun every now and then”
Bret Michaels might say: “Chicks are always trying to change me! They don’t understand that I’ve just gotta ramble, y’know? Some babes just can’t handle how hard I must rock. I’ll tell them ‘Woman, you look good an’ all, but ease up off of my stick. I’m the man around here.’ After that, they know their place.”

Song: “I Want Action”
Lyrics: “Long legs and short skirts/These girls hit me where it hurts/I can’t wait to get my hands on them/I won’t give up until they give in/Now I’m not lookin’ for a love that lasts/I need a shot and I need it fast/If I can’t have her, I’ll take her and make her”
Bret Michaels might say: “Uh, yeah. Man, that does sound a little creepy and aggressive. But girls just parade around like that and I get all worked up. Don’t they know who I am? I just told them I wanted action!”

Song: “Something to Believe In”
Lyrics: “I drive by the homeless sleeping on a cold dark street/Like bodies in an open grave/Underneath the broken old neon sign/That used to read JESUS SAVES”
Bret Michaels might say: “See? It’s not always about chicks! I have important things to say — this is social commentary. I do have a soul. But I gotta tell you, this soul mostly just wants to poke hot babes. D’ya know what those cold homeless guys need? A warm woman to cuddle up to on those dark nights. Trust me, going balls-deep will keep you warm.”

Song: “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
Lyrics: “We both lie silently still/In the dead of the night/Although we both lie close together/We feel miles apart inside”
Bret Michaels might say: “There’s a rumor this song is about the downside of dating a hot-ass stripper. People always think it’s some big analogy about love and life. Really, it’s just about flowers, man. Being a playa-playa I give out a lot of roses and, damn, those thorns are a bitch.”

Song: “I Hate Every Bone in Your Body But Mine”
Lyrics: “This chick’s got me so addicted/I hate her so much even though I wish she was my girl/I hate every bone in your body but mine/I can’t wait till I can hate you tonight”
Bret Michaels might say: “Gimme a break, people. I need attention down there. That ain’t no sock in my pants!”

7:30 p.m. Thursday, February 14. Bottleneck Blues Bar at Ameristar Casino, One Ameristar Boulevard, St. Charles. Sold out. 636-949-7777.

• 02-13-08 Riverfront Times (St. Louis) - article link
• 03-27-08 reprint in the Houston Press (Houston) - article link
• Bret Michaels - website

AA Bondy reinvents himself as an indie-folk artist
By Jaime Lees
Published: February 6, 2008

Though few outside of the indie circuit recognized Verbena, critics and fans hailed the group as the second coming of Nirvana. The comparison was easy to see — and not just because former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl produced the band’s 1999 major-label debut, Into the Pink. When Verbena emerged from Bir­­m­ing­ham, Alabama, in the late ’90s, its sound was dark, powerful and based on a foundation of big pop hooks. Lead singer Scott Bondy in particular came across as very Kurt Cobain-esque, with his lazy, marble-mouthed singing style, snarky attitude and bleached-blond hair. These days, Bondy is all grown up and no longer playing the role of snotty rock kid. Performing solo under his birth name of AA Bondy (the initials stand for Auguste Arthur), he composes enchanting, elegantly sparse indie-folk music. The songs often feature just his voice and an expertly strummed guitar, with the occasional hint of mournful harmonica and handclaps used as percussion.

When he tries to explain the difference between the louder Verbena and his current stripped-back project, Bondy confesses via phone, “I don’t really know what I was doing before.”

He’s certainly figured out what to do on his solo debut, American Hearts (which will be re-released on Fat Possum Records in April). Hearts is a bewitchingly beautiful album that’s been embraced as an impressive contribution to the world of nü-folk — largely because the songs don’t sound like the “unplugged” indulgences of a former rock guy. They’re not stripped down; they’re just not decorated with unnecessary wrapping. The songs overflow with unflinching sincerity, and the tiniest details — like the delicate noise of fingers sliding across guitar strings — stand out and seem purposeful.

The way Bondy constructed Hearts reflects this simplistic style: He recorded it in a rickety old barn next to his house in New York. (”It’s a really good-sounding barn,” he says with a chuckle.) Perhaps as a result, Hearts‘ lyrics are also unadorned and straightforward, relying heavily on the polarities of good vs. evil, apathy vs. love and God vs. the devil. Still, Bondy finds plenty of room for shrewd statements (”Love, it don’t die/It just goes from girl to girl”) and optimistic observations (”The barroom is filled with the joy/Of making old friends.”)

Many of Hearts’ songs also carry a twinge of the ’60s protest vibe — meaning that the Bob Dylan comparisons are inevitable. It’s no surprise that Bondy has absorbed a penchant for clever lyrics; he cites Tom Waits, Nina Simone and Tom Petty as classic favorites. But of these influences, he fondly explains, “You can’t really speak to the nature of what makes things special. But whatever does make things special doesn’t really matter. I guess for a listener you just know it is special to you — and that’s all that matters.”During live shows, Bondy is frequently accompanied by his wife, Clare Felice, who plays the organ. She’s from the same family that produced the up-and-coming Americana band the Felice Brothers — a group Bondy lovingly refers to as his brothers and source of inspiration.

Jaime Lees: The stuff you’re recording seems very… like, if someone walked into your house, you could be sitting there playing it.

AA Bondy: Yeah, I could.

It seems very intimate — like you’re not putting on a kind of show.

Yeah, those songs could exist without any other accompaniment. And they were written that way. Which is one of the main differences between this stuff and anything that happened before it. Those other songs weren’t brought to the light of day in that fashion. They were always pieced together. They were… like, a guitar part always came first. They never started with, like, basically a finished song. Which all of these songs did. They were finished songs that things got added to — or didn’t.

Is it scary for you to stand up there alone?

When I first started playing by myself, I’d played tons and tons of shows with a band. I didn’t even understand how freaked out I was. If you’re getting up on stage with a band, it’s like you’re part of a team. But once you get up there by yourself, it’s totally different. ‘Cause you’re responsible for it all. I like it better. It’s more thrilling, at least. I don’t get too freaked out anymore, but I used to. When you’re by yourself, it’s so much easier.

How is your writing different as you’ve gotten older?

I actually write songs now. [Laughs] You know, I don’t just, like, play a guitar part and put some stuff over it. I just know that it feels completely different than it used to. It feels like there’s something contained inside of it, as opposed to being like a shell.

The topics seem pretty grown-up — relationships, war. Do you feel like you’re getting something out? Does it make you feel better?

Maybe it makes me feel better only in the way something gets completed that I’m somehow satisfied with. Not in the way that I’m saying something, you know. Like, it could be a song about a pile of leaves that I lit on fire and I could feel just as good about that as if it was, like, a so-called song that had something to say.

8 p.m. Wednesday, February 13. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $8 advance, $10 day of show. 314-773-3363.

[FOR EXTENDED INTERVIEW CLICK HERE]

• 02-06-08 Riverfront Times (St. Louis) - article link
• 02-07-08 reprint in the Pitch (Kansas City) - article link
• 03-27-08 reprint in the Dallas Observer (Dallas) - article link
• interview outtakes here
• AA Bondy - MySpace

The Village Voice posted this on their blog regarding the results of the Pazz & Jop poll. It’s hilarious. Please read.

This year I was honored to be asked to contribute to the annual Village Voice critics’ poll. Here’s the info and the results.

Pazz & Jop 2007
35th Annual Village Voice Critics’ Poll

• the winners
• the critics
• my ballot

About Pazz + Jop:
The Pazz & Jop critics’ poll is a highly influential poll of music critics run by The Village Voice newspaper. It is compiled every year from the top ten lists of hundreds of music critics (roughly 800 in the 2004 poll). Albums have been voted upon every year since 1974 (voting also took place in 1971), and votes for singles have been tabulated since 1979.
Since the poll’s inception, critics have been invited to award their ten albums a total of 100 points, with each album receiving a maximum of 30 points and a minimum of 5. Lists submitted without points are given 10 points per album by the poll’s editors. Singles lists have always been unweighted.
Music critic Robert Christgau was in charge of the poll for 33 years, and wrote an essay every year that accompanied and framed the list. Christgau was dismissed from the Village Voice in August 2006, but the paper intends to continue the feature. Christgau continues to submit his Top Ten list and to encourage other eligible critics to do so.
The poll was jokingly given the spoonerism name “Pazz & Jop” rather than the more obvious “Jazz & Pop” because, inevitably, some detractor will claim that a nominated work is ineligible or undeserving on the grounds that it isn’t “really” jazz or pop. Since there are no formal definitions for the made-up terms “pazz” and “jop”, voters will concentrate on the actual merits of a work rather than arguing over whether it fits into this or that genre.

• Village Voice - website

Vince Neil
7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 17. Bottleneck Blues Bar at the Ameristar Casino, 1260 South Main Street, St. Charles.
By Jaime Lees
Published: January 16, 2008

Vince Neil probably doesn’t care that I’ve decided he’s the Third Hottest Blond Guy in a Hair Metal Band from 1987 (third to Bret Michaels and Sebastian Bach, duh), but he does still seem to care about bringing the rock. As lead singer of the mighty Mötley Crüe, Neil has faced some hard times — like the death of spandex — some of which have hopefully prepared him for playing the has-been casino circuit. He may seem like a bloated shell of a reality-television whore now, but don’t forget that this is one of the men behind the classic Crüe albums (i.e., Too Fast For Love, Shout at the Devil, Girls, Girls, Girls). A true star, Neil will face anything (even his own mortification) to make ya feel alright.

• article link
• Vince Neil - website

Bare Is My Mind?
Bobby Bare Jr. covers up with his ace Pixies and Breeders tribute act.
By Jaime Lees
Published: January 2, 2008

Call him what you will — Charles Thompson, Black Francis or Frank Black, but as the frontman of the Pixies, ol’ what’s-his-name deserves a little praise. From 1985 to 1993 Black pulled lead singing and songwriting duties for America’s preeminent alternative band — and is credited with bringing killer caterwauls, magnetic guitar hooks and paranoid, UFO-themed lyrics to the masses. The Pixies reigned over college radio and youth culture for a time, and the bands that followed in its sonic wake still hail the power of the quartet as a revelation. (Most famously, its loud/quiet/loud dynamic was claimed to be the sound inspiration for a blue-eyed, blond-haired guy fronting some band called Nirvana.)

Nashville singer-songwriter Bobby Bare Jr. counts himself among the Pixies’ many fans. As the son of country musician Bobby Bare, he grew up around music and has the distinction of receiving a Grammy nomination at the age of five. First fronting the rock band Bare Jr. — and now as a solo artist churning out stripped-down, bittersweet compositions that push the envelope of alt-country — Bare has found genuine success throughout his entire career.

But for now, Bare has put all solo and future plans on pause in order to squeeze one more project into his busy schedule: His very own Pixies cover band, Is She Weird, Is She White. (Appropriately, it’s currently touring with a Guided By Voices cover band, the Teenage FBI.) Bare’s Pixies covers can sound much different than the originals, often changing the tempo or the tone of the songs — making these interpretations insightful, if not asking the audience to listen again with fresh ears.

Which begs the question: Why would Bare, a renowned solo artist and pedigreed musician, start a cover band? That scene is usually a schlocky, dirty world populated by balding has-beens and portly never-beens. Why would Bare take the chance of sullying his good name — and embrace another artist’s music?

“Because the Pixies fuckin’ rock!” Bare explains, enthralled.

And indeed, his love of Black Francis is well-documented. The lyrics to “Dig Down,” a song found on Bare’s first solo album, Young Criminals’ Starvation League, include Francis in an exalted list of historical rock icons. Bare sings about all of the distinguished dudes who have used up all the soul and original ideas in the world of rock & roll, listing Francis in a pantheon of recognized legends including Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry and the Beatles.

When we catch up with Mr. Bare via phone, he seems honest and charmingly childlike, as though he can’t contain any emotion — be it excitement or insecurity. He comes off as a hyperactive kid on a sugar high when talking about music that thrills him, and he’s eager to relay fanboy stories of Frank Black and the Pixies (like a fantastic, “freaked out” moment when he sang background vocals on a recent Frank Black record). And of course, Bare’s most eager to discuss his past and future work — and undying love for the Pixies.

Bobby Bare Jr.: I obviously have been a fan for a long, long, long, long time. Because it’s like, I don’t know, do you dress up for Halloween?

Jaime Lees: Oh, hell yeah.

It’s exactly like dressing up for Halloween, for a musician. It’s just fun to be somebody else.

How do you have time to get all of this done?

It’s a whole lot of work. Usually for a real set you learn fifteen songs — like, for an hour [long] set. If you learn fifteen Pixies songs you’ve only learned 30 minutes worth of music. So, you know, we’ve got to learn twenty-something songs. And we do some Breeders songs.

What’s your favorite to sing? Or what do you most look forward to?

What songs? The ones like “Gigantic,” where I just play guitar. ‘Cause I never, ever get to just play guitar in any band. So that’s what’s fun to me.

Are the people who come to the shows your fans? Or Pixies fans? Or a mix?

Um, I think they’re just mostly Pixies fans. We’ve only done this in Nashville. This is going to be our first show out of town.

The St. Louis one is?

Yeah. We’ve only done probably four of these. It’s me; the former drummer from [...And You Will Know Us By the] Trail of Dead [Doni Schroader]; and Beth Cameron, both of whom are also in a band called Forget Cassettes. And a girl named Leah [Paxton] who’s been in bands with the other two people.

How did you get hooked up with the Guided By Voices tribute band?

It’s other people who have been in my band. It’s my drummer from my last tour who is also the drummer for Clem Snide [Ben Martin]. The guitar player is William Tyler; he’s in Lambchop and the Silver Jews.

Did you go see any of their [Pixies] reunion tour shows?

Yes, I saw three of them. I played Sasquatch in Seattle and Austin City Limits in Austin where they were the