wow. nike, you've really impressed me this time. no, it's not a new pair of super-limited edition hi-top gold-plated dunks, but rather a trio of exciting shows made possible by a partnership between the mega-corporation and willamette week.
all shows at audio cinema:
Thursday September 6th, 2007 @ 3:30
Cat Power, Bobby Bare Jr.
Friday September 7th, 2007 @ 5:30
Grizzly Bear, Deerhunter
Saturday September 8th, 2007 @ 5:30
Ghostface Killah, The Bronx
if there was any question that the pacific northwest runs this music shit, this (musicfest nw) should set things right again.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Musicfest NW + Nike
Sunday, August 19, 2007
typhoon
it's been on the internet for a while now, but if you haven't seen it yet, here's a great little video put together by none other than jimmy drunksweat.
TYPHOON
Show Review - 2mex
"this is the second show i've been to this summer that i've felt really bad for the performers"
the first was jana hunter. loud, hostile crowd members peppered her with insults as she morosely plucked and hummed her way through a half hour set. on that night, portland, you embarrassed me.
the second show was last night. clockwerk (gold and iame of sandpeople) kicked shit off to a crowd of about 15 people. c'mon berbati's pan, really? they even delayed the start time a good half hour just so more people could show up. those dudes brought it official anyway, even if people were sparse, sober, and bored. it turns out that demanding people "to throw yer mutherfuckin hands in the air" is a lot easier when they can blend anonymously into the crowd. instead of hands they just got a bunch of sore thumbs. the separation that generally exists between larger-than-life rap persona/bravado and the casual portland hip-hop show attendee was lacking.
but, as the openers came and went, the crowd grew and grew. 2mex was the main event and by the time he took the stage i didn't feel nearly as awkward or guilty. it was my first 2mex experience and he made me an instant fan. dancing and sweating as much as he was rhyming, he displayed moments of real emotion and personality. i realized that maybe it was his honest, "fuck it" attitude that made up of for the night's eariler misfortunes. word to the openers for taking the brunt of the bullshit and trying to warm up our cold northwest hearts for that underground california heat.
Metro Area - Dance Reaction
I was just snoopin around on bleep.com and found this:
Perfect for dance offs and lounging somehow.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Holy Fuck
Every now and again, I'll be minding my own business, checking my e-mail, checking the news, maybe surfin' craigslist when out of nowhere I'll find a band that makes me go... "wait just a minute!" (actually I was checking the schedule for musicfest nw but whatever...) Anyways, this band called "Holy Fuck" is really great. I am very excited to see them open for Wolf Parade on the last day of the festival.
Other highlights of the festivities include:
Spoon
Girl Talk+Clipse+Cool Kids+More
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Kickball - Everythingisamiraclenothingisamiracle
Kickball is easily one of the best bands in the northwest right now. When one is critiquing art its hard to feign objectivity but thats okay because this album doesnt want that. It wants you to get to know it. read: grower. Unlike most albums that grow on you though this one starts out good already and just keeps getting better the better you know it. read: good friend. When Jacob sings "You're a sunset sometimes pretty, oh my god" on 'sometimes' its probably the closest you can get to perfection. Everything on this album feels right, the length (songwise and albumwise) the parts in the songs everything. This far into kickballs existence they have got their un-formulaic formula down pat. On Orion they skate back and forth between breakdowns and something I guess you could call a verse covering similar ground but doing it differently every time, an aspect of kickball that makes them so loveable.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Video: Menomena - "Rotten Hell"
food fights and super slow motion. it's menomena with a new music video and there are some absolutely priceless facial expressions.
for my money, matt and kim did messy food & unrestrained childhood exuberance better in their video for "yea yeah."
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Freeway feat. Jay Z - Big Spender
HOTTT NEW TRAXXXXXX!!!!!!! (seriously, guyz!)
here's one to bump in your rides, bump it outside, Freeway feat. Jay Z - "Big Spender":
and new CARIBOU. from the forthcoming "Andorra," this track pulls no punches, makes no false claims, takes no prisoners, etc...
Caribou - Melody Day
DOWNLOAD THESE TRACKXXX, KIDSZ
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Mirah - Show Review
On Friday, Mirah was in town and she brought along some of her friends. Both openers, Lovers and Mecca Normal were complete unknowns to me, but it being a Mirah show, i made some educated guesses about their respective sounds (probably not death metal, i could safely postulate). Lo and behold, Lovers turned out to be fairly close to the Mirah mold. Guitar slung low and accompanied by only a sparingly used drummer, Carolyn Berk sang songs about love, lovers, and the like. She has a beautiful voice and a delightful way with words; i was pleasantly surprised.
Next was Mecca Normal, comprised of two unassuming, middle aged folks. The first couple songs were about the lead singer's experience with internet dating. This strange woman with an even stranger voice sang scathing, vindictive lyrics from the man's point of view: "i want cold, impersonal sex." All the while, the guitarist, who looked more dentist or shoe salesman than rock star shredded through the set with distortion on high. People laughed at her humorously jaded songwriting and cheered for the old man's rip roaring power solos.
Then, much to the damn-near packed house's delight, the diminutive, cute-as-a-button Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn took the stage. Her supporting cast was a revolving door comprised of members from Spectratone International (with whom she collaborated on her new album) and other friends. "My new album is about insects," she stated proudly. And amidst cello and accordion, she sang about ants, dung beetles, and glow worms. Mirah's always been an exceptional songwriter with an ear for both minutia and grandeur. The pounding, ominous drums of "Cold Cold Water" translated well live, lending that familiar, ominous tone to one of the night's standouts. With the full band, her songs really came alive, and the new material sounded great. Bringing the night to an end, during the encore, Mirah sang a stripped down remix backed only by her drummer's beat-boxing. A treat indeed.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Beastie Boys - Off the Grid
most alliterative moment in audiosurface history coming up in 3..2..1..
"bloggers behold! beastie boys go bizarrely beta band"
Monday, June 04, 2007
Rappers like Dance Music
kanye again. here he is all up in
daft punk's "harder, better, faster, stronger."
rich boy (i dont know who that is) and SMD
abx - i believe you should looka here
24 hour hotcakes
without any school work or even regular work to do, a man can really live a charmed, whimsical existence, free of obligation. granted, none of what i do on a day-to-day basis is useful, productive, or exciting in the slightest. in fact, i haven't felt this ineffectual in a long time. about-face aside, i have been listening to some devastatingly good tunes as of late. and "finding" such music makes me feel just a teensie bit better about myself as a human. not only because i feel as though i'm being a proactive music fan, seeking out music i wouldn't otherwise hear without hitting the streets (internet, that is -- and it IS a superhighway, so i figure the metaphor applies), but also because great music simply has that effect. it's an obsession, but a timeless and not entirely unhealthy one. thus, as someone who cannot create music, i do my best to be an observant, discerning, receptive, and ultimately loving audience.
here are some things i think you should hear.
jordaan mason - housewife part two
stunning. simple, lo-fi, barebones folk with haunting vocals.
jordaan onmyspace.
buy an album here ***even if you don't want to buy his album, click the link and you might want to, after you read what he has to say.***
mirah & spectratone international - gestation of the sacred beetle
new mirah.
buy here
Friday, June 01, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release
Only one thing could make forget that I had a bunch of crap due today for school. What is that one thing you might ask? Is it girls? or maybe bikes? no? How about money? The answer is none of those, oh no. However if you guessed hard hitting eurotrash dirty enough to give you a handful diseases only the seediest of the seedy in downtown L.A. possess. You'd be right. Not only is this stuff dirty, its filthy. Like Mylo only finer tuned, these guys spruce up the all too often repetitive dreary dance landscape with little treats all throughout. Do I smell humor? "Hotdog" for example probably has the most ridiculous lyrics I have ever heard:
"Lets get the rhythm of the hands, lets get the rhythm of the beat, down down baby, down down baby down, put em together and what do you get? Hotdog!" The album opens with "Sleep Deprivation" which is a perfect title because its the kind of track you would hear in a club full of fog and smoke and neon green lazers in Berlin at 2:45 when you are about to go home but this comes on so you throw back your 13th beer and hit the dance floor with your drunken moves like a boxer. The video for Hustler (another awesome track) is... amazing... youtube it, but ask your parents first because its only for ... boys and lesbians.
Simian Mobile Disco's Myspace
Kanye & Lupe: Indie Rockers?
Stumbled upon a couple of bangers tonight featuring some unexpected samples.
First one comes from Chicago super-producer/pseudo-rapper Kanye West. West must have been geeking on Pitchfork and other hipster taste-makers lately, as he samples Peter, Bjorn and John's undeniably catchy "Young Folks." It's not so much a sample as it is just adding some playful vocals to a loop of the original hook. I'm not complaining though, it's a refreshing exercise in lightheartedness from the man who did this. You can download it here:Young Folks
Second one comes from Kanye cohort Lupe Fiasco. Thom Yorke's "The Eraser" is sampled here to questionable effect. While the MC's (Fiasco, Kanye, and Pharrell) keep pace with the unorthodox hip hop tempo, I can't help but feel a little put off. It just doesn't feel right. Moreover, how'd they get Yorke to consent to the sample? Radiohead and Co. are notoriously stingy with their music and licensing. Anyhow give it a listen here: US Placers
Saturday, May 26, 2007
summertime
yay! i got tickets to mirah and laura veirs on consecutive nights (june 8&9) at the aladdin! is anyone else going / want to go with me? concert-wise, june is shaping up to be a real dandy. some of the highlights:
june 1st - au revoir simone w/ voxtrot @ the doug fir (get yr fakes, kids)
june 2nd - horse feathers @ the doug fir
june 8th - mirah w/ lovers & mecca normal @ the aladdin
june 9th - laura veirs w/ lake @ the aladdin
june 10th - mice parade @ someday lounge
june 11th - hot chip @ wonder ballroom (dance!)
june 14th - blue scholars @ music millenium (free! hip hop!)
june 15th - architecture in helsinki w/ yacht @ wonder ballroom (dance dance)
june 21st - marnie stern @ holocene
june 22nd - sage francis w/ buck 65 @ roseland
june 24th - great lake swimmers @ holocene
june 25th - feist w/ grizzly bear @ crystal ballroom
goodness gracious.
and, as always, be sure to check the boy gorilla website for all your favorite artists show dates.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Final Pitchfork Festival Line-up Posted
Pitchfork Music Festival
Well, the people over at pitchfork certainly know what's up. Chicago just got that much cooler. And tickets are stupidly cheap. Some highlights:
Sonic Youth
Menomena
GZA
Junior Boys
Iron & Wine
Grizzly Bear
De La Soul
etc.
advanced emo kids
this man is dangerous.
"Emo" is no longer just a silly term to throw around, it's now a serious medical affliction. Apparently, emo is a strikingly new and dangerous concept to those in the Utah news media. While some of the subject matter (cutting, suicide, etc) is not entirely laughable, just about everything else in the video is.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
thirsty thursday
I'm going to really try to stay on top of this blogging business this summer since I don't have anything else to do. So, everyone who reads audiosurface on a regular basis (i know there are a lot of you out there), be prepared for more than 2 updates a month. Without further ado, here are some newish mp3's that I like to listen to:
This is from the Warm and Scratchy compilation by the folks at Adult Swim . Available for free download on their website, the album also features TV on the Radio, Asobi Seksu, and 120 Days (those nutty Europeans who opened for Ratatat that one time).
Broken Social Scene Canada Vs. America
WOOO. From the new album Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner
Shapes and Sizes - Alone/Alive
All you computer savvy kids out there probably already have this one, but here it is anyway:
The Go! Team - Grip Like a Vice
I HIGHLY reccomend the new Electrelane album No Shouts, No Calls. I had a hard time picking just one track to put up.
Electrelane - To the East
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