Detroit Riot

I thought this thing would just update itself.

2009-02-24T11:49:00.000-08:00

Apparently, it doesn't. So, I guess this is it. Thanks for reading!!!

Sincerely,
Elle

The Word Play

2009-01-11T17:44:00.000-08:00

There is still no flier made for this show, but the Word Play are having their CD release show THIS SATURDAY, January 17th, at the Woodward Avenue Brewery in Ferndale. Also playing: Prussia and Natural Monuments.

The show probably starts at the usual show time and probably costs something like $5.

Someone make a goddamn flier already.

For the Dead, for the living

2009-01-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

Traversing through soliloquies of heartbreak and loss, one might find Misty Lyn and the Big Beautiful's debut full-length, For the Dead, to be too emotionally dense to listen to alone. Misty Lyn Bergeron's fervent and honest lyrics stir the songs to a frenzy, and the combination of pedal steel, fiddle, cello, and violin pull your heartstrings in all directions. Backed by the likes of Michigan heavy hitters Jim Roll and Matt Jones, the soundscape of the album is as deep as the poetic prowess of Bergeron. From beginning to end, the seasons carry this album's themes, as well as the cyclical nature of all things in life, such as "Summer. Lull." "The Fall," whose comparison of the season to the action of falling might seem simple, the pessism (or realism, if you will) of the lyrics, "as if it wasn't clear enough, the sun beats down and lights the broken lines within/when you start believing that the things that once existed can begin again/then all you know goes up for sale, you finally learn that things will always end and end," finds a soft spot in the hardest of hearts, a reminder of the first slap in the face that life doled out to us all. Songs like "Gathering" and "For the Dead" pump up the energy in the record without sounding too contrived or overdone. Although this record boasts no record label to back it (yet), it gives us one more shining star in the Michigan scene, possibly one of the only things keeping us from being completely obsolete.

Misty Lyn and the Big Beautiful will be on the Detroit Today show on 101.9 WDET (Detroit Public Radio), playing songs from and discussing From the Dead around 11:30am on Friday, January 9th! Tune in if you have one of those radio things. If not, you can stream the program live (or some other time) through their Web site.

Please check out their CD release show at the Magic Stick on January 10th, with Great Lakes Myth Society and The High Strung. Cost is $8, ~~they go on first, so get there early!!!~~ Nevermind, they are going on second.

Happy Prussia Day

2009-01-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Prussia is releasing some new stuff in February. Their release show is on my birthday (the 7th). 2008 Elle would be upset about this, but 2009 Elle says "that's AWESOME!" And get this, it is FREE. That's even MORE awesome.

The show is at the Crofoot in Pontiac. February 7th. With Wildcatting, The Silent Years, and Javelins. Anyone have a flier?

Warm Fuzzies.

2008-12-29T06:19:00.000-08:00

I made my way back to the Elbow Room last night and my head exploded.

I went to see Joseph Scott Band (The Joseph Scott Band? Joe Scott and his band?), an 8-piece mega ultra super group. Matthew Milia, Davy Jones, Scott Sellwood, Chris Bathgate, Dan Von Erck, just to name a few. Oh, and Joseph Scott. It may have only been five or six songs, but it was an experience to behold. Some of the dudes even had to introduce themselves onstage because they had never met prior.

Mittenfest was pretty effin' sweet. I am sorry you missed it, but chances are, you wouldn't have gotten in anyway. This is where a blogger might complain about something that happened that was small and insignificant. But I can't. I feel full of feelings. Feelings of warm fuzzy happyness. It feels sooooo goooood. Even with a hangover. So good.

Things have been slow. Whatever.

2008-12-27T21:35:00.001-08:00

Mittenfest III at the Elbow Room, day two: It looks like this whole thing has already been a great success. 826Michigan is deserving of it, and I was so excited to see a line 20 deep outside the Elbow Room. Maybe I should see if they can help me become more literate and use bigger words correctly. Hardy har har.

In all seriousness, seriously, my blogging time has come to an end for the time being. I have other things to focus on. There are more important things in life than blogging. OMG I KNOW RIGHT. It's weird, but I think I will adjust. I am sure you readers will adjust as well. I hear there are a lot of new blogs and bloggers in the area.

I apologize in advance for the length of this blog, but I have a lot of things that I feel I need to say, things that I think are important, things that I think you need to all talk about more or think about more. If you don't agree, than I really don't give a shit.

I have felt more submerged than ever this year in the "scene." Or "scenes" if you really think there is a need for distinct separations. I have spent an absurd amount of time watching bands play, talking about bands, writing about bands, etc. As I am sure most of you have. I can safely say that I am very happy with the way things are, and that I look forward to more bands and new people joining the scene. I think a lot of you are opposed to that. Sometimes, I even get a little bored with the little corner of the scene that I hole myself up in most of the time. It's nice to see some fresh faces. Open up your hearts, Detroit. I know this is a really tough time, but we cannot let the times defeat us. Keep doing what you are doing. Keep moving forward.

And now... For what you have all been waiting for (or not), my top whatever songs of blahblahblahblahblahblahblah (yes, this list is very narrow in the entire scope of the "scene" but I like what I like):

The Shaded Forest --- Deastro
I think this made it on 75% of my mixed CDs this year. "I told you we're gonna be fine, I t-t-t-told you, we're taking our time." Yes, we are. And things are going to be OK. How could they not be OK? Randolph is alive and putting out amazing shit at breakneck speeds. Fuck yeah, everything is gonna be fine.

The World's Worst Birthday Gift --- Silent Years
Epic, tender, dynamic. When they play this live, I still get a shiver up my spine.

Warmer Days Ahead --- Lightning Love
This song also has my pick for best lyrics of the year: "When winter's this cold I freeze every kind part of me, and I swear it's never planned, but no one understands. And when we gain some degrees, I'll come crawling on my knees, and you'll love me again."

Unicorn Bible --- Champions of Breakfast
It was hard picking my favorite, but this is one of the first songs I remember hearing.

That entire CD Pas/Cal released
I don't think I need to go into much detail. It was just really really really good.

OK, I am really tired and sick of writing, so here are some other songs (there were more, but I am lazy) I liked in no particular order:
El Dorado --- Javelins
Get Ripped --- Friendly Foes
Fog --- Mason Proper
Yes, I'm Cold --- Chris Bathgate
Snakeskin Hymnal --- I Just Wanted a Bite of Your Cookie (you have never heard of them, but go to cllct.com and download their entire discography, by the way, it was all recorded this year)

You wish your cat could do this.

2008-12-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

Coming soon:
++my Top Ten of 2008 list of songs by Michigan bands
++more cats sliding in boxes

I know, he's a politician, just like the rest of 'em

2008-12-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

...but you should watch it anyway.

Shall we start a bread line?

2008-12-13T08:11:00.000-08:00

Dear readers and friends and creatures;

As you already know, the auto industry did not get the loan they have been asking for. This has so many implications, not just for Michigan (although we have the most jobs at stake) but for the entire country, and perhaps the entire industry worldwide.

I know you all spend a long time on your computers everyday, checking out Myspace and Facebook and blogs and your bank statement. What I am asking you to do is to send an e-mail to the Bush administration, asking them to take action. It won't take long. All you have to do is open up your gmail account, and send a message to president@whitehouse.gov. Tell President Bush how important it is that the auto industry gets a loan of some sort. Explain how your job will be affected by it, if not now, but in the next few months. I know my job will be. I know so many of my friends who have already lost their jobs. This will take a shorter amount of time then it did to read this blog, for goodness sake!!!

once again, president@whitehouse.gov
or send one to Cheney at vice_president@whitehouse.gov

PEER PRESSURE ALERT!!!
Even the fiscally conservative folks that I know are doing it. So, why aren't you?

Sincerely,

Elle

Thanks for reading.

2008-12-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

Lightning Love CD release tonight at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. $7 gets you in, and you get a FREE CD! How exciting. It's good, folks. Real good.

I will most likely end up at a bar in Ferndale. I don't like driving in snow. I will attempt to hit up Noel Night in midtown. I hope there are roasted chestnuts. I know there will be crafts for sale as well as free shows (MOCAD, Scarlett Oaks!). I think the festivities start at 5. I could be wrong. Look it up and see for yourself, HERE.

TOO LATE!

2008-12-05T13:15:00.000-08:00

Oh no! Jasper over at Eat This City already posted this today. Bummer. I'm going to repost it anyway.

The Word Play - "Three" from Suburban Sprawl Music on Vimeo

You didn't check out those band links I had up yesterday. And that's too bad.

Bear Paws need mittens too.

2008-12-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

Here are some bands/artists you should check out:

Christine Hoberg has one of the most beautiful voices I have heard in a very long time. You can download her LP, "Nice" for FREE! According to Brandon Wiard of Pretty Suite Recording in Ann Arbor, most of her vocal tracks were down without accompaniment, and she was never off-key. I find this INCREDIBLY hard to believe, but I don't think Brandon Wiard would lie to about that.

Bear Paws is the project of Fernando Solis out of Flint. Very pretty and very acoustic. Bear Paws will be playing at The Factory in Rochester on December 21st.

This is Deer Country should be creating more buzz, but I can understand that living all the way in Houghton probably doesn't help them much. They will be kicking off Mittenfest III on the 26th of December at the Elbow Room.

You haven't heard about Mittenfest?? Here is the schedule. Yes, Creaky Boards will be playing. You haven't heard of Creaky Boards? Here is a little something about them. Eighteen hours worth of music for $12. You just have to be OK with hanging out in the Elbow Room for eighteen hours, I guess.

This is for your viewing pleasure:
I have my hand up a shark's ass.

Here is my Christmas present to you. A lump of coal.

2008-12-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

I was going to do a review of every single song by myself. This task proved to be epic beyond proportions I am normally used to. I enlisted the help of Jeff Milo, fellow blogger and real journalist. I am sure you can figure out which reviews were written by him, and which ones I wrote. I swear I did not write my own review. And I did not pay Jeff to write that either.

1) Jailhouse Angels - Adam Kempa --- A sweet, surfy mash-up of two classics.

2) Stood Up on Christmas - Arranged Marriage --- Lot of flavors here, from father-son duo, Brad and Scott Allen – kinda got a country-tinged bluegrass thing going on…but also a bit of a piano-pranced waltz with wispy heartfelt vocals that swirls into a cornucopia of synthy/jingle-bell/backwards-guitars-and-a-bit-o-brass towards the finale.

3) Third Grader Confronting The Possibility That Santa Doesn't Exist - Will Yates --- This song might come off as silly, but it begs for some debate: will anyone ever catch the real Santa Claus on their Webcam?

4) Meet Me On Christmas Eve - Sea of Japan --- Ahh, sweet shoegaze-y atmospherics, set to a rolling expressive drum beat that pulls the song into interplays between feedback flares chugging under gossamer choruses that hang like tinsel over excited hearts falling in and out and back-into love…

5) What Child - Daniel --- A beautiful take on a standard Christmas carol. Way more laid back and less dramatic than what you are used to hearing in church, if you even go to church. The stripped-back feel to the song is a lot more humble, and it's lovely.

6) Le Manteau de Noel - Honest Man --- Synth-pop may have chilly perceptions, but this echoey, punchy ballad feels (and somehow tastes) just like a marshmallow-laden mug o' hot cocoa…albeit sipped while wearing sunglasses at night, at a stand-up keyboard, tapping one foot while wearing shiny pants.

7) Mele Kalikimaka - Mr. Sprinkle's Fabulous Cupcakes --- Funny. With a robot voice. Haha. Cupcakes.

8) All I Want For Christmas is What I Can't Take Back - Love Axe --- Another amazing contribution from Love Axe, whose "Happy New Year" song from last year's comp got played year round on my computer.

9) Red Nose Leads the Parade - Dave Lawson --- Rudolph's got a tough gig, and Lawson is on the nose with his plight: "they can't see without me, without me, they can't see."

10) School's Lights - Em News --- Drum master Rickle and sequenced-drum-n-synth master Naud with master-hypnotic-wispy-heartbreaking-vocalist Bracken – end up forming something that truly feels like 3 distinct flavors surging all at once – but in a beautiful, lulling euphoria, never dissonant.

11) A Kenberton Christmas - Korin, Augie, Dave And Emily --- Leave it to these four stars to have one of the best vocal arrangements out of all 44 songs.

12) Wonderful Christmastime - Cale Parks --- Another X-mas song I can't stand, but it is made more palatable by one of the biggest names on this compilation.

13) Gifting - Friendly Foes --- I've got no money, but I'm not freaking out because I got the Friendly Foes album for free.

14) The Ghosts of Christmas Whenever - Andrew Dost --- This song reminds me all the things wonderful about Christmas: hot cocoa with tons of marshmallows, roasted chestnuts, drinking heavily, and reminiscing about past Christmases. Soothing vocals and a pretty piano carry the song.

15) I Saw Kwame Kissing Santa Claus (Live On Dick Hurtin's Morning Show) --- Downriver Dan --- Watch out, Santa! Christine Beatty looks crazy enough to kick your ass.

16) Holidays - Lightning Love --- Dear SubSprawl, How did you get Zooey Deschanel to contribute a track? AWESOME! (Leah Diehl is a doll.)

17) We're a Couple of Misfits – Shawn Knight & Christian Doble --– Jeff says: I could see the Muppets interpreting this…certainly a new jam for the next generation of carolers. Elle says: A song from one of the best Christmas movies of all time recreated by two of the nicest bearded dudes in Detroit. Burl Ives would be proud.

18) The Death of Santa's Farrier – Silverghost --– nice and surfy sway going on here with Marcie's oh so pretty vocals…with some piano freakouts, a bit of an R.E.M.-ish chorus and a bit of Marcie on the trumpet at the end wiggling away to the heart-beat sampler…

19) Jolly Man - Zach Curd --- Zach Curd using autotune is completely unnecessary, but this could very well be an R&B hit. Watch out, Akon!

20) Letters to Santa (From Four Real Girls) - The Next Door Neighbors --- When I heard the concept, I lol'd. When I listened to it, I awww'd.

21) Midnight Visit - K & Ju –-- kind of a funky/soul drum beat in the background with sunny guitars mixed with feedback fuzz – and dreamy crooned vocals…what can we say? It just sounds real cool.

22) Oh Dear - Kiddo --- Freaking precious! There is nothing more to say. I'm going to listen to it again. And again. And again. Christian and Lizzie's vocals go together like candy canes and hot cocoa.

23) Happy Xmas (War is Over) --- Jon Cendrowski & the Nine Mile Choir --- How did you find people to hit those high notes, Jon? Was there castrating involved?

24) Deadbeat Christmas - Everthus The Deadbeats –-- dig the bewitching choir opening, and all those rousing get-up-and-go-guitars…a sad swooner of a ballad, that, by its title hints at a bit of theme-song-ness for the band…great atmosphere, a nice spread…they better be joining us at Christmas dinner, especially with that saxophone! ("You should feel guilty for not buying me a present...!")

25) Christmas Vacation - Blase Splee --- Randy Newman's Christmas Special.

26) Procedural Claus - The Paincakes –-- best way to close out disc one: ultra-heavy metal-punk-spaz-freak-out! Incomparable...and kinda scary!

27) Happy Xmas (War is Over) --- Teleportation Please – solemn and exceptional cover of a vital song. Can't say anything cocky...I dig it! A fine, poignant, boy-girl duet. War is over if you want it…

28) I Hear Angels - Jeremy Vallender –-- Oh man, to be in a tinsel-laden, light-twinkling-giant-mirror-on-the-wall, soggy floored, wooden-walled bar on Christmas eve, on my 5th Strohs, with Vallender as a veritable crooner on a tiny stage at his keyboard – so romantic.

29) Give It To Me on Chrismas - Superfast --- I don't know who Superfast are, but I want them to give it to me, Christmas-style.

30) Jesus – Prussia –-- ohhh Prussia...reverb-loving, all-over-the-map-rock-quartet sneaks their way into a Beatles cover by strategically replacing the name...splendid and atmospheric with fuzzy enthralling vocals and sweet chimes and a devastating acoustic strum.

31) The Freudian Gift – Daditudes –-- one of the more unique entries, to be sure…opens up quiet but slides quickly into booty-rap about food and diapers...and potty training...and name dropping Big Bird...and diarrhea... and...hmm...wow

32) I Heard the Bells --- Allan James & the Cold Wave – sighs and lovelorn reflection and great vocals over minimalist guitar-and-(synth?)-churns. Can't find the mistletoe fast enough for a cheer-up-peck.

33) Christmas Mist - Timmy Tumble –-- wavy vocals over guitars that sound like a burnt-out spark spurting music box…vocally it feels almost like an epic hair-band ballad at points – counteracted by the minimalist instrumentation.

34) Something Something Christmas - Elle and the Foe –-- I get goosebumps from these vocals and it makes me sad, then it makes me wanna hug…from anybody…even from the dude who sells the walking/barking/battery-operated dogs at Somerset! Sweet and sad like crumbled gingerbread over melted candy-canes.

35) Large Christmas - Eat Sleep --- Here we jump from Brad Elliott to Ryan Clancy (Silent Years)... I guess drummers really are musicians after all! Heartfelt and realistic. That's what everyone loves about Ryan Clancy.

36) It's a Dr. Pepper Christmas, Charlie Brown - Fun With Teeth –-- Easily one of the top-2-best-titled songs on the comp, but also with a fantastic Tom Waits-fronting-Beat Happening vibe (with maybe some Ween?)...zigzaging melodies and verses!

37) Zach Curd and Santa - Joe Ging –-- "I saw Zach Curd take a turd on Santa…they were totally boning under the Christmas tree…" "Zach Curd like to turd on people…" I'm not sure how much I can add to this review in order to give you a better picture…a herky-jerky-pop-classic! This'll be you put on when you're decorating the tree with grandma nearby in the rocker.

38) Christmas Surprise - The Magic Tones --– awesome robot-vocal-effects…rambling about things it(he/she) likes…with fuzzy drums and bass…somebody pull its batteries out, its creepin' me out.

39) Warm it Up - Hugs and Kisses –-- wouldn't a band named thusly just have to have a song…also named thusly? One of the hotter dancefloor tracks on the comp. Crank it up and turn the black lights up…slam some egg nog and start grinding…hopefully not at the family gathering…

40) Christmas Cookie Capers - The Cartridge Family --– this band is pure fireball energy, and they deliver on this one…hardcore punk dressed up in frilly green and red, bringing the mosh-pit into the living room, leaving no great Aunt un-offended and no remote control car un-stomped.

41) Sore Afraid on the road to Bethlehem – Flatfoot --– Spanish guitar? Man, this slow shaker-sprinkled, accordion squeezed, acoustic ballad puts you right in the manger…like, I feel like Jesus is right next to me…and he needs to be changed. I'm not touchin it!

42) I'm Not As Drunk As Santa - The Darts --– this is nice. Feels like 90's sugary pop revivalism – while echoing a very identifiable sentiment…I think we'd all want to get drunk with Santa, at least once…who knows how many more presents you could scam out of him. But, oh shit…what if he's an angry drunk? What if he starts talking shit about you – but to your face, instead of just to the sweet little elves when you're not around. Elle says: I got drunk with the Darts once. I hope getting drunk with Santa is funner. jk lol.

44) Feliz Navidad de Ridiculoso - Oscillating Fan Club --– build it up with clashing symbols and calypso clickety-clackers…then let the feedback, pick-up-laden surf guitars rise up with the drums. The Fan Club closes it with an instrumental that just grows more and more cacophonous, with this beautiful, oozing guitar that transports us out into the desert on Christmas eve…hanging ornaments on cacti and gazing up at shooting stars.

It's here! It's here!

2008-12-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

There will be a review posted later, but for now, you may bask in all it's glory:

The 2008 Suburban Sprawl Music Holiday Compilation!

Exciting. Now, please, go blog about it. Or blog about my blogging about it. Or you can just listen to it, enjoy it, and stop complaining that your band isn't getting enough coverage.

I killed Amanda Palmer.

2008-11-28T07:05:00.000-08:00

Amanda Palmer and her travelling crew, The Danger Ensemble, are coming to The Magic Bag in Ferndale on December 2nd.

Palmer is currently on tour promoting her solo venture, Ben Folds-produced Who Killed Amanda Palmer? A detailed "history" on the making of this album can be read here. You may recognize Palmer as one-half of the punk cabaret group, The Dresden Dolls.

In addition to touring across the world, being tapped to write a forward for a Neil Gaiman collection by DC Comics, and seemingly putting out a new music video every other day, Palmer keeps her fans frequently up-to-date with a hilarious, yet endearing blog of her endless cavorting. With all of the energy she expends in her Internet diary, one would assume the show on December 2nd will be just as frantic. She does this for you, America (and the rest of the world)! Show some support!

According to her blog, she recently discovered bleach pens, so if you ask her for an autograph, you have been warned...

The show is 18+, starts at 8pm, and tickets are $18 in advance. The Magic Bag is located at 22920 Woodward Ave, Ferndale, MI.

I had to get on the Internet to say this:

2008-11-26T06:17:00.000-08:00

How come I didn't hear about the Wafflehouse reunion show until JUST NOW???

Seriously, guys, you dropped the ball. But I am picking it up.
Via SubSprawlBlog:
Friday night (11/28): Wafflehouse* (featuring members of Child Bite, the Silent Years, Next Door Neighbors, ex-Rescue ) reunion show, Fordirelifesake (final show), the Weakend (final show) at the Magic Stick

The Weakend is still together? Weird. If my lead singer picked up and moved to the middle of nowhere, and I was asked to be in one of the best bands in the area, then I wouldn't really bother playing a "final show." I know they were *almost* signed one time, but come on! I guess if you are a 16-year-old girl, this might appeal to you. Or if you want to channel your 16-year-old self, go for Wafflehouse (I know I would if I wasn't already going to Corktown Tavern!).

Misty Lyn & the Big Beautiful have just finished a full-length. I'm stoked. They are playing at Corktown on Friday, btw, with Sh! the Octopus and Chris Bathgate. Please, Chris Bathgate, don't play your version of 'Auld Lang Syne' because I would rather not ball my eyes out at Corktown Tavern.

Speaking of holiday tunes, I heard from Will Yates yesterday that there were a shit ton of songs submitted for the Suburban Sprawl holiday compilation. I'm super stoked to hear it all. There will be a review posted here reviewing EVERY SINGLE SONG. That is my holiday gift to you, people. Yes. I am cheap.

I just got a free Whatchamacallit.

2008-11-25T06:24:00.000-08:00

Just in case you didn't read this anywhere else on the Internetz, my computer is dead and I will be Internetless for a long, long time.

In the meantime, I will be sending you all telepathic messages about upcoming shows and little mundane details of my life.

But first, there is a show tonight at the Berkley Front. Sara Celina (ft. Annette from Serenity Court), Eulogies, and Dead Bodies. It'll probably be $5 and the doors will probably be at 9pm. And I will probably be there.

Also, tomorrow night is going to be pretty awesome: Deastro, Mason Proper, Silent Years, Wildcatting, and Oscillating Fan Club at the Magic Stick.

Take care, everyone, and have a safe holiday weekend.

How is everyone doing today?

2008-11-20T12:55:00.001-08:00

The deadline for the automakers to come up with a plan is now December 2nd, and they must have a detailed plan of how the money will be spent. Good. Those blowholes* need to learn some accountability.

I really hope that the loan is approved for the Big 3. I understand that they have fucked up royally... But can you even imagine what will happen to Detroit and all of Michigan (and the midwest for that matter) if this doesn't pass?

I am SICK of hearing things like "maybe we should just blow Detroit up," or "who cares, Detroit doesn't matter."

That's reeeeeal classy, jerkweeds*.

There are two free shows tonight, detailed here. Maybe those will cheer you up. I need some cheering up, that's for sure.

*I'm trying to replace all swear words with Young Pete-worthy insults.

God hates "fag"-haters, actually.

2008-11-19T10:48:00.000-08:00

Fred Phelps, the crazy lunatic who is the head of the notorious Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas is coming to Michigan! HOW EXCITING for people who love a good protest of a protest.

I will try to attend the protest of the protest. You ought to as well. There is power in numbers, and although we won't change the minds of the Westboro church-goers, our support for the high school AND the LGBT community will be evident.

Kudos to GPSHS for putting on this play.

Drunken Barn Dance at the Elbow Room tonight!

2008-11-19T08:30:00.001-08:00

If you are in Ypsi, go to the Elbow Room. Drunken Barn Dance is amazing! Greg McIntosh (GLMS) and Elliot Street Lunatics will be opening. Music around 10, 10:30. I'm assuming the cost is $5.

Also at the Elbow Room this week: Chris Bathgate and The Hail Marys on Friday, with Alan Scheurman, Quote, and Nathan K. $5.

PJ's

2008-11-18T06:54:00.001-08:00

Ryan Allen wrote a little somethin' about PJ's Lager House. Check it out.

radio-o-ooooh

2008-11-14T07:33:00.001-08:00

11:30am! Friendly Foes! WDET!
Check it oooout!!!

Craftz

2008-11-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, the 15th, is the return of the Detroit Urban Craft Fair at The Fillmore!!!

I know you are thinking, 'I am too broke,' but this is a great place to buy gifts for people (with the holidays coming up and all), AND support people in your community instead of those big box stores. It's worth a look (it's free to get in!!!).

Starts at 10am, ends at 7pm.

PS DO NOT CLICK on the Clay Lab site (through the "vendors" tab) unless you want an awesome virus.

Tofurkey for evvvvveeeerrryone.

2008-11-13T07:14:00.001-08:00

So, Webvomit and Fivethreedialtone got together to form Eat This City in order to cut down on repetative news. I'm sure this is upsetting a lot of you, seeing as though you love to read the same thing over and over again, just on different sites.

I vow, my loyal readers, to continue repeating everything I hear, especially the stuff I read on their site.

First off, there is a FREE SHOW at PJ's Lager House tonight: Javelins, These United States, and Lightning Love. Deerhunter is playing (not free) at the Crofoot, and I would suggest either going there or picking up their new album, Microcastle. It is amazing. Holly Golightly is playing an early show at The Magic Stick. Marco Polio/Charlie Slick at Corktown Tavern. ALSO: supposedly free show at the New Way Bar in Ferndale featuring a solo set by Jeni Lee of Bone Orchard Revival.

Secondly, tomorrow night is Friday. Party time. I am sure there are shows at Small's, PJ's, Corktown, Northern Lights, Belmont, etc etc, but I don't really feel like listing them. Just go to this site and look at the right side of the screen.

I have nothing else to report other than Jeff Milo and I are going to start a super blog called "Enough About Me, Let's Talk About Me." /lolzzzzzzzzzzz. Oh! And I am going to attempt to make a tofurkey this year!!!

The awesomeness of last night.

2008-11-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

First, I went to Anita's Kitchen in Ferndale with some awesome people and drank some awesome Turkish coffee, and I got an awesome buzz from it. You damn Turks make some damn good coffee.

Then I went to PJ's Lager House (FREEEE!) and waited too long for the music to start. When it did, it was awesome. Blair and Leah were soooo good (I like bands with political songs, AWESOME). Matt and Alicia (Nice Device) were awesome also. Awesome.

Around this time, I left to go to The Belmont to catch Motor City Midwives and Dressy Bessy, who are one of my favorite bands ever. MCM was awesome. Maria is an awesome drummer, even standing up with two drums.

And Dressy Bessy... Oh man. I am about to go all super fan on your asses, but I don't care.

They. Were. So. Fucking. Amazing. (Did you see how I made that sound really dramatic by putting periods between the words?)

ok ok ok ok, so like, when Tammy was singing "Girl, You Shout!" she pointed at me when the music stops and she sings "was it your first time?" And I almost died. And then I looked to my left and this kid, who apparently knows Dressy Bessy well because Tammy dedicated the encore to him, was going fucking nuts and dancing. It was awesome. He was the ultimate super fan. Ryan Cady? Facebook has been telling me we should be friends for the past month, so that's why I remember his name. FACEBOOK STALKING IS AWESOME!

I talked to Melody after the show. She had a huge smile on her face. I asked her why she was so happy. She said that she was able to pay ALL of the bands, and she still managed to make a dollar. A DOLLAR. Dude, I don't care what problem you have with Melody, but get the fuck over it. She works her ass off, and is excited because she made a fucking dollar. AND she was buying people drinks and shots all night. She loves this scene and little too much, and she is going to go grey by the time she is 30 if she doesn't slow down. But I don't want her to slow down, she is doing so much for our scene. I am selfish like that.

I'm sure you have comments to make, like "way to kiss her ass" but I know you won't make them here (unless anonymously) because you don't want your friends to know they read this blog, even though they read this blog too. It's ok. I understand.

Melody pwns us all again.

2008-11-06T10:23:00.001-08:00

A list of what's going on for the next week.

Dressy Bessy tomorrow night at the Belmont!

Maybe Rob Schnieder was right. I can do it!

2008-11-06T09:36:00.000-08:00

We will never all just "get along," and quite honestly, I'm ok with that. I don't think I should compromise my beliefs any more than I already have to make room for beliefs other than my own. Live and let live? Psshhhh, come on, we see how people act in the "blogosphere," always muddling in everyone elses business, trying to tell people what they should or shouldn't do, how they should or shouldn't act... That's also how you act when you are off the computer, I'm sure. I know I do!

Instead of chanting mantras of "yes we can" or "you can do it*" or "live and let live," how about we get off our asses and take action? Yeah, these little soundbites can help to motivate and move people, but only to catch their short attention spans. Do you think everyone will still be chanting "yes we can" by next week? Probably not. This election was, in my opinion, exciting and amazing to watch progress. But it's over now, and we have all put down our signs to return to the old grind. Are you planning on doing something? Are you planning on helping your community, or your country? Do you know what your options are? Have you ever volunteered? Have you ever wanted to volunteer?

Go find ways to help. Step out of your normal routine of clicking on Myspace then Facebook then Twitter then Gmail, etc, and look up some information. It's not that hard. The hardest part is to actually go through with it. I know you have a busy life, you have people you need to please! You have places you need to be so you appease even more people! OMG YOU ARE SO IMPORTANT! I guess that means you are exempt from this whole "helping your country" thing, right? I mean, no one else thinks they are that important, so everyone else will be doing stuff, so you can feel better about not doing shit when you get home from the bar at night. It's ok!

We ARE all in this together. We may never all get along, but at least we can try to help each other out...

dude, magic stick, just stop, really, please, stop.

2008-11-05T08:42:00.001-08:00

I am already so broke.
The Magic Stick is NOT helping.

Portugal. the Man tonight.
Jaguar Love on Saturday.

ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I wish my blogger status was higher so I could get in free to these shows!

Portugal. the Man is probably the only thing good to come out of Wasilla in... the history of the world, I am assuming.*

Jaguar Love is the best thing since Neon Blonde which was the best thing since The Blood Brothers. For some reason, I cannot stand Billy Corgan's voice, but I can't get enough of Johnny Whitney's voice.

*Except for that cutie Levi Johnston.

I'm so excited, zomgomgomgomg

2008-11-05T06:23:00.001-08:00

DUUUUUUUUUUUUDEZ!!!

Dressy Bessy is playing at the Belmont on Friday!!!

How was I not aware of this?!!? I blame you, Obama!*

Thanks to Melody for sending me a Facebook invite for it. Facebook is a good way to promote shows you think I should see and promote because I am on Facebook a LOT. Just an FYI.

Also playing: Motor City Midwives, who I have yet to check out.

Show starts at 10pm. Bring your dancing shoes.

*lolz, Obama, I am just joking! USA! USA!

DetRioting.

2008-11-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have been looking up "November 5th riot Detroit" in the Google search. And then they get my page. That must be a disappointment.

Mmmm, wiiiiine.

2008-11-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

"There will be a wine tasting hosted by Western Market at the Woodward Avenue Brewery on November 5th from 7 to 10 pm. Tickets are available at Western Market or at the door for 20 dollars. Twenty-five wines will be featured, focusing on interesting yet approachable wines from around the world that are hand selected for their great value. There will be a 15% discount on pre-orders made that night. Light food from the WAB and Western Market is included. A selection of classic jazz and soul will provided by Richard Wohlfeil."

I know we are in an "economic crisis" but think of it think way: you are getting food AND wine for $20. That's really nice of Western Market and the WAB, don't you think? I mean, free would be better, but they need to keep running as well.

Western Market is where I shop for most of my groceries. I am not saying this so all you stalkers start hanging out there waiting for me to pick up a week's worth of tofu and veggies. I'm just saying it's a nice place to get groceries (it's not as cheap as the box stores you are used to going to, but you are supporting a lot of local companies by going there!!). FYI, Western Market is located in Ferndale, West of Woodward on 9 Mile.

All Saints Day

2008-11-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

Tonight:
All Saints Day Party in Hamtramck
w/ The Drinking Problem, Four Hour Friends and Copper Thieves
@ Bakers Streetcar
$5!!!!!!!
9pm!!!!!!!!!
MUSIC AT 10:30!!!!!!!!

OMG!!!!!!!!!

Were you at the Crofoot last night? Yeah, sweet. I was too.

I was thinking today (I know, weird, right?) about the impending doom that is the election, and I decided it would be best to go to the polls drunk. Is that legal? The way I see it, either way is kind of a crapshoot. Like, Obama is sweet and all, but are things really going to change? Does anything ever change? I don't know. I figure if I am drunk though, I can blame my decision on the alcohol. You know, like when you go to a bar, and you are drinking and some dude is hitting on you and you just want to get laid, and even though the guy isn't THAT cute, you just drink as much as possible so when you wake up the next morning you can be all like, "oh, this guy is ugly but it's ok cuz I was wasted!" This also works when you decide to sleep with your friend's boyfriend. "Ooops! I was drunk!" I'm just saying: We need to drink more. Saves us from taking any real responsibility. And that's what our generation is all about, right? RIGHT?! ALL RIGHT!

Now get out, get wasted, and get voting!

Magic Sick.

2008-10-30T10:41:00.001-07:00

Recap of Monday night (I have been sick, sorry about the delay):

Friendly Foes: awesome. By the end of the set, there were other people besides bloggers watching.

Women: Boring. Get back in the kitchen. Or turn down the treble a bit and tell your drummer to wear a mask; he is too pretty to be playing music.

King Khan and the BBQ Show: I want to make a joke about balls but that show was just sooooooo good.

What are your plans for this weekend? The Go at the Stick? Or Von Bondies at the Crofoot? Or are you like me and skipping all shows because shows on Halloween are no fun?

What does God need with a Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship?

2008-10-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the HGBS set was awesome last night. I was late. I was too busy trying to look like the scariest zombie ever.

Also, it seems like very few people read the fliers for last night. It was a Zombie Dance Party, correct? I expected more zombies.

Real Blood (AKA F*ke Blood) was awesome. I think I like them a lot.

Safe For the Time Being has been shelved... for the time being.

2008-10-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

So, I read on the Metro Times Blahg that Mason Proper would be releasing the first single/music vid off their newest release... But it's for "Lock and Key," which, although is an awesome song, is not the song originally slated to be the first single.

AN INSIDE SOURCE informed me the record label, after the completion of the video for "Safe for the Time Being, decided to go with "Lock and Key." I know, I know, who cares. WELL I FUCKING DO. I want to seeeee that videeeooooooo damnit!

Enough whining, I'm sure the vid for "Lock and Key" will be awesome.

...and that CD is still in my fucking car stereo. So good! WHY HAVEN'T YOU BOUGHT IT YET?!?!

What would happen if a zombie bit a vampire?

2008-10-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

If a vampire bit a zombie, this is what might happen:

Martin L says: "vampires live off blood therefor bitting a zombie would be completle pointless and would there for never happen"

Al M is a real comedian: "If a vampire bit a zombie, I imagine the vampire would be left with a very nasty taste in his mouth. If a zombie bit a vampire, I think he would have bitten off more than he could chew."

That's a knee slapper!

Now back to my original question: what would happen if a zombie bit a vampire?

Save the drama for your mama.

2008-10-22T11:06:00.001-07:00

While you are all battling it out over who has the biggest brain, I would like to point out that Method Man and Redman are playing at the Crofoot on Thursday. SERIOUSLY.

I would also like to point out the lack of "STFU" or this awesome picture in all blog comments:

And now for everything you've already heard, re-hashed.

2008-10-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Friday night:
I went to go see Band A and Band B at a venue in a city somewhere around where I live. Band A played second, and thanked Band B, saying they were "really excited" to be playing with them again. Band B starts to play. I look over at the lead singer of Band A and he is all like, "sonofabitch, this isn't Band B!" and he storms off to rant drunkenly with his bandmates. APPARENTLY, there are other bands who share the same name as Band B, and Band A really wasn't paying attention when they booked the show.

Also this past weekend: I got to watch The Silent Years put on another awesome show. Awesome. So awesome. Cassie Verras makes me so jealous and so happy at the same time. Ryan Clancy is a fucking sweet drummer (I would almost go as far as saying he is the best in the area, *almost*). Josh Epstein wears really fancy stuff.

I suppose you want to hear about bands I have never written about before.

TOO BAD.

But here is something you should check out:

The Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour is happening tonight in Pontiac at the Crofoot.

I Once Was... a hardcore kid.

2008-10-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite hardcore screamers is back in Michigan (after a brief hiatus in Chicago). I am so effing excited right now.

I Once Was... (formerly I Once Was... A Beautiful Belle) hails from Flint (holla).

I'm going to be a hardcore kid again.* Someone please book them in or near Detroit soon and give them lots of money.

*hah! wasn't really one before, though.

Another Detour review! Thanks, guys!

2008-10-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

I got to review The Nice Device EP afterall!

Just a quick reminder, The Nice Device EP release show is tonight at the Magic Bag (THIS ONE IS FOR YOU, BRYAN METRO AND JR!). Friendly Foes are playing.

Should I say it again for good measure?

Also tonight:
The Hadituptoheres at The Lager House
Solitary States and Murder Mystery at Corktown Tavern
Love Meets Lust at the Belmont
The Darts and The Word Play at The Painted Lady
...and I am sure there are a shit ton more I am missing here, please fill me in.

losing more indie cred...

2008-10-17T06:15:00.001-07:00

This is totally not related to Detroit music, but I don't care:

Franz Ferdinand Reveal New Album Track Listing

The Silent YearsTube

2008-10-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

WOO! FRONT PAGE! SWEET, DUUUUUDEZ (and lady!).

ps The Silent Years have a show on the 18th with Prussia/Silverghost/some other band at the Magic Stick.

JOC! TONIGHT! WOOOO!!

2008-10-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would check in and tell you that you HAVE to go to The Pike Room tonight.

Jennifer O'Connor will be performing with The New Year. Doors at 8pm. Probably costs $8 or something.

I am going to do a contest. Whoever posts the best picture of a retard gets to drive me to The Pike Room, pay for me to get in, AND buy me drinks. I mean, you get to hang out with me. That is totally worth it. We can even call it a date.

/joke

my interview with BRAD ELLIOTT!!!11!!

2008-10-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

So i was going to do an interview with this band called Friendly Foes last night, but i got a phone call as i was leaving the Tiger Bop office from there publicist asking me not to ask them hard or tough questions. He said i would only have 15 minutes to talk 2 one band member (not of my choosing). For realz!? Good thing i work for Tiger Teen Beat, right?! love for my homegrrrlz!!11!

i got 2 the Magic Stick and called the band manager so she could introduce me to the mystery band member. i was hoping for Lizzie, cuz she is like omg so super cute and we could talk about shoes and boyz and stuff!!!11! LOL! It turned out 2 b Brad, the drummer, which is good cuz i definately didnt want 2 talk 2 that asshole Ryan, he is so ghay. Brad is a total hottie! he walked in wearing sunglasses even though it was like totally dark inside the venue.

so after i got pictures with brad (he signed my chest!!!lolz!), we started the interview, but it had taken 3 minutes to take the picz so i only had 12 minutes to talk to him and it went like this or something:

elle: So, like, I really like your band. What is your favorite color?
brad: well...color is a difficult thing. I don't like talking about it much. I've had a lot of experience with color and quite frankley, its kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. i don't want to write it off completley, but for now, I think i just need a break from it.

elle: Wow, that's interesting. Do you like toast?
brad: Can you be more specific please?
elle: Toast. Bread that has been toasted. I love toast.
brad: like by a toaster?
elle: yeah totally!!!
brad: Oh. yeah.

elle: What is your favorite season?
brad: Probably pesto. Although if its used to heavily, it can become irritating.
elle: OHMYGOD I totally, like, meant, like fall or winter or summer or spring.
brad: brb
elle: I only have ten minutes to interview you!
brad: just wait!

brad: im back
elle: What were you doing?
brad: i had to go fuck my publicist. ok, go!
elle: o sorry, i was too busy staring at your awesome beard. how long have you been able to grow a beard?
brad: beards can be grown once a boy starts puberty.
elle: omg don't use that word, it makes me blush
brad: some men can not grow beards, due to their genetic make up. those men are referred to as "pussies"

elle: lol, ur so funny. so, like, describe your perfect date.
brad: next question please. I'm sorry my publicist said no serious questions. I'm not going to undermine her.

elle: ok! I thought ur publicist was a dude. being ghay is cool, but that's cool too. ummm. what do you like on your pizza?
brad: Pizza is pretty good, I'll tell you.
elle: yeah i love pizza
brad: I probably love it more though.
elle: no wai!
brad: I promise. Out here on the road... Pizza is my only friend.
elle: no wai! well, i have one more minute. any last words?
*very long pause*
elle: brad?
*longer pause*
elle: BRAD!?
brad: oh, what, sorry I fell asleep. do you know what time it is?

OMG HERE IS A PICTURE!!! There was obviously a rave going on behind us.

Choose or lose? Vote or die? Red or blue? Would you like a drink with that combo meal?

2008-10-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am becoming increasingly frustrated with this election.

I will be at the Magic Stick tonight to watch Friendly Foes and Locksley. Locksley is on tour supporting the MTV "Choose or Lose" campaign. I would like to see first hand what it's all about. It's an all ages event. I am going to yell at some 15 year old for not being able to vote.

The Baltimore Round Robin at the MOCAD is supposedly going to be awesome tonight. It was supposedly awesome last night.

I want to start a Nice Device cover band*.

2008-10-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

The Nice Device are releasing a new EP on October 17th at the Magic Bag. I really should hate on this band, because a) I tried out for them twice, and b) Alicia kicks more ass than I will ever kick. But I can't.

Plus, the release show features Millions of Brazilians** and Friendly Foes.

It's only $8, plus you get a freeeee copy of the EP! Whoa! I like how bands have been doing this. Especially good bands (The Silent Years, FF, ND).

Doors at 8:30pm.

I would review the EP, but I have not gotten it yet. But I can assume if Jeff Milo writes a review, it will be a lot like his but with about 1/8 as many words. Or Webvomit will wait until we all write a review and than rip on us for writing about the same thing all the time. Or maybe Fivethreedialtone will write about how hot Alicia is. Dude, I'll write about how hot Alicia is.

*We'll be called The Mean Machines
**almost the best band name ever.

Stop that ruckus!

2008-10-06T21:39:00.000-07:00

I know you are probably all wondering what happened to me since I haven't updated since Thursday. Good news: I'm still alive and I am still writing watered-down nonsense about all the bands you love and hate. Bad news: I am still alive and I am still writing watered-down nonsense about the bands you love and hate.

Frontier Ruckus is releasing their full-length, The Orion Songbook, to the masses (or just you) this week! Bluegrass! Woooo! They are having a CD release show on Saturday (the 11th) at the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti.

Also on Saturday, The Croff Family Band are playing at Northern Lights Lounge.

Thursday, I will be at the Magic Stick to see Locksley. Holla atcha girl if you want to carpool.

Kissing noises.

2008-10-02T07:45:00.001-07:00

I am not a fan of PDA. Apparently, it is legal though, and we should all get out and vote and exercise our rights to makeout in public! WOOOO! WHO IS WITH ME?!?!?! Let's makeout WHILE we vote! Oh, wait, we can't do that. Only one person allowed in a voting booth at a time. WE CAN MAKEOUT WHILE WE ARE WAITING IN LINE TO VOTE! WOOOO!

Making out it soooo cool. I have to vote now!

I can take my bra off underneath my shirt, too! So, register!

2008-10-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

It'll make sense. Just watch it all the way through.

Dude, when did Giovanni Ribisi (Phoebe's bro on Friends, Scientologist Supreme) start resembling Zach Norton (Child Bite)? Beards, dude. Beards. Is that Anthony Kiedis (0:56)? Also weird.

SWF seeking blogger to stalk.

2008-09-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

Just as I was writing about the Choose or Lose show at the Magic Stick, I decided to check my Google reader to make sure Deep Cutz hadn't posted something about it yet.

I am beginning to think Deep Cutz is going all SWF on me. Or I'm doing it to him and I didn't even realize it. Whatever the case is, I am going to the Magic Stick on October 9th, and you ought to come too. And if you don't go, I hope it's because you will be busy deciding that voting is actually important, and being apathetic towards the government is the easy way out. I mean, this IS sponsered by MTV (the same MTV that brings us "The Hills")... I don't remember the last "Choose or Lose" making an impact on the youth of America voting, but according to this document, 5 million more young adults voted in 2004 than in 2000. I remember hearing differently, though. I remember the news media barrading us for failing vote.

I am assuming all of "you" are over the age of 18. If you aren't, then October 9th is totally a school night and you really shouldn't be staying out that late just to see a few bands play. Kidding. It's an early show, doors at 8pm. And Locksley is playing. But, of course, you already knew that because you read the Deep Cutz blog as well.

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

Ukelelelelelele

2008-09-26T10:53:00.000-07:00

If you don't feel like going to the Berkley front to see the Friendly Foes CD release show (and Art Fag spinning), then perhaps you should go to the Crofoot to see Tune Yards (ukelele!!!) with a Prussian dude spinning. I'm just sayin'. It'll be good for ya. Also, Tune Yards is from Canada. Montreal to be exact. That makes things even more good.

John McFAIL

2008-09-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

If you don't have time to watch a 9 minute video, let me sum this up for you:
John McCain "suspended" his campaign because of the economic crisis, telling Lettermen he wouldn't make it to his show last night because he has to go to Washington to save the economy. About 7 minutes into the clip, you see McCain, who was supposed to be rushing to Washington to save the economy, getting prepped with makeup for an interview AT CBS STUDIOS with Katie Couric. Best part: Letterman ponders whether McCain's campaign was suspended due to the economy or because his numbers were slipping in the polls. Ouch.

Super Secret Surprise band is no longer a secret.

2008-09-24T18:41:00.001-07:00

The Von Bondies are...

"We are playing a show Halloween night.
Yes Yes Yes
we know we know
we never play michigan, Blah Blah Blah
Well, hello we are playing:

October 31st
2008
F-ing Halloween!!!
At the CROFOOT
For only $5.... yes $5 and for that $5 you can get into the other show featuring The Javelins, Prussia and Wildcatting in the Pike Room.

And we only make one request, that you wear some god awful costume that makes you look amazingly bad/good/funny/dumb. Oh and no moustaches as neither Jason or Don can grow one.

-THE VON BONDIES

PS we will have a new 7" at the show which we might be giving away to a few lucky punks"

F-ING HALLOWEEN, BROS!

Tell Yahoo! I'm already wearing purple undies.

2008-09-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

I don't get it, Yahoo!

Would anyone like to explain this marketing campaign to me?

I will say this: any excuse to post videos with Eugene Hutz in them is a good excuse.

Samwiches. Don't kick them.

2008-09-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

I saw an amazing group last night at the Pike Room. No, I am not talking about Champions of Breakfast (even though it was business as usual for them) or Gentlemen Auction House (holy crap, I was almost in tears over the talent this band possesses). I am talking about Yea Big + Kid Static. They are from Chicago, but that's close enough to Detroit for me.

Yea Big + Kid Static, AKA Stefen and Moses, have been making sweet, sweet music together for about 2 and half years. They found each other on the Internetz, through Craigslist. The messages in their music ranges from political to social commentary, to just plain hilarious. Ever heard of a dude named Mitch Hedberg? When Kid Static commands the mic between songs (and Yeah Big is queuing up the next one), he's delivering one-liners and stories that Hedberg fans would rejoice over. The stage banter between the two is equally as funny. They had some kickass dance moves, and people in the crowd were laughing (not really at them, but with them), thus prompting Kid Static to barrade us because, "We're trying to do something serious here, we have a real message, a serious message, and you are all just laughing?" Everyone stopped laughing. He started laughing. Then he gave us a nod like, "no, it's ok, I'm joking, we want you to have a good time," and we all started laughing (and dancing) again.

Just so you know, they will be at the Elbow Room tonight. PLEASE do yourself a favor and go see them.

By the way, Kid Static's favorite pizza is stuff spinach, and Yea Big's is deep-dish (not Chicago-style, just a really thick crust) with huge chunks of sausage.

I saw this on their Myspace. AHHH! I just can't love them anymore than I already do!

I have nice hands, and no, you can't have them.

2008-09-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

I sat down with Jonathan Visger, lead singer of Ann Arbor-based Mason Proper to discuss their new album, Olly Oxen Free, which is now out on Dovecote Records.

How do you think this album is different than the EP you released?

The EP was four songs that we kind of worked into our set to make it fresh for ourselves when touring for [There is a] Moth [in Your Chest], which is an old record for us. You know, we released it twice. Those songs were scatter shot, but people liked the songs. We didn’t want to put them on the new album. We wanted to make the album over the course of a small amount of time to give it a focus that you can’t get otherwise. Moth was written in two or three years, and then it was just choosing the songs, and it feels like that. It feels like we were into different things when we wrote different songs. I think the Shorthand EP sort of feels like that, kind of all over the place. With the new album, to my ears, it feels more cohesive. The arrangement style is pretty consistent from song to song. It really feels like an album, where as Moth sounded more like a singles band. ‘Oh, you don’t like this crazy, wild rocker? Well, here’s a slow ballad for you.’

I kind of liked that about Moth. It made it very interesting. What made you do four videos?

We just wanted to do something that was a little more interesting than, ‘OK, here’s four songs that, to our ears, didn’t go together that well. We had our friends, Hott Garbage, who I saw your interview with. Quite ridiculous, they are ridiculous people. Was that an e-mail interview?

It was.

I could tell they poured over their answers.

It took them a good two weeks to respond to my questions, yeah. I was, like, ‘Seriously? I asked you what kind of pizza you liked.’

But yeah, we knew them and they had always said they had wanted to do videos with us. They figured out how to manipulate a very, very, very small amount of money, like a ridiculously small amount of money to make four music videos and make them look pretty good. They worked their magic on that. They came with a lot of ideas, and then we collaborated from there. The execution was all up to them. But, yeah, we decided to do that because we like video in general. You can listen to a band, but until you see a reasonable amount of video of them… Like, the people on the west coast haven’t seen us, and if they listened to us, they would have no actual concept of us as a group of people. The example I like to use is the Pixies. I listened to the Pixies forever before I had any idea of what they looked like. And when I finally saw a video, it completely changed how I felt. All the songs sounded completely different, knowing it was coming from those people. It meant something different.

So true. It’s funny that you should bring up the Pixies. They woke me up this morning on my alarm clock.

That’s cool. Depending on the song. (laughter)

It was Gouge Away. That’s not so harsh. Do you have any favorite local bands?

I really like Javelins. I mean, there are always a lot of local bands that I like, but I don’t want to ramble off a huge list. I always liked the Mighty Narwhale. It’s always fun to see them. That’s a band that you can always count on to have a good time. I think the band Starling Electric is really impressive.

They did that whole re-releasing an old record like you guys did with Moth.

It almost seems like if you are from the Midwest, especially Michigan, if you get on a label, you are going to have to release a CD you’ve already released. No one is going to find you if you don’t release an album. It’s not going to have reached a lot of people because you are from the Midwest. I remember a similar thing happened with Tally Hall. It kind of sucks because we already went through all the hoopla, and literally, I think it was a year after, and we had to pretend that it didn’t happen before. Let’s get people to try to celebrate the same thing again.

Like a birthday party!

Yeah!

Let’s talk about the band history for a bit. It’s a little ambiguous. Your Wikipedia page is kind of vague. That’s where I get all my information for interviews.

Every time I make our Wikipedia accurate, someone goes in and makes it inaccurate. There are people who remember the previous groups we were in, and they go in there and put that it was an early version of Mason Proper, but those were completely different bands. The last time I changed something, someone wrote that we had had, like, fifty name changes. We have only had one name change, but people think that every band we’ve ever done was Mason Proper.

Where did you meet? Did you all live in Alpena?

Let me think about this… Four of the current members are from Alpena originally. Our bassist, Zac, we met when we were down here. We’ve been through several drummers. Out of four of five drummers, including our current one, were from Alpena. Our current drummer, Garrett, graduated from high school when we were losing a drummer again. His sense of humour is right. He fits.

Do you guys live together still?

No, we did for two years, but we have separate places now.

I think that would piss me off. Living with my bandmates.

It’s good when you are starting out. Even after the first six months, we were like, ‘hey, we are all getting along.’ It was clear that at least we were going down a path that, whether or not it was successful, we weren’t going to end up hating our friends. Starting a band together, on some level, is a business. At least an intense activity project. We’ve been lucky.

Speaking of Alpena, I looked that up online.

Yeah, it’s a pretty interesting place to talk about. Not at all.

It has the world’s largest cement plant.

That’s all it’s known for, yeah. It’s pretty up there, it’s on the water. The only good reason I could think of living there is for sailing. There is a bay. But you can do that in other places too.

Did you have any guest musicians on the album?

Yeah, we had a trumpet player. It was one of Zac’s friends. He’s from the Ann Arbor Dub Project. He basically plays his trumpet in an improvised kind of way, through delay effects. The trumpet is in three or four of them. One of the songs, I don’t know how it would have finished without it, because the entire end of the song is all about the trumpet. That’s the only guest musician.

Will Yates isn’t on the album?

No, he isn’t, believe it or not!

That’s crazy. I am going to get him to play on the rest of my albums.

He has the golden touch. Perfect pitch, I hear.

I did that photo comparison of you and Graham Coxon. Have you ever gotten that before?

No. My pet peeve, in the past, has been at shows when people would yell, “Rivers Cuomo!” somewhere from the audience. At first, I didn’t really care, but then it got old really quick.

I don’t think I’d be too pissed if someone compared me to Coxon. Wait, no, I would be. He’s a dude. I’m not.

After a while, what really bothered me was that during the Moth touring, people would say we sounded like Weezer on crack. They would only say it if they saw us live. So they were saying what we sounded like based on my glasses.

Sometimes, I get the Brit pop vibe from you guys.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Blur is a huge influence on the band. The guitar style, mostly the stuff with Blur, not Coxon’s solo stuff.

I’m a huge Britpop nerd. I have also compared you to Jarvis Cocker in the past.

I didn’t get that too recently. I think it was from you actually.

What do you guys do besides music? Do you have any real people jobs?

I would say that no one really has a job that we aren’t interchangeable at. Like, ‘we could train any monkey to… take money from a cash register, or stack apples a certain way, or wrap cheese.

So you’ve wrapped cheese before?

No, not me personally. But all are examples of things currently being done by this band. It’s not like anyone’s doing anything really noteworthy, like making their money selling severed hands on eBay.

That’s creepy.

Yeah, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.

Well, you did have that song about the fingers (Friendship).

I have this thing about severed hands.

Oh god, I’m hiding mine.

(laughter)

That’s a creepy song, but I kind of like that it’s creepy.

Yeah, I like the sing-songy children’s melody with that.

What kind of pizza do you like?

At this point, in this past year this has been a development, my first choice on a pizza would be pineapple and pepperoni.

That seems to be a big trend right now.

I don’t know. There is something about it. That’s where it’s at.

What would you say your influences are?

I want to be honest. This is one where you can easily play cool cards, or you can be honest, or you can give away things and people will be like, ‘oh, you ripped that song off from that person!’

It doesn’t have to be music. It could be anything.

OK, well, then Edward Gorey is a big influence. He has a really good dark sense of humour that Matt (sound manipulator) and I really got into when we were making Moth, actually. A lot of that materialized on Moth. David Lynch, as well. If you think about the way his movies are, they will often times will give you a lot questions and not quite answer them all, but perhaps raises new questions. You are able to pull your own opinion from it, and that’s one of the approaches we take with the lyrics.

I don’t think I have any more questions for you.

Have you thought of anymore in the course of talking to me? I’ve always curious about that. You write out all these questions, and as they are answered, more questions come to mind?

Well, I think that’s the mark of a good journalist… If they can think of more questions. (oh snap!)

(more laughter)

From point A, to point B, to point C.

2008-09-23T08:18:00.001-07:00

Oooohhhhh, Detour posted my review of Mason Proper's new album, which comes out TODAY! Actually, I didn't write that. Jonathan Visger wrote it. /joke.

Still to come:
---Interview with Visger.
---A very old interview with Champions of Breakfast that I found while cleaning out my apartment.
---More Shia Labeouf updates. Who wants to go see Eagle Eye with me? Anyone?

Foe Realz.

2008-09-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

It's futile to resist the faultless pop Friendly Foes flaunt on their debut record, Born Radical. A faction against the Detroit garage rock scene, this power trio pilfered the scene early this year with their infectious noise. Born Radical stands apart from frou-frou, cutesy indie rock with cutthroat, fetching boy-girl vocals, provided by Ryan Allen and Lizzie Whitman, and finesse behind the drum kit, courtesy of Brad Elliott, that is anything but flat. With most songs clocking in less than three minutes, FF keep the frills to a minimum, leaving only their talent to effortlessly impress you. After hearing "Get Ripped," it's hard not to be fiercely jealous of Lizzie's frantic, yet refined vocals. The fondness of days gone by rings loud and clear in "Wild (Once in Awhile)," where lead singer/guitarist Ryan reminisces of simpler times, when kids could act like fools with friends without the fretting. Friendly Foes are showing you their fangs, telling you to "Get Yr Shit Together." They even drop the "f" bomb a few times for good measure. But don't let their defiant attitude fool you: this album was born to be radically fun.

Still no word on Shia Labeouf filming in Michigan.

2008-09-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

BUT, there is this really funny video where Seth Green tells Shia to "eat a dick."

OK, I am officially tired of trying to write about Shia in hopes that he Google Blog searches his own name and comes across this site. I have written a lot of CD reviews in the last week, and I will post them here if Detour doesn't use them. Woo-hoo!

CD releases galore this week. Did anyone else get through the entire review by Deep Cutz Charlie about the new Mason Proper album? Yeah, I didn't either. I think Olly Oxen Free is actually shorter than that review. Dude, we get it, you are a writer and you know lots of crazy big words. But you lost me after the first paragraph. Then again, I graduated with a degree in Communication... But maybe I can run for VICE PRESIDENT some day, right? RIGHT?!?!?! AWESOME! Thanks, Palin!

I don't like the song Jack White wrote for the new James Bond movie.

2008-09-16T12:13:00.001-07:00

The instrumental version sounds like "Brain Stew" by Green Day with orchestration, too many horns, and more cymbal crashes. I can only imagine how awesome it sounds with White's and Alicia Keys' vocals on it. Not.

I love Shirley Manson, so this is my favourite James Bond song to date:

Although, Madonna's video for "Die Another Day" was cool too:

Weird. I just noticed that there are "clones" in both those videos. Coincidence? Shirley's robot/human clone makeout session is way hotter than Madonna's good vs. evil sword fight. Just sayin'.

I will probably go and see Quantum of Solace because I think Daniel Craig is hot. Not as hot as Shia LaBeouf, though.

Shia LaBeouf should film a movie in Michigan...

2008-09-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

...so I can write about him all the time in my blog. And then he can read about it.

Michigan is awesome, Shia. I swear. We can totally make out, too. Whatevs. There's no paparazzi, just some pissy bloggers (but you should be fine unless you start playing in a band while you are here). But I will only say nice things about you, I promise. As long as we make out.

I am no longer blogging about music. Just hot movie stars that I hope will make their way through Michigan. I might change my mind about this tomorrow.

Oh! I reference Harry Potter in this one.

2008-09-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

There are some nights that I wish I could transport myself from one bar to the next within seconds, or at least have a Time Turner like Hermione so I could be at two places at once.

This weekend, that was not the case. SubSprawl Friendcore show on Friday at the Blind Pig. Saturday at the Belmont to see Scarlett Oaks, Jason Croff's Family Values Tour, and The High Strung. Sunday (omg, a work night, bad idea), I headed to Frankie's in Toledo (just for the heck of it, really) to see Innerpartysystem and The Urgency. I'm tired, and I think I would have died if I had tried to do more than that.

Innerpartysystem is aaaawwwwweeesssoooooommmmeee (their light show could possibly PWN Ladytron's if they played at venues with stages as big as Ladytron does) They are playing in Pontiac at the Eagle Theater on November 7th. It's an early show (6pm), so you might have time to go see MORE BANDS AFTERWARDS! SRSLY?!?! YAH!!!1!!
Oh, and they are playing with a "crunk-rock duo," 3OH!3. Hmm. Could be interesting.

Emily Rose

2008-09-14T00:45:00.001-07:00

Yes, I do a cartwheel in the video. But more importantly, Emily Rose has an amaaaazing voice and this song is awesome.

blahblahblah, friday night.

2008-09-12T10:12:00.000-07:00

Open mic at Gilda's in Royal Oak around 7pm to about 9pm. It's a pretty cool thing. Gilda's is on Rochester Rd, just north of 13 mile.

Also, Magic Shop at LJ's.

Darling Imperial at Jacoby's.

Chris Bathgate, Matt Jones, and Greg McIntosh at the Elbow Room.

They Never Sleep will be at The Painted Lady if you are into that sort of thing.

If you like Tom Waits, go to Vernor's at the Crofoot. Some people are "interpretting" his music or something. No, Scarlett Johansen is not scheduled to make an appearance. If I didn't already have plans, I would be chain smoking right now so I could join in on the Tom Waits Interpretative Music Party.

I will be in Ann Arbor after going to Gilda's to see this lady, tearing it up on the dance floor. My friend coined a new term to describe Suburban Sprawl bands (and their friends' bands): Friendcore. Think about it. It totally makes sense. It might not be a new term. Whatever. I don't care. Hugs for everyone!!!11!

no wai!!!!!1!!11

2008-09-11T11:39:00.001-07:00

So, I wanted to act like I was really annoyed by the fact that I had to remove the new Mason Proper CD from my car in order to listen to a batch of new CDs I just got. But then I listened to all the new CDs I received, and I was all like, whoa, sweet.

Lots of reviews coming very very very very very very soon.

And I apologize to all the bands in advance if I relate every single one of them to food or HBO's Dexter (two of my favourite things in the world right now).

I read the best news ever today on Webvomit's blog. Jaguar Love. In Detroit. November 8th. At the Magic Stick. I might not wear earplugs. If I ever go deaf, I would like to go deaf listening to Johnny Whitney scream/sing.

I am doing this for you, Detroit.

2008-09-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

For the sake of convenience, you loyal readers can read my full blog via RSS feed. I mean, technically, anyone could take advantage of this convenience. If they have the Internetz, anyway.

In local blogger news, DeepCutz Charlie wrote a heartwarming post on his blog (I kind of puked in my mouth because I got so emotional over it) about the musical baby boom in the area.

I am going to spare you from another heart wrenching take on it. I am just stoked because I might have something to talk shit about in the next few months.

Kiiiiiidding. I love you guys. I am totally wasted right now.

I am not watching the VMAs. I am not watching the VMAs.

2008-09-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

Friday night, while all of you were at the Magic Stick to see the Dirtbombs, I was in Redford watching a band called Acoustic Front of Resistance. All of the members are young (18 and under), but there is so much passion behind their songs. It reminds me of myself at that age when I wasn't too jaded and bitter about the world. The lyrics are reflective, speaking to humanity, politics, and loss. You would think that at 18, someone wouldn't have such a deep perspective on those things, but it was genuine. That being said, I was almost brought to tears. It could have been the alcohol. It reminded me of old Dashboard Confessional, mixed with Straylight Run. OMG I know, I know, this means you are not going to listen to them. Whatever, it's your loss.

Saturday, I skipped Dally in the Alley. I don't like staying outside for that long. But then I went to The Silent Years' CD release show at the Magic Bag. I missed the first two bands because I was drinking in the parking lot to avoid paying $5 for a tallboy of PBR. Deastro, even with all of the technical difficulties (a fuse in the guitar amp kept blowing, the drummer wasn't able to hear anything on his headphones, etc), everyone who was close to the stage got free candy thrown at them. And it still sounded pretty good. The Silent Years sucked. Like, completely. omg, no, I am kidding, it was great, although the amount of bass vibrating through the venue made me nauseous. I have to hate on something, right? I am a blogger, right? So that is what I am hating on.

Brad Elliott (Friendly Foes) bought me a beer afterwards. This, of course, means that I am going to write nice things about his overrated band.

LOLZ. I happen to like his overrated band.

MTV VMAs: wtf is wrong with the dude who is hosting this year? He's not good looking. Or funny. Also, that is the first time I have seen the Jonas Brothers perform. They are soooo not cute either. Please someone start a flame war in the comments about the Jonas Bros.

I can't think of a witty title. Sorry.

2008-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

There have been SO MANY awesome releases by Michigan bands this summer, and I know about at least five more within the next month that are equally as awesome (MASON PROPER, OMG! FRIENDLY FOES, LOLZ!).

The mitten state ain't so bad! Way to go.

Enough of the cheerleading, let's get down to business:

This weekend, there are a shit ton of things you could and probably should do. Highlights: Dirtbombs tonight! Dally in the Ally AND The Silent Years' CD release show tomorrow!

If you are in Ypsilanti, go to the Elbow Room tonight. Wildcatting! Champions of Breakfast (playing ALL COVER TUNES!)! Maybe you can rough them up in the parking lot after their set (lolz).

Let me digress for a bit here...

2008-09-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

We should be hearing about the supposed plea bargain for Kwame in a matter of minutes.

But let me get this off my chest: what the fuck is up with Sharon McPhail? Her last name should be spelled "McFAIL" because that is all she is (I know, I know, you've heard that joke before). She is a joke. She is treating these legal proceedings AS A JOKE. I saw her press conference last night after the hearing, and she was laughing at every response, answering questions indignantly like a teenager being accused of anything by her parents.

I did enjoy when Granholm pointed out that she was getting "far afield" from the topic at hand in her questioning (a tactic McFAIL employs frequently). Honestly, Kwame, you are a bigger dumbass than I once thought. Having McFAIL on your team? Not a smart choice. I hope you get kicked out of office AND jail time (even though McFAIL said that wasn't an option in her press conference last night*).

*and to that, I say this:

LOLbandz

2008-08-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

Friday: Windy Weber...Amazing. Qualia...Also amazing.
Saturday: I was not supportive of the local music scene AT ALL.
Tonight: Not being supportive again. It's a holiday weekend, screw it.

This is the conversation I had Friday night with Jason Stollsteimer:

Jason: O hai Elle!
Elle: LOL Jason.
Jason: SRSLY?
Elle: No wai.
Jason: OMG!!!!11!
Elle: KTHXBAI!!!11!

...discuss.

This is not a blog, it's a motivational speaking tool.

2008-08-27T07:38:00.000-07:00

Friday night, you can do one of these things:
-Go to the Lager House to see Qualia
-Go to the Crofoot to see Millions of Brazilians and Zoos of Berlin, among others
-Go to the Magic Stick to see Death Vessel

I don't want to limit you to just one if you can do more than one. I will be attempting to do two of the three things, as well as hit up two birthday parties. You can say I am crazy, but you can't say that I am not ambitious.

I hope my "strong desire to achieve something*" inspires you to do something this weekend besides sitting at home alone and watching "Saving Private Ryan" in dark (I'm looking your way, Norton).

The rest of the weekend is filled with a million (Brazilians) other shows. I know, I know, it is SUCH a hassle to hang out in a bar on a Saturday night, or a Sunday night. Speaking of Sunday night, if you have Monday off work like I do, I would suggest going to see ~~Death Vessel at the Crofoot, in case you missed him on Friday because you decided to go to two birthday parties instead~~ I totally meant to say Silver Jews at the Crofoot. AWESOME. Or you can karaoke at Northern Lights Lounge. Or you can go to another birthday party.

Happy birthday, everyone. Way to get older. And to everyone else whose birthdays weren't this week, you are still getting older, too.

*dictionary definition of "ambition"

Take a page out of the lolcat bible.

2008-08-26T20:11:00.001-07:00

Mason Proper's vid for "Friendship" may or may not have been on Fuse.

Champions of Breakfast were doing a show with all cover songs on Saturday, but that has been cancelled and rescheduled for September 5th at the Elbow Room.

Brandon Wiard (Pretty Suite Media, Cerberus Records) has a new studio in Ypsilanti, last I heard.

Paul (The Looms, Sea Turtle Restoration Project) and friends (maybe?) have started a label. It's called Sonic Lullaby, named after the Sonic Lullaby Festival, which is run by Paul (and friends?) as well. Indian Guides. Kindle. STRP. Awesome.

That's really all the news I have.

But then again, I am living in a bubble. An "indie"-rock, self-induced bubble.

I'm sure there is something to report on the metal front. Anyone? How about the crust punk scene? No? Polka? Alt-country? Christian Rock? Are there any Christian rock bands in the area? How about Scientologist rock bands? Nothing?

Srsly, doodz, Tuesday's are a draaaag. Go read the bible, as translated into Lolcat-speak.

People don't need people, they need more bloggers.

2008-08-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

May I take a moment to clear something up? I started Detroit Riot because I am serious about a lot of things. One of the things I am serious about is to not take yourself too seriously (that makes no logical sense). That being said, any comments I read about how horrible my blog is, or what a cunt I am, or how sophomoric my writing skills are, really don't bother me. It would be foolish of anyone to expect acceptance in a world like this. For future reference, here is my agenda (the reasons I started blogging):

If there was a way to make "meeting hot dudes" 69% while keeping "I need attention" at 80%, you bet your hot ass that I would have done that. But I vaguely remember my math teacher in high school telling me it is impossible for something to be over 100%.

I am here to give you the "Truth as Told by Elle, or Sometimes Just Interpreted By Elle." Nothing more, but sometimes, maybe less. Would you consider omitting the truth lying? Because I don't.

The Motor City does rock.

2008-08-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was asked to start writing for MotorCityRocks.com.
This was very nerve-wracking. I love MCR.

There is a brief thing about Detroit Summer Smash at The CAID on it now. By me. Yay. It's not so great. But I was told MCR has a reputation for being nicer/more constructive than what I write in this blog. So, I toned it down. I was hoping I could bitch about it this weekend.

But really, there was nothing to bitch about. I know, that's so un-blogger-esque of me.

"Write more blogs, you bloggers!"--the singer from The Dead Bodies.

OK, dude. Will do. Keep on being awesome, OK?

What? Going on tour costs money?! omg.

2008-08-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

Maybe you dudes should apply for the CAID grant. Just sayin'.

From a Hifi Handgrenades bulletin:
"Aug 21, 2008 1:40 PM
Subject:
fucking cancelled

update!

tour's been shortened, all else cancelled. this means every gig from sept 4th on, including US dates. there were also tours of australia and japan not up yet on the page, those are off the books as well.

why?

because it's too fucking expensive to tour. the way this UK tour was worked out, we would AT BEST break even being here (we didn't see a real breakdown of monies until we got here), which is not an option anymore. we paid out of our pockets for tickets here, all else... the numbers break down thus:

if we stay here and play through sept 29th, we will clear 50 pounds over costs, NOT INCLUDING FOOD. if we cut it short, we will hopefully have enough money to pay for baggage penalties on the airline (from bringing gear and merch over), and gas for the van back home from LA to Detroit (which will run just under 1000 bucks for gas alone). the exchange rate on US dollars killed us, cancelled shows in Germany with Alk3 further put us behind the eight ball, and the realization that no matter where you go in this world, playing music in a style that hit it's zenith 15 years ago, isn't gonna keep us afloat.

very sad, very shitty. blaming ourselves for any and all mistakes along the way. funny though, the sole intention of this band when we started was playing music in a style that reminded us of what we loved and were influenced by when we were kids just getting into the whole punk rock thing, every 6 weeks or so locally, for fun and friends. and that's where we're headed back to.
fuck fuck fuckity fuck,
john
HFHG"

As much as I feel for them, I laughed a little. John has been in how many bands now? He sounds so shocked to find out they weren't breaking even. I will give him this, I LOL'd when I read the part I highlighted. Shit, son. If the CAID grant falls through, you might have a career in blogging. Sorry, there is no money in blogging.

After this, I am never bringing up Will Yates again.*

2008-08-21T02:44:00.000-07:00

I needed to get this over with. Will Yates: I mention him in about 2/3rd of my blog posts. Enough is enough. I decided it was time to just do an interview with him, so in the future, I won't have to mention him anymore because everything you need to know about him will be in this entry. *Unless he decides to start another band, or join another band, or writes a musical or something.

I caught him on Gchat and asked if wouldn't mind doing an interview. He agreed, but he had just thought of a song idea and needed to record it real quick. Damn. Of course he has a song idea. And of course he is just going to record it real quick. So, here is everything you need to know about Will Yates, sort of.

Will: ok here i am
Elle: hah! I will be right back, and have to take a call. It was my mom.
Elle: Sorry about that.
Will: no prob

Elle: So, what was the first instrument you picked up?
Will: Piano. I was banging on the family piano from a young age, and started lessons when I was 5.
Elle: How many other instruments would you say you are proficient at playing now?
Will: I would say I'm also proficient at the guitar and bass guitar.
Elle: I'd have to agree with that.
Will: heh
Elle: Although, I think I would say you are little more than just proficient at it.

Elle: Do you think you could estimate how many different bands you have been in/toured with/guested on albums for/etc?
Will: I've been a full-time member of 4 bands. My high-school band was called Superautomatic. Then I was in the Singles for about 4 years. Now I'm in the Pop Project and Zoos of Berlin.
Will: I'm playing guest keyboards in Javelins these days. I've done tours (longer than one or two dates) with The Singles and Javelins.
Will: I've guested on maybe 6 albums, only within the last year or two.
Elle: Impressive.
Will: As far as I can remember.
Elle: Hah!
Will: Ha, I'm not trying to show off.
Elle: I didn't think you were! Riiiiiiiiiight.

Elle: I must admit, one of my favorite songs off "Stars of Stage and Screen" is "Never Got the Breaks." You are a good songwriter. What are your influences?
Elle: Or "who" rather...
Will: Well, early on, the two big albums for me were Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream and Radiohead's OK Computer. Those heavily informed the first few years of my songwriting. But then I got into Sloan. Between the Bridges and Navy Blues had a huge effect on my songwriting; I started writing songs in that style. SRSLY? Smashing Pumpkins?
Will: When I joined The Pop Project in 2003, I was still heavy into Sloan, and I was very excited to be joining a band that had a sound similar to what I was writing and that would let me contribute some songs.
Will: The music for "Never Got The Breaks" was written in 2003 or 2004 and the lyrics were written in 2005. I haven't written something that sounds like that in a while.
Elle: How does the songwriting process work with a band like The Pop Project? Do you come in with a completed song, or just the main parts, and then go from there?
Will: There are three of us writing songs in The Pop Project. We pretty much bring in completed songs and teach them to the rest of the band. There's some editing that goes on; we might try new countermelodies, or a new tempo, or something like that. Of the three, I'd say that I try the hardest to get the band to play the song like it sounds in my head and not change anything. When I write songs in the future for the band, I'm going to try to leave more wiggle room, so it becomes more of a band effort.
Elle: But you are the best songwriter ever. They will just mess shit up. Kidding, dudes, you are awesome too.
Will: You seem to be taking a page from fivethreedialtone's interview style. ; )
Elle: Oh no you di'nt!
Elle: hah, yeah, actually he is my hero.
I was apparently drunk when I wrote this.
Will: No, they won't mess shit up. Everyone in The Pop Project is phenomenally talented, and from the point of view of the average listener, they'd probably rather listen to a song that everyone in the band had some input on. I think those songs end up being more interesting.
Will: There's always the danger of writing by committee, but I think that everyone in The Pop Project is zany enough, and we're generally on the same page about things, that we don't ever compromise ourselves into making boring choices for our songs.

Elle: What else do you do besides write amazing songs and play in awesome bands?
Will: I recently got a job booking the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti, as you know.
Elle: How is that going for you? It seems like a lucrative gig. I'm not trying to be smarmy, I really love the Elbow Room.
Will: Beyond spending a few hours a day on that, I try to focus all my time on advancing my career in music. The Elbow Room job is going well. I've never booked a venue before, so there's a steep learning curve. I feel like I'm still learning something important every day, and hopefully getting better at it. I would not call it an incredibly lucrative pursuit. It's helping me maintain my current lifestyle, but it's not enough to move out of my parents' house. Of course, to be fair, it shouldn't be, because it's not a full-time job.

Elle: Do you have any favorite local bands at the moment that you are not involved in?
Will: Well, I would say that Great Lakes Myth Society is probably my favorite. Their two albums, especially the first one, are pretty much the best albums I'm aware of from local musicians (other than the ones I had a hand in, of course, heh heh).
Elle: Niiiice.
Will: Come to think of it, I have a minor backing vocal part on the second GLMS album. Damn.
Elle: So that doesn't count. You have to think of another band that you like.
Will: Damn. HAHA
Elle: Come on! It can't be that hard!
Will: Haha, I'm trying to think of who my favorite is though.
Elle: Take your time.
I could have sworn ten minutes went by. He was probably trying to figure out which band he hasn't been in.
Will: I guess I'll have to say Deastro. One of his songs, though I don't know what it's called, is constantly stuck in my head. I really like The Word Play. I don't if that counts since we're on the same label and we're friends. I didn't play a note on their album though.
Oh, The Wordplay, *droooool*
Elle: It kind of counts.

Elle: How did the tour with Javelins go?
Will: I've done two tours with Javelins in the last few months. Those have been a lot of fun; they're basically vacations. I really like the Javelins dudes a lot personally, and I think the fact that I'm not in a band full-time with them means that I always can enjoy hanging out with them without worrying about business or feeling like we're spending too much time together.
Elle: That sounds like fun.
Will: The last tour we did was with the band Colour Revolt, so that was like double the fun hanging out with that many awesome dudes.
Elle: I am going to find a way to tour with them.
Will: You may have to bring your own car.
Elle: haha.
Will: The van's generally pretty full when we're riding in it.
Javelins are apparently fatties.

Elle: How did you feel about the photo comparison I did of you and Ian Curtis?
Will: A few people have noticed that before.
Elle: Oh, well then.
Elle: I am sure they didn't go as far as doing a photo comparison on their blog.
Elle: Or has that been done already too?
Will: One time, I thought up the word "guitarded", and I thought I was so clever, but now you can see that there are 63,400 Google hits for the word "guitarded".
Way to not answer my last question!
Elle: That's sad. You should have copyrighted that.
Will: Trademarked.
Will: Correcting people, something I do.
Elle: Damnit. DAMNIT!
Will: But don't necessarily feel good about.
Elle: It's ok, I do that as well. It's always refreshing to get corrected by someone else. I need to be taken down a peg or two sometimes.
Will: Haha, but you're the writer.
Elle: Whatevs. I am just a blogger. According to Deep Cutz Charlie, there is a HUGE difference. *shakes fist at Deep Cutz' "blog"
Will: Hmm. Maybe blogspot should make people read "The Elements of Style" before they can have an account.
Elle: That's probably a good idea.

Elle: What are your favorite pizza toppings? Hard-hitting journalism!
Will: pepperoni, onions and pineapple are my top three. If a pizza has one of those, it's off to a good start.
Elle: I am not a fan of pineapple on pizza. But I can respect your choice. NOT! that's sick.
Will: You know, I didn't used to think I was, and then (to get all scene for a second) Eric Stollsteimer gave me a slice of ham and pineapple at the Lager House once, and I was like "Whoa! This is good!"
Elle: Name dropping! Awesome! BONUS SCENE POINTS FOR NAMING A STOLLSTEIMER!
Will: Ha, the makings of a good blog post.

Elle: Where did you go to school? Did you go to college?
Will: I went to the Detroit Waldorf School for grade school, Cranbrook for high school and U of M for college.
Elle: What did you get your degree in?
Will: Philosophy!
Elle: Wow! I took some philosophy classes. We should talk sometime. About philosophy stuff.
Will: Oof.
That can't be good
Elle: I will probably just sit there and stare at you like I am confused, though.
Will: I was never very good at becoming an expert on any philosophers. I just think about right and wrong a lot.
Elle: How so? Examples?
Will: Well, in the news there are all kinds of stories about people hurting and killing each other. I think a lot about whether there are steps that can be taken to get people to cut this out, and what those steps might be.
Elle: I spend quite a bit of time thinking about that too.
Will: Hm, maybe everyone does.
Way to make me not feel stupid about saying something so completely obvious.
Elle: Probably.
Will: The thing about philosophy is that you keep ending up back at the most basic questions.
Elle: So true. *staring blankly at computer screen*
Will: But if you take the scientific approach, you have to give up being able to say that people "should" do this or "shouldn't" do that.
Will: The other option is religion, but I am not religious.
Elle: Would you consider yourself an atheist then?
Will: I say I'm an agnostic, because I don't spend any time advocating against the idea of a God. I think the universe is so insane and incomprehensible that even our concept of there being a "God" doesn't begin to explain it.
Elle: That's deep, sir. Whoa.
Will: Thanks.
Elle: You're welcome.
Will: A few years ago I read "The Fabric of the Cosmos" by Brian Greene, which is about the current state of how physics views the universe, and I came away thinking that a true understanding of the universe and why it's here and all that is way, way beyond our current grasp.
Elle: I think I've been a little too nice to you in this interview.
Elle: That's definitely not fivethreedialtone style.
Will: I did an interview with fivethreedialtone a while back; I don't recall him being particularly mean.
Elle: He is mean to me. Maybe it's just me, though.
Will: He does do leading questions to try to get you say bad things about others, though.
Duh, he's a blogger. And he is from Detroit.
Will: I'm sorry if he's mean to you.
Elle: It's ok... I'll be fine. *sobbing quietly*

Elle: What are your top three favorite albums of all-time? What about at the moment?
Will: I'd say for all time it's the albums I mentioned having an effect on my songwriting: Siamese Dream, OK Computer, and Between the Bridges. I got obsessed with each of those and they had a big effect on me. For the last few years, I'd say my favorites are Brian Wilson's Smile (the recent version), Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet, and a Beatles album (let's say Sgt. Pepper's).

Elle: What do you love about Michigan?
Will: Well, I probably love Michigan because I grew up here, I'm used to the lifestyle, and a lot of my friends and some family are here. I enjoy going up north; much of the state is very pretty. I'm proud of the musical heritage here, and I hope to keep that going in some small way.

Elle: What do you hate about Michigan?
Will: I don't really hate anything about Michigan, but I wish that the state had more opportunities for the creative class. Economically, I think that should be part of the replacement for the decline of manufacturing, and I think it's a reason why several of my friends have left the state. I'm sorry that the national perception of Michigan is probably a negative one, with Michigan's poor economy and with Detroit's various troubles. I think that more boosting up needs to be done of schools like Wayne State and CCS, to make Detroit more of a viable option for young creative class types. Right now it's cool to move to Chicago or New York, and it's not very cool to move to Detroit, and I think an answer to that problem is part of the solution for bringing Michigan back. Also, the winters are a little long here.

Indeed, they are...

Everybodys Moving Out Of Michigan - Will Yates

Best Friends are leaving Michigan

2008-08-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, I experienced the Homecoming/Going Away party*** for two very special dudes. These dudes are Best Friends. And they literally are best friends. They sing about being best friends, giving people hugs, recycling, and optimism, while maintaining a sharp punk sound. It ended with the biggest group hug I have ever been a part of in my entire life. And for that, I would like to thank Best Friends. Greg and Scott, you will be missed! Good luck in Philly, guys!

The Hadituptoheres opened for Best Friends. And someone opened for the Hadits, but I got there too late for that. Sorry.

***Apparently, they were on tour for 50+ days prior to this show, and this was their first night back in Michigan. They are leaving for Philadelphia in a few days. :-(

Starling Electric --- Clouded Staircase

2008-08-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

Clouded Staircase, the newest (sort of) release by Ann Arbor darlings, Starling Electric came to me in ~~my dreams~~ the mail a month ago. It's a re-release of an album recorded two years ago, now to be released on Bar/None (on August 19th) who have released records by such bands as Of Montreal, Yo La Tengo, and Puffy Amiyumi. No lie. Check out their site.

While their re-released album has no hints of Puffy Amiyumi, I still felt the need to review it. When I got it in the mail, I tore open the packaging to see that singer/songwriter/mastermind Caleb Dillon left me a little note on a Post-It*. "PS I highly recommend getting naked before listening to this album." Well, goddamnit. I have a roommate, she wouldn't appreciate that. So I waited until she left for a weekend to get down to my skivvies and really take a good, hard listen at Clouded Staircase. A good, hard listen.

And I really did need to give this album a hard listen; it was a bit dense, very thick. Eighteen tracks, some are only a minute or two long, but it's still eighteen tracks long. That is a long time to stay in your undies. The first track of the album, St. Valentine's Day Massacre, is much more rock than most of the other tracks. Lyrically pensive, this track is an ode to a love that got lost in the folds of a lust-filled night.

It's imperative to note that "Camp-Fire" was featured on the under appreciated, yet awesome, TV series Veronica Mars. I find that other people might not fully appreciate this album because of it's very 60s/70s hippie vibe. Yet, it is a joyful voyage into a lush sound scape of an indie band on the fringe.

"Black Ghost/Black Girl" is a catchy little ditty with gorgeous harmonies. "Clouded Staircase (Part Two)" sends you floating in the breeze, high on life (maybe on some psychedelic druuuugs too), without a care in the world... Building up slowly, and then bringing you back down to the earth softly. And then there are some snaps and bah-bah-bahs. I'm starting to feel very comfortable sitting around in my undergarments at this point.

Oh, wait, it's starting to get romantical all up in this joint. "A Snowflake," so sensual and breathy. Oh my god. Oh. My. God. As I continue to delve deeper into this melodious beast of a record, I am beginning to get the feeling that Caleb Dillon attaches the same Post-It note to everyone he sends an album to. That sly fox.

I could not bare to review anymore of the tracks. Heartbroken, I wept through the rest of the album.

*I love getting Post-It notes from bands.

Smashed!

2008-08-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

Come out to Detroit Summer Smash this Thursday/Friday/Saturday.
Some highlights:
Thursday: Dude, the fuckin' Friendly Foes and Four Hour Friends for fucks sake.
Friday: Dude, The Beggars. They will melt your face off with rock. And a lot of fun.
Saturday: Dude, Deastro isn't playing anymore. But Silverghost will be there. And so will Prussia, The High Strung, and The Dead Bodies. Hell yeah.

It's $16 for all three days (totally good deal, people), or $5 on Thursday, $8 Friday, and $8 Saturday. According to Laura Witkowski in an interview with Metro Times, "Professional security and legal support will be on hand during the festival to ensure our guests and members' civil rights and personal dignity is not violated by anyone." Well put, comrade.

It's at the CAID. Please come out. You won't regret it. Well, I can't completely say that. You might regret it. Like, if you run into your ex or something and they're there with their*** new "friend" and you are looking like crap. So, don't look like crap. Try to look nice. Then you might not regret coming. And who cares about your ex anyway? There was obviously a reason you two aren't together anymore. You should still try to look nice, though. Because if you are there at 4pm on Saturday and you look like crap, I will probably make fun of you.

According to the Detroit Summer Smash Myspace page:
"Detroit Summer Smash was in hibernation last year after an 8 year run! We are returning in 2008 with the help of the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit! Summer Smash 2008 will raise monies for a CAID-sponsored grant for Detroit-area musicians!

Here is the lineup:
Thursday August 21st, $5 or $16 for festival pass
9pm- Bird Gang
10pm- 4 hour Friends
11pm- Friendly Foes

Friday August 22nd, $8
9pm- Sons of the Gun
10pm- Hotness
11pm- Beggars
12am- Oblisk
12:30am- DJ Afterglow

Saturday August 23rd, $8 for full-day Saturday pass
2pm- Whistling School for Boys
3pm – OHTIS
4pm- Elle & The Fonts
5pm- Always 17
6pm- dinner break!!!
7pm- Prussia
8pm- Electric Fire Babies
9pm- Goudron
10pm- Dead Bodies
11pm- The High Strung
12am- Silverghost
12:30am- dancing sounds by Dave Shettler and Scott Zacharis!"

***I have a degree in writing stuff, I swearz.

U-G-L-Y

2008-08-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

I don't mean to talk about shows that I play, but I can't help it when it comes to last night. I was at Corktown Tavern, playing with local bands Lightning Love and To and Fro (even though they live in Croswell, which is way the eff up by Memphis, MI), and a touring band from Brooklyn, Deleted Scenes. Chris O was there. Yay.

Deleted Scenes played right after me, and they were amaaaazing. The lead singer's neck looked like it was rubber. You know, when you take a pencil between your thumb and your index finger and you shake it up and down and it looks like it's made of rubber. Well, he wasn't, like, headbanging but it was some weird, indie-rock version of headbanging. Besides that, they were tight as hell (that's what she said), and catchy as the flu in the middle of flu season. Loved it.

To and Fro are a instrumental, metal-core, two-piece with some fierce guitar techniques and a crazy motherfucker with the curliest hair ever on the drums. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but I definitely can appreciate the talent of the guitarist, who can tap like a pro and shred as perfectly and frantically as a papershredder at work when the auditors come to town (was that metaphor too out there? Sorry, I am trying to amuse myself while avoiding the "Dream"cruise).

Then there was Lightning Love. Now, I have heard so many people get all "omg" and "srsly, omg" over this band. I can see why now. Super cute, almost twee-popish, with sly, bet-you-didn't-see-that-coming, interesting musicianship. The songs were killer. The male-female vocals were offensively adorable. The have a lot of songs about being ugly. But they aren't ugly. I almost wanted to hate them, but I haven't been around Detroit long enough to become that bitter (oh snap, yeah I said it, haters). Needless (very) to say, I reeeeaaaaallly enjoyed their set.

Tonight, I am going to Pontiac for Prussia's CD release show.

Oh, and, fuck the Dreamcruise. Srsly. Dumb. But a good excuse to party?

Where my girls at?

2008-08-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

I was having a conversation with a fellow female musician in the area, and she pointed out the Detroit scene is a little sausage dominated. Now, it's not something we were necessarily complaining about. This scene is also chaulk-full of awesome bands (please do not be an ass and try to argue that they are awesome because they are dudes, you will fail). The conversation stemmed from trying to find other female musicians*. I know a lot of people, and I was stumped. Of course, we all know the powerhouses: Alicia (The Nice Device), Lizzy (Friedly Foes/Kiddo), Leann (The Von Bondies), Marcie (Silverghost), Ko-Ko (Hard Lessons), etc. I did some digging to find some ladies you may not have heard of just yet.

Darling Imperial, a new project of some Detroit veterans, boosts an amazing lead singer by the name of Sarah Sadovsky. Imagine White Chalk album-era PJ Harvey, mixed with a little Tori Amos, but certainly not as old or weird.

Sh! The Octopus has pianist/vocalist Christine Baxter providing lush harmonies and rocking out on the ivories.

Got anyone to add to that list?

In other news, I had a dream last night that I joined Spice Girls as their guitar player. Weird.

*Is anyone else sick of hearing, "There is a girl in that band!"? It seems like such a novelty still, which is ridiculous. It is almost as if we are hard-wired to believe that women playing instruments are rarities because women aren't hard-wired to play instruments. So, is the lack of women musicians because of the male-dominated musiciandustry (I made up a new word!)? Or is it more of a general social issue (women are conditioned to find rewards in areas of society other than creative outlets/being creative holds no rewards for the modern woman who is supposed to be family and career driven at the same time/artistic women are seen as living on the fringe of society/etc)? Discuss.

The Silent Years' release on iTunes.

2008-08-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Check it out. I hear it is good. I have not actually heard it yet though, so I could totally be wrong. If I am, you can yell at me next time you see me. Or you can buy me a drink for suggesting such a good album to you. Whatever.

Also check out the EP entitled "Size King" by Your Skull My Closet, which comes out (came out) today on iTunes. Some dude that used to be in Small Brown Bike is in that band. I miss them. Oh, and this guy named Sean Hoen. He played at Alvin's two months ago and it was fantastic. I think SubSprawl released some stuff by him. Yes Michigan!

I need iTunes. I am going to download it tonight and get the YSMC EP and then review it.

Anyone looking for roommates or a house in Ferndale? Help a girl out.

MoFo Karaoke

2008-08-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

MoFo Karaoke is the best thing ever. Way to go, Elbow Room, for hosting it. I know it's been happening forever, but I finally experienced it in all of it's glory last night. I even got to sing first! The bar was hustlin' and bustlin' (yay for people buying booooze!)! There were hot people everywhere!

On a side note, Myspace informed me that yesterday was the birthday of Chris O. (from The Recital and Mas!). Happy Belated Birthday, you minstrel of merriment, you troubadour of transcendent talent, you balladier of... awesome? Yeah!

Today is 8-8-8! WHOA DUDEZ!

I LOL'd my butt off.

2008-08-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Read this interview in it's entirety.
JRC: Are you just not a fan of the garage sound, or was it more city specific?
Ryan Allen: The jean jackets, the skinnyness… Also, the attitude of it seemed a little off to me. This sense of entitlement like, “one time Meg White bummed a smoke from me, so you should pay attention to my band, motherfuckers!”

I am laughing because it is so. goddamn. true.

I saw her at a bar once. You should pay attention to my band because I am awesome, though.

Go to Ypsilanti tomorrow evening and enjoy some MoFo Karaoke at the Elbow Room! It's a good time. And I will be singing. Oh yeah.

Putting the 'Garbage' in 'Hott Garbage'

2008-08-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

The title for this article was going to be "Hott Garbage: Putting the 'Hott' in 'Hott Garbage'"
I mean, look at these guys!

But I decided against that title because I didn't want Mike Berlucchi and Rick Boven, the brains behind the Michigan-based production company, to start getting death threats from my stalkers.

Hott Garbage is serious. Seriously awesome. These two young men don't fuck around when it comes to making videos. I experienced first hand how talented and serious they are when it comes to their videos at the recent Mason Proper shoot for "Safe For the Time Being." It reminded me of all the "Making of..." documentaries that I used to watch on MTV. Lots of lights. A fog machine. Lots of crew members. Free pizza for the extras... A make-up artist! On hand! Ridiculous!

According to Wikipedia, my only source of information, Hott Garbage also produced four music videos for the Mason Proper "Short Hand EP" which were free with the purchase of the EP off iTunes. I have seen two of the videos. One of which is posted at the end of this (so you can skip all the boring words).

I tried to do some more research of these two dudes. Mike has, like, a million pages on the Internet. Rick does not. If this were a Local Celebrity Challenge, I think Mike would win it. Sorry, Rick.

Please state your names and your titles.

Mike Berlucchi - Nice Director of Photography, Producer Ass Hole

Rick Boven - Director...(?)

Where are you from?

MB: Brighton, MI forever

RB: Alpena, MI.

Where did you go to school?

MB: Hawkins Elementary School

RB: 95% of my education came from chain book stores that provide plush furniture and exorbitantly priced caffeine. College is a myth.

What got you into video production?

MB: In 2005 I was at a roller skating competition and saw a man with a large camera, I said to myself "I want one of those." So I saved up and bought one, it ruined my life.

RB: Mike Berlucchi.

As trite as this might sound, what is your inspiration?

MB: My inspiration is money, I'm saving up to buy a Land Rover. But seriously, money is only 75% of it, the other 25% is because I love it, the traveling, the people, the product, it's all very wonderful.

RB: Bringing work into this dimension and affecting others, and not really being conscious of it. My little cousin still shows her friends 'Tiger Dance' at sleepovers. Somehow, the things we do sprout legs and create worlds of their own. And Land Rovers.

What is the best part of shooting a music video, in your opinion?

MB: The best part of shooting a music video is making someone look much more attractive than they actually are. Have you ever seen Jon Visger in real life?

RB: Hott Garbage is one of the few projects that I've worked on that I can create what I want and actually pays rent. That's a new thing for me. I've had a long career in retail, landscaping, nursing homes, etc. etc. So sometimes when I eat dinner I think, "Yeah. Music Videos."

Favourite director?

MB: Currently, Nima Nourizadeh.

RB: Godfrey Ho.

What is your current favourite local band?

MB: Supercontinent

RB: This guy comes over to my apartment sometimes and mows the lawn but he leaves his two yippy dogs in the cab of his truck. I think they're really pushing the boundaries of music and are what this community really needs.

I have noticed a reoccuring theme in your music videos: Dave Kloc. What's the intrigue there? Is he just really photogenic? Or just always available for music video shoots?

MB: Superstition, videos always turn out terrible if Dave is not within 100 ft of the camera at all times.

RB: I used to visit Ann Arbor long ago when I was just a baby. Nick Vandermolen and I would bounce around town with artists like Jason Polan and Jake Brege. (They did the "Ants" mural by the Parking Structure, and a few other ones about town) I remember the energy and insanity of those times and redefining what I knew art to be; organic, uncomfortable, and mesmerizing. These are qualities that I see in Dave Kloc. The last of a by-gone era.

If you could make a video for any artist/musician who has ever lived, who would it be and why?

MB: Danzig, because he's Danzig.

RB: I don't tend to work with artists based on who they are as musicians. I tend to work with them based on how much they will let me get away with. So, probably Boney M.

Rick, are you really a flamenco dancer? You had some pretty killer moves at the Mason Proper video shoot.

MB:No, he's not, he's fat.

RB: I read that John Frusciante kicked heroin by dancing to The Cure for something like 36 hours straight. I just want to be able to kick cigarettes.

When you both aren't making videos, what are you most likely doing?

MB: Petting my dog Riley or reading books.

RB: Graphic Novels. I've linked up with a few artists/writers that I like to sell our books and we call ourselves the Ballum Rancum.

And lastly, and most importantly,

what are you favourite pizza toppings?

No joke. Your fans neeeed to know.

MB:My favorite pizza topping is oreos. I had one of those in Kansas and my head about exploded.

RB: Ham. Pineapple. Onion. Bacon. Rarely do I find anyone who will go halfsies with me.

To date, this is one of my favourite music videos put out by Hott Garbage. Please enjoy.

MASON PROPER - "FRIENDSHIP" - Music Video from Dovecote Records on Vimeo.

Weekend Update

2008-08-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday: PJ's Lager House. Champions of Breakfast's triumphant return from their European tour. Most of their old equipment has been recycled. They have a brand new set-up that will blind you as badly as you were blinded at the Ladytron show last month. If you were there, that is. Please try the Champion of Breakfast drink next time you go. It is delicious.

Friday: PJ's AGAIN. This time for Scarlett Oaks and The Darts, who soldiered on even though the singer fucked up his cankle again. I thought they were great*. Jocelyn needs to sing more. She's good. I stuck around through half of The Vamps' set, but I was too tired to stay for Scarlett Oaks. Which sucks. Because I like them. But I am a wimp.

Saturday: The CAID. Not only did Oscillating Fan Club release a new record, but they had Zoos of Berlin open for them. I love Zoos of Berlin. I cannot get enough of them. Please put out a new record, dudes.

Honestly, I wasn't digging The Bee Keepers at all. Sorry.

If you weren't at The Magic Stick, you missed this and that. I know, right? Those two dudes are creepy.

I ended up at a strange party in Ferndale Saturday night where I was yelled at by the doppelganger of this man:

You know what, people? It's not my fault if you have someone who lives in the same area as you and looks almost exactly like you when we are standing outside with very little light. I used to get told I looked like Drew Barrymore. Do you think she'll be mistaken for me while she is in town? Probably not. But that would be cool.**

Sunday: Sleepday.

This next weekend? Corktown Tavern to see Jack Oblivian on the 9th.

*I know, I know, I totally dissed their CD last month. I am not trying to make ammends, though. They really are good live.
**Although I think we look nothing alike.

Leann Banks Takes on Home Movies, Slurpees

2008-08-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

A formidable lady, Leann Banks knows some things about some stuff. First off, she understands that Slurpees are horrible if they contain more than two flavors. Her flavor choices? Coca-cola and cherry. If you are hear to read her talk some shit about Jason Stollsteimer, you have come to the wrong place. Leann is a genuinely nice person. I mean, G-E-N-U-I-N-E. I tried to bait her into talking shit. And she didn't take the bait. Actually, I didn't do that. Anyway, she had nothing but marvelous things to say about her polarizing band mate. Enough about him though. This article is about her. In all her rock n' roll glory.

Born and raised in Michigan (on the "east side"), Banks started playing guitar as a teenager, and eventually switched to bass, which she plays in The Von Bondies currently. Before The Von Bondies, Leann was in The Sirens, and more notably, Ghost City.

For some reason or another, I cannot seem to find part of the interview on the recording device I use. This really puts a damper on the article. I would like to apologize to Leann for the lack of awesomeness in this article because of my stupidity.

I decided to do the interview while watching the first season of Home Movies with Leann seeing as we are both avid fans. We were hanging out with our ex-bandmate (from different bands) Brandon.

Leann: Brandon (from Ghost City) reminds me of Jason (from Home Movies).
Brandon: That's what Jason says (from The Von Bondies)!
Elle: I can totally see that.
Leann: Jason (TVB) reminds me of Brendon (HM).
Elle: So are you the Melissa to their Jason and Brendon?
Leann: No... I don't know. But our sound guy reminds me of Coach McGuirk.
Elle: I need to meet this guy.

Elle: So, let's talk about tour. What kind of food did you eat?
Leann: There was this one pizza place we went to and we had a pizza that was seriously 24" in diameter. It was sooooo huge.
Elle: I love pizza.
Leann: Me too.

"I'm going to punch him in the butt!" --- Brendon Small
Leann: I was having a really bad day a couple weeks ago, and we have basic cable. I came home and turned on the TV. I've only seen like the first two seasons of Scrubs, and I knew there was a musical version, and when I turned on the TV, that's the episode that came on.
Elle: I thought the musical was great.
Leann: It made me so happy. And from that day, I cannot stop listening to 'Guy Love.'
Elle: I was just going to say, 'Guy Love' is great!
Leann: I just can't stop! I listen to it like everyday!
Elle: I know!
*we begin to sing 'Guy Love'*
Leann: 'There's nothing gay about it in our eyes...' I'm a huge showtune nerd.

After the interview, I sent her a few more questions via Facebook after I realized that my journalism skills suck (i.e. losing most of the interview).

Elle: What do you love about Michigan? What do you hate about Michigan? Favorite Detroit band of all time? Favorite Detroit band of the moment?
Leann: Michigan is a strange place... I kinda stand a middle ground with it... That's why these questions are so tough! It's pretty sweet that I can tell someone where I live by pointing at my hand. One thing I've always disliked about Michigan is the fact that people don't travel through it. They don't need to! You either come to Michigan, or you don't. and most people don't. As far as bands.... I always hate these kinds of questions because I never feel like I'm covering all the bases! :) so I'll say the early/original Funk Brothers... because that covers a lot of ground. And listen to those bass lines! As for the band of right now... you should check out this group called the Von Bondies... I hear they're pretty sweet. ;)

So, like, is Deep Cutz Charlie really just an emo kid?

2008-07-31T04:43:00.000-07:00

Last night, I did an interview with another Detroit blogger. I know, right? We keep tooting each other's horns. But this time, it was different. I asked him all the tough questions, and some not-so-tough ones. He's a vegetarian. I didn't want to make him cry, you know?

I think we managed to cover all the important bases in this interview. Here is my take on the interview. The stuff in italics are what I was thinking while I was reading what he was saying. Or while I was typing what I was typing.

Elle: Hey dude
9 minutes go by. I think this Charlie kid is flaking out on the interview. Jerk.
Elle: Hello? Hello?
Charlie: hello?
Elle: Hello! O Hai!
Charlie: hello indeed!

Elle: How are you?
Charlie: pretty groovy
ya know? kinda serene
how about you?
Elle: Fantastic!
Charlie: right on
what's new? how's the world?
Elle: Let's see... Nothing, and I have no idea. Oh my god, did you hear about how LiLo is a lesbian?! SERIOUSLY!
You?
Charlie: writing
and duke ellington
and a john lennon doc
and laundry

Elle: Whoa! Busy guy! I should do my laundry
Charlie: maybe gonna read about husker du
yeah, but it's fun
Elle: This is already the worst interview ever. This is already the worst interview ever.
Charlie: i hadn't realized we started
Elle: I kid. Duh, why else would I talk to you?
Charlie: this confounded internet moves too fast sometimes
interviews start at their own accord, people post things left and right and microsoft falls apart
Elle: Oh, Microsoft. The dirge of my existence.
Charlie: dirge
i like that word

Elle: It is a good word!
I'm glad you like that word. You use a lot of big, fancy pants words when you right.
Did you go to school or something?
Charlie: i remember going into some buildings yes, sitting quietly and having someone talk at me blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
not sure if that was school...but it was a building blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
i actually have a Masters Degree in Wordology blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah

Elle: A Master's degree, eh?
Charlie: yep
Elle: Whoa. Dude, I have like five of those.
Charlie: the field is actually fairly close to the work of paleontology

Elle: I don't think I can do this interview anymore

Charlie: haha
what's your story?
now the questions are coming your way
outside of writing a blog called Detroit Riot
(dig how i threw that plug into your own interview)

Elle: Oh geez, see that is hard because that blog is my life.
I mean, I sleep sometimes, and I eat sometimes, but it's all about blogging, you know.
Charlie: it's a bloggers world
Elle: DEEP CUTZ
Charlie: i'm glad i don't write one of those
Elle: There, I have also plugged you
Charlie: yes
more subtly than i did for you
cheers
Elle: For sure.
I am all about subtleties.

Charlie: what are you listening to right now?
top 5 things you listened to today
or...
Elle: Oh! Crispin Hellion Glover's stunning rendition of "These Boots are Made for Walking" And I am crying.
Charlie: the 5 things
WHOA

Elle: Have you heard it!?
Charlie: i didn't know he covered that, let alone that his middle name was hellion
Elle: Well, you are getting a mix cd, my friend
Charlie: sweet
i'll do the same for you
i was gonna make a witticism re: back to the future
but nothing's coming
nothing good anyway

Elle: Back to my top five.. I just downloaded the new Pascal album via Emusic.
Charlie: oh yeah?
Elle: Can I have a top 12?
Charlie: let's go for 11
so you've got 2 down
Elle: Damnit. Fair enough.
I was just going to name off all 12 tracks of the Pascal album
Charlie: sweet
what do you think so far?
Elle: I like it so far
I can't think of any fancy ways to describe it at the moment
Charlie: regal? poignant? prestitigous?

Elle: So, I am going to copy off of you. Top five songs you heard today.
Go.
Charlie: oh
songs?
Elle: Or things in general
Charlie: well, my favorite song off the silent years new album is called Ropes; and I like this song from this solo singer/songwriter Elliott-Smithy/Sparklehorsey/Becky kinda act called Willoughby
and this local band called Night Shall Eat These Boys and Girls I was going to interview them but then I found out Charlie interviewed them and I was all like, fuck that.

Elle: Did you say Elliott Smith AND Beck? I will check this out.
Charlie: and Donovan Quinn and the 13th Month!
yeah
kinda laid back, college campusy type, sunny autumn day type sound

Elle: Did you know Beck is a Scientologist?
Wacky.
Charlie: indeed i did
it always made me feel a bit uncomfortable
i heard someone say recently that they feel his scientology is starting to come out in his albums

Elle: Is there anything you don't know?
Charlie: what women want^...
that i only know half the time
Elle: Good answer!
Charlie: ha
how about Beck's latest?
Elle: I have not listened to it.
I am afraid it will seduce me into Scientology. Because, you know, Beck is seductive and whatnot. Beck is so sexy.
Charlie: and a scientologist
Elle: Exactly. A sexy scientologist
Charlie: he has a song called 'soul of a man' on it
which is suspect, cuz scientologists are all about that soul and alien thing
the title track is pretty sweet though

Elle: I really liked the cover he did of Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You in the End" although that is old.
Charlie: i often dig it when anyone covers daniel johnston
Elle: For real. Shut up already.
Charlie: beach house, built to spill
it's all good
i was a big fan of the documentary that came out about him
Elle: I have not seen it! But I have heard good things.
Charlie: it was really somber, but heartening at the same time...plus, the director as phenomenal, he would always give you point of view shots of daniel's wacky adventures, whether it was terrorizing old laides or getting punched out by carnies

Elle: Speaking of carnies... Thoughts?
Charlie: salt of the earth?
spotty clothes, sunburns, leather vests (not leather jackets,) smoking around 4 year olds, pulling cranks
nomads
Elle: What's your problem with carnies? Have you been punched by any?
Charlie: oh, i got no quarrels
they're cool
not punched yet
but i guess i would be understanding if one did
we'd probably talk about it afterward, i feel
maybe over elephant ears
Elle: I love elephant ears!
Charlie: i actually haven't had one in a long time
Elle: I had one at the Tiger stadium recently.
So you are a real, bonafide journalist?

Charlie: absolutely
'a doctor of journalism'

Elle: I don't know why I asked. I totally knew that.
Charlie: really? is it out on the streets?
Elle: It is!

Charlie: so what else are you digging? what else is happenin?

Elle: I am really digging... Umm...
I don't know.
I am tapped out.
I am going to the release show for Oscillating. Once I get my hands on that record, I am sure I will be digging on it.
Or digging it.
Charlie: it's beautiful and terrific
and snappy
but i already wrote enough about it
Elle: Snappy?! Awesome.
Charlie: i think it's amazing, i put it up there already with some of the strongest releases in local history

Elle: Wow.
You know, I feel like a lot of stuff that has come out of this area lately is superb.
Charlie: detroit is bubbling
Elle: Bubbling! And hustlin'
Charlie: yeah
Elle: You gotta hustle, you know?

Charlie: lately it feels like we're living in an unbalanced washing machine, that's rattling like apocalyptic hellfire...that growing roaring metallic rattle, ya know? like this strange and frightening contraption is in the middle of some ravenous fit and it's gonna come to a head any second
at least, that's what my washing machine does every week....so that was the quickest metaphor for me

Elle: Whatever you just said. Yeah. Agreed.
So you actually own your own washing machine?
That is impressive.
Almost as impressive as what you just said.

Charlie: haha
i'm diggin this interview
i dunno, ya know what i mean though?
how that blasted washing machines rattling just keeps getting louder and louder

Elle: I am picking up what you are putting down
Charlie: but it's still under a lid?
but...
at any moment...
ah here we go...
that lid will blow the fuck off
that's the ticket

Elle: Who will fix this washing machine?
Charlie: oh no one
i hope it blows to hell
let detroit's underwear and long johns go all over the room

Elle: Detroit needs it's long johns. Srsly. It gets cold.
Charlie: sudsy splendor
well, i think in this metaphor, the bands are the long johns
and the room is the world's ears

Elle: I do like the idea that it will culminate into a huge bubble party.
Charlie: oh yeah
cleansing
and ceremonial

Elle: So, once the long johns are scattered about Detroit in disarray...
I don't know where I was going with that.
I am sure there will be a party, though.
Speaking of parties, been to any good ones lately? Dude, I need a beer.
Charlie: i'm actually at one right now
at my house
it's all over the place, i just found a quiet space for me and my computer
Elle: Make sure no one spills beer on your computer!
Charlie: remember the scene from weird science? it's kinda like that over here
umm..., parties...
Elle: omg, I totally do.
Charlie: X! Fest was great
as was the javelins party
i was also at a pool party recently, which was transcendent

Elle: I did not attend X!fest. But I heard good things.
You know people who have a pool!? thoroughly impressed.
Charlie: indeed
veggie kabob by the pool side on a sunday afternoon
Elle: Are you vegetarian?
Charlie: yep
would meat eaters enthusiastically go for the veggie kabob?
i think anytime i say i had somthing 'veggie' it's a giveaway
Elle: I made some amazing potato and zucchini fritter/pancakes for dinner.
Charlie: stupendous dumb big word
Elle: I actually got THREE meat eaters to eat and enjoy tofu this week.
That's got to be a record.
Charlie: same here!
i made this spinach-barley risotto
which came with a lotta tofu
i'm slowly converting my family and others
much like beck...
are you vegetarian?
Elle: Yes.
I told Jay (fivethreedialtone) that and he said he was going to make fun of me. Jay, why do you hate me?
Charlie: yeah, he used to make fun of me all the time for it
Elle: My dad ate all the tofu I made last time I visited. He left none for me.
Charlie: ha
that's good though, that he dug it
Elle: For sure!
He likes to act like a man's man. But tofu can be manly.
It was covered in bbq sauce.

Charlie: perfect
well elle...
my brother's asking me to come back and watch the rest of Control with him
Elle: Lucky.
Will Yates is in that.
Charlie: which, halfway through is a great flick so far
....
really? He obviously does not read my blog.
Elle: No.
Charlie: ha
that's great
Elle: He is in a lot of things though. It's the goddamn truth.
You have a great night.
Charlie: you too elle
keep up the great work over there at DETROIT RIOT
Elle: Yeah! You too! DEEP CUTTZZZZZ

Electric Six Cleans Up Detroit

2008-07-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

...and then he got locked outside.

2008-07-30T06:37:00.001-07:00

The Burning Hatreds, a trio of punk bandits from Coldwater, MI, that are prepared to freak you out, moderately. Unconventional, considering they are a three piece (one guitar, a drummer, and a energized frontman) and manage to make as much noise as a band twice that size. But they are still very conventional. When I say "punk," you will know what to expect from their music. It's not complicated, it's not overdone, it's not polished. Just cut and dry. Punk.

The singer, Been Lyin', is a spazz. It was as if he stole all of the energy out of every member of Child Bite and harnassed it into one, 30-minute long set. And he licked my camera. Further proof of this will be posted later this evening.

The singer told us a harrowing story about being mugged in Chicago recently. I can't really remember the details of the story, but it went something like this: He was going to put a record he just bought in his car and these two dudes came up to him and started harassing him. They asked for his money, and he only had a wrinkled, sweaty dollar in his front pocket. This entire time, he was using his body as a shield for the record. The dudes wanted his phone. But he said, "do I look like the type of guy with a cellphone?" and they let him be. So all that was taken was a sweaty, gross dollar that would probably not work in a vending machine. Awesome. Way to thwart those criminals!!!

Go to their myspace and check out the comment cards from a Battle of the Bands they played.

I did get to hang out with world-reknowned blogger extraordinaire, Rich Tupica, owner of a million shitty CDs sent to him by fledgling bands. Tupica lives in Lansing with his absurdly creative girlfriend, who is the official editor of his 'zine, online and in print. I think I have talked about them before. I like them. I like to pretend we are friends.

What happened to the Andrew WK interview? Honestly, I wasn't feeling it. I didn't start this blog to meet semi-famous people. I felt like I would have lost all my indie-cred had I gone through with it. He is playing the Juggalo Gathering. Seriously? Yeah, that's what I said. Maybe he just really likes being covered in Faygo. I do not. Plus, I am very serious about life. He just likes to party hard all the time.

Oh, go read my other blog for some reviews. A review, rather. I will get more up soon.

Oh. My. God.

2008-07-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

Javelins were amazing last night. But I don't need to tell you that because I am pretty sure you were all there. If you weren't, it was awesome and Will Yates played with them. Everything is better with a little Will Yates. I think Kevin Bayson played on stage as well. I just assumed it was him. I did no actual research. That could be a total lie.

I didn't take pictures because this guy's brother did, and I wanted to dance.

Today, I did something I never thought I would do: wear white leggings and white teeshirt in public. And I didn't wear any makeup.

Why, oh why, did I something so out of character? For Mason Proper. They were filming a music video for a single off their new album, Olly Oxen Free, at the Russell Industrial Center in Detroit.

Refused, "New Noise." The video for "Safe For the Time Being" will kind of be like that. Mason Proper is a hardcore band now, btw.

I was told to wear light colored clothes for the shoot, and I think I was the only one there in light colored clothes. Note to self: other Mason Proper fans are not as smart as me.* These two people were friends of directors**:

Rachel and Dave and some pizza.
Dave is a huge fan of pizza. He is also the bass player for Empty Orchestra for their upcoming tour. His friend, Rachel, is really funny and has some amazing dance moves. She also loves pizza.

Scary mask. Jonathan from MP even said he was afraid of the masks at first.

The new Mason Proper CD comes out September 23rd. I will be reviewing it! Maybe I will convince them to do an interview. I tried to talk to Zac Fineberg in the hallway, but his mouth was full of pizza.

That's really all I want to say about the video shoot. It's going to be an amazing video. These folks are pros.

I wish I could find someone in the Detroit area who I could do a photo comparison to Dennis Lyxzén with. Anyone? Anyone?

*In case you didn't know, I am joking. Sort of.
**Hott Garbage, who also made the EO vid for "It Gets Better" and the Mason Proper vid for "Friendship."

Mulder and Scully, OMG.

2008-07-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Even though they aren't from Michigan, I have to give them MAD PROPS.

Quitzow. Amazing. Check them out. "Sponsor" and "Peanut" are going to go on any mixed CD I make for anyone in the next couple of months. Fair warning. They are from NYC. I will be reviewing their CD in a day or so if you need to be convinced further.

Also, check out The Summer Pledge. They are from Michigan. Also amazing. If you are looking for some extreme prog-rock, you will definitely want to see one of their shows. And if you happen to only catch a four-song set like I did, they should be putting out some material this summer. That's what their myspace page says anyway. So far, I haven't seen anything. Get on it, boys.

Tonight, I am going to see the new X-Files movie with my family. Because that is what really cool kids do on a Friday night, yo.

Tomorrow, I will be hopping from one release show to the next. Catch me if you can!

Brief blogging hiatus.

2008-07-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

I will be in the wonderous town of Memphis* for the next two days. Although my parents finally have the Internetz, I will be avoiding computers altogether. But I will come back with a couple of articles/blogs that I will handwrite and then post as such. I am warning you, my handwriting is atrocious. My sincerest apologies. Not.

As you may or may not have heard, this upcoming weekend is a CD/7" Release Extravaganza! Your best bets: The Hentchmen's new release comes with bubblegum and trading cards. Way to go, Bellyache. Also, there is the new full-length by Javelins. But I've already talked them up enough to say anymore.

In other news, Detroit Summer Smash is back and better than ever!** For a good cause. I love causes. Has anyone seen the dude that won't use pillows for 31 days? He is a cutie. Who also loves causes. Anyway, check out their myspace to see the line-ups. It's at the CAID. Woooo!

*Michigan
**I am not just saying that because I am playing it.

Weren't you in that Blur video with the cute milk guy?

2008-07-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Oh, photo comparisons. I think I might just do these from now on. No one really reads this blog, do they? I mean, there are so many words... At least I am not throwing around "ubiquitous" or "endemic."

So here is another photo comparison so you don't have to stare really hard at the words that I write trying to figure out what the hell I am talking about.

Today I present you with Graham Coxon and Jonathan Visger. Both are in bands, respectively. Both play Telecasters, respectively. Both have glasses and the same hairdo, respectively. Both write awesome songs that I like to sing along to in my car, respectively. Coxon hails from England, Visger from Alpena, MI. So, they both speak English, respectively. OMG Elle, stop writing, start posting the pictures already!

click for a bigger picture. All Mason Proper pictures stolen from karlyherron on Flickr.

With all of that being said, I would like to remind you all that the Mason Proper CD is done and will be out by the end of this summer. Score. I am excited about it, obviously.

Pitchfork-less

2008-07-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

I am not going to Pitchfork this weekend. It's not in Michigan, so therefore I do not care about it.

NOT.

I am totally upset and distraught and torn to pieces that I will miss this man:

It's my own fault really. I didn't buy a ticket. DUMB.

If you are not going to Pitchfork, then you should find me on Saturday (I can't bring myself to self-promote on this blog, but if you care enough, it's posted everywhere else on the internetz) and we can cry together about how cool it would be to see Jarvis Cocker and what idiots we are for not planning things better. NOTE: It's definitely a plus if you LOOK like Jarvis Cocker. That would be fantastic. Thank you.

Brutally Heavy Meadows.

2008-07-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard being a blogger in Detroit. By the time you get the newest releases (even before they are out), five other people have already written about it. Don't cry for me though, because then I still end up with a bunch of music I didn't previously have. For the most part, it is good. Sometimes, it is real bad.

In the case of Javelins new record, Heavy Meadows, I did not know what to expect. Their first LP, No Plants Just Animals, was OK. Nothing new, nothing exciting, nothing to "write home about," if you will. It was just... OK. Before popping in their newest effort, I jotted down a list of musicians that I thought might make appearances on the album. The list is as follows:
* Zach Curd (Pop Project)
* Will Yates (Pop Project)
* Christian Doble (Child Bite/Kiddo)
* Kaylan Mitchell (Canada*)

I think I was right about Zach and Kaylan. Win!

And now for the review:
[insert the longest run-on sentence possible with the most pretentious words you could possibly find in a dictionary/thesaurus]

OK, here is the real review:

If the Blood Brothers and Interpol did some 'shrooms and smoked a bunch of weed together and jammed, they might sound like Javelins. Or if The Get Up Kids decided to bro down with Tim Kasher, and record an album, it might sound like Heavy Meadows.

OK, no seriously, real real review time:

A fan of malapropisms, I was hoping Heavy Meadows was a play on words for Heavy Metal, but I was sorely disappointed. Instead, I got softly caressed on the face (as opposed to being punched in the face) by soothing stringed instruments (as opposed to brutal, sweeping guitar parts run through two full stacks in a bar the size of my office).

The opening track of the album, Flowers, teeters on pretty and dissonant to the point where you are lulled into (and then jacked out of) a mid-summer's nap in a hammock on your parents' backporch in the 'burbs. Lyrically heartbreaking, compounded by a heartwrenching vocal melody. Could be an emo song. But it's not. Maybe it is. I don't know. I just like describing things as "emo" as much as possible.

The strings at the beginning of The Pounding were unexpected. After doing a little research (ie, stalking other blogs and Flickr accounts and Myspace pages), it turns out not only Mitchell was involved but so was Cassandra Verras. Awesome.

Personally, the stand out tracks on the album are El Dorado, Pickup Lines, and Out On the Sand. Out On the Sand is more The Stills than it is Interpol, but it's so well executed with perfectly chosen guitar effects, punctuated synths, awkward vocals, and dancey drum beats that you completely forget that you just compared it to The Stills and Interpol on the first listen. Pickup Lines boasts some memorable lyrics like, "memories are something that you can't afford." Deep. El Dorado is just good. Plain and simple. Good. Not that the song is plain nor simple.

Shit, I told Matt Rickles that I was going to tear this CD apart. I just can't, though.

Anyway, they are doing some record release show or something next weekend, the 26th, to be exact, at my favourite bar ever, The Belmont. They are playing with this totally awesome band called Nouns. I love that band. I will probably be at the show. Bring money and buy the record/album/CD/LP/whatever.

*And because she is on just about EVERY record ever made in Michigan. She's awesome at what she does. It's no joke.

OMG Neil Patrick Harris.

2008-07-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

Dr. Horrible
by Joss Whedon

So, it's not THAT great. Remember Buffy's musical episode? It's a musical. But it's not as bad. And I can pretend that Neil Patrick Harris isn't gay for a few minutes.

The Oscillating Fan Club Fan Club

2008-07-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

Before last year, I did not really enjoy "rock/psychedelic/surf" music... Until I saw Oscillating Fan Club, that is. For the second time. The first time I saw them, they sounded a lot different, and they all seemed to be having a really bad time onstage. You could tell they were technically awesome musicians, but something was amiss. It could have been the horrible weather, it could have been that I had just played my first solo show ever and I was so amazing that they felt they couldn't live up to my awesomeness, it could have been the sound mix...

But since then, I have run into Oscillating Fan Club's members at various Detroit/Ferndale/Hamtramck bars, seen a few of their shows, and rubbed shoulders with them at parties. One thing you should know about Oscillating Fan Club: they do not like puns. Or so says the guitarist, Ray. This was said after I explained to the Jon the bassist that "Elle and the Fonts" was a play on words (or a malapropism) for "elephants." "I like elephants," says Pierce.

Pierce also likes ghosts. I am warned before I even take a seat on the back porch of the drummer, Rob's, house that Pierce is a little obsessed with ghosts. "And dinosaurs!" exclaims Jon. "A lot of our songs are about ghosts," says Pierce. "Yeah, all of the songs that you write, anyway," Ray counters.

But not all of the songs are about dinosaurs and ghosts. They actually have a song about Nuremburg. And by "song," I mean "showtune." Yes, they have a showtune about Nuremburg. And according Rob, singing it is a great way to freak out people in the elevator. I still have yet to test this out. I am not sure if they are talking about Nuremburg trials, Nurnberg the German city, or some dude in history that I have no recollection of from history classes. I did not want to ask them, though; we had more things to talk about, like the vinyl they are releasing on August 6th. Or is that August 2nd?

"It's August 2nd," says Ray.
"I'm dumb with dates," I say.
"Yeah, Ray is like an idiot savant with dates. He can, like, tell you what day of the week any day is. Like 'October 12th is a Tuesday!' Out of nowhere," Rob points out.
At this point, Ray takes out his phone. Apparently, he isn't an idiot savant; he just knows how to use the calendar in his phone.
"October 12th is a Sunday."

Elle: So, we played that show together at the Painted Lady. Was that, like, two and half years ago? That was one of the only shows I have ever been paid at. So, thanks, guys.
Rob: Yeah, The Painted Lady was really a get-rich-quick scheme.
Ray: Lot of pay in Detroit, a lot of money to be made.
Elle: Really?
Ray: Watch out for it.
Elle: Where at?
Pierce: The Glass show.
Ray: Yeah, at 6 o'clock in the morning. That's the way to make money.
Pierce: Actually, the Bohemian House.

*at this point, Ray, Pierce, and Rob discuss their press kit, and ponder if they had sent it to the people who do Dally in the Alley. Jon questions me about my band. We won't get into that here*

Elle: I should probably start asking you real questions.
All of them: Oh OK, *grumble grumble* nooooooo
Elle: Do you have any favourite local bands right now?
Pierce: Yes!!!
Elle: Besides yourselves.
Pierce: Oh.
Ray: It's just us. Can we say that?
Elle: Sure.
Ray: The greatest band in history.
Pierce: No.
Ray: Red China is great. Duende and Wildcatting.
Elle: Anyone that's not affiliated?
Ray: Wildcatting.
Rob: Zoos of Berlin!
Pierce: I like those Silver Ghosts. They are good.
Rob: Deastro.
Ray: We should get him to play the CD release show.
Robin: I can never get ahold of him.
Elle: Have you seen the full band?
Ray: Yeah they played at Blue Moon.
Pierce: I didn't know it was a band.
Ray: Yeah, they have a drummer, and then a bass player and guitarist.
Elle: Those guys were all in an emo band together from Sterling heights.
Ray: Oh god.
Someone: Emo sucks.
Jon: What is wrong with emo?

*this conversation becomes long and boring at this point because I am mostly talking about myself and how emo I am*

Elle: What is your definition of emo, Pierce?
Pierce: America.

Pierce: I have a cartoon strip I started. One of the characters is named Mayor Aristocratic Dog.
Elle: What is the strip called?
Pierce: Ghostropolis. I have it the car if you want to check it out.
Elle: Totally!
Ray: NO!
Jon: Come on!
Ray: Don't encourage him!
Elle: So on the topic of ghosts...
Pierce: We have some songs about ghosts.
Ray: Our first song ever, Baby Ghost Alarm Clock.
Pierce: We have a song now called Ancient Wind Ghost, and it should make the album.
Ray: Actually, none of those did.
Pierce: ...A bang up single!!!

Pierce has a song. He sings it at work. It goes something like this:
"I'm turning into a giraaaafe again."

Rob: These guys do a lot of showtunes. One of my favourite showtunes is "Ray's Zany Construction."
Ray: *sings the Ray's Zany Construction song*
Rob: And then there is that Nuremburg song...
Pierce: Yeah!
*Pierce and Ray sing*

Elle: When did you start recording this album?
Pierce: uhhh, 2004?
Rob: No, I thought we started recording some of the songs before that.
Ray: I think it was 2006, actually.
Jon: Was it 2006? I thought it was 2004...
Pierce: We have been recording this forever.
Elle: What is the name of the vinyl you are releasing?
Ray: Feverish Dreams As Told By dot dot dot.
Pierce: But not really the "dot dot dot" spelled out. Just three periods.
Elle: I get it. That is called an ellipses.
Pierce: I love the ellipses.
Rob: I use them all the time. At the end of every sentence.

Oscillating Fan Club will be releasing "Feverish Dreams As Told..." (according to their most recent Myspace bulletin) on August 2nd at The CAID in Detroit, MI with Zoos of Berlin. It will be released on VINYL. Let's hope for their sake they include a digital download, or this guy won't buy it. You really should come to the release show, and show some support. They have been working on this record forever. Or since 2004 or 2006.

Photo comparison time!

photos (ccw from upper left: J.Milo, Cafe du Monde flickr, unknown,

*fab* flickr, RDW, Elle, trevor.long flickr)

Thanks, Megan, for clearing that up for me!

Photo Comparison

2008-07-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

This past Friday, I interviewed Oscillating Fan Club, and the drummer, Rob, pointed out that Will Yates (Zoos of Berlin, Pop Project) looks very similar to Ian Curtis (Joy Division). So, I did a photo comparison. You can judge for yourself.

I was going to do a photo comparison of Pierce from OFC vs. Thurston Moore, but I got bored scouring the internetz for pictures. Maybe I'll post a comparison when I publish the blog about OFC.

Maybe I'm not done acting like a 13-year-old...

2008-07-11T07:57:00.000-07:00