1. Founding members Vulture Voltaire (rhymes) and Ricky Rabbit (beats) began life as dutiful D.C.-area hardcore kids, but they could not ignore the gravitational yank of the funk, the skronk-appeal of free jazz, or the verbal clarity of hip-hop. Now they make crazy rap songs. Don’t even try to talk smack about Outkast around them. 2. Vulture V needed some lyrical yin to his yang, so the group made rapper Hy a fully vested member for “Belly,” their second CD, which has a home on Hoss Records. Hy is supremely confident about his microphone abilities: “But fuck bein’ humble/When it […]
COMING ATTRACTION: An Exclusive Interview With I Am Trying To Break Your Heart Director Sam Jones
In honor of you-know-who coming to town next week we will be running an in-depth Q&A with Sam Jones, the director of I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. Sam is probably better known for his commercial photography — you have seen his work, believe me. He recently published Here And Now (Harper Collins), a collection of his stunning celebrity portraiture, with forward by George Clooney. [Artwork by SETH WOLFSHORNDL]
IN 1987: I Saw An X-Ray Of Girl Passing Gas
BY JONATHAN VALANIA First thing you should know is that what I am about to tell you violates a solemn pact that was made by all involved: Whatever happens in 1987 stays in 1987. I grew up in Pennsyltucky — Allentown, PA, to be exact — and by the time I was getting to the be the age where you just WANNA GET THE FUCK OUT OF DODGE, a shiny new superhighway literally appeared out of thin air, connecting the hinterlands of the Keystone State to New York City with a directness and efficiency that was heretofore unimaginable. You could […]
EARLY WORD: There’s A Creep In The Cellar
As promised, tomorrow we will share some hazy memories about our gloriously misspent ’80s youth, specifically about following a band called the Butthole Surfers around like the Grateful Dead. We would share today, but the statute of limitations doesn’t run out until tomorrow. You know how it is. Anyway, we will also — God willing — have an interview with Gibby Haynes on Friday. It was supposed to happen to today but Gibby lost his phone in DC last night. Some things never change. In the meantime, we will be giving away a limited number of tickets for Saturday’s show. […]
STEAL THIS LINK: Listen Like Thieves
After a bit of legal wrangling, Bay Area DJ/producer Amplive‘s Rainydayz Remixes project is here to stay. (Rainydayz being the Zion I member’s reimagining of Radiohead‘s In Rainbows with assistance from MCs like Too $hort, Del the Funky Homosapien, Chali 2na, and his Zion I partner MC Zumbi.) And it’s available for download now by following this very link. [via PITCHFORK]
THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS: Pepper
Some will die in hot pursuit In fiery auto crashes Some will die in hot pursuit While sifting through my ashes Some will fall in love with life And drink it from a fountain That is pouring like an avalanche Coming down the mountain –GIBBY HAYNES, 1996
Radiohead Announces U.S. Tour Dates, Philly MIA
May 5 – Cruzan Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, Florida May 6 – Ford Amphitheatre – Tampa, Florida May 8 – Lakewood Amphitheatre – Atlanta, Georgia May 9 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Charlotte, North Carolina May 11 – Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge – Bristow, Virginia May 14 – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – St Louis, Missouri May 17 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, Texas May 18 – Superpages.com Center – Dallas, Texas
THE EARLY WORD: Surf’s Up!
All week long we will be waxing nostalgic about our gloriously misspent psychedelic youth while attempting to explain how and why — from about 1984-1987 — a band called the Butthole Surfers were the ONLY band that mattered. I know, I know — but it’s true! And just to prove our point, we will be giving away tickets for Friday’s show at the Troc. Why? Because we love you!
BACK IN BLACK: Amy Winehouse Cleans Up Nice
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — British pop singer Amy Winehouse, whose rapid descent from promising newcomer to emaciated junkie played out in the full glare of the public eye last year, took home five Grammy Awards on Sunday. But jazz veteran Herbie Hancock was the shock winner of the coveted album of the year award, preventing Winehouse from enjoying a historic clean sweep. Winehouse, 24, did win the key awards for record and song of the year for her hit tune “Rehab,” as well as best new artist. Her haul was rounded out by the female pop vocal solo performance for […]
NEWS CLUES: It’s Like Adderall For Your Eyeballs
RIP: Actor Roy Scheider Dead At 75, Shark Not Involved Roy Scheider, a stage actor with a background in the classics who became one of the leading figures in the American film renaissance of the 1970s, died on Sunday afternoon in Little Rock, Ark. He was 75 and lived in Sag Harbor, N.Y. Mr. Scheider had suffered from multiple myeloma for several years, and died of complications from a staph infection, his wife, Brenda Seimer, said. Mr. Scheider’s rangy figure, gaunt face and emotional openness made him particularly appealing in everyman roles, most famously as the agonized police chief of […]
All Of This Happened While You Were Sleeping
FUTURE SCHLOCK: White Williams, Johnny Brendas, Last Night 1. Had I not been too busy gossiping with Mike D, I would have whipped out the notebook and chatted up srsly cute boy Joe Williams, who passed the time until his set snuggled up in a fur-hooded parka behind the merch table or hanging with some power gays at the bar. 2. When the time came, Williams climbed onstage and, accompanied by guitar and bass, whipped the largely young, male and hirsute crowd into a state of wiggling, bouncing bliss. But seriously, the kid in the audience who spent half the […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
SUNSHINE SUPERMEN: The Photon Band, Johnny Brendas, Friday Night [Photos by JONATHAN VALANIA]
LIVE: Top Five Reasons Why Cat Power Was Just ‘Meh’
MEOW MIX: Cat Power, Starlight Ballroom, Last Night CLICK TO ENLARGE 1. She was late. Like, almost an hour late. Yeah, yeah, she’s not the first rock star nor the last to make her adoring public earn their audience with her. But it did let a lot of the goodwill out of the room before she even sang a note. After a while, somebody shouted out “Stop playing fucking Motown singles and get your ass on stage!” 2. Their stage manager is a Napoleonic douche bag that just plain oozes bad rock karma. Trust me on this. 3. The band […]