+=

Luther:

They Might be Giants- Severe Tire Damage
Ryan Adams- Jacksonville City Nights
Beck- Odelay
The Gloria Record- Start Here
The Good Life- Album of the Year
 

John:

Ben Folds Five- Whatever and ever amen
Beck- Midnight vultures
Nofx- Punk in Drublic
Beastie Boys- Hello nasty
The Flaming lips- Soft bulletin

Posted by partyends at 03:35 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

    KVRX, the student run radio station at the University of Texas has been recording live bands (local, national and international) every week for the last 10 years.  Each year they make a compilation of the crème of the crop in a series of albums called Local Live.  Volume 10 has just hit the shelves and is superb.  The nonprofit station, who holds their motto of “none of the hits all the time” dear to heart has put together a solid album touching on several different genres including hip-hop, electronic, country and rock.  The recording quality of the Smog  session is amazing.  Other highlights include an opener from cartoon crazies Peelander-Z, a Rushmore soundtrack reject from the Ugly Beats, and Austin’s post-punk heroes the Arm.    All the tracks were expertly recorded in the station’s former location in the basement of an abandoned student health building on campus that in the last year has been torn down.  KVRX has relocated and upgraded but this is the last recorded documentation of a good chunk of the KVRX legend.    The station is well known for the acts they attract each year being deep in the heart of SXSW. This year they recorded sessions from Lady Sovereign, The Gossip, and the Dirty Projectors. Look for those jamz on next years Local Live cd or check the website for downloads in the meantime. 

Out of Town acts highlights on Local Live Volume 10 include Castanets, Crooked Fingers, Dosh, and Astronautalis.

All the songs on this slick, diverse compilation are exclusive and for a good cause. You can sample all 16 tracks and purchase the album here.

Posted by partyends at 03:37 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

    I have not watched any of this season’s American Idol but from what I have gathered from the gray haired fellow’s depiction on Saturday Night Live- he likes to say the phrase “soul patrol” over and over while flinging his arms around.  I do not know what this means.  I do not want to know what this means.  But if my fellow Americans voted this Jay Leno country-boy into superstardom I guess that is just something I am going to have to learn to live with.  Ok- I give up someone explain soul patrol to me… (partyends@gmail.com)    
 

In a desperate attempt to be relevant- here are some soul tracks for you to download:   
 

The Bar Keys- Soul Finger

DJ Design- Soul Strut

Booker T and the MG's- Soul Limbo

Jeannie Tracy- Making New Friends

Split Decision Band- Watching out  
 

Thanks for visiting the site!

Posted by partyends at 03:37 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

  So: it's here, it's a little queer, and it's totally awesomely everything that you want it to be. I was so scared that my expectations were going to crush the actual movie, but my fears were not realized. I would suggest this to anyone who has seen the previous films and I would suggest for anyone who hasn't seen the previous films to see the previous films and then X-Men: The Last Stand tonight.

    From the totally badass opening sequence to the overdramatic close, it's all plot twists and cool mutant people beating up other mutant people. Yes, it may seem to the untrained eye that this film is aimed at youngsters (not gifted youngsters, per say) but it's very developed story line, somewhat graphic violence, and well developed characters show that this movie was made for it's original audience as well. From the casting to the special effects, XM3TLS introduces more characters and creates more intense drama than either of it's predecessors. Expertly directed by Brett Ratner the money shines through in taste and style every bit as much as in special effects, offering up a darker mood as you look deeper into the world of Mutant culture.

oh yeah!

    Go see this while it's in the theater, cause you'll be sorry if you see it later and realize just how much the big screen lends to this fine wrap-up to a series in the miniscule ranks of films that actually do justice to their comic book counterparts.

Posted by partyends at 03:38 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   New Austin boutique record store Back Spin records was privileged enough to host DFA Records and Rock Star Games troublemaker Tim Sweeney.  Sweeney is a contemporary of LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy at the DFA record label.  He also hosts the popular New York radio show Beats in Space, as well as the holding the prestigious title as the guy who oversaw the amazing soundtrack to all the different radio stations on the latest Grand Theft Auto installment. His set transformed the vinyl shop into a first time in-store performance venue.  

    After making small talk with the audience while digging thru the crates with the rest of the crowd who were taking advantage of the free beer, Tim Sweeney took over the turntables after store co-owner Erik warmed up the crowds with some Italo disco stuff including Klein and MBO's "Klein and MBO Theme" and "Don't Stop" by Motion to name a few. 

    The vibe was interesting because it wasn’t a full-blown dance party like his set at the Velvet Spade or Factory People; instead, it was a very intimate, interesting shopping environment.  Like all in-stores, a perk (and motive) is the obvious commerce that emerges. The beverages and the notable dj all kept me in the store longer than I usually stay, flipping thru vinyl, awkwardly mingling and eventually buying.

    Tim opened with a great and fitting Texas song: a re-edit of "Texas radio" by the Doors, that was adequately tongue in cheek without being too cliché. He then seamlessly crossed into electronic dance stuff including the DFA mix of a Hot Chip track. His set also included funk jamz, such as "I hear music in the streets" by Unlimited Touch, his own re-edit of Boney M's "Night Flight to Venus," and cult hit "Walk the Night" by the Skatt Bros.

    Tim Sweeney will be back in Austin TX on June 8^th to spin crazy re-edits and classic disco bits and pieces with DJ Ian Orthopedic at the Whisky Bar, which promises to be a dance party proper.  He is touring like a madman in support of the DFA Remixes Chapter One album, which has over an hour of influential and essential reinterpretations by he and James Murphy, who are holding down the DFA remix squad.  The duo touch on Le Tigre, Gorlliaz, Hot Chip and several more.

Posted by partyends at 03:39 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

 Only two days till X-men three, and, like the rest of the nation, I wait with baited breath. I propose that everyone do the right thing and rent (or watch your owned copies) of both previous X-men films timed precisely with the debut of the movie. It's what a real American would do.

Posted by partyends at 03:40 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Austin’s Economy describes themselves as “Texas New Wave” which is amazingly clever to me.  Texas music scenes have taken a great deal of pride in their various flash-in-the-pan (and sometimes not) subcultures over the years.  Texas hardcore, Screwston Rap, Texas Singer/Songwriter- all are recognized genres.  The self-proclamation and embracing of “Texas New Wave” has very interesting connotations. 

This implies that Economy is:

1aware of the often unnecessarily seriousness of musical classifications

2mocking the description itself because - when operating solely on clichés- the red state of Texas does not take kindly to Flock of Seagulls haircuts and overall postmodern pastiche. 

There was a time when “new wave” was an interchangeable description for the term: “punk.”  Record executives and radio programmers were afraid of the word “punk” because they had just come from a bad experience with the word “disco.”  They were weary to jump so quickly onto a bandwagon of musical limitations so the term "new wave" was coined to classify bizarre new bands like Talking Heads, Devo and Television among others who didn’t fit nicely into the genre “rock.”  This same mentality applies nicely to Economy- who evoke everything from Jimmy Tamborello’s (Postal Service) beats and glitches to Yoni Wolf’s  (why?) spacing of vocal delivery.  All of the electronic songs have punk aspects to them: sometimes in the vocals sometimes in the four-chord simplicity.  The two-man band is politically minded and if you are not careful their music will stay in your head for days.  Beware. 
 

Here are some Mp3s from their 100% self made self released album “the Recovery”

The Fuel for Fight and Life -

When at Last the Calm -  
 

The Economy boys can be heard at economymusick.com and myspace.com/economy

Posted by partyends at 03:41 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

    Astronautalis is the best freestyle rapper.  There, I said it.  This post is dedicated to some of the great recorded freestyles of twenty something Floridian and (sometimes Texan) Astronautalis. Get ready to have a new crush besides Sufjan Stephens, ladies! It’s amazing, different and makes references all your favorite ironic things.

Here is a track recorded in Austin TX at the KVRX Skate World benefit in 2005:

Live at Skate World freestyle #2 -

    The crowd was pretty desolate but extremely into the performance. He is performing to an intimate group of people on roller-skates. The freestyle is filled with skill and dexterity.  He takes completely random suggestions from completely random audiences just like the best of the best Second City improv performers.  It’s like seeing a Tupac Shakur and Phil Hartman Hybrid Superhuman  (R.I.P. x2) Oh- and he makes fun of hipsters.

    None of the suggested topics can have anything to do with what rappers traditionally rap about.  He likes the challenge and the results are always mind-blowing.  I know you will love it. There is something very fulfilling in seeing him perform because you walk away with your very own one of a kind personal hip hop song.

Vote Drunk -

    This is a freestyle pre 2004-election rap.  Recorded at Hailey’s in Denton TX where Astronautalis is right at home. Soooo good.  I get a chill every single time I listen to it- and that’s no lie.  Makes me want to go to a Denton house party and to have the attitude he does about the government.  Sadly- I don’t see either happening too soon.

Pancho's Mexican Buffet Battle -

Download it.  Do it.  Trust me. Raise the flag, eat the sopapillas, and listen to this shit.

    Always do everything you can to see Astronautalis live.  Here is the proof.  For more information be sure to check out modelcitizens.org and fightingrecords.com.

Feel free to add him on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/astronautalis   
 

My Dinner With Andy -   
 

Here is an amazing track from his upcoming album you will no doubt hear more about from us here at Party Ends.

Posted by partyends at 03:41 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   The new, and only, album from the Arctic Moneys is, I think, really good. I was completely prepared to hate it long before I got my hands on it. After all the hype-ridden euro mags I read, I was pretty sure that anything that rises to popularity of that level that fast had to be a pile of crap. But I was wrong, it's damn good, especially for a first album. The music is tight, the lyrics are genuine and clever, and the sound is just different enough from their obvious influences that it all meshes together into a congruent, entertaining, varied record. I am anxious to see what they do in the future.

   My problem with the AM's isn't their record at all, it is a cog in the hype machine that bore them into this mainstream world that they now dominate: In almost every article that I have read, it is pointed out that they are just these regular Joes from small-town Engla-scoti-ire-yorkshir-land, young kids who have been friends forever and. . . have only been playing their instruments for a "couple" of years.

    The first clue is that this is a load of monkey crap is that there is never even an attempt to be specific about how long they have been playing, though if it is such a point of interest, you would think someone would have nailed down a timeline. The second problem is that, as you listen to the record, you realize that these guys are good, I mean, like, real good; especially the drummer (who is claimed to have been playing the shortest amount of time). I can understand natural talent, of course, which is evident in the songwriting and structure, even if it was just one of the kids, but all of them? Come on! I translate that "couple" years into seven or eight years of music classes that our rich parents (because 90% of working musicians are from rich families because they don't have to have real jobs (like all the other arts)) put us in and then were groomed for stardom. Or something to that effect.

    The company or publicists or whoever told them to work that angle seems to think that it lends them some sort of punk/natural rock n' roll/DIY streetcred; but I say it's pretty detracting from the fact that they just make good, catchy tunes. I just find myself being like "Whateeeever!" every time I put the CD in, or when there's a good solo, or a weird breakdown.

    So, I hope that I haven't detracted from the experience for you, but come on, just listen to these:

I Bet That you Look Good on the Dance Floor -

When the Sun Goes Down -

Posted by partyends at 03:51 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Hey kids- can’t afford to make the trip to Universal Studios this summer?

Save the time and effort by checking out the horribly bad and simultaneously awesome remake of the Academy Award winning Poseidon Adventure - Poseidon. I am getting a free subscription of Entertainment Weekly compliments of Best Buy right now; and I read last night in the new issue that the cast and crew urinated in the water while on set. Thanks entertainment weekly for the hard-hitting facts. 

*It is time to remember that Kurt Russell is a badass and that fires and floods are exhilarating. 

*Time to remember that one SNL sketch where Richard Dreyfuss auditions for C3-PO in Star Wars

*Time to remember Rico from Six Feet Under is adorable. 

*Time to see some people hurled from floor to ceiling

Summer movies. I love you. 

Here are some great Mp3s for you to download

Aloha- Summer Away:

Blitzen Trapper- Summer Twin:

Beachwood Sparks- Midsummer daydream:

Have a good day and add us on your little myspace accounts: www.myspace.com/partyends

Posted by partyends at 03:52 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

    What we found there was an assortment of peeps that we had not encountered as any kind of group before. Theater kids mingled with 30-somthing hipsters, indie-rock kids, and art students, while the costumes ranged from A Clockwork Orange chanracters to "drunk guy from the bar next door" and people were actually dancing (not a real usual Dallas sight without some bootylicious drunks freak-dancing to 50 Cent). Around us were projections of looping Godzilla clips (the theme of the evening) and custom murals lineing the walls with Technicolor bats and explosions. There were, of course, go-go dancers. I was impressed. We hung out, drank our BYOB Redstripes, danced to a rockin' rockabilly band (the Robins, I believe) and enjoyed ourselves immensely. I thought, at the time, that this was a one-off bash that some friends pulled together, what with the intimate feel and attention that seemed to be paid to the surroundings and theme. Little did I know that I was quite mistaken.

    Recently Lollipop Shoppe has been consistently arranging cool parties and fun retro-centrics gatherings all over Dallas and Denton. Apparently headed up by Patricia Rodriguez, aka Dj Tiger Bee (bustin' out the expertise in 60's-70's music), and boasting a bit of a fan base, the steady growth of this collective of like-minds is (I think) a great sign of Dallas' growth, stylistically. These sort of pigeon hole gatherings, glossy and hip, used to be reserved for places with potent scenes, but Lollipop Shoppe is doing it's part to arrowhead the new wave of youth taking a foothold here. With fun group excursions like a group trip to go vintage shopping at the local hot-shoppes (a nice mixer for the unacquainted) to Mod N Soul Weekenders, featuring guest Djs and themed dance all weekend (with low covers to boot), it's a great addition to a scene sorely lacking in character and variance.

    And so, I leave you with some tracks that I think compliment the spirit of Lollipop Shoppe's efforts. One of my favorite retro tracks, and a linkend pop-dance number:

The Velvet Underground - After Hours:

Voxtrot - The Start of Something:

Posted by partyends at 03:53 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

First up is the Intonation music fest  where the Streets, Bloc Party, Lady Sovereign, and (PartyEnds favorites) 90 Day Men are all set to take the stage June 24^th and 25^th.  Dead Prez is playing also and if I learned one thing from Dave Chapelle's Block Party: 
 

“Who shot 2Pac? If we don't get them they gon get us all

I'm down for runnin up on them crackas in the City Hall” 

True dat – Dead Prez.  True dat indeed.   
 

July 29^th and 30 we have the Pitchfork Music Festival with (arguably) slightly smaller names but an extremely consistent first-rate lineup hand selected by the fine folks at Pitchfork. Highlights that perk my ears up are Mountain Goats, Os Mutantes, Aesop Rock and Diplo.

    Then the one that everyone knows about from the infamous Simpsons episode where Cypress Hill gets high with the London Symphony Orchestra: Lollapalooza. Lollapalooza has an insane lineup with Chi-town hero Kanye West, Death Cab for Cutie, and those guys who sang “under the bridge.”  That’s early August for you lucky folks up in and around the Windy City with a fair amount of disposable income…. Be sure to keep Sonic Youth out of your cooler…

    So geographically- New York is great for brushing shoulders with Interpol in underground clubs, Texas is great for heat and migas and Chicago is where Oprah is filmed and now it is also really making a little name for itself on the music festival map this summer.  They are hording in on the Texas action.  Perhaps the move in on our music festival market is in accordance with Oprah being slammed by the Texas Cattle Industry for her anti-meat sentiments… 

Homeboy from the Beats named Professor Green did a sassy little remix for the Streets (playing Intonation) single “When you Wasn’t Famous.”  Download it here:

The streets-when you wasn't famous [Prof. green remix]: 
 

I am an ignorant guy, as I have mentioned previously on the site and will continue to do until I snap out of it…. But I have no idea who the mystery celerity is that Mike Skinner dabbled his interest in and thus the song (album?) was written about.  It’s probably really obvious or a Google search away but hit me up at partyends@gmail.com if you can help me out…. 

Posted by partyends at 03:53 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I’m pretty ignorant about this Whirlwind Heat band. To be honest, at first a part of me mistook them for southern rock jam band Widespread Panic. I do know that they are some sort of indie music protégé to the mighty Jack White. They are from Michigan and are a fairly orthodox rock band with bitching drums and a Moog. Whirlwind Heat's new album “Different Types of Wood” comes out on May 16^th and the band has made a music video for each of the 11 tracks.

Watch the boys beat the sweet mother Mary out of their equipment in this video for the song “Reagan”

They are going to be touring America like crazy all thru June so check out their website for a date and place near you. 

Check out these mp3s:

My Electric Underwear:

Reagan:

Posted by partyends at 03:55 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

    Some of you more savvy drinkers out there, are probably already in the know about this misguiding bit of mental savagery, but I was not. Appearing almost exactly the same as your average six pack of Corona, these pint sized, female oriented, drinks are more than just an insult to the feminist agenda; they are, a corporate prank waiting to happen. $4.99 seemed like a great deal for something that's usually a few more bucks, but I got home only to find six, 7oz bottles. Not unlike those tiny Tabasco bottles that fascinate children and the elderly, these little guys were gone before I even had a minor buzz*. I mean, sure I could pretend I'm hardcore for drinking a six pack in less than an hour, but who would I be fooling?

    I just don't want this tragedy to befall any other innocent thrill seekers. They are not thrilling. They are too small for your big fat fingers and they are for girls. So please, be careful out there. Look both ways, prevent forest fires, and look at the fine print on all of your alcoholic beverages. Please.

*footnote:If you do find yourself stuck with a pack of Coronitas, be aware that, when mixed with other beers/wines/liquors, they can be utilized successfully. My combination landed me at a party with tejano karaoke and several blurred images resembling this:

Posted by partyends at 03:55 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Ok- so the Beep Beep album “Business Casual” is two years old. I am worried that it might be fading into obscurity far too quickly and I need to do everything in my power to prevent this from happening. I still find myself coming back to it over and over again. It came out (presumably) in an attempt for Saddle Creek Records (home of Bright Eyes, the Good Life etc) to get away from the “wimpy” image they were getting pigeonholed into. The diversification seems to have worked. Saddle Creek no longer appears to be the joke it was back then in indie music circles… although... by bringing this up… I may be opening old wounds… damn. Check out Two Gallants if you want to propitiate the weakling label, and they will smash your head in to the ground with Okkervil River like rage. 

Don’t get me wrong- I am a big ‘wimpy Saddle Creek’ fan- but with this debut from Beep Beep, I see that the label has more up it’s sleeve than songs about depression and relationships gone wrong. Beep Beep shows us that there is room for art rock along side Azure Ray. Art rock about office culture, religion and sexual deviance- the best kind. Throughout the record they make use of all kinds of instruments that seemingly do not belong in a thrash rock band, such as the organ and various Latin percussion instruments. The result is beeptastic. (I hope that this expression somehow works its way into the popular lexicon…) 

      Most songs come across sounding like a XTC/ Ex-Models combination, while all of the songs remind me of listening to a band where the lead singer is a pack of Chihuahuas. None the less- most are danceable and crazy sounding.     

      Expect a new 7inch record out sometime soon from these secretary having’, fax machine using, fluorescent light seeing young men.

      I apologize if this review is sub par- I am tired and under a deadline to turn it in. I just know I am going to get a memo about this from my bosses. I forgot to put that new cover sheet on my TPS report too… damn. 

      Mp3s

  Oh no!: 

  Misuse their bodies:

Posted by partyends at 03:56 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

1.Nada Surf - I have seen them twice before and it’s always a pleasure. I find myself strangely satisfied that this act has stuck it out thru one-hit-wonderdom and gone on to make killer records under the MTV radar, or rather – after the MTV radar ignored them….

happy kid:

2.Marah - this brother led indie band makes amazingly good old school rock albums. A band like this, where the lyrics are so important and admirable, will fit right in to the ACL fest

3.Calexico - this makes good sense being that Iron and Wine have already been confirmed and the two released an album last year that was critically well received. This is one of the acts that have been announced that I am not super thrilled about because they have played the festival before. They fit the ACL fest aseptic perfectly but I do have some restraint on acts that are doing repeats… the Shins- I’m talking to you. 

4.Kings of Leon – I know Eddie Vedder is down with these guys so that’s good enough in my book. Read about it here. Sure wish Pearl Jam would play the fest…

5.Phoenix - I missed these guys two years ago at SXSW and still regret it. The fantastic album Alphabetical is 18 months old now and it still is the jam- more so now that summer is in full swing. The new album “It’s Never Been Like That” is out May 15^th. 

I am on pins and needles for more updates. The full lineup is announced May 18^th (including mystery headliners)

You will be hearing more about it from PartyEnds.com 

Posted by partyends at 03:57 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   So, Good Records is one of the best places in the world now. I mean, it was always the coolest record shop around, with the selection of pretty much everything that you couldn't get at your local B&N, but it was always so out of the way and in a kind of scary neighborhood. Now, since the move to Greenville Ave, not only is it in a much more music-kid/girlyman-friendly part of town ( Yeah, you have to park 3/4 of a mile away in someone's driveway, but it's as bad as Deep Ellum ever was ), it's also in an effing cool building with tons of listening stations and a very impressive stage. Not that this post is about the new store, but wow, it really adds to the shows now. Gone are the days of squeezing into a 20' cube and trying to peer over some lanky guys shoulder. Good sound, good stage, good records.

   Despite some drawbacks to the evening, everything was pretty damn cool, and a lot more orderly than I expected, for such a "big" group at least. The free beer was present (though the serpentine line finally lead to a somewhat deflating 6oz cup), and so was a picked over BBQ table that smelled quite good, though I shyed away from the littered beef bits and yellow slaw. At one point, a mother (presumably a friend of someone in the band or with the store) had her infant child play the drums for the crowd; it was surprisingly cute. . . for about two minutes, then the kid realized that the more noise he made, the more people looked at him, and that was not good. So, he's up there for, hmm, 30 minutes, maybe 45; and the mom just smiles at him as we all hold our hands over our ears and try to be civil. Anyway, yeah. So, the crowd seemed pretty week, I thought, during our wait at the front of the stage. Right up until the lights went down I was confused about the number of attendees, until I realized that, due to the mounting heat indoors, everyone was having a drink in the parking lot. As the music started, the room became inundated with onlookers: and I thought it was hot before, wow. A warm evening + a big metal room + about 300 people = a freeking oven. So then the music starts.

   Jason Lytle and Aaron Burtch are old friends. You can tell just by the way that they talk and joke with one another. In such an intimate setting, with only a drum set and an acoustic guitar, it comes across in the music as well. Hopping through their discography like a midnight Frogger tournament at Iron Skillet, the songs took form in new and charming ways, the interplay of a change in presentation bringing a spontaneity to the tunes. Lytle's voice was charming as it soared timidly through stripped down versions of new tracks and old hat's (there was even a Merle Haggard tune in there, if I'm not mistaken). The setup couldn't be more personal or gratifying, making the whole event seem special. I was actually rather touched to be there, at this parting of band and fans. It almost emitted a sadness, equally from both parties, somewhere in the sing-a-long choruses and the witty inter-song banter. They will be missed by many.

  So, some way into the show, I look around at the other people there and realize that I'm a little out of place. I'm right at the front of the stage, more because we got there really early not knowing when the band would go on and the stage leant a chair until the festivities began than out of any dedication to the band, and everyone around me appears to be both singing every word and enwrapped with an overwhelming feeling of pulchritude and bliss. Now, I liked the Sophftware Slump a lot, like, in high school, and I've heard some of this new record and it's cool; but whow, I'm not a super-fan like all these people. I started to feel a little guilty, I have to admit. On top of that, the heat was still building, for some reason, and the band was into a number of songs that I had never heard, and I was real hungry, and so, I regretfully inform you that, I am sorry, I left early. I probably got a good hour in there, but they were not favorable conditions folks. I know, it was a really cool, free show, and historic on top of it all, but I'm a big wussy-boy, and I had tappas on the brain. So I flew the coup. I bet the rest of the show was awesome, though.

   We did, however, buy the new Spankrock CD, and the Why? CD, while we were there, so that was cool. And then we ate at a spectacular Mediterranean tappas joint down the street. So, good times, good times. Yeah.

*Grandaddy photo gallery*     

Posted by partyends at 03:58 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

It was not their fault, but the Islands show was a little lacking. The tropical phoenix from the Unicorns ashes brought the matching white outfits, the hanging from the rafters, the firecrackers, and the witty banter between the long jam session-esqe songs… BUT-

Here is a list of things that could have made the Islands show at Emo's more enjoyable:

1.Crazy fans. Think Jimmy Buffet fans- or “Parrot heads”, as they preferred to be called. No arms crossed in the room but instead hipsters in beach-chair campsites until Islands go on and then they dance like they were on a Caribbean cruise commercial. I read stories online of conga lines and was a little disappointed that I was not being able to participate.

2.Margaritas. Although, it should be noted that this would make most shows more enjoyable to me…

3.Comically oversized beach balls being bounced around the audience. It’s a simple  thing that does wonders for concert enjoyment. Just ask Wayne Coyne from the Flaming Lips who now days gets inside one and walks over the audience. 

Overall- the instrumentation and music was excellent. The potential to surpass the Unicorns exists in theory for this group… but falls short. Call me old fashioned but I need more hanging from rafters and sitting on violin player’s shoulders.

Here are some Islands tracks from the debut album Return to the Sea :

Islands: Rough Gem

Islands: Tsuxiit

And a stripped down track from Islands tour mates why?:

Why?: Early Whitney (recorded at KVRX in Austin TX)

Posted by partyends at 03:59 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I just used my wife's Vegannaise on my ham sandwich. Should I feel as guilty as I do? I mean, just a little.

+=

a conundrum

Posted by partyends at 04:00 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

   Daniel Francis Doyle is one hell of a drummer. This incredibly talented musician does something totally different than other one man acts out there. Begins with mathy angular noisy guitar riffs looped on top of one another and then with a sampler next to his hi-hat pedal controls the sounds while he wails on the drums Animal the Muppet style while belting-out screams into his Garth brooks/Chris Gaines headset microphone. Aside from the wall of noise he manages to create from a drum stool, one of the coolest things about his songs is the frequent breaks of silence. Often they are graced with crazy-fast technical drum fills, and sometimes they will be countered with incredibly tight silences. The start/stop intensity is jaw dropping live, and fortunately enough… he is out on tour with the Tuxedo Killers right now!

Daniel Francis Doyle: Move Up

Posted by partyends at 04:00 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

    So I was doing a little house work today, and going through some long overdue home improvements when I came upon some posters that need both framing and hanging, both of which are whimsically difficult for me. So, as I delayed the inevitable banging of my thumbs with the tack hammer, I flipped through the selection of art prints and band posters we have collected over the last few years and not found suitabley odd-shaped frames to fit, and kept coming back to the several different sized pieces that we acquired only a couple of months ago in Austin at something that must be relatively little known to the world at large (a fact that I wish to remedy in some small way, now).

    An appendage to the many tentacled monster that is South by Southwest, Flatstock is a diamond in a pile of diamonds, but, like, a real big pink one like J-lo's engagement ring(s). I had never even heard of it, despite my feigned profundity when it comes to all things design/art, and became enthralled by the many booths and bright colors. From modern-deco-laser prints, to rockabilly-techno-woodcuts, it was all there, blazoned with your favorite obscure band's name. An auditorium filled with tattooed hipsters and sleeveless Texas-music-baldies, there was something for everyone. Many of the artists work I recognized from magazine covers and adds, as well as some album jackets actually in my collection. Free stickers and pins did abound, and were plentiful. And there was much rejoicing as we made our way through the maze the first day we stumbled onto this enclave of commercial art on our way to score some sort of black market backstage passes or something, I forget. We ended up spending a good chunk of our weekend time there, time we could have spent seeing bands we heard once on myspace, perusing and actually dropping cash for top quality, signed screen prints.

    The best part was that we didn't manage to set aside the time to buy (which is usually a fair amount, since we are very picky, you see) until the last day of the festival, and, much to our good fortune, prices drop drastically with every minute that counts down to the festivities close! The prints we had our eye on just the day before had had their prices slashed to less than half of the original tag by the time we made our way round in a half-drunken stupor. Haggling was by no means taboo, either, as people coaxed and prodded with dollar signs in their eyes. Of course, I'm far too wussy to pull off such arguments, but the lady we dealt with was plenty nice and reasonable despite it. Needless to say, between the free one-off sort-of-messed-up prints, the post cards, the buttons, the stickers, a set of cheap coasters, and our bargain priced choices, we left having spent some $30 with an armload of indie-centric timeless goodness. . . that is still sitting in a pile in the living room under the chair in the corner that isn't really for sitting on.

    So, the moral of this bileous rant is: if your ever at SXSW, do yourself a favor and hit Flatstock. It's free, it's fun, there aren't free drinks like everywhere else, but you'll enjoy yourself more than you think you will and perhaps leave with a souvenir that will not only pretty-up the place, but make your friends think you are way cooler than you probably are. Your welcome.

Posted by partyends at 04:01 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)