Boston Spaceships - 'Let it Beard' preview

Boston Spaceships is a rock n roll group of veteran indie rockers - busy Guided by Voices' frontman Robert Pollard, veteran Portland-based guitarist/bassist/keyboardist (and ex-GBV member) Chris Slusarenko, and Decemberists drummer John Moen.

A new expansive double LP "Let it Beard" is coming out August 1 on GBVInc records. The GBV database previews the upcoming release this way:

"The result: what Pollard has called "a subconscious concept album about the sorry state of rock and roll." A 75 minute thrill ride through the many forms of rock Pollard has mastered in his three plus decades of writing and recording songs. "The White Album meets Quadrophenia meets Jesus Christ Superstar," he says. "Meets Same Place The Fly Got Smashed," adds Slusarenko. An album with strings, horns, keyboards, a female soul singer, and guest guitar turns from such luminaries as Colin Newman from Wire (!!), J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr, Steve Wynn from the Dream Syndicate, Mick Collins from Dirtbombs and the Gories, Dave Rick from Phantom Tollbooth (among others), and some guy named Mitch Mitchell.
Chris took a more-or-less complete version of Let It Beard to Ohio where Bob "put the head on the body," as he likes to say, by recording vocals with Todd Tobias at Waterloo Studios in Kent. Over the course of last year, the record slowly began to take shape.
"It's difficult to make an album under what I call the 'mushroom cloud' of Guided By Voices," admits Slusarenko. "Especially now that the reunion tour is happening. But we worked really, really hard on this one, and it's important not just to myself and John, but to Bob as well. He's fond of saying 'I used to be in Guided By Voices, but I'm in Boston Spaceships now.'"

Here's the preview of the double LP release, coming your way in about 5 weeks...

Dfactor Live Show! Sat. 6/25 - 9pm Tempe, AZ

Hey rock and rollers, if you're in and around the Phoenix-Tempe, AZ axis of excitement this Saturday night, please come to the Tempe Tavern this Saturday night.

My rockin' trio Dfactor will sing and play our catchy garage pop nuggets. We're premiering three (count 'em 3!) new songs, soon to be recorded for a fall EP; a well-known Guided by Voices song, and other melodic pop songs from the recent Dfactor CDs.

Other bands on the bill include Darkness Dear Boy, What's Left, The Unlucky 8s and The Campaneros. The music starts around 8:30pm, and drinks will be cold! Come out for a solid night of local Phoenix guitar bands.

Rock Clip of the Week - The Jam, "I Feel Good" (live at '82 soundcheck)

Lots of cool rare clips of The Jam surfacing on YouTube in recent months by user Gordy Wilson. And thank goodness. The clips are rare, insightful and numerous!

Here's one of The Jam in 1982 doing James Brown's "I Feel Good" live at a cold, wintry soundcheck at Bingley Hall in Staffordshire, UK during the Trans-Global Tour. What a treat! Always a soul and R & B fan, Weller brings it, and Foxton and Buckler make it hum.

Happy Friday! I Feel Good!

Iceage - Danish teenage punk and roll

All good action on this Friday in my neck of the world. How's yours?

Iceage is a new group of teenage Danes who like their music fast and furious. The Washington Post's David Malitz likes it too. He wrote: "In an era of rock-gone-easy-listening and endless reunions, “New Brigade” is a reminder of how powerful a noisy, new band with something to prove can sound. The kids maintain an unrelenting intensity throughout the album’s 12 songs. There are no moments to steady yourself, let alone come up for air. Some songs charge forward with more brute force than others — a few even manage to sneak memorable vocal hooks into the chorus — but the unifying sound is one of barely contained chaos and a band introducing itself to the world with a stomp and a sneer."



You can download an Iceage track at AlteredZones. More songs at their MySpace page. Or check out the title track 'New Brigade' right here:


Click to their blog to see pictures from the group's Brooklyn show from last week. Looks like it was a fun riot! The band's tour dates for their US tour are below. Catch them in Phoenix in mid-July - the temps should be around 115 by then!

06-17 New York, NY - Public Assembly
06-19 Philadelphia, PA - The Barbary *
06-20 Baltimore, MD - Golden West
06-21 Pittsburgh, PA - The Shop
06-23 New Haven, CT - Popeye's Garage
06-24 Boston, MA - Royale Nightclub ^
06-25 New York, NY - TBA
07-03 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-15 Houston, TX - The Mink
07-16 Austin, TX - Emo's
07-19 Phoenix, AZ - The Yellow Canary Dancehall
07-20 Las Vegas, NV - The Cave %
07-22 San Diego, CA - Casbah $
07-24 Los Angeles, CA - Echo $
07-25 San Francisco, CA - Elbo Room $
07-29 Portland, OR - The East End $
07-30 Vancouver, British Columbia - Waldorf Hotel $
07-31 Seattle, WA - Crocodile
08-02 Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
08-03 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Music Hall
08-04 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
08-05 Madison, WI - The Project Lodge
08-06 Chicago, IL - The Loft #
08-09 Columbus, OH - The Carabar @
08-10 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
08-11 Pittsburgh, PA - The Shop
08-12 Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
08-14 Philadelphia, PA - Kungfu Necktie
08-15 Boston, MA - Midway Cafe
08-16 Montreal, Quebec - Casa Del Popolo
08-17 Toronto, Ontario - Parts and Labour
08-19 Boston, MA Providence, RI - Paragon
08-20 New York, NY - Cakeshop
08-21 New York, NY - Secret Project Robot

Ted Nugent - Live on the "I Still Believe" Tour

Legendary rocker Ted Nugent has added an "old is new again" wrinkle to his new 'I Still Believe' tour this summer, which kicks off next week.

Singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes, who appeared on Ted's early solo LPs, is back in the touring band on Ted's tour, which hits the Celebrity Theater in Phoenix next week.

I reviewed a hugely fun Ted Nugent show for PopMatters nearly a decade ago in NYC and I'm ready for a rewrite! Who's got a press pass for me? Contact me!

Here's what the band sounded like in April, doing the classic 'Stranglehold':

Thursday Rock!

- For those of you who want to read the Husker Du section of Bob Mould's new book "See A Little Light", there comes a little treat from Spinner, which offers an excerpt from the book when the three Huskers sat in Grant Hart's parents' house and talked in early 1988. It's a good read.

- Check out Impose Magazine's list of Best new music of 2011. Lots of names you may or may not have heard

- Veteran rock band U2 is headlining the Glastonbury music fest in England on Friday night, but drummer Larry Mullen told BBC Radio that the band is conflicted on the 'right' type of set list for the festival. Oh, and surprise! It's raining and muddy as well there, too!

- Have you seen the new Dfactor video "Ditch Kids"? Give it a whirl for ringing guitars and a stomping beat! Thanks for listening!

- Great piece from Gary 'Pig' Gold on the little known fact about British Invasion hitmakers Herman's Hermits' two appearances and soundtracks for movies back in the 1960s - Hold On! and Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter. Pick 'em up at this link.

- C'mon people! The beloved Art Brut has a new LP called "Brilliant! Tragic! It's good! The band plays Brooklyn tonight! Lift them up!

- And here is your moment of garage rock zen...

The Black Lips hit Phoenix Wednesday

The Black Lips bring it back to Phoenix on their new (never-ending?) tour promoting their awesome scraggly guitar rock and their courageous new LP called "Arabia Mountain".

The Black Lips have been getting fine raves for the LP and tour dates. As they reminded me on Twitter a few weeks ago, they've been a band for 12 years, so it's time for them to haul some recognition. The band is at Phoenix's Rhythm Room on Wednesday night.

Music industry site CMJ wrote of the music on 'Arabia Mountain':
"The album feels like the Ramones but sometimes inches closer to the Who’s mellower side, especially on “Bicentennial Man,” a track produced by Deerhunter guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Lockett Pundt. Mellow, however, is definitely the exception on this fast-paced album that contains only two songs that run longer than three minutes. Arabia Mountain is at its best when it rushes along and lets Alexander’s voice share the spotlight with the band’s solid rhythms, as it does on singles “Go Out And Get It” and “Modern Art,” and the fantastic “Bone Marrow.” This track stands out from the first clear beat, and it becomes more apparent with every guitar-free measure that goes by that the rhythm section is going to be in complete control here. Even when the guitar effects start to kick in, the vocals remain pure and undeniably catchy."

Click here to listen to the band's recent in-studio session at KEXP.

Read more about The Black Lips at the recent SPIN.com article on the band.

Rockers and Sun Blockers

Oh my, where do the days go? Ray Davies once sang "Thank you for the days, those endless days, those sacred days you gave me." And in the hot summer days of fun, Waved Rumor has gotten waylaid...down the hall, kicked under a bed. I'l try to be a better blogger.

Here are some musical informative tidbits to share and be shared. Ready? Go!

- Bob Mould will be performing with house band The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this Wednesday, June 22. They'll be performing a selection of Bob's classics.

Have a listen to a fun rock track by Austin rockers Moonlight Towers called 'Heat Lightning'. Chicago Reader calls this “perfectly molded power-pop." I call it riffin'!
Moonlight Towers - Heat Lightning by fanaticpro

- Like '80s New Wave Classics played with fun and frenzy? Can you dig some summery '70s soft rock classics? Then go see the Fades and the Soft Rock Renegades on a boat in NYC's harbor tonight!

- Rolling Stone provides new songs from Bon Iver and Steven Malkmus and the Jicks.

- Rockmelt is a new web browser that adds in all your social media bits. Looks cool.

- Brooklyn pop combo The Trouble Dolls have a new summer song called "Under the Summer" and you can hear it at their Tumblr blog.

- Lou Reed recording with Metallica? Color me intrigued!

Tommy Lee's drum roller coaster

Have you all see Tommy Lee's rotating 'roller coaster' drum set in the current Motley Crue tour? Via hennemusic:

"The Mötley Crüe summer US tour opened last week in Dallas and fans were treated to an all-out visual experience.

The band’s veteran production manager and set designer Robert Long describes the tour’s set design as “a hard-hitting Crüe rendition of a rock n’ roll burlesque theatre.” The entire stage is enveloped in red velvet drapery and includes a damask printed wall of guitar amps.

Among the highlights is Tommy Lee’s 360 vertical Drum Roller Coaster, which features Lee being launched into multiple vertical loops while continuing to perform.



“When I was little,” says Tommy, “I always thought ‘how cool would it be to put my drums on a track…on a roller coaster.’ I can’t even believe we actually, finally did it; it’s really been talked about and been thought about for a long time.”

Lee says he’ll pick one person out of the crowd each night to take them for a spin - literally and physically – on the coaster.

The Mötley Crüe /Poison/New York Dolls will play more than 40 shows throughout the summer; things wrap up August 17 in Chula Vista, California."

The Motley Crue/Poison/New York Dolls tour hits Phoenix tonight. Tickets are still available. Read more here.

Rock Clip of the Week - Queen, Doing Alright (Live 1977)

A fab track from Queen's 1st LP in 1973, here's the live version 4 years later from Earl's Court in London. The second portion is different, in a honky tonk rhythm, before May hits the power chords in the middle. Sweet song.



Wikipedia notes:
""Doing All Right" was written by Brian May and Tim Staffell while in the pre-Queen band, Smile. The song changes many times throughout, from light pop music to acoustic guitars and even contains a heavy metal section. This is one of the few Queen songs to feature Brian May on the piano. He also played his old Hairfred acoustic guitar on this track and on later tracks such as "White Queen (As It Began)" and "Jealousy". The band played this song as early as 1970, and it was notable as the band's first song Freddie Mercury played live on the piano for. Staffell sang it when it was a Smile song, and Mercury tried to sing in the same manner when it became a Queen song."

Happy (summer, lazy) Friday!

Torpid Tuesday Topics

- The Matt & Kim show comes to the Phoenix' Marquee Theater tonight, along with local faves The Thermals and more.

- Read the New York Times' take on the new Bob Mould autobiography "See a Little Light" out this week.

- The Gene Simmons promo tour for his Family Jewels reality show didn't go so well on Monday morning. His longtime (longsuffering?) wife Shannon Tweed busted his ass on national TV.

- Lenny Kravitz has a new single "Stand" - hear it at this link.

- Alice Cooper played at Castle Donnington this past weekend - catch an interview here.

Weezer Do The Cars "You Might Think"

Via Spin:

"In recent years Weezer have been tackling the Great American Rock Songbook, delivering covers that range from the somewhat predictable (see: MGMT's "Kids" and Nirvana's "Breed") to the straight-up weird (check out their take on Radiohead's "Paranoid Android"). The band's latest offering: a rendition of the Cars' 1984 classic "You Might Think," which the group has contributed for the soundtrack to, er, Cars 2. Check it out below.

Weezer's cover is an absolutely dead-on copy of Ric Ocasek's original — that's a good thing — and Cuomo's voice perfectly matches Ocasek's pinched, nasally croon, while the back-up vocals are as glossy as the original. Plus, how many synths did Weezer have to test out in order to nail that percussive melody in the intro?"

Weezer - You Might Think (The Cars cover) by Cover Me

R.I.P. Martin Rushent

British music producer Martin Rushent has died at the age of 62. He is well-known among punk-new wave fans of the late 1970s and early 1980s as having produced the first three Stranglers records (which still sound awesome today), as well as records by XTC, Buzzcocks, Human League and others.

The Guardian wrote:
"One of the leading figures in the music of the 70s and early 80s, producer Martin Rushent, has died. Rushent, who worked with bands including the Human League, the Stranglers and Fleetwood Mac over a long and varied career, died on Saturday aged 63.

Rushent started as a studio engineer in the 70s when he worked on albums by rock giants Fleetwood Mac and T.Rex as well as the Welsh diva Shirley Bassey. But his career took a more electronic turn in the early 80s when he produced the Human League's 1981 album Dare, which contained the hit singles Don't You Want Me?, Love Action and The Sound of the Crowd and went on to be a worldwide hit. The album won Rushent a Brit award."

Have a listen to The Stranglers' "Bitching" a great track produced by Rushent. "Ahh, Bitching...."

Rock Clips of the Week - The Effigies and Soul Asylum

These Friday rock clips are feeling pretty fucking anachronistic lately, with everyone and their mothers painting their moods on Facebook with new and used video clips. That being said, I'm a creature of habit and occasional comfort, so I give in to the end of week urge. Hope you still like it.

Today I'm throwing out two underground favorites from the early/mid 1980s. The first is from an old Chicago fave The Effigies, who released their classic debut EP Haunted Town" (with Chicago's flag on it) in 1981. (It also apparently looks as if it's been recently remastered?)



MOB CLASH
See the arrows clash
Face to face on the green
Everbody's got a cause
Few know what it means

From the helicopters
It's hard to tell them apart
Beat a man you're someone
With a mob to back you up

Mob clash, sparks flash
Everbody's got it wrong

Is that your thinking
On a one line sign
On a color television
But to me it looks black and white

===========================================================================

The second old favorite comes from the great 80s/90s band Soul Asylum, the third coolest rock band to come out of the great state of Minnesota. It's a clip of the band doing their crowd faver "Sometime to Return" on some TV show, somewhere. This clip was from 1988. I saw the band a year later in some dank London club called Subterranean, and if I had a video camera that night, would've been the best rock band ever that night.

A quick glance at their current website show the current band playing a smattering of shows this summer.
Catch them in your hometown.

Here's a killer version of "Sometime to Return":

The Hangover - Part III

This blog's been on hangover hiatus. Yes, it was a fun long Memorial Day weekend. Drink, drank, drunk.

But I still follow music here - do you? Or friend me at Facebook and 'Like' the Dfactor band as well.

Ok - to the nuts and bolts of skewed musical taste!

-- Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal wrote a fine long piece on indie bands that make it onto late night TV shows - it's a good read that sort of features Deerhunter from their Feb '11 appearance on Letterman:
"Then Deerhunter get called down to the stage and proceed to stomp through their song "Memory Boy", replete with a minute-long freak-out instrumental break down. Cox wears a hideous thrift-store blazer. Bruneau's cape hangs loose off his shoulders. Cole Alexander is making the most out of his guest appearance on guitar, incongruously throwing out silly rock star moves while sporting a sweater tied around his neck, Vampire Weekend-style. The tourist-friendly studio audience take it all in politely. Back in the dressing room afterward, Cox turns to me and asks, "Did I look like Lou Reed?"

-- Hey, speaking of bands on TV, The Strokes played Ellen and the clip aired today. They still look sort of bored, but sounded tighter, right?

-- Hey, speaking of bands on TV, Hey Hey, We're the Monkees.

-- There is Power in the Union!

- Stream Robert Pollard's new solo LP 'Lord of the Birdcage' at Spinner this week.

- Have a listen to Roger McGuinn play an old folk song "Leave Her, Johnny". Lovely, that.