June 2011 (PDF) - Antigravity Magazine

STAFF
PublISHeR/edIToR IN CHIef:
leo McGovern
leo@antigravitymagazine.com
ASSoCIATe edIToR:
dan fox
fox@antigravitymagazine.com
ReVIeWS edIToR:
erin Hall
erinhall@antigravitymagazine.com
STAff WRITeRS:
Michael Patrick Welch
mpw@antigravitymagazine.com
dan Mitchell
danmitchell@antigravitymagazine.com
CoNTRIbuTING WRITeRS:
Michael bateman
crawstika@gmail.com
leigh Checkman
Graham Greenleaf
greenleaf@antigravitymagazine.com
dan P. Jackson
danj@antigravitymagazine.com
Sara Pic
sara.pic@gmail.com
Ashley Robison
ashe.mischief@gmail.com
Mike Rodgers
mike@antigravitymagazine.com
derek Zimmer
derek@antigravitymagazine.com
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504-881-7508
Cover design by dan fox, Photo by
Patrick Quirk; Photo (this page) by
Matt Rosenthal
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HAVING A BALL AT HANGOUT FEST_page 14
FEATURES:
ANTI-News_page 4
Because We Said So:
Erin & Dan M.’s Picks_page 11
No More Jazz: Buyer’s Guide to
La. Underground Vinyl_page 12
Big Blue Marble_page 16
The Green Demons_page 18
COLUMNS:
Hello, Nurse_page 6
Medical advice from a local nurse!
Guidance Counseling_page 7
Advice from a local celebrity!
Splash Zone_page 8
This month in theatre.
Beats per Month_page 9
This month in record spinning.
Photo Review_page 31
The month in photos.
REVIEWS_pg. 19
EVENTS_pg. 22
June listings for the NOLA area...
COMICS_pg. 28
How To Be Happy, K Chronicles, Firesquito,
Will Frank’s Monsterhead and Quarter
Vomit by Otto Splotch!
INTRO
We are 7 fuckin’ years old. How about that? It feels like yesterday
that this (not so) little magazine started popping up in coffee shops,
bars and venues around town, the content dreamt up at places like
Twiropa (R.I.P.) and we were just starting to shine a little light on some of
that talent that had been too-long overlooked by the established media of New
Orleans. ANTIGRAVITY was born out of frustration that the artists who didn’t
tread the safe and familiar musical traditions of this city were either being
ignored or going unnoticed; but rather than just complain about it, we decided
to change that and here we are, seven years later and the mission seems just as
clear today as it was then. Plus, it’s nice to see some variety out there on the
news racks. It didn’t used to be like that.
Speaking of good ol’ fashioned news racks, It’s funny to me that in these
seven years, we’ve never really grabbed hold of that thing called the “internet.”
ANTIGRAVITY does have a website of course and we post our issue on it
every month (albeit as a burdensome PDF file). We also list our monthly
calendar but by and large we don’t spend a lot of time updating the site or
putting extra information or “web exclusives” (blech!) on it. And though some
of you I’m sure are shaking your head in bemused disbelief or chuckling to yourself, “guys, ya just don’t get what year this is, do ya?” I’ll be honest with
you: I’m okay with it. I know it means that we might not get to spend as much time with you, our blessed readers, but our time together truly feels like
quality time. I’d like to think that right now you’re reading this as you have breakfast at Surrey’s or the Sound Cafe or that you’re sharing your pint with us
at Tracey’s or Pal’s, free from the distraction and water-torture-abuse that is the LED screen. We’ve been in print for 7 years now and as long as our friends
at Print-All stay in business over there in Belle Chasse, we will continue to focus on this version of the magazine, the one you’re holding in your hands right
now. It also helps that we have new friends in the digital world, namely the guys over at Barryfest.com, who are doing an amazing job of covering the fresh,
emerging talent of New Orleans on their site. I highly recommend checking it out when you’re online, jonesing for some AG-type shit. You’re going to start
seeing a lot of their work within these pages, and vice versa.
Well, this anniversary month is about as good as it gets. Erin Hall teamed up with our aforementioned new buds at Barryfest to get the scoop on Hangout
Fest; and it was a real pleasure for me to sit down and speak with Dave Fera, who has become one of the premiere artists of New Orleans, making real
music in a very real way. Big Blue Marble is the kind of band that made me want to sign on to AG in the first place, feeling that bands of their caliber
weren’t getting their story told. I hope you’ll also enjoy Michael Bateman’s Buyer’s Guide to (Unbuyable) Lousiana punk and underground records. Truly
a whirlwind trip through a golden age of punk rock music, all of it made within this gret stet. What else? Skanks, heroin-- you know, the usual around here.
So Happy Birthday to us and thank you all for sticking around these handful of years. In the big picture it’s really nothing, so let’s all keep plugging away.
But first, cake! —Dan Fox, Associate Editor
3

ANTI-NEWS
A LIVING SOUNDTRACK SAYS SAYONARA
Matt Aguiluz and his wife Jenn Gosnell-Aguiluz are globetrotters. They’ve lived
in England and after a going away/album release party at The Blue Nile this
month, the keyboardists of local instrumental group A Living Soundtrack will
move to Japan and teach English. “I’ve been wanting to go since high school,” Matt
said. “Before we settle down we wanted to see more of the world.” Along with drummer
Marshall Flaig, Matt and Jenn have been working on their new album, How to Build a
City, for the last two and a half years (their first EP took 4 years to complete). The only
way they’d finish the ever-expanding album, which was recorded with Daniel Majorie
and Chris George at the Living Room Studio, was if they set a deadline that doubled as
their departure date.
“There was a lot of tedious tweaking on this record. We could potentially keep
adding stuff and mix it for another year. Right now we’ve got seven or eight songs
that are ready for the next album, which we would ideally record in Japan. We’re
also working on a live duo set.” City bounds from genre to genre, encompassing jazz,
hip hop, prog rock, Brill Building pop, classical, torch songs and more. It’s full of
electronic bleeps, creeps and sweeps, a repertoire of sounds that Matt, who writes
“85%” of the music, has been accumulating for years. Ivory raindrops, silver space
frequencies, orchestral swells and sunny string quartet waltzes follow each other
in quick succession and then disappear, the bottom dropping out just as suddenly.
An electro motor revs, something that sounds like regeneration. And then repetitive
handclaps and a shaker run backwards set the base for a harmonium melody right
before the meter changes and the slate is clean again. The ADD-friendly switches
in direction never seem forced, even though the band had to pull some samples/
transitions at the last minute because they were copyrighted. “I was sad to let go of
the Edith Piaf sample, but at the same time, I don’t want to be dealing with court
costs twenty years from now.”
When live bassist Nick Lauve (who also mixed the record along with Rick G.
Nelson. Nelson also contributed violin to the record and Rotary Downs pedal member
Chris Columbo added pedal steel guitar) left A Living Soundtrack in July of 2010, the
4
band was forced to regroup
and incorporate
a metronome click into
their live performances
so the players could
stay on track with prerecorded
bass and other
triggers. Since every
second of their live
shows became mapped,
Matt and Jenn took the
opportunity to scour
archive.org for video
and shoot their own. As
a result, the video that
accompanies the music
at concerts jerks as the
music jerks and mirrors
the mood as well.
As of press time, A
Living Soundtrack is still
hard at work overseeing
the mastering of the record and its artwork. But as time gets closer to their final show in
New Orleans for at least a year, one thing presses harder than all others: “Jenn and I have
been really sad about leaving Marshall.” —Jason Songe
A Living Soundtrack will debut How to Build a City at the Blue Nile on Saturday, June
25th at the Blue Nile, 10 PM. Joining them are Autotomii and the Other Planets. For
more information, check out alivingsoundtrack.wordpress.com.

6
COLUMN
HELLO NURSE!
BY NICHOLE BRINING, LPN
ADVICE
DRUG OF THE MONTH: HEROIN
Hey Antigravity Readers! It’s June! Time for intense summer heat, Geminis, pool parties,
crawfish boils and the drug of the month: HEROIN!!!! Heroin is very bad for you (duh).
But of all the drugs out there, you can’t find one that has been more overly romanticized
than “brown.” From gifted musicians to talented writers, there seems to be the persistent (and
incorrect) idea that where there is tortured talent, the use of heroin is the gateway to their genius.
Wrong! From a statistical standpoint, the majority of heroin users are, in fact, not talented
thespians. The make-up of the average opiate addict is lower-to-middle-class white male with
an average educational background. Aw, life is hard (sarcasm). But, heroin affects people of all
backgrounds, genders and demographics. The average age of a heroin user ranges from 15-64.
What’s interesting is that the US as a whole does not have a big heroin problem. But heroin in
and of itself is such a problem that it is a big deal for the people who associate with it and their
immediate families and friends. So, what’s the big deal? What’s the allure? Let’s take a look at
heroin and what it does to your body and your mind.
Heroin is a chemical known as diacetylmorphine, also known as diamorphine and is a semisynthetic
opioid drug synthesized from morphine, a derivative of the opium poppy. 90% of heroin
comes from Afghanistan. Heroin is an analgesic. In fact, it is the analgesic of analgesics, the
Heavy Weight Champ of pain killers. If you have any kind of pain, heroin will nullify it. And if
you don’t have any pain, it’ll kill any pain that you didn’t even know you had, which also includes
emotional pain. People who have experienced heroin say it is the ultimate in pain relief. You will
no longer worry about your back pain, your bills, your partner, your job... everything is gravy.
You are wrapped in a warm blanket of nothing. Ahhh. Of course, anything that sounds that good
has a real nasty side.
Heroin users develop a tolerance very quickly. That means you’ll need to ingest more and more
of the drug to get the desired effect. And of course, it’ll never be the same as the first time. Many
users are forever chasing that first-time high and become sucked into the cycle of craving and
abuse but never to a satisfying end. What a bitch!
Now, onto what heroin does to your body. It floods your opiate receptors in your brain, making
you feel relaxed and at ease. Your body relaxes. You are in a state of awake-sleep (nodding off),
where you can answer if your name is called but most likely will respond with eyes closed. Your
breathing becomes shallow. Constipation is another side effect and sedation soon follows. That
doesn’t sound too bad. In fact, that doesn’t sound bad at all. But here’s the fucked up part: your
body loves heroin so much that it suffers when you take it away. What a cruel mistress! And it
is the withdrawal symptoms of heroin that are nasty, so
nasty that junkies trying to kick the habit rarely make
it past enduring the withdrawals. Opiate withdrawal
symptoms include:
*diarrhea
*vomiting
*extreme fatigue
*general feeling of unwell
*hot/cold sweats
*anxiety
*watery eyes
*moderate to extreme muscle aches
*loss of appetite
*malaise
*insomnia
*blurred vision
These vicious symptoms are enough to make many
people feel like they are genuinely dying. Sadly, it is
because of the hard-hitting after-effects of withdrawing
that only 9% of addicts that receive treatment ever fully
recover. Sure, there are treatments such as methadone
and suboxone that will intercept the opiate high while
still supplying the opiate but they also have a high
failure rate and can be costly to those trying to wean off
of the drug.
If you or someone you know has a heroin
problem there are places to go here in our
state:
Addiction Recovery Resources of New
Orleans (ARRNO)
4836 Wabash Street Metairie, LA 70001
Fontainebleau Treatment Center
2365 Highway 190 Mandeville, LA 70448
Women Recovering From Addictions
Program (WRAP)
4615 Government Street Baton Rouge, LA
70806
First Step Detox
University Medical Center Lafayette, LA
70596
New Orleans Narcotic Treatment Center
7606 Westbank Expressway Marrero, LA
70072
With so much to lose and suffer, it’s hard to see why an opiate as powerful as heroin would
be needed or even be used positively. But for people with terminal diseases and late stages of
cancer, it’s a godsend. It is sometimes the only thing that can finally kill their extreme pain. Notice
that these people are in extreme pain and/or about to die. That means they’ll most likely be on
an opiate until they shut down. They will not have to endure withdrawing because they wont be
discontinuing their pain management.
Heroin is also incorrectly called a “recreational drug.” There is no such thing as recreational
heroin use. Yep, read that sentence again. I’ll do it for you. There is no such thing as recreational
heroin use. It is the most addictive, potent, harmful, deadly drug this world could make. Not a
chemical that you can pass at a party, enhance an evening or take you on some vision quest.
You may also check out alltreatment.com, a really awesome site that will confidentially steer
you in the right direction for recovery. Stay safe, we love you!

ADVICE
COLUMN
GUIDANCE COUNSELING
THIS MONTH'S TRUSTED ADVISOR: THE LOCAL SKANK
WHAT WOULD THE LOCAL SKANK DO?
The Local Skank could probably skate by on the genius of their name alone but they also
happen to be an amazing band! As the cover girls (and guy) of last year’s birthday issue,
we learned that they’re all pretty friendly with each other and on top of some serious chops,
make for a truly unforgettable show-going experience. And the Local Skank gets around! They’ll be
heading off mid-month to take their wacky, ska-punk-fueled good times on tour. In the meantime,
look for their awesome calendar, which should be coming out this summer. Each month is a blast.
Friendship, travel, exciting PR, ska-punk-- what a great resume! we think the Local Skank will
make an excellent therapist for this month’s group session.
A couple of weeks ago I saw my neighbor come home and, as me and my friends were sitting on
the porch, he went to the side of his house and started pissing on it! Obviously he was wasted and
he even waved at us when he passed us. But... he doesn’t seem to remember that. He acts like that
didn’t totally happen... but it did and I don’t know how to respond. Does he remember or not?
What do you think?
Who hasn’t peed on the side of a building while inebriated? Goodness knows, Skanks have.
Sometimes nature calls but to one’s dismay, it has lost its GPS and calls in the suburbs... sometimes
on the side of your own house. If he doesn’t acknowledge the revealing “relieving” he either wants
to forget it or doesn’t remember anyway. What would compel you to bring it up in the first place if
it wasn’t your house? Just use it as a funny story to tell around the campfire and let your neighbor
be. You, yourself, may be trapped in the quarter one day with “No Place To Pee On Mardi Gras
Day.”
Trying hard to be friends with the boss but it is not easy. Dude’s pretty lame and not the type of
person you want to socialize with, given the choice. How do you say “no” to the boss-hang-datething,
always initiated by them?
Do you like you job? If the answer is “yes” you better hang with your boss as much as it may suck.
Sometimes you need to put on “big girl panties” and deal with it. It doesn’t have to happen all the
time. We suggest creating handy excuses from time to time. When the Local Skank gets asked to
do things we don’t want to do, we have several excuses we like to use. We will gift several to you
for free. If they don’t work as an excuse, at least your boss will think you are really too eccentric
to hang out with. Just keep your job performance up, for your own sake. So without further adieu:
1) The swan escaped from the castle and I have to find it.
2) I can’t make it out tonight - I ate a lazy cake.
3) I need to go home and let my girlfriend/boyfriend pee on me....I was stung by a jellyfish.
3) I lost my Ocarina of Time.
4) My neighbor pissed on the side of HIS OWN HOUSE.
5) Toad sent me on a mission to Wld. 3, Lv. 5
6) I have video conferencing sex with my girlfriend/boyfriend in 5 minutes.
7) I have mono.
I talk to my girlfriend waaaay too much on Gchat and never really in person. She tells me things
on the computer when we’re at work, apart, whatever and then in person she’s much more closedlipped.
What’s up with that?
Darryl wanted to take this question and give some personal advice from a male point of view. Looks
like you are competing with technology. In our modern times, the ability to develop social skills and
communication techniques grows less and less with the advent of the computer age. The next time
you see her in person, ask how you can make her feel more comfortable around you when you are
together. She sounds like a girl that might be turned on by Star Trek. You might try wearing a Star
Fleet uniform and practicing a little Vulcan nerve pinching on her “emotional” barriers. And that’s
okay. The Skanks like a man in uniform, too. Photo by NOLAfleur Photography
7

8
THEATRE
COLUMN
NOTES FROM
THE SPLASH ZONE
BY SARA PIC SARA.PIC@GMAIL.COM
IT’S HOT OUTSIDE AND INSIDE
As we start the beginning of summer here in New Orleans (a subjective experience, to be
sure), get inside to cool off but also get hot with some sultry shows.
New orleans fringe is back with its midyear show, Adult Petting Zoo. Shannon
Flaherty, Media Coordinator for Fringe, describes the night as a show where “exhibits
of fashion design, burlesque, song and theatre, come to life and break out of their cages
to explore sexuality in New
Orleans and beyond.” New
Yorker desiree burch returns
with her hit from last fall’s
Fringe, 52 Man Pick Up, which
“tells the story of a woman’s
sexual escapades through the
dark underbelly of New York
City dating.” The audience
will also be graced with the
return of Ms. Asa Metric (eval
Spigelman) and Ms. enola
Gay (Nat Kusnitz), members
of the cutting-edge theatre
group Skin Horse Theater,
which brought us the smash hit
Hedwig and the Angry Inch,
and “two beings of unparalleled
pervision will be your guides
through the exhibits. The show
will additionally feature fashion
designers elizabeth Chen,
enrico fererro, Katie Gelfand,
and Jacob Reptile; two of New
Orleans’ edgiest and hottest
burlesque performers, bella
blue and the lady lucerne;
and local performer Stylist b.,
who will deliver a gritty tutorial
on pregnancy. emilie Whelan, Fringe Performance Coordinator (and also member of
Cripple Creek Productions), states that Adult Petting Zoo will “lead audiences through an
exploration of sexuality” which Fringe has commissioned as part of its mission to support
the creation of new local art.
Every year the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) holds its annual fundraiser Bourbon
& Burlesque. As the name suggests, the night features burlesque performers from nearly
every troupe or performance group in New Orleans as well as yummy treats from Dickie
Brennan’s Bourbon House. At last year’s show, I was mesmerized by artist Angela eve,
who is based out of both Chicago and New Orleans. In her show the Traveling Elysium
Carnal Menagerie, Angela Eve thoughtfully and gracefully weaves together burlesque,
performance art, music, theatre, aerials, ballet, visual arts and more. Essentially, she brings
together a show that can stimulate and satisfy every artistic interest. This year she and the
Image Collective bring The Menegarie of Bèbè Marie’s Odyssey to Bourbon & Burlesque.
A show of “surreal sensuality,” it features an embellished shadox box theatre set made
entirely of found objects, gutted house parts and collected artifacts of New Orleans’ past. A
“kinetic installation creating a living art environment,” it provides the stage and backdrop
for a story about Bèbè Marie’s transformation from living doll into a sea hawk. Last year,
I truly did not want her show to ever end. As it unraveled it only became more and more
stunning and I left with goosebumps. Bourbon & Burlesque is quite expensive though it is
a vital fundraiser for the CAC. However, there are many volunteer opportunities available
which guarantee free entrance in addition to supporting a very worthy cause. I was a
volunteer and was still able to experience all of the shows and exhibits.
Adult Petting Zoo runs at the Shadowbox Theatre, 2400 St. Claude, from Saturday June 11 th at
11 pm, Sunday June 12 th at 8 pm, Friday June 17 th and Saturday June 18 th at 11 pm and Sunday
June 19 th at 8 pm. Tickets are $15 available online at nofringe.org, where you can also get more
info, or at the door. Bourbon & Burlesque is one-night only on Saturday June 18 th at the CAC,
900 Camp. Tickets are in advance $60 general, $25 for CAC members; day of show tickets are
$80 general and $45 for CAC members. Anyone interested in volunteering can get more info at
cacno.org.
Send me press releases, vague info on shows, or theatre/performance art news or gossip! Holla
at sara.pic@gmail.com.

SPINNING RECORDS
BEATS PER MONTH
BY GRAHAM GREENLEAF GREENLEAF@ANTIGRAVITYMAGAZINE.COM
DJ YAMIN
COLUMN
Versatility is one thing that separates good DJs from great ones and the best are able to play
sets that encompass many styles. We have our fair share of both here in New Orleans, but
every now and again, you run into a DJ that is really on top of their game. In the years
since Katrina, New Orleans has seen many DJs leave and many other new DJs arrive on the scene.
One of the latter is Ben Epstein aka dJ Yamin, who, since his arrival in the Summer of 2008, has
made quite an impression on the local Hip Hop circuit. A native of Boston whose list of influences
include the likes of James brown, Sade and luke Vibert, Yamin bought his first 1200s and an
Ensoniq ASR-10 sampler in 1994 and began DJing and producing instrumental Hip Hop and Funk
tracks alongside his co-conspirator Moosaka. A year later, they released “Five Finger Breaks,”
featuring six instrumental tracks and one track of bonus beats. By putting the vinyl out themselves,
they were able to distribute their unique sound without too much outside interference. Following
this up with a collaboration with Boston emcees as Politics of experience on “Where the Wild
Things Are,” he continued to release numerous mix tapes and productions before making the
move to New Orleans.
It was Kazu [featured in last month’s column] that put Yamin on first in NOLA, and he soon
connected with Tony Skratchere’s Poor boy Productions as a resident for First Fridays at the
Dragon’s Den. With a set that encompasses everything from Hip Hop to Funk to Reggae to Latin
and beyond, you can expect some of your favorites and some special remix business from some of
the top producers in the game. Epstein explains: “I’m trying to take the best of my influences and
make it more DJ friendly, while still paying respect to the original artists.” With upcoming projects
including remixes of everything from the Meters to dr. John and everything in between, as well
as a project involving refugees in the Westbank, Yamin has big influences and even bigger ideas
about how to pay them homage.
Look for Yamin soon at ‘Beatdown Babylon,’ June 24th at the Big Top longside Maddie
Ruthless and dubla; or every Tuesday at Bayou Park Bar in Mid-City with Tony Skratchere. If
for some odd reason, you don’t ever leave your house, fear not! You can find DJ Yamin on the web
every Tuesday from 12-2 PM on crescentcityradio.com or at soundcloud.com/dj-yamin-1.
9

MUSIC
BECAUSE WE SAID SO: LIVE PICKS FROM
DAN & ERIN
BY ERIN HALL & DAN MITCHELL
The Spits/ TV Ghost/ Wizzard Sleeve/ Tirefire
Siberia
June 4 th @ 10pm
This show is going to be awesome--- believe that. How to even break
this down… well, let’s start with the fact that this is the closing/ ending
show of Tirefire’s career as a band; one of New Orleans’ only true
black bands. The city will miss them, but one would certainly hope
that the members will go on to other ventures in music--- they are too
good to not too. Next up is Wizzard Sleeve--- if you have been to one
of their shows, you know what is in store, otherwise, be prepared for
a guitar/ vocals and drum/ keyboard assault on your senses--- who is
better than most. Moving into TV Ghost, they are simply one of my
favorites. When TV Ghost released Cold Fish, I reviewed the album
in 2009 and loved it--- their new album, Mass Dream, is even better.
TV Ghost is awesome. Then there is the Spits.--- they are a punk
institution from the Pac Northwest and I needn’t say more. Don’t miss
this one… DM
Guitar Wolf/ Cheap Time/ Hans Condor/ King louie’s Missing
Monuments @ Siberia
Monday, June 6 th @ 10pm
Have you ever played the drinking game built into the movie
Wild Zero? This may seem like a dumb question, since we are not
concerned with movies here and that movie is old news to some, but if
unacquainted, this movie is nothing short of the best ever--- you will
be drunk, if you play the built-in game earnestly and under scrutiny,
within the first hour. Every time someone acts cool in the movie
(which is everyone, but especially Guitar Wolf, the built-in band) you
drink, end of story. Oh, did I mention that Guitar Wolf is a fucking
phenomenal band, in their own right, and they put on some of the best
live shows out there? No? They do. That is only the beginning. Jeffrey
Novak, of Cheap Time, is a great songwriter and was in the midst of
recording music with the late Jay Reatard when Jay passed a yearand-a-half
ago. I hope that we will hear some of that music at some
point, because I am sure it will be relevatory, but, regardless, Cheap
Time rock hard in their own right and will be rocking us this night as
well. Featuring, in the past, members of Be Your Own Pet and Jeff
the Brotherhood, Cheap Time’s new album Fantastic Explanations
(and Similar Situations) is nothing less than a good listen, despite its
differences from its definitive, self-titled predecessor. Hans Condor
and King Louie’s Missing Monuments round out a show that should
not be missed. DM
eagles of death Metal/Gnarltones/Star and dagger/Gary Wertz
one eyed Jacks
Tuesday, June 7 th @ 10pm, $20
This show is essentially a giant birthday party. No, seriously. It’s a
birthday party for David Catching, rock’n’roll guitarist about town,
who currently calls NOLA home and has played with a number of local
and national groups, including Queens of the Stone Age and two of the
four bands on this bill (Eagles of Death Metal and Gnarltones). Star
and Dagger is the new project of Sean Yseult (of White Zombie and
Rock City Morgue fame). Expect a lot of rotating guests and spillover
between sets. Also expect some good old-fashioned rock show spirit.
This is the last live show for Eagles of Death Metal for “quite some
time,” so if you haven’t seen them before (or you have and you know
how awesome they are) get yourself downtown and take part in this
rollicking, rocking celebration. EH
beirut/Twin Sister
Republic
friday, June 10 th @10pm, $25
Zach Condon went from a quiet teenager recording songs in his New
Mexico bedroom to indie wunderkind almost overnight with the
release of Beirut’s debut Gulag Orkestar in 2006. Music had always
been a part of Condon’s life (primarily jazz in his earlier years) and
after a trip to Europe, he became intrigued with Balkan and Eastern
European musical traditions. He has since delved into French and
South American traditions as well, folding all these international
influences into his work and creating a hybrid of world music and
indie rock that is both intriguing and affecting. New York indie pop band
Twin Sister opens. EH
Noah and The Whale/bahamas
one eyed Jacks
Monday, June 13 th @10pm, $15
Pulling their band name from a Noah Baumbach film (The Squid and
The Whale) and professing a deep admiration for Wes Anderson should
be enough to give you an idea of what kind of band Noah and The Whale
is. If not, the comparisons to Belle & Sebastian and Neutral Milk Hotel
should seal it. A little bit folky, a hefty bit indie and considerably quirky,
Noah and The Whale make semi-twee, adorable, happy, arthouse music.
If you hated The Royal Tenenbaums, do not go to this show. But if you
would like to spin around and joyfully dance on a Monday night with
some sweet English indie kids, this is your gig. EH
Heartless bastards
one eyed Jacks
friday, June 17 th @10pm, $12
I first saw Heartless Bastards many moons ago at Bonnaroo and I was
blown away by their precision and rich sound. To find a female-fronted
rock band that can stand alongside its contemporaries and, in many
ways, surpass them, is always a treat for me. Perfectly at home on bluesrock
label Fat Possum, Heartless Bastards craft an authentic, heavy and
nuanced rock’n’roll sound and front woman Erika Wennerstrom projects
a quiet intensity that is simply magnetic. They haven’t gained the kind of
commercial success their friends and labelmates The Black Keys have,
but they have every bit as much talent and appeal. Do yourself a favor
and check this show out. EH
High in one eye w/ Sputniq
dragon’s den
friday, July 1 st
It has been a minute since the city has heard from the eclectic and
awesome duo High in One Eye, but that does not mean they are not
two of this city’s finest young musicians. I mean not hearing from
them relating to their music together in relative terms--- they recorded
an avant/ single-day-recorded album not long ago that found its way
to WTUL (if you missed their time on TUL, it is too bad, because the
interviewers simply had no words for the strangeness that owned the
airwaves momentarily--- it was funny). Andrew Landry, guitar/ vocals
and Evan Cvitanovic, drums, craft some of the most far-out, yet precisely
crafted, tunes in New Orleans and July 1 is the date to mark. This is the
date that they will be unleashing their new full-length effort, entitled
Supermoon, onto the world. If anything can be said about High in One
Eye, it is that people just don’t get it, which is too bad, because Landry
and Cvitanovic take care in their craft like very few musicians do that I
have come across in this city. Nonetheless, this album is about a year in
the making, due largely to the fact that both musicians play in a plethora
of other projects as well, and it is going to be good. Check this show out
and also peep the openers Stupniq. DM
Pictured: Noah and the Whale
11

12
MUSIC
NO MORE JAZZ:
A BUYER’S GUIDE TO
UN-BUYABLE LA. UNDER-
GROUND VINYL, 1978-1983
BY MICHAEL BATEMAN
While the pre-history of Louisiana’s New Wave and Punk scene can be traced back
to ‘60s kiddie-punk maniacs like the little bits (Jennings) or even the Residents
(who fled from Shreveport), the best starting point for our purposes goes to
N.O.’s backstabbers, who got rolling around ‘76, enlisting folks from a small non-scene of
unrecorded dolls/MC5/Stooges-informed glam/proto-punk bar bands with names like ultrex,
Harlot and Raw Power. This is the local music that inspired a new breed of bands (the
Skinnies, the Normals, the [Totally] Cold and the Rat finks [Red Rockers]), with original
songs and the giddy-up to actually put out records. The following are my personal favorites in
semi-chronological order with how much money these babies go for in eBay land.
THe SKINNIeS (New Orleans): “Kill the Beat” 7” single - ‘lectric Eye, 1978. $300.
Two hits (“I’m a Dullard” b/w “Out of Order”) of bouncy UK-influenced punk-pop with
the dopey Ramones-like vox that the Normals were about to take even further. Issued with
super-cool black and white picture sleeve. Mandeville Mike (see Manic depressives) sings;
Bruce Raeburn (later of the Mechanics and the driveways) on drums, plus former and future
backstabbers, namely Carlos Boll, who ran the label. Reissued in 1999 by the kind Raveup
label, with some bonuses. It’s unclear if the dukes’ (N.O.) 1978 single, “Bahama Mama” b/w
“Lil’ Rum Boogie,” was released before the Skinnies’ or not. Nevertheless, the sound and the
look of the Dukes has much more in common with the Stones and Mott the Hoople than it
does with the Ramones and Sex Pistols. So, Skinnies equals the first bonafide Punk/Wave
record out of Louisiana.
THe NoRMAlS (Jefferson): “Almost Ready” b/w “Hard Core” 7” single - ‘lectric Eye,
1978. $300.
Out by the Fall of ‘78, the second release on the short-lived ‘lectric Eye label: the Normals’
one and only single. This record is a monster! Super-catchy UK Punk meets USA rock-n-roll-
PUNK (think Suicide Commandos) with the over-the-top vocals as mentioned before... Like
the Skinnies and Men in black singles, this was recorded at Rosemont Records’ studio,
which primarily dealt with Gospel groups and it really shows in the godlike power of these
first three 45s. Nice Kevin Combs buzzcocks-inspired artwork. 1500 made, which is a lot
compared to most everything else listed here. Essential, but unfortunately not easy to locate.
At least there is an official reissue on last laugh, released this year alongside the veryposthumous
Vacation to Nowhere album. There’s also plenty of demos and live stuff spread
across two excellent CD collections. david Normal’s 1984 solo single, “Running from Your
Shadow” is for completists only. Drummer Chris Luckette ended up in the Cold.
MeN IN blACK (New Orleans): “S&M Bar” b/w “The Gypsy Lid” 7” single - ‘lectric Eye,
1979. $200.
Technically the final 45 from ‘lectric Eye. Equally scarce as anything else on the label and
equally great, though very, very different. Demented synth-punk that reminds me of Geza X /
deadbeats- but better- and could’ve just as well come out on dangerhouse.
THe buNS (New Orleans): “Anti-Matter” b/w “Raise the Roof” 7” single - ‘lectric Eye,
1979. $100.
This mischievous little band wanted to be on ‘lectric Eye so badly they put the label name
on their self-released single without permission! Don’t know if this amused anyone at the
time. I’m amused. Many people don’t care for this record, but it’s grown on me. Messy and
incredibly silly DIY-pop shuffles. They probably didn’t intend for it to come off this way.
ZIPPeR (New Orleans): “Victim of Circumstance” b/w “Iranian Rhapsody” 7” single - 1979. $150.
I know nothing of Zipper other than their sole 45 is way rare, with a hilarious, anti-Iran/
Khomeini b-side that goes well with Vince Vance’s “Bomb Iran”. A-side is quirky girl-wave.
WAYWARd YouTH (New Orleans): “El Mundo” b/w “Do You Wanna” 7” single - Final
Solution, 1979. $100 w/ poster sleeve.
The most prolific Louisiana punk label by far was Vinyl Solution (here still known as Final
Solution, a spin-off of the local fanzine) and the Wayward Youth was its first release. Not the
best of the best but still a very good mix of power pop and devo-wave. Originally released
with a handsome fold-out poster sleeve and then with a regular picture sleeve.
MANIC dePReSSIVeS (New Orleans): “Silence on the Radio” 7” e.p. - Vinyl Solution,
1980. $50.
The return of Mandeville Mike! With larry the Punk on bass and songwriting and tinny
production. Not too different from the Skinnies, but with more advanced compositions.
“Going Out with the In-Crowd” is the hit.

Red RoCKeRS (New Orleans): “Guns of Revolution” 7” e.p. - Vinyl Solution, 1980. $250 w/P.S.
I don’t care for even the good Red Rockers stuff so much anymore. The good stuff being this, the first EP and
the 2 songs on the No Questions, No Answers comp. The obvious Clash worship is just too much. A small
percentage of these came with a full-color over-sized sleeve that I want. My copy has a black and white promo
poster/collage thing instead. Band is named after a Commie-loving dils song.
V/A (New Orleans): No Questions, No Answers LP - Vinyl Solution, 1980. $50.
More catchy stuff from the Manic depressives plus the Wayward Youth, Aces 88 (Brad Orgeron from the
backstabbers/Contenders), Red Rockers, Lenny Zenith’s Rza, the fugitives, the Hostages and more. Pretty
solid record. Vinyl debut of the Models, though I’m not too crazy about them. Maybe you will be! The Models
did two 45s. The first one from ’81-- “In the Red” b/w “Respected”-- is pretty silly rock/wave, but there’s
something about its attractive and sturdy picture sleeve, and the fact that it’s one of the toughest of these records
to find... I gotta mention it.
V/A (New Orleans & Baton Rouge): NO Experience Necessary LP - Oblique Records, 1980. $20.
I believe this comp actually came before No Questions, No Answers and marks the vinyl debut of Baton
Rouge’s Shit dogs. This used to turn up for a $1 everywhere, but now not so much. Besides the Ramones/
swamp-punk of the Shit Dogs, there’s good material from a reunited backstabbers; plus the Contenders, the
driveways, Room Service, Men in black, The Mechanics and Mandeville Mike’s Mental block (basically
the Skinnies). I believe this was all recorded 1978-1979. Room Service managed to release a 45, “Running
Dog” b/w “You Bring Me Down,” in 1979. The b-side is pretty good. Somewhere between bar-band “new
wave” and the Gizmos. The Mechanics did a 12” e.p. in ‘79. A very interesting and musicianly effort with
some devo worship going on. Doesn’t look like much, but grab it if you see it. A similarly titled collection
from 2001 on Raveup/backstreet called NO Experience borrows tracks from the above two compilations,
plus some interesting odds ‘n’ ends (Normals demos, the Contenders’ “No More Jazz”). There’s also a
backstabbers/Contenders split LP (RaveUp, 2000) of good-to-great, raw demos and live recordings from
1976-79.
THe Cold (New Orleans): “You” b/w “Three Chord City” 7” single - Top Pop Records, 1980. $40.
Everyone should know the Cold. The $40 price tag is for the first press with a unique blue-on-white paper sleeve.
The second single from ‘81 is much easier to find and worth getting too. The b-side of that, “Wake Up,” may
be their very best song. And then there’s more 45s and two LPs. “Three Chord City” also appeared on the b-97
Crescent City Jam sampler, which also included a decent lenny Zenith/RZA tune.
THe SHIT doGS (Baton Rouge): “The History of Cheese” 7” e.p. - Pangolin, 1981. $350.
“Shit Dogs? You Bet!” 7” e.p. - Pangolin, 1981. $100.
Dog Style LP - Pangolin, 1983. $50.
“History of Cheese” is one of my favorite records, period and was once a Holy Grail among Kbd collectors (until
we all found a copy). Lo, lo, lo-fi psych-punk with some amazing lead guitar work (R.I.P. to Bobby Swayze)
MUSIC
ala Hawkwind... pressed on the cheapest of vinyl. The second 7” and LP
are cleaner productions but still with great songs. Fun fact: They opened
for Roky erickson at the Kingfish in BR (same venue as the infamous Sex
Pistols / Rockin’ dopsie gig). There’s a pretty good Shit dogs anthology on
RaveUp called World War III for starters.
ouR fAVoRITe bANd! (Baton Rouge): “Pink Cadillac” 7” e.p. - Praxis,
1981. $50.
More people need to discover this crazy out-of-place e.p. One Cramps/
Panther burns rocker, one only ones soundalike and some Swell Maps/
DIY confusion.
THe ZooMeRS (Baton Rouge): From the Planet Moon 7” e.p. - Uncalled
For Music, 1981. $120.
Even weirder than OFB, this is some twisted acid-damaged DIY psych/wave.
If you love the Twinkeyz or Tronics, this is like that, but scarier. Barely
exists!
SHell SHoCK (New Orleans): “Your Way...” 7” e.p. - Vinyl Solution,
1981. $60.
Strong black flag influence, great fuzzy production and certainly the most
important punk/hardcore band out of Louisiana. Mike Goner of the Goners
would later join on drums. Shell Shock were crossing over into Metal territory
by the time of the “No Holds Barred” e.p. (‘86), but the title track is a great
song and both of the LPs have their moments. There’s also a cassette, Lost
and Found (‘83). After a few lineup changes, ending with Mike Goner being
replaced by Jimmy Bower (eyehategod) for the third unreleased LP, guitarist
Hatch-Boy took his own life in 1988, leaving what was left of the band to
become the Slugs and finally Crowbar.
ToXIN III (Crowley): Toxin III 7” e.p. - Vinyl Solution, 1982. $250.
Final release on Vinyl Solution. Primitive, powerful, cajun-thug artpunk. An
acquired taste. Reissued with great extra stuff by RaveUp (LP) and Hyped 2
Death (CD).
THe SluTS (New Orleans): 12” of Sluts 45rpm LP - Spread ‘um Records,
1982. $60.
Hilarious and on the verge of falling apart hardcore punk. The Sluts toured
around with black flag and singer Dave Turgeon even tried out for lead
singer, pre-Damaged. Imagine...
dISAPPoINTed PAReNTS (New Orleans): “Am I Getting Through?” 7”
e.p. - Crispy Christ, 1983. $50.
Primitive proto-thrash. Includes the 18-second classic “Fuck-Drugs!”
THe lIMIT (Chalmette): The Limit 10” e.p. - Pendulum Records, 1983.
$50.
Punkish New Wave rock. Two good songs out of four (“Uh Oh” sounds like
the Cars, kind of). Reissued last year, with extra stuff, on Radio Heartbeat.
“Uh Oh” also appears on the Awaken the Sound sampler that also features a
real winner from Jocco Rocco! The Limit song “Modern Girl” was originally
issued on WRNo’s The Rock Album, Vol. II (1982) which also has a Models
track. The Rock Album, Vol. I (1981) is worth mentioning, with okay tracks
by Sexdog and the Raffeys.
There’s not much past ‘83 that people are tripping on, unless you count me
tripping on MoTo cassettes. Very honorable mention goes to Gypsy Savage
(N.O.) and their “Never Drop Out” single (and LP) from ’84: Mötley Crüe
pop-metal with one of the greatest record covers of all time, rocking out on
the front steps of McMain. Some more names to look for: Numbers (Kenner
’84, dumb/good mod pop); Socials (N.O. ‘84); Rocking Shapes (Lafayette
‘83-84, one 12” and one 7”); McCullough & Heday (Shreveport ’86, a 45
with one great power popper called “What Can I Do”). Some records not
mentioned that are pre-1984, but lower on the collectibility totem pole: bas
Clas (Lafayette, 3 singles ‘77-85); the Times (BR); Time Zone; Raffeys
and Monsters (ex-Dukes); Godot (on Top Pop; really bad); backbeats and
Submarine Attendants (ex-Cold); the uptights; Rock-a-byes; david
Crawford (“Cement City” rocks); Susie Huete and the second ballistics
record...
WANTed: The first ballistics, a flexi disc and the Rayne LP (not “punk,”
from ‘79, need it). And there’s always more, hiding.
For a sample of some of these records, check out Michael Bateman’s
playlist at bit.ly/nomorejazzplaylist.
13

MUSIC
THE HIGH(AND LOW)LIGHTS OF HANGOUT FEST 2011
BY ERIN HALL PHOTOS BY MATT ROSENTHAL
Last year’s inaugural Hangout Music, Beach & Arts Festival was a relatively
modest affair. 50 bands were booked and approximately 10,000 tickets were
sold to the public. Much-hyped headliners The Flaming Lips were forced to
cancel at the last minute due to the severe illness of a band member. The weather
on Sunday afternoon was apocalyptically bad, keeping many ticketholders from
enjoying the last day of the festival. I can only guess that the relative size and
feel of last year’s event simple wasn’t enough of a dry-run to give the organizers
perspective for scaling up. While they did a lot of things right this year, there were
some major areas of concern as well.
Structurally, the fest was a total mess on Friday. Gates opened hours behind
schedule, leaving general admission ticket holders standing in lines that stretched
half a mile long at one point, as the temperature crept into the mid-80s with gorgeous,
but relentless, sunshine. At the same time, performers went on to near-empty houses,
probably wondering themselves what the hell had gone wrong. Communication
amongst festival staff was nearly nonexistent, with attendees hearing a different
story from each crewmember they questioned. And miles down both sides of the
beach road, restless souls waited in insanely long lines for shuttle busses that would
take hours to make full runs. Also, they ran out of programs and had only one water
filling station for all 35,000 attendees. How does that happen? Not only does all this
make for cranky fans, long waits and delays rob them of what they paid high dollar
for – the music. The shuttles and entrance lines improved gradually on days two and
three and part of me believes day one’s failures really did branch from the inability
to be prepared for a crowd of that size when it was so exponentially larger than last
year’s. I don’t think we’ll see the same issues at next year’s festival, so we’ll just
chalk it up to growing pains.
All of that being said, however, the second annual Hangout Fest was a great
weekend of music. It struck a delicate balance with crunchy hippie jams, popular
rock and fringe acts. Friday was clearly “jam” day though, as I managed to hear
two flute solos at two separate shows having been inside the gates a mere twenty
minutes. I also endured a paltry reggae cover of Radiohead’s “Karma Police” and at
least four separate acts covered Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.”
My day started with Karl denson (wielder of one of the aforementioned flutes)
whose tent was sadly sparse due to the clogged up entrance issues. The multiinstrumentalist
maintained superb control over his crowd though and I stared in
amazement as people literally lost their minds to a beat boxing flute solo. I have to
do more day drinking for that kind of mind control to work on me. Our next stop
was by far the highlight (and most bizarre placement) of the day. beats Antique is
a mostly electronica outfit started by Zoe Jakes, a belly dancer (and former member
of The Yard Dogs Road Show) who needed a backing band for her performances.
What evolved is a music that sees trance club beats colliding with Gogol Bordelloesque
folk/punk grooves. Melding live instrumentation (percussion mostly, but also
electric banjo and fiddle) with synth loops and stunningly trippy visuals, the three
members of Beats had me literally hypnotized in the middle of the afternoon in a
muggy tent (this show so clearly should’ve been at night).
Speaking of putting on a show, Grace Potter has really come into her own these
last few years. Her stage presence at Hangout Fest was aggressively sexual and
magnetic as she slid around the stage in a sequined micro mini (she’s 80% there on
the Tina Turner legs) and a see-through linen top, belting out her own soulful tunes
as well as passionate covers of Heart’s “Crazy on You” and The Rolling Stones’
“Happy,” all the while giving the crowd serious “come hither” eyes through the
fringe of her heavily blunted, beachy blonde bangs. After all that sexy, the Honey
Island Swamp band’s intimate performance on the Shaka Island stage (right next
to the giant-sand-castle-quickly-turned-giant-pile o’ sand) was a perfect next step.
Groovy and more focused that I’ve ever seen them play, Honey Island commanded
a decent-sized crowd that seemed to thoroughly enjoy their set, which included a
guest spot from another New Orleanian playing the fest – Khris Royal.
Capping off my Friday night (what, you thought I stayed for Widespread Panic’s
closing set? Psh…) was one of my favorite bands of the last decade, Kentucky’s
own My Morning Jacket. Part barefoot southern rock and part fitful experimental
physchedelia, MMJ can always be counted on to turn in a barnburner performance.
Their Hangout set included tracks from their soon-to-be-released album Circuital
as well as golden oldies from their much-lauded early albums It Still Moves and Z.
Also folded in were a surprising number of tracks from the largely forgotten and
oft-misunderstood Evil Urges. It seems that album was a real popular one in the jam
band circle, as selections from it induced nuclear levels of hippie dancing from the
crowd. They closed, as they usually do at outdoor fests, with “One Big Holiday,”
a song that builds to glorious crescendo and that I am now sure was written with a
sole purpose in mind – screaming the lyrics at the top of your lungs while flailing
your arms wildly in the air (it helps if there are thousands of other people doing this
with you). A stellar note to end day one.
The sun rose over the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores on Saturday and it was
just as beautiful and idyllic as Friday. dead Confederate was the revelation of the
14

MUSIC
day on Saturday, blowing me away with
their heavy, shoegazy rock. It’s Seattle
1991 smothered in the stifling heat of a
sticky Georgia summer’s day. In short,
it’s awesome. Lead singer Hardy Morris
sounds like a younger Jack White (in his
high register) but looks like 1990s Edward
Furlong (don’t lie – you loved him in
junior high). The antithesis of pretentious
scenester rock, the simple quintet pumped
out thudding, cerebral tunes. Lest you
think they can’t have fun, they performed
their last song, “Ferris Wheel” on the
festival’s actual Ferris Wheel. Wheeeee!
From here, we moved to wait for Cee
lo. And wait for him we did. And wait
some more. Yeah, he stood us up. In the
dominant fashion of his recent shows (he
was 25 minutes late at Coachella) Cee
Lo was nowhere to be found as a crowd
of thousands waited in the blistering
midday sun for him. A guy standing next
to us remarked that the blue guitar on
stage looked familiar to him; he swore it
belonged to the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl.
We talked amongst ourselves, wondering
if Grohl would play with Cee Lo when he finally arrived (the two performed a cover of Prince’s
“Darling Nikki” at the 2007 MTV VMAs). Finally someone emerged on stage with a comment
to the effect of “You know what Cee Lo Green – forget you! Ladies and gentlemen – the Foo
Fighters!” And then it happened. The foo fighters emerged to thunderous applause and tore into
Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.” When they slipped seamlessly into Queen’s “Tie Your Mother
Down,” it was clear what was happening. We were about to get an entire set of classic rock covers
courtesy of the Foo Fighters because Cee Lo Green is an asshole. Next up was Tom Petty’s
“Breakdown,” one of my favorite Petty tracks and I must admit the Foos did it a great justice,
imbuing it with the perfect amount of sneer and sizzle. After this, they commented on how much
they really do like Cee Lo, and how they wished he were there to sing “Darling Nikki” with them.
Instead, Grohl took lead vocals and was doing a fine job until, what’s that in the wings? It’s Cee
Lo! To a mix of applause and boos, Green took over lead vocals and then proceeded to throw out
a weak attempt at hyping the crowd up for his painfully short set (I think he had 15 minutes left at
that point). He tore through a weak sauce rendition of the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone”
(a song he covered on the first Gnarls Barkley record in spectacular fashion) followed by “Bright
Lights, Bigger City” from his recent solo release The Lady Killer. Then there was a truncated bit
of Gnarls’ biggest hit, “Crazy,” followed by the inevitable viral hit of the year, “Fuck You.” He
rounded it out with a lame bit of The Clash’s iconic “Rock the Casbah” that left me feeling very
“meh” (I feel sure Joe Strummer would agree with me). Frankly, I would’ve preferred an hour of
Dave Grohl and company playing the ‘70s jukebox game. I was never a huge fan of the Foo, but
those guys certainly gained points in my book after this. Note to festivals: stop booking Cee Lo.
He has an ego problem and it’s really not worth it.
After the colossal case of blue balls from Cee Lo, we grabbed some sand and soaked in the
sweet sounds of The Avett brothers. These guys put on a great, wholesome show. Seriously,
how freaking Cracker Barrel Old Country Store are these guys? Banjos! Upright bass! Singin’
sweet songs about ma girl! I love them. They are uncomplicated and utterly enjoyable. A tight
and rich performance.
We swung by Pretty lights on our way to the media area and, much like bassnectar the night
before, the crowd was swelling out of the tent. Composed mostly of young-ish kids sporting
bits of neon and glow sticks, the crowd was clearly there only to dance. I doubt it mattered what
samples or tricks were folded into the set. Forgive me for sounding like a lame old fart, but this
shit all sounds the same. There, I said it. Scribble up the hate mail now.
The flaming lips made good on last year’s promise and delivered a great performance as
the sun set on day two. Coincidentally, this is the time Jesus was supposed to come back. If he
did (and we somehow missed it) I feel certain he enjoyed the show too. With Wayne decked out
as the Cowardly Lion (Fur? On a beach? Really?!) they opened with “Do You Realize?” which
is arguably their biggest “hit.” I usually prefer it come later in the set, when I’m really immersed
in the whole experience and can dig into the heavy meaning of the track (seriously, it made me
cry in public once). But maybe they were just getting rid of the folks who only came for that one
track. The rest of the set was a balanced mix of older stuff (love that they played “She Don’t Use
Jelly”) and newer tracks from their most recent album, Embryonic. He saved the giant hands
and the hamster ball for the end and the show tapered out with some softer tracks from The Soft
Bulletin, which is kind of an unexpected turn, but on the whole, it was a Lips show: confetti,
crazy costumes (all the stage dancers were dressed as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz), wacky
instrumentation (this time it was a smart phone) and plenty of spacey, bass-heavy jams.
From here we rushed to the Motorhead show, only to sadly find them wrapping up early
(PLEASE don’t do that at a festival where show times overlap – play your whole set so we can
stage hop!) We did catch the encore (for which they had saved “Ace of Spades”) and Lemmy and
the boys seemed genuinely thankful for the small but dedicated contingent of fans cheering them
Hangout Fest Review Continued on Page 30....
15

MUSIC
STAR FROM SUBURBIA: A SHORT HISTORY
WITH DAVE FERA
INTERVIEW BY DAN FOX PHOTO BY MATT ROSENTHAL
Of all the places Dave Fera could’ve drifted off to when he left his home
in northern Virginia, he chose to land in New Orleans and we should
all thank our lucky stars for that. Since his arrival over a decade ago,
Fera has made a lasting imprint on the music of New Orleans. I myself
have been a fan since I heard “I-10,” a real rib-sticker of a song-- and an instant mix
tape classic-- from Fera’s first NOLA band, Mahayla. It not only stoked my ears
but my regional pride as well. There’s something truly unique and accessible about
Fera’s brand of faster-than-it-should-be folk rock and that dark, weighty voice of his
which holds its form even in a scream. As a relative newcomer to New Orleans he
also has the eye to capture the daily poetry of life here without any preconception,
gimmick or pretension, turning a simple Westbank fishing trip or a bike ride through
the city into a treasured snapshot. It’s an approach to songwriting earned over a
monk’s life in music. I recently sat down with Fera in the back room of Parasol’s to
talk about his path through the music world, tasting the corporate life (and its acrid
aftertaste), Big Blue Marble, Fera’s band of the last 7 years (which is putting out
its third full release, The Big Blue Marble, this month) and finally, about his good
friend, musician, mentor and community pillar Colin Brown, who died tragically
young a few short months ago.
ANTIGRAVITY: I wanted to go chronologically through your story, starting
from when you moved to New orleans and a little before. When exactly was
that?
Dave Fera: It was ‘99 and my band [the Seymores] was on Virgin. We put two
albums out and we got dropped because pretty much the whole record industry
crashed. I’d say around ‘96, ’97, all these bands got signed. Tons. They were just
signing anybody-- and we were one of those bands that got signed. Literally, our
first show we got signed from. We did this indie-pop festival and it was like us,
Superchunk, Archers of Loaf, Labradford, Versus, Small Factory-- all the early
indie-pop bands. And this lady from the record label bought our cassette and
called me a week later. And they started flying down and seeing us. And the next
thing we know, we got a record deal. a BIG record deal, like our first budget for
our first album was $100,000. And we got a video and we got tour support. It was
big. Basically, our record label was the Verve and that was the band that they
pumped all the money into. We actually had a really good run. We toured with
Sun Volt and Cracker. It was a fun time but I was poor, very poor.
You said you got a budget, but explain how that works, because it’s not like
as an artist you actually see all or even most of that money.
First thing they do is, they give you an advance and they gave us $15,000-- what
we’re supposed to live off for a while, basically. And they gave us $15,000 to
spend on our equipment. So we bought fancy guitars and amps and a PA, the same
PA I have today. And then for everything else, they cut checks. But every time
they take you out to dinner, every time they send you a Fed Ex, they put it on your
bill. So for you to really make any money with that kind of budget, you have to
go gold, or close to it.
because it’s an advance.
It’s a tab that they have running for you. Every little thing that they do, promotional
stuff, anything is chalked up on your tab. You’re paying for it, eventually-- if you
make money. It’s their gamble. You’re not looking at making anything other than
mechanical royalties, which is nothing.
That’s still a top-of-the-world, feeling, though, to be in that position.
Oh it’s amazing. We were feeling really good at the time. We were flying up to
New York and shopping our stuff to different producers. We also made a lot of
mistakes.
What was the mistake part and what happened after that?
We had a couple of other producers that we could’ve worked with. I think we
recorded our first album with the wrong people. We did it at Smart Studio. They
had just done Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins; it was pretty hot. When we
recorded there they were making a Garbage record... [The album] did okay. It did
not sell very well. We did not get a push. The record executive-- the top guy-- was
from England and all the British bands got tour buses and they would push the shit
out of them. And all the U.S. bands were driving around in shitty vans. It was the
have’s and have-nots, pretty much. It was a learning experience. It was awesome
and I’m glad I got to do it. And I sold a song to Levi’s, which was really good.
That’s how I made all my money for a year, off that one commercial. I was always
like “I’m never gonna sell out!” and then I was so poor I was like “fuck yeah!”
I had that idea in my head, going into it like, “Oh, we’re above this.” And then I
16
realized once we started doing it, how many bands were getting signed... Basically, they hold you captive and
they push everything back and back, and they kill your spirit.
let’s talk about that disparity, the after part.
My girlfriend moved away and went to College in Utah. And it was a horrible feeling. I got into CMJ to play
a solo show and ended up having to cancel that. I was very unhappy and kind of depressed because our band
broke up and my guitar player who was my best friend, he went into ad school. And now he’s rich and frickin’
kicking ass. He’s doing great; he lives in Chicago. So I was like, I gotta move somewhere. And I had some
friends down here. Actually, Colin. I knew Colin from Virginia. So he was like “Just come down here, you can
crash on my couch for a while.” So when I came down I was writing like crazy. I was going to start over fresh,
somewhere else.

MUSIC
“The more care-free I feel in my life, the more I write.”
What made you choose New orleans?
Having toured here, I just loved the city. I always had this idea
that it didn’t matter where I was, that the music would reach
people. So I could’ve moved to New York or L.A... I just liked
New Orleans. It seemed kind of like Richmond, in a way. Very
southern and sort of laid back, funky people. And I had a good
hook up for a job.
So you were couch surfing for a while?
Yeah. I started writing like crazy again, because I had stopped
writing, which was great. I had so much material. I started
doing solo shows, then I found some people and put together
Mahayla. It was super indie in the beginning when we first
started. It didn’t have the country thing that it sort of turned
into... It went great; Mahayla took off pretty good around
town-- for a while. Also, just getting back into the studio
and working with Chris George [at the original Living Room
Studio] and being able to take my time over there was exciting
to me. After making $100,000 records, making a $4,000 record
was actually kind of fun because it wasn’t like having these
super-experienced people telling you what to do as much.
Although Chris George has no problem telling you what
to do.
I know. He hated me for a while, trust me. I was very picky
in the studio with what I wanted. And I was involved in
the mixing, which... he did not like that! But we both got
something out of it in the end. It was a big struggle but we both
got something from it. We have the utmost respect for each
other now, more than ever.
You mentioned in an interview a few years ago that you
weren’t going about things half-assed anymore, implying
that you had been doing that before. What did that mean
for Mahayla?
The thing about Mahayla, when I say it was half-assed is all of
our releases we did by hand. We never went to Disc Makers
and made a CD. At the time I didn’t see any reason to do that.
I wasn’t going to go for radio or [anything] other than local
press... and I think that kind of hurt us. I think a lot of the press
didn’t take us seriously because they got a disc that wasn’t
shrink-wrapped, hand-made, whatever. But I think we reached
some people, people that heard our stuff and knew something
was going on with it.
“I-10” is still a classic, in my opinion.
Ah thanks! That was early me transitioning from the Seymores,
the East Coast indie rock. I felt like I was bringing something
to New Orleans that was a little different with that song.
“Stalker” was our first song that Mahayla put out and WTUL
just played the crap out of it.
but Mahayla ended and you started big blue Marble.
What were the early days like?
Originally, Big Blue Marble started off with folky, gypsy, guy/
girl vocals... We used accordion and a lot of 3/4 time stuff.
And soundtrack sort of stuff, too. It also had a little garage-y,
danceable aspect to it. Adam [Campagna] and Blair [Gimma]
were in the band; it was the three of us driving it. I wanted
to get them involved in the songwriting and make it more of
a partnership. All three of us could put together something
and it had this innocence to it, a Sesame Street kind of thing,
too, which I liked. It was light-hearted and fun songs. We had
the lap steel, which I thought Mike Blum’s sound was really
important. And then Ike [Aguilar] has been frickin’ the rock
for a lot of these bands. Just having the nice, tasty licks and
fitting in. He has a way to figure out how to blend in with the
stuff.
With Stars in Suburbia [Big Blue Marble’s first full release,
2005] you had a real production team going. Can you talk
about all of the people involved with that recording?
I had done a couple of demos with Tom Drummond, which
were going great. “Final Words” was the first song we were
working on. And I was really happy with how that was coming
out. It was cool because we made beats with loops and stuff
and I really like that kind of sound. I really like Sparklehorse
and Ween and stuff like that because a lot of people have this
approach where they want to put a kazillion mics on drums.
And it takes up so much space in a recording; you don’t realize,
when you use drum loops, how much space it creates to have
other textures. And you can use those textures to really build
a song and give it power. And I was getting into that kind of
thing, working with Tom. On the other hand, we had all these
songs we were working on with [Tape Op editor] Larry Crane.
We met Larry Crane at our show. He saw us play at the Circle
Bar. He was in town, scouting out New Orleans for Tape Op.
He was at our show and he wanted to get into the New Orleans
scene because he wanted to be involved with some of the music
here. He had an interest in Mexico 1910, too. He came to some
of our practices and took some notes and then when we went
to record we had done a lot of tracking with Chris [George]
already. And he came in and finished some of the overdubs
and mixed it. Which was awesome to get his hands on it. And
he had some really strange techniques that I’ve never seen. He
uses guitar pedals a lot. He’ll run a whole mix through a delay
pedal or stuff like that. It was pretty interesting to see some of
his ideas.
And then you finished mixing with Tom Drummond?
I did all of that stuff in his house: me and him in this little office
with two dogs in there, so it was tight quarters. But he works
his ass off. He really does. I really like working with him.
And for Natchez [big blue Marble’s second release in
2007], you went with Tom full on.
Yeah, then we went into the studio. Before we were doing it
in his study, which was Tom Drummond prices. He was in
it because he loved the songs and wanted to be a part of the
music. Natchez was different because we had to deal with the
studio rate which, I hadn’t dealt with a serious studio rate since
Richmond... Just having done records with big budgets, being
on a major label, I know the drill for doing a record that’s that
detailed and that precise and what it takes... So I was looking
forward to doing that and I knew Tom could do that.
from Scuba School [Big Blue Marble’s first release, an
eP, in 2004] to Natchez, you get more and more expansive
in your production, but on this latest release you’re back
at the living Room Studio, producing it yourselves. What
made you decide to go back to that approach?
I wanted to do more of a live studio recording. And I thought
using the analog gear would be perfect for it. And like a lot
of my favorite artists, like Neil Young, he does stuff like that.
You look at his early stuff, like the self-titled album has a
lot of arrangements and a lot of production and effects. And
then you’ve got Tonight’s the Night. That’s an album they
did live, basically. There’s not a lot of overdubs, not a lot of
vocal takes or vocal comping. Just to do something with these
guys, because I have confidence that they can play the songs
and have a feel. We didn’t use click tracks or anything. It was
liberating after doing the other one.
It’s also a statement to come out with a self-titled album, in
my opinion, especially when it’s not your first.
I didn’t come up with the title. My band thought that that was
what we should do and I went along with it because I thought
it was cool. So it seems like I’m the leader of the band but it’s
still a democracy.
What about the pace of big blue Marble? A lot of bands
tend to try and spew out album after album but you take
it relatively slow.
I would be spewing out more albums if I was writing more,
honestly. Our first EP to Stars in Suburbia were put out within
a year. The setup for Natchez, with Katrina, kind of threw us
back a little bit. The whole time I was trying to put my house
back together. But I think the time after Natchez really took
a lot of wind out of my sails. Just the whole struggle with it.
It was a lot of work and it really wore me down. And then
conflicts with schedules and band members and all kinds of
stuff. But now we’re back on a good pace. They want to do
another EP.
What about touring?
We’re going to do some shows in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, a
couple of things in Texas. But we’re not going to do a full tour.
First of all, I can’t do it with my job, it’s nearly impossible. I
feel like it’s better to do regional touring anyways than just
throw yourself out there. I’d really like to just focus on that.
I’d really like to get a foot in the door in Austin. We had it for
a while. We were doing ACL and SXSW every year.
As far as your writing goes, what’s the difference between
when you first moved to New Orleans and now being a fulltime
resident?
I really don’t think that just moving here inspired me to write.
It was just a matter of where I’m at in my life and what’s going
on. The more care-free I feel in my life, the more I write.
Sometimes you get caught up paying bills and crap like that;
being a grown-up. But I tell you what: right now we have
some new stuff that I’m really excited about. The songs are
cool because the subject matter is completely different, like
“Faubourg Marigny” or “Jellyfish.”
I’m glad you brought that song up because I was listening
to “faubourg Marigny” and I’m thinking “dave fera’s a
poet, why is he trashing the bywater kids?” It seems out of
character for you.
I just thought it was funny. The whole idea was, a couple of
songs come to mind, like “Down and Out” by Camper Van
Beethoven. It spoke to me. I like to hear songs that I would
want to hear. I’m poking fun at the Bywater but that’s part
of expressing yourself in music. I don’t really care if people
are offended by it. I just think it’s hilarious. When I wrote it I
thought it was funny. It just cracks me up because it’s really
unique to New Orleans, the whole Bywater thing. It seems like
everyone’s caught in a different time period. Coming from
Virginia, it reminds me of Civil War reenactors! [laughs]
fair enough. Returning to the beginning of your story and
your move to New orleans, you brought up Colin and it
was supremely unfortunate that he died this past April. I
know he meant a lot to you. Care to share one story about
him?
This is a good example of Colin before he became grown
up Colin with two kids, the awesome dad. When I first met
him, his band was the biggest drunk band-- they were like
the Replacements. They were called Fred Vegas and they
were an R&B punk kind of thing. I remember watching Colin
and we were all drinking backstage and I was thinking, “man
these guys are drinking a lot”... And they got on stage to play
and I don’t even think Colin was 21. And he fell down and I
thought it was part of their show, but he actually fell down
and he finished the whole set on his back. Played four songs
and hit every note-- but he couldn’t get up. They had to pick
him up and carry him off stage. And that’s the kind of person
Colin is and was. He wouldn’t ever let you down and I can’t
stop thinking about that moment. Also, any time I ever needed
anything, to ask a question, he always seemed to know exactly
the perfect advice. That’s huge. It’s like having a dad in town,
on-call. I mean, anything. I could ask him about capital gains
and he would know everything about it and help me out. I was
thinking about it last night, laying in bed. I just cannot believe
what a loss it is.
Big Blue Marble releases their new, self-titled album at
the Big Top on July 2nd with the Lovey Dovies. For more
information, check out bigbluemarblemusic.com.
17

MUSIC
SERIOUS LAUGHS WITH THE GREEN DEMONS
BY MICHAEL PATRICK WELCH PHOTOS BY VAUGHN TAYLOR
The Green Demons encourage you to listen to their debut
record Outer Sex– an amalgamation of surf-rock, sci-fi,
loud country and punk- on the nearest jukebox that the CD
inhabits, waiting to burst out into the world like that chest monster
in Aliens. “We are trying to get Outer Sex on bars’ jukeboxes
around town,” says the Demons’ dramatic vocalist/guitarist Todd
Voltz, late of Hands of Nero. “Because nobody goes to see rockn-roll
in New Orleans, but everyone goes to bars.”
When AG sat down to interview the Demons at the bar 45
Tchoup with the album blasting on the jukebox, you could
almost imagine a fight breaking out to the music: bikers
cracking cue sticks across each other’s leather vests to tunes
like “Nuclear High” and “Redneck Revolution.” Voltz’s
partner, singer and guitarist Gwendolyn Knapp boasts the kind
of gutsy, soulful voice that sounds especially great in a smoky
beer bar when either taking the lead on “Surfin’ Rambler”
(a very personal song, it turns out) or else backing Voltz on
the pirate shanty, “Life Is Rich.” If Joan Jett had a band with
Morgus, we could accuse Green Demons of ripping them off.
The remarkable painted cover of Outer Sex (by Pitts and
Preps guitarist and former House of Blues artist Scott Guion)
features Voltz, Knapp, drummer Keith Hajjar, bassist Bill
Humphreys and multi-instrumentalist Jason Core being beamed
down from a spaceship, ready to rock. With their music loud
behind us, Green Demons discussed with AG the photograph
from which the painting was painted, getting pirate-blocked
by Alex McMurray and telling people their jokes aren’t funny.
ANTIGRAVITY: So it almost seems like you (Todd and
Gwendolyn) make different types of music that come
together to form…
Todd Voltz: Alien sex monster music.
Is that how you’d both describe it? It seems like you and
Gwendolyn each come from a different place, style-wise.
Gwendolyn Knapp: Yes, I agree that I do something different, it’s…
TV: More surf.
GW: Not more surf.
18
TV: More dance.
GW: Dance?
TV: Boogie.
GW: I would say more ‘soul’
TV: Yeah, your style is more Motown R&B, and I am more
psychedelic 60’s garage.
Keith Hajjar: We call it “B-Movie Garage,” which incorporates
your aliens and monsters…
TV: And puts them on the beach. [everyone laughs]
So what’s your deal with aliens and monsters?
TV: Well I used to be scared of aliens and monsters. And after I
was abducted by aliens and struck by lightning 16 times on my
way up to the UFO, they took me to another planet and exposed
me to monsters. It inspired me to come back to Earth and find
others who’d had similar experiences and make music with them.
oh, that’s what happened.
GK: Actually, Todd and I met because we were writing
comedy together, which definitely carries over into our music.
I was doing the Saint’s variety show with Bill Davis (Dash Rip
Rock) and Chris Lee (Supagroup) and we were inviting people
in for these brain-stompingly depressing writing sessions.
Where you had to tell other people their jokes weren’t
funny?
TV: Yeah. Explain why we weren’t going to use them. It was
pretty mean. We all took our heads home in cases. Which
inspired the Outer Sex song, “Headhunter,” actually.
Anyway, after some of these comedy-writing sessions,
Gwendolyn and I started playing guitar together. The first
song we wrote was about some robot and her robot sexual
fantasies…
GK: That’s what you thought it was about!
TV: Then the troupe broke up, ate shit.
GK: All the musicians eventually left to do music, and it was
just Todd and me. In 2009 we decided to put together a band
for this Father’s Day-slash-Summer-equinox party at Crepe
Nanou. We both had songs and we made up enough music for
a set in three weeks.
GK: Todd was my first friend when I moved to New Orleans
in 1992-- him and Scott Guion, who did the cover painting.
Todd was out on his front porch playing bongos with his lady
[everyone laughs], and he had long hair and I had long hair
so we hit it off immediately. Back then Todd had this piratethemed
act he used to do at parties.
Which carries over onto this record, the pirate theme.
GK: Just the one song, “Life Is Rich.” Todd came over to my
house and we started working on these pirate songs and then
right then, boom-- Alex McMurray started doing Valparaiso
Men’s Chorus and playing pirate music with everybody in
town [laughs]. Then it was like, ‘Weeeeeeell, maybe we won’t
rush right out with that idea…”
Gwendolyn, it seems as a songwriter that you are less on
the comedic tip than Todd.
TV: Her voice is more soulful so she comes across as more
authentic.
GK: True. But the writing is pretty even, I would say: my voice
is soulful but my writing is pretty slapstick.
So you’re not as sincere as you sound?
TV: [to Gwendolyn] Well, “Surfing Rambler” is very much
a close-to-home, firsthand account of you and your family.
[everyone laughs]
GK: No really, isn’t it about your allegiance with your sister?
“Mama never loved me until I was grown.”
GK: You are right. My uncle Stan is in that song too.
TV: It’s flimsily built on reality.
How long have you been singing, Gwendolyn?
GK: I started playing guitar at 21, sitting around the house
stoned, humming, writing annoying folksy songs, until I
eventually got good enough to play in a band. I had a crappy
More Green Demons on Page 24...
“After I was abducted by aliens and struck by lightning 16 times on my
way up to the UFO, they took me to another planet and exposed me to
monsters. It inspired me to come back to earth and find others who’d
had similar experiences and make music with them.”

AUSTRA
FEEL IT BREAK
(DOMINO)
I don’t know about you, but if someone
(whose opinion I value) were to tell me that
there was a band out there that produced
dark and brooding yet danceable music,
with a vocalist that sounded like an operatic
Karen Dreijer Andersson (of The Knife), I would say, “You have me
sold.” Well, if you value this humble opinion and this description
appeals to your sensibilities, I tell you there is, in fact, a band that
fits this portrayal encompassingly, and this band is Austra. Austra is a
three-piece, Toronto-based group that revolves around the talents of the
classically trained pianist and vocalist Katie Stelmanis, the drummer
Maya Postepski and bassist Dorian Wolf. Feel It Break, released May
17 via Domino, is an 11-track, nighttime (-mare) album of murky
dance cuts that resonate deeply, primarily because of the hauntingly
elegant vocal delivery throughout from Stelmanis. In saying that this
band resonates chiefly because of the vocals is not meant to slight the
music, which is certainly above par in its own right, but it is meant to
highlight the incredible talent of this particular vocalist – she can sing
(just listen to lead single “Lose It” for unequivocal evidence). If this is
not your thing, I understand, it’s okay—different strokes for different
folks, I get it—but nonetheless, you are certainly mentally and/or
artistically stunted if you don’t like this, which I suppose is somewhat
pitiable, and ultimately, I forgive you for this. This debut record from
Austra is truly a spellbinding effort and one that is both subtle and
exuberant at once; check out “Beat and the Pulse,” “The Choke” or
“Spellbound” for evidence. Feel It Break is yet another album that has
been released on the Domino label as of late that is elegant, emotional
and important and is absolutely worth repeated/ in-depth listens. –Dan
Mitchell
BEASTIE BOYS
HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PT.2
(CAPITOL)
The question is, do you now or have you
ever liked the Beastie Boys? Or more
generally, do you like fun? If you answered
yes to either of those questions then this
album is for you. Above anything else, Hot
Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 is a return to the core concepts that made the
B Boys one of the most beloved groups in pop music of the last 20
years. The record’s no dusted, sample-frenzy masterpiece like Paul’s
Boutique, but neither is it a deflated fumble like To the 5 Burroughs.
Hot Sauce Committee is a solid middle ground record, and from a
group whose relevance has been in question for the better part of a
decade, it’s an awesome comeback. The Boys’ production has put on
weight since their last proper hip hop record. Cuts like the awesome
Nas collaboration “Too Many Rappers” blend a distinct futurism with
call backs to the grimy instrumental sound of Check Your Head. Live
drums crash and pound amid a swirl of laser zaps and electro bass. The
Beastie Boys themselves seemingly haven’t lost a step; sure the guys
aren’t going to be winning any best MC awards anytime soon, but
their appeal was never based on their mic gymnastics. Instead, Beastie
Boys records are all about good times, listening to doodoo rhymes
and picking through the verses for little chestnuts like, “I burn you to
a crisp sucker, back up off the toaster/ I make you sick like a Kenny
Rogers Roaster.” There’s a demographic, namely white males around
30, who are most likely predisposed to like anything The Beastie Boys
cobble together, but for a group whose members are pushing their way
towards 50, it’s great to see them not only deliver the expected, but push
themselves into new territory. The excellent Santigold collaboration
“Don’t Play No Game I Can’t Win” is a jammin’ dubstep joint that
makes it obvious there’s still plenty of life left in the Boys. Hot Sauce
Committee, Pt. 2 is easily the most vital thing the Beastie Boys have
worked on since the ‘90s. –Mike Rodgers
BOOKER T. JONES
THE ROAD FROM MEMPHIS
(ANTI-)
Every artist should age as gracefully and
as well as Booker T. Jones has. There is
some effort on his part to keep current on
this Road, which pays off in his rendition of
Lauryn Hill’s “Everything Is Everything,”
but doesn’t do much else other than reprise a hip-hop classic in the
recreation of Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend”. Thankfully, there are many
other reasons to listen to this one other than the covers. Jones brings
out some serious soul from Yim Yames (aka My Morning Jacket’s Jim
James) in “Progress” and gets Sharon Jones (no relation) minus her
Dap-Kings to amble along in “Representing Memphis” But he shines
the most, as he always has, when he lets his organ speak for itself in
great instrumentals such as “Harlem House,” “The Vamp,” and “The
Seed.” It’s a ways from Stax classics such as “Green Onions,” but
The Road From Memphis builds on that legacy quite nicely. –Leigh
Checkman
CADDYWHOMPUS
THE WEIGHT
(CHINQUAPIN)
The New Orleans-based duo
Caddywhompus takes some sonic cues
from early Sonic Youth in the first track of
this EP and lets the stories in their sounds
evolve from there, each song moving nearly
seamlessly into the next. “The Weight” goes from a barely-contained
possessive anger into instrumental reverie and on into despair. A
further exploration of messy aftermaths occurs in “Age of Wild
Spirits,” the band letting their instruments rip for all they’re worth.
As if the art of noise weren’t enough for Chris Rehm and Sean Hart,
they also pull out some incredible imagery in their lyrics, such as “The
Others’”: “You have all your friends inside of you/I could cut you up/
You’d bleed out all your colors/Your others.” The culmination of all
this love and loss rests in “The Focus,” in which a father begs for the
return of family and the bottling of secrets revealed. It’s a mesmerizing
experience, this foursome of songs, inviting listeners to get lost in their
ups and downs. –Leigh Checkman
DANGER MOUSE & DANIELE
LUPPI
ROME
(CAPITOL)
The soundtrack for a movie that doesn’t
exist – as a record concept, the idea can be
elusive. Soundtracks generally rely on their
accompanying films to provide context or
connective tissue to their tracks, or at least interesting visuals with
which their musical cues can correlate. Rome executes this concept
about as well as can ever be hoped for, nailing the specific style, sound
and feel of its chosen inspiration, namely the spaghetti western score.
The record owes its identity completely to the work of composers like
Ennio Morricone and to the swinging ‘60s vibe of artists like Serge
Gainsbourg. From the tonal choirs to the sun soaked reverb, to the
laconic chill of its vocals, everything on Rome is spot on. But just
because Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi capture the specifics and
REVIEWS
create something authentic doesn’t mean that the results are all that
compelling. Rome seems almost rote at times, hitting the expected
beats before jumping onto the next track and repeating itself. And
surprisingly, for a record based around the idea of sound tracking a
film, there’s little cohesion amongst the songs’ character. One minute a
track like “Morning Fog” conjures up a smoky western vista while the
next moment “Roman Blue” calls to mind the cigarettes and scooters
cool of ‘60s Euro cinema. Rome plays more like a retrospective than
a singular work. Also, the cuts featuring guest vocals work acceptably
as standalone songs, but serve to disrupt the record’s vision. There are
standout moments—like the organ-lead jangle of “The Matador Has
Fallen”—times where the record blends its influences and creators’
strengths into something able to stand on its own two feet, but these
highs are mired in a collection of half successful tonal covers. –Mike
Rodgers
DIRTY BOURBON RIVER SHOW
VOLUME TWO
(INDEPENDENT)
The guys in Dirty Bourbon River Show
have been a busy bunch. In less than two
years, they have released three albums
(two full-lengths and one EP) and toured
exhaustively. Volume Two shows significant
growth and a renewed focus for the group. Leaning less on traditional
song structure and folk underpinnings, DBRS embraces more free
form jazz and experimentation on Volume Two and that, in turn, saves
the record from becoming a collection of mere “circus” songs. Singer
Noah Adams is still rocking the Tom Waits-meets-Man Man gravel
voice, but joining him now (and giving the vocals more depth) are some
lush harmonies and backup parts that border on operatic (see “Past
The Shore). “My Tiny Little Friend And I” is an especially odd bird;
clocking in over five minutes, it’s the longest track on the record and
the most experimental in style. A little drunken graveyard polka meets
swirling circus organ and strung-out vocal pacing for a memorable
experience. “From Time to Time” shows the band’s strength in sweet
moments. I’m glad they choose not to fill an album with softer tracks,
but they always shine in the moments of quiet joy. The island-feel and
percussion heavy (including xylophone!) backdrop give the track a
bit of pop sensibility without sacrificing meaningful content. Showing
once again that their greatest strength is their multi-instrumentalism,
“The Day the Devil…” and “The Beast and The Man” are both
standouts, showcasing two very different personalities of the group.
The former is stripped down, tight, light percussion overlaid with
haunting flute, plucky banjo and choral harmonies where the latter is
sparse and quirky with a lovely Parisian accordion open that breaks
wide open in the middle to reveal a careening, swinging cacophony of
sound. With each album, Dirty Bourbon River Show proves that they
are more than just another “circus” band and I look forward to what
evolutionary turn awaits them next. –Erin Hall
FLEET FOXES
HELPLESSNESS BLUES
(SUB POP)
The Fleet Foxes have been called uncool,
largely by people who are very aware
of how cool they are, and this mode of
thinking and critique must be discredited
and abandoned. The Fleet Foxes are cool,
very cool in fact, and they make beautiful music. They cover Judee
Sill live for fucks sake – have you ever heard “Crayon Angels?” It
is a stunning song and they kill it every time they render it their own
(Oh, and if being cool in music means being a heroin addict, look
19

REVIEWS
no further than the tragic Sill story). When the Fleet Foxes emerged
from obscurity a few years ago and gained widespread attention and
praise, it was born out of the fact that they were Pacific Northwesterners
who could write a good folk tune and actually perform it well too
(they are better live than on record). A lot has changed in music since
the Fleet Foxes released their first EP and full-length, but the only
thing that has changed in this band is that they have grown older/
wiser, more thoughtful and better as a group. The Sun Giant EP and
the self-titled full-length were really good, but Helplessness Blues is
great. Robin Pecknold was a reflective lyricist in the past, but now,
within the first moments of opener “Montezuma,” we see Pecknold
as a modern day Paul Simon. His reflections lyrically are astute and
honest and the music matches his earnest approach in a way that
is nothing short of extremely well-dressed – this band is part of a
revival that no one else is taking part in. Tracks like the title track,
“Blue Spotted Tail” and “Battery Kinzie” channel the brilliance of
Simon and Garfunkel in their prime, but at the same time, they exist
as something new. The Fleet Foxes possess what every band yearns
for—the ability to transcend their influences—and Helplessness
Blues attests to this notion completely. –Dan Mitchell
GALACTIC
THE OTHER SIDE OF MIDNIGHT:
LIVE IN NEW ORLEANS
(ANTI-)
More than any other place I’ve ever lived,
New Orleans felt like being part of a special
group. There’s a cultural identity that
engulfs the chosen. And if NOLA is a secret
club then Galactic is a gentle handshake at a party. A card pressed into
the palm. “We think you’ll like this.” Condensing, meshing, weaving
the various threads of New Orleans’ vast musical history together,
Galactic is possibly the best shot at accessibility that truly authentic
gulf coast music has. Sure, there’s a long history of white college boys
adopting traditional black forms of music and making them palatable
for the masses, but anyone doubting the bona fides of NOLA’s own
Galactic need only dip a toe into their catalogue and feel the brassy,
bouncy grooves wash over them like a wet, hot summer rain shower.
Though their last record Ya-Ka-May was a ballsy, raucous affair that
incorporated much more of the local bounce rap scene, there’s really
no denying that Galactic are truly in their element playing a live set
at Tipitina’s. From the Cyril Neville-lead soul of “Heart of Steel” to
the wicked, bluesy funk of “Wild Man” with Big Chief Bo Dollis’
sampled vocals skipping and wailing across the organ riffs and boot
tapping beat. Compared to their proper album counterparts, the songs
here are rougher hewn, looser, but swollen with the kind of smoky
ambiance and liquor-slick dancing groove that can fill up Tip’s on a
late night. There’s no better moment on a live record than the encore;
here it’s when “Double It” swaggers its way across generations of New
Orleans’ music with Big Freedia leading the Galactic boys in a kind
of sacred funk charge. The best compliment I can give The Other Side
of Midnight is that it makes me homesick for NOLA. –Mike Rodgers
IN SOLITUDE
THE WORLD, THE FLESH,
THE DEVIL
(METAL BLADE)
In Solitude is an Uppsala-based (Watain’s
hometown) epic metal group of youngsters
and The World, The Flesh, The Blood is
their second proper release, and the first
on an internationally distributed label, Metal Blade. To place this
band in sound, one must look to the awesome, corpse-painted, fauxpope
fronted band Ghost. In Solitude specialize in the similar sort
of ‘80s-referencing metal as Ghost, but to compare them too much
would be blasphemy, because while Ghost does the pop-Satanmetal
thing well, there is very little that is pop-y here on Solitude’s
sophomore effort; really it is just the vocal delivery and dual-guitar
attack that ring as similar. This album is much blacker, speedier
and brutal than Ghost’s debut effort, Opus Eponymous, and is much
more poetic as well, as singer Hornper takes great care with his
lyrics, which tend toward the operatic at times. The album opens
with the title track, which immediately draws the listener in with its
dual-guitar theatrics, its Viking Metal, conquer-all mentality and
its propulsive soaring-above-landscapes feel. This first track bleeds
seamlessly into the attack of the second track “We Were Never
Here,” which is vicious as all hell (and is a shred-metaller’s wet
dream) and stands as the album’s highlight, along with the third
track, “Serpents Are Rising.” These Swedes are really good at what
they do (Hornper adorns himself in corpse paint and fox fur), and
with the average age of the band members registering in the lower
20s, it is obvious that this group is only getting started. Not as
immediate as Ghost, but better in many respects (ferociousness
certainly), In Solitude stands as yet another Swedish black metal
band stretching the limits of a genre that has all but been broken
wide as of late. –Dan Mitchell
20
KATE BUSH
DIRECTOR’S CUT
(FISH PEOPLE)
If this album sounds familiar, the listener
isn’t just hearing things – the latest from
Kate Bush is full of songs from 1989’s The
Sensual World and 1993’s The Red Shoes.
It’s a tricky business, looking back and
reworking one’s art, but there’s a justification for it for at least one of
the songs. “Flower of the Mountain,” aka, The Sensual World’s former
title track, now consists of lyrics taken directly from James Joyce’s
Ulysses, and the deep delight in Bush’s voice as she rolls the words
around her melody sets the tone for the songs that follow. Tracks
such as “Song of Solomon,” “This Woman’s Work,” and “Never Be
Mine” benefit from the better-with-age vocal nuances Bush gives to
them on Director’s Cut, as there were occasions on the older albums
when she sounded too shrill and needy. One standout on this album
is “Deeper Understanding,” an Information Age cautionary tale that
has a vocoded chorus heightening the comfort the narrator finds in
a computer program: “As the people here grow colder, I turn to my
computer and spend my evenings with it like a friend.” In a time
when social media addiction is a reality, Bush had it down nearly two
decades ago with the references to her “little black box” bringing her
pleasure she’d never known. This past-glance album of Bush’s works
out quite well, but it shouldn’t become too much of a habit for this
artist. –Leigh Checkman
KNOW ONE & DAMNATHAN
SOUND TRACK: THE BALLAD
OF KNOW ONE & DAMNATHAN
(MEDIA DARLING)
Sound Track, the latest effort from Know
One & DamNathan, is the product of almost
five years in the studio. It’s meant to be an
opus – the ultimate unification of the most
disparate facets of each MC’s styles. Unfortunately, it either spent too
long on the shelf or needs a couple more years to mature. The result is
disjointed at best and trite and contrived at worst. The most prevalent
motifs on the album are frenetic rhymes that lack any semblance of
inventiveness and stoned-out trip hop beats. Musically, this sounds like
a Tricky or Portishead record, which is an excellent start. But lyrically
it brings nothing at all to the table. It could be the weird mash-up of
boy band style faux-harmonies and generic white kid rapper delivery
that grates so harshly. None of the sounds made by any of the voices
on this album are pleasant, interesting, or emotive. In fact, they’re not
much of anything at all, except whiny in spots. Nobody is covering
any new ground on this record, lyrically or topically. Apparently these
guys have been on the local scene for almost 10 years now. It sounds
like the record they were trying to make would be really good. Maybe
Sound Track is just a fluke. Maybe the guys were trying too hard.
Maybe it sat too long. Maybe it just can’t be done. The only thing
for sure is that this is unfortunately an inconsequential and lackluster
record. –The Rev. Dr. Daniel P. Jackson
MAN MAN
LIFE FANTASTIC
(ANTI-)
Life Fantastic is a definite world apart
from Man Man’s previous material.
Bringing in Saddle Creek’s producer
extraordinaire Mike Mogis has helped the
guys tighten up and round out the edges of
their sound. A more restrained and less comical sound doesn’t mean
it lacks the mania and flair they’ve become known for. Honus still
projects a perfect graveyard howl and there is no shortage of wild
moments. There is a sweeter bent throughout, musically – a feeling
of more deliberate control than the band normally employs. Lyrically,
however, it’s incredibly dark. Tackling subjects as twisted and deep
as brutal murder, drug addiction, severe depression and questioning
the nature of life itself, this may well be the heaviest Man Man record
to date. “Piranhas Club” blends nervy surf guitar and organ with lines
about punching your dad, throwing plates and feeding scorned lovers
to murderous ocean life – you know, the usual. The Latin groove of
“Dark Arts” could easily obscure the tortured feelings beneath: “These
days I feel like a pariah/An albatross with my feathers on fire.” The
turgid string work of “Spooky Jookie” feels urgent and desperate –
fitting for a track about losing someone to insurmountable addiction.
Opener “Knuckle Down” with its fuzzed out vocals and peppered-in
horns may, at first, feel like just another far out Man Man song, but by
the time you get to closer “Oh, La Brea”—whose jazzy lines burst at
random into screaming jags before quieting to a tender, spacey end—
it’s clear there is much to dig for on this record. With repeated listens,
it promises to open up and really show itself – manic fears, vulnerable
tears, and all. –Erin Hall
MY MORNING JACKET
CIRCUITAL
(ATO)
For the last three years, Jim James has been
doing almost anything but recording new
material for My Morning Jacket. He joined
up with Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and M.
Ward for Monsters of Folk and hung out
with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band pretty regularly. He sang back
up on everyone else’s albums and while MMJ still performed on and
off, it clearly wasn’t his primary focus. After 2008’s lackluster Evil
Urges, Circuital is just what millions of MMJ diehards have been
waiting for. It’s a return to form in the most interesting of ways. While
they do tap into bits of their somewhat forgotten past of barefoot
Kentucky rocking, they also take some big steps forward and fold in
influences and instrumentation we’ve not yet heard from them. Album
opener “Victory Dance” is a lengthy, bass-heavy slow burn that ends
in a crash of percussion and half a minute of total chaos – not exactly
accessible stuff. The title track begins and ends with a sparse landscape
inhabited by only a plucky guitar and James’ robust vocals washing
over everything. But in the middle, some simple acoustic strumming
cracks the veneer and out falls this amazing dusty southern rock
gem. Cascading waterfalls of keys collide with warm, rounded guitar
to create one of the jammiest tracks the band has produced to date.
Closer “Movin’ Away” channels that down home feel as well, relying
on heavy keys and slide guitar to create a haunting and expansive
sound reminiscent of Neil Young’s best earthy tracks. “Outta My
System” is a charming-as-hell ditty about youthful rebellion to the
tune of slide guitar with a healthy dose of terse percussion and 1950s
swing. “Holdin’ On To Black Metal” isn’t at all what you’d think – its
slick Latin jazz horns and swelling choral selections create an insanely
broad scope. “You Wanna Freak Out” works in much the same way,
except it trades the horns for a fuzzed out electric guitar dueling with
a fiery slide guitar. The most compelling and intriguing track on the
album, however, is the not the swollen rockers or the quirky country
bits. “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” is MMJ’s next “Golden.” Its sweet
acoustic backdrop lays bare James’ purest vocals, creating a quite
moment of gorgeous simplicity with lines like “With the sun on my
shoulder and the wind at my back/I will never grow older, at least
not in my mind.” While everything James has done in the last few
years has been mostly worthwhile and enjoyable, it is clear this band
is where he flourishes the most. And for a complete album experience
this rich and fulfilling, it was worth the wait. –Erin Hall
NICHOLAS PAYTON
BITCHES
(INDEPENDENT)
After its rejection for major-label
distribution, Bitches has been available
occasionally online since November of last
year, and Payton has apparently decided
to start distributing the album himself
sometime in the next few months. The tracks that have me questioning
that rejection are “By My Side,” with its easygoing electronic funk
reminiscent of late ‘70s/early ‘80s Herbie Hancock, the Payton-
Esperanza Spalding duet that soars on “Freesia,” the smooth longing
of “Shades of Hue,” and the understated, sexy elegance Cassandra
Wilson lends to “You Take Me Places I’ve Never Been Before.”
When Payton trips up, however, he trips up big. A statistic on marriage
in “Togetherness Foreverness” sticks out like a sore thumb in a song
that seems to get torturously slower as it goes along, and some of
the other lyrics seem to nearly overpower their music as the album
progresses. There is enough soul and funk bursting out here to cover
many more albums, if Payton chooses to continue in this vein, and it’s
a good thing – but he must let some of these great melodies speak for
themselves. –Leigh Checkman
PAUL SIMON
SO BEAUTIFUL OR SO WHAT
(HEAR MUSIC)
How fortunate for this review that the CD
I was replacing in my car’s stereo with
Paul Simon’s new album, So Beautiful
or So What was Neil Young’s latest, Le
Noise. What a great opportunity for a little
compare-and-contrast between two singer/songwriters who hold such
iconic status in the world of American popular folk music. As a fan
of both artists, it shows two very diverging approaches and how one
works... and one doesn’t. With Le Noise, Neil Young capitalizes on
the keystones of the sound he’s honed over decades (meaty, fuzzed out
chords and brazen, simple lyrics), while experimenting with new ideas
courtesy of producer Daniel Lanois’ atmospherics and impressionist
sonics. The result is a beautiful work, equal parts fist-pumping rock
and deep, dark lamentations, all coming from the single source of
Young’s voice and guitar. Paul Simon, on the other hand, seems to

e retreating more and more into an academic sound that leaves me
disappointed with this new release. The leadoff track, “Getting Ready
for Christmas Day” is a bad omen, as the heavy vibrato on the guitar
feels anemic and robs the song of the punch that is the soul of Simon’s
playing. There’s the usual toolbox of globe trotting sounds that Simon
is so fond of mixing into the arrangements, but unlike Graceland,
the whole thing feels labored and over-thought. And while there are
flashes of the pop catchiness that Simon mastered long ago, overall
there are not many “hummable” moments, if that makes any sense.
There’s so much texture and complicated song structures that So
Beautiful or So What feels more like a homework assignment than a
visceral experience. I’d rather skip school and smoke hash with Neil
Young. –Dan Fox
RAPHAEL SAADIQ
STONE ROLLIN’
(COLUMBIA)
“Heart Attack” kicks off Raphael Saadiq’s
latest retro-soul collection, with its shades
of early ‘70s Isaac Hayes in the beat and its
back-to-Motown “want you back” choruses.
The temptation with this album is to play
spot-the-influence—Saadiq even refers to “what Mr. Leon Ware
would say” in “Movin’ Down The Line”—but that would shortchange
such gems as the rollicking “Day Dreams,” the symphonic sweep of
memory explored in “Just Don’t” the slow-swinging duet with Taura
Stinson on “Good Man,” and, most importantly, the strength of the
album’s finale, “The Answer.” “Why, why would you sit back and
relax and watch the kids fall off the tracks?” Saadiq croons in a song
that is saved from being too preachy by his masterful arrangement.
Don’t judge this one by the beehived, be-hipped kids on its cover.
Lend it your ear and be transported. –Leigh Checkman
THE SCORSESES
PRESENTING THE SCORSESES
(INDEPENDENT)
On their debut EP, this seven-piece rock
band shows their musical chops. The
Scorseses blend a mature brand of ska
into their progressive rock songs. Vincent
Ebier provides an amazingly powerful lead
vocal to the backdrop of a tight and syncopated rhythm section. The
Scorseses seem to be begging for you to notice them on this five-song
showcase. Presenting the Scorseses is undoubtedly radio friendly and
full of poppy hooks. Focused guitar progressions and virtuoso style
bass lines are beefed up by the band’s powerful horn section and the
keyboards provide a common ambience throughout the album. The
lyrics seem to be linked by a theme of positivity and escape from
everyday life. The band does successfully blend an eclectic group of
styles into their sound but this may leave some listeners confused. The
songs are often busy and the array of flashy play seems to subtract
from the greater good at times. Overall this is an impressive studio
debut from a band that has already established itself as a polished,
powerful group of live performers. –J. Stanley
STEVE EARLE
I’LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS
WORLD
(NEW WEST)
Steve Earle is very much “a what you see
is what you get” artist. There are no frills
or extraneous trappings to be found in his
music. He’s at his best and most focused
when the light is dim and all eyes (or ears) are directed at the man
and his guitar, embodying what’s best about American roots music.
From blues, to folk, to country & western, Steve Earle shifts his
southern voice across the boundaries of good ol’ American traditions
and I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive finds the man at his best.
From the opening roots rock of “Waitin’ on the Sky,” the record lets
its identity shine plain as day. Earle’s songwriting is at its pinnacle
when he’s dealing in the downtrodden and dispossessed, a theme that
drips like black oil throughout the record. He has a knack for imbuing
songs with pathos without resorting to cheap manipulations or cloying
sentimentality and when he wants to make a political point, he does
so with wit or sharp characterizations. “The Gulf of Mexico” could
have been a pedantic anti-big industry screed, but instead its heartfelt
description of successive generations living off the bounty of the gulf
brought to a screaming halt by “the devil crawling from the hole”
rings truer and draws more raw emotion than any protest lecture could.
Whether it’s the Tom Waits-esque “Meet Me in the Alleyway” or the
gentle lope of “God is God,” Earle stretches his storytelling and simple
arrangements across various styles, all of which are honed sharp by
his sturdy playing and warm, rough voice. The record culminates in
the tearful homage “This City.” Its on the mark details, deceptively
pessimistic optimism and mournful character makes my chest swell
with sadness and pride for the song’s distraught, defiant subject.
There’s an intangible honesty to Earle’s music, an emotional integrity
that permeates every inch of this record – rare qualities indeed. –Mike
Rodgers
TERRANOVA
TRIED & TRUE
(INDEPENDENT)
Some people are okay with just “rocking.”
The women of Terranova and their fans fall
into that category. A traditional 3-piece rock
band that aims to recapture the glory days of
big, loud ’70s rock, their music is rife with
“rock” clichés delivered both in simplistic song structure and beenthere-heard-that
lyrics. There is nothing innovative or quirky about
the instrumentation, the vocals or the lyrics, but it’s definitely a step
up from most bar rock bands. They are, in ways, similar to throwback
groups like The Donnas, but with less convincing attitude and less
catchy tracks. Vary up the song structure, play with the pacing and
make me believe what you’re singing – then we’ll talk. Unless these
women embrace the idea of a more challenging approach to creating
art, I doubt they’ll be making waves in the industry any time soon, but
they can easily stand alongside scores of other local musicians here
in building a decent club following that will give them an outlet for
their music and maybe put a few bucks in their pockets while they’re
at it. –Erin Hall
THEE OH SEES
CASTLEMANIA
(IN THE RED)
Thee Oh Sees are a live band. They put on
phenomenal shows, but unlike many other
bands known especially for live shows, Thee
Oh Sees also make great records. This is
because main man John Dwyer is a fantastic
psych-rock song craftsman. Previous outings on record have mirrored
their live shows largely in that these albums are wild, reverb-drenched
head-trips. So dense and face melting are Thee Oh Sees’ studio albums
that it becomes hard to distinguish instruments, vocalists, etc… amidst
the madness held within the grooves. On their newest effort, Dwyer
and Co. change things up however, and offer a stripped-down, largely
acoustic pop record, which is not only a welcomed departure for the
group from their upbeat jamming, but is a showcase for the talent in
songwriting, diversity and instrumentation this San Franciscan band
possesses. Castlemania, the new full-length effort on In the Red, does
not lack the energy of past efforts, it just finds the energy channeled
through new spillways. The instruments can easily be distinguished
from one another, which reveals the miscellany to great effect.
Dwyer’s voice, at times sounding a bit like Beefheart and at others
like Barrett, is in the forefront of the mix and the overall assortment of
styles and approaches amongst songs prevents Castlemania from ever
dragging or falling flat. The record sounds more experimental than
past efforts on the surface, but this is only because of the lack of the
signature fuzz--- this is the same bat-shit crazy band we know. Dwyer
can be compared here to early period Anton Newcombe, in that he is
an insanely prolific songwriter with ideas abuzz, talented musicians
around him and the faculty and craft to translate them clearly to record.
Castlemania, simply put, is yet another great record from this San Fran
collective. –Dan Mitchell
TORO Y MOI
UNDERNEATH THE PINE
(CARPARK)
I hate using genre identifiers as easy
answers to the music an artist makes, but
there’s little about what I understand to be
the traits of chillwave that don’t correlate
directly to the music found on Toro Y
Moi’s second record, Underneath the Pine. There’s a lo-fi aesthetic,
a reliance on danceable yet simple melodies filtered straight through
a set of rose colored retro glasses and the ever present dichotomy
between the casual and the quirky. That’s not to say Underneath the
Pine is handcuffed by the expectations of that genre; the record is a
joyous, groovy amalgam of world influences. From the Spanish disco
inflections of “New Beat” to the kraut-influenced autobahn cruise of
“How I Know” and its bigger than life chorus, every new twist of the
album reveals an expansion of Chazwick Bundisck’s, (yes, that’s his
real name) growth as a songwriter. It’s easy to get lost in the record’s
easy-going center. “Divina” rolls gently downhill, surrounded by
waves of sound and a lilting piano melody, and “Got Blinded” is all
shimmering arrangements and plucky bass lines. There’s a definite
warm summer laziness to the music of Underneath the Pine that not
even the plastic funk of “Still Sound” can dissipate, though its busy,
bubble groove is undeniable. If nothing else, Toro Y Moi shows how
an artist can inhabit a burgeoning genre and define it almost completely
while still pushing its boundaries and bringing new elements and
grander ideas to the table. –Mike Rodgers
REVIEWS
TRUTH UNIVERSAL
POLYGRAPH
(INDEPENDENT)
“Some refer to me as ‘conscious,’ I prefer
to hear ‘progressive.’” Truth Universal,
a Trinidad-born, New Orleans-bred MC
brings some serious skills on his new EP
Polygraph. Over vintage early ‘90s beats,
Truth spins intricate, brilliant rhymes. It’s like nerdcore music for
contemporary sociologists, but this record also has a much broader
appeal for anybody who remembers the laid-back, head-nodding
Golden Age of hip-hop. Tackling issues spanning from immigration,
sexism, the economy (possibly the best line on the record: “mortgage
companies stealin’ homes like Jackie Robinson”) racism, slavery, the
presidency, Republicans, Katrina, the BP disaster, colonialism, and
genetically modified food products, Truth still takes time to reference
pop-culture (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Boondocks, Facebook)
and the tabloids (“never take ‘no’ for an answer: Ben Roethlisberger”).
There’s truly something for everybody here because in Truth’s own
words, “I unite like white militias when Obama got elected.” With the
aforementioned Gulf-South references and shout-outs to Gentilly Blvd.
and New Orleans East, there’s no question where this loquacious lyricist
hangs his dread-tam. For anyone who thinks the local hip-hop scene has
nothing to offer but booty-clapping drag queens (not to say there’s not
a place for that) and “songs” that just repeat the same line over and over
and over (Monkey on a stick!), Truth Universal brings something with
real weight to the table. Here we have a true poet, who is socially and
politically aware, not to mention extremely talented. And he’s out there,
on our streets, beating the pavement, a modern-day Chuck D, “sellin’
labor now, after bein’ three-fifths/ workin’ daily, two outta three shifts/
to get necessities and some amenities,” grinding it out like the rest of
us. –The Rev. Dr. Daniel P. Jackson
TYLER, THE CREATOR
GOBLIN
(XL)
At the beginning of 2010, Odd Future was a
relative unknown in the hip-hop underground,
but by the end of the year, this teenage, L.A.based
collective was the most talked about
group in the world of rap and the kid at the
center of it all was the group’s leader, Tyler, the Creator. Tyler is the
most outspoken, the most irreverent and the most talented member (save
perhaps Earl Sweatshirt) in the crew and his landmark mixtape, Bastard,
is the collective’s true masterpiece up to this point. The tape introduced
the world to what they had not experienced in over a decade, when
Eminem blew us all away in the late ‘90s; a hip-hop head whose whole
shtick revolves around the art of shock. And to let the comparison play
out further, Tyler is every bit as gifted a lyricist and wordsmith as Eminem
proved he was ten years ago and he is every bit as deranged, violent,
confrontational and maniacal as Em was as well, if not more. The clear
difference between Tyler and Em though, lies in the nature of the musical
project – Em had Dr. Dre backing him and making his beats, which helped
him succeed and reach people to say the least, while Tyler is completely
DIY, not only releasing the music on his own blog (for free), but largely
producing the album himself, with help coming only from his friends
within the collective. While Em seemed very calculated in his approach at
shock, which made him seem funnier than he was dangerous, Tyler is offthe-wall,
unhinged and unfiltered, and as a result, Tyler does in fact sound
dangerous. But be forewarned, if Bastard scared you and made you feel
uncomfortable when you heard it, you haven’t heard anything yet. Goblin,
Tyler’s first distributed (by XL Records) album, is downright disturbed.
The new album, in make up, is very closely related to Bastard, with Tyler
conversing and confessing with his “psychiatrist,” but this time around, he
is angrier (inwardly, oftentimes, on this record), more violent (he kills all of
his friends at the end of the album) and almost worryingly offensive. Many
of the ideas and scenarios on Goblin are truly and uncomfortably troubled
(GLAAD has even vehemently spoken out against this new album), yet
from a strictly critical perspective, this album, the beats, the structure, the
concept and its intention (to shock), is nothing short of masterful, no matter
how many will be (rightfully?) offended by it. Goblin is unsettling, vicious,
and over the top, but in the end, it must be viewed in the context of our
society nowadays – a place where we read news articles daily about our
government and its policies that are every bit as deranged as the fictional
subject matter found within this disc. –Dan Mitchell
URGE OVERKILL
ROCK & ROLL SUBMARINE
(REDEYE)
Sixteen years ago, the members of
Chicago’s Urge Overkill called it quits
while they were seemingly ahead, having
released two acclaimed major-label albums
and garnered fame for their cover of Neil
Reviews Continued on Page 24...
21

EVENTS
N.O. VENUES
12 bar, 608 Fulton St.
All-Ways lounge/Marigny Theatre, 2240 St. Claude Ave., (504) 218-5778, marignytheatre.org
banks St. bar And Grill, 4401 Banks St., (504) 486-0258, www.banksstreetbar.com
barrister’s Art Gallery, 2331 St. Claude Ave.
bayou Park bar, 542 S. Jeff. Davis Pkwy.
The big Top, 1638 Clio St., (504) 569-2700, www.3ringcircusproductions.com
The blue Nile, 534 Frenchmen St., (504) 948-2583
broadmoor House, 4127 Walmsley, (504) 821-2434
Carrollton Station, 8140 Willow St., (504) 865-9190, www.carrolltonstation.com
Checkpoint Charlie’s, 501 Esplanade Ave., (504) 947-0979
Chickie Wah Wah, 2828 Canal Street (504) 304-4714, www.chickiewahwah.com
Circle bar, 1032 St. Charles Ave., (504) 588-2616, www.circlebar.net
Club 300, 300 Decatur Street, www.neworleansjazzbistro.com
The Country Club, 634 Louisa St., (504) 945-0742, www.countryclubneworleans.com
d.b.a., 618 Frenchmen St., (504) 942-373, www.drinkgoodstuff.com/no
der Rathskeller (Tulane’s Campus), McAlister Dr., http://wtul.fm
desperados, 801 Frenchmen St., (504) 943-9900, desperadospizza@yahoo.com
dragon’s den, 435 Esplanade Ave., http://myspace.com/dragonsdennola
eldon’s House, 3055 Royal Street, arlovanderbel@hotmail.com
fair Grinds Coffee House, 3133 Ponce de Leon, (504) 913-9072, www.fairgrinds.com
Goldmine Saloon, 701 Dauphine St., (504) 586-0745, www.goldminesaloon.net
The Green Space, 2831 Marais Street (504) 945-0240, www.thegreenproject.org
Handsome Willy’s, 218 S. Robertson St., (504) 525-0377, http://handsomewillys.com
The Hangar, 1511 S. Rendon. (504) 827-7419
Hi-Ho lounge, 2239 St. Claude Ave. (504) 945-4446, www.myspace.com/hiholounge
The Hookah, 309 Decatur St. (504-943-1101), hookah-club.com
Hot Iron Press Plant, 1420 Kentucky Ave., hotironpress@hotmail.com
House of blues / The Parish, 225 Decatur, (504)310-4999, www.hob.com/neworleans
The Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters, (504) 522-WOLF, www.thehowlinwolf.com
Kajun’s Pub, 2256 St. Claude Avenue (504) 947-3735, www.myspace.com/kajunspub
Kim’s 940, 940 Elysian Fields, (504) 844-4888
The Kingpin, 1307 Lyons St., (504) 891-2373
le bon Temps Roule, 4801 Magazine St., (504) 895-8117
le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., (504) 581-5812, www.cabaretlechatnoir.com
lyceum Central, 618 City Park Ave., (410) 523-4182, http://lyceumproject.com
lyon’s Club, 2920 Arlington St.
The Maison, 508 frenchmen St., maisonfrenchmen.com
Maple leaf, 8316 Oak St., (504) 866-9359
Marlene’s Place, 3715 Tchoupitoulas, (504) 897-3415, www.myspace.com/marlenesplace
McKeown’s books, 4737 Tchoupitoulas, (504) 895-1954, http://mckeownsbooks.net
Melvin’s, 2112 St. Claude Ave.
MVC, 9800 Westbank Expressway, (504) 234-2331, www.themvc.net
Neutral Ground Coffee House, 5110 Danneel St., (504) 891-3381, www.neutralground.org
Nowe Miasto, 223 Jane Pl., (504) 821-6721
ogden Museum, 925 Camp St., (504) 539-9600
one eyed Jacks, 615 Toulouse St., (504) 569-8361, www.oneeyedjacks.net
outer banks, 2401 Palmyra (at S. Tonti), (504) 628-5976, www.myspace.com/outerbanksmidcity
Republic, 828 S. Peters St., (504) 528-8282, www.republicnola.com
Rusty Nail, 1100 Constance Street (504) 525-5515, www.therustynail.org/
The Saturn bar, 3067 St. Claude Ave., www.myspace.com/saturnbar
Side Arm Gallery, 1122 St. Roch Ave., (504) 218-8379, www.sidearmgallery.org
Southport Hall, 200 Monticello Ave., (504) 835-2903, www.newsouthport.com
The Spellcaster lodge, 3052 St. Claude Avenue, www.quintonandmisspussycat.com
St. Roch Taverne, 1200 St. Roch Ave., (504) 945-0194
Tipitina’s, (uptown) 501 Napoleon Ave., (504) 895-8477 (downtown) 233 N. Peters, www.tipitinas.com
The Zeitgeist, 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., (504) 827-5858, www.zeitgeistinc.net
Vintage uptown, 4523 Magazine St., askmexico@gmail.com
MeTAIRIe VeNueS
The bar, 3224 Edenborn, myspace.com/thebarrocks
22
Note: Prices listed are door prices. Tickets may be
cheaper if purchased ahead of time—check venue
websites for more info.
WedNeSdAY 6/1
d.b.a.: Tin Men, 7pm
House of blues: Face to Face, Strung Out, Blitzkid,
the Darlings, 7:30pm; Eisley, the Narrative, Christie
Dupree, 8:30pm (The Parish @ House Of Blues)
Howlin’ Wolf: Front Line Assembly, Die Krupps,
Cyanotic w/ DJ Acucrack
The Maison: Raekwon
Siberia: Hades Night w/ Miasmal, Innumerable Forms,
Ruiniverse, 10pm
THuRSdAY 6/2
The 12 bar: Darel Poche, Wolves Where?, Meta the
Man, 10pm, FREE
The big Top: Community Records Presents Samurai
Deli, Mad Conductor, the Lollies, 7:30pm, $7
The Hookah: The Memorials, the Botanist, 9pm
The Maison: Those Peaches, 7pm; Caesar Brothers
Funk Box, 10pm
one eyed Jacks: Orange Goblin, the Gates of Slumber,
Naam, 7pm
Siberia: Drunk Armstrong, Grog, Michael James and
His Lonesome, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Gov’t Majik, the Dirty South Afro-Beat
Arkestra, Gravity A, 9pm, $8
fRIdAY 6/3
Antoine’s Hermes bar: Ingrid Lucia, 9:30pm, 11pm
The big Top: Return of the Real MC Battle w/ Atm
vs. Focus, Ruger vs. Young Mizy, New Era vs. K
Dot, Koan, 8-Bit anatomy, Caliobzvr, M@ Peoples,
Intelligence, DJ Skratchmo, 9pm
d.b.a.: Hot Club of New Orleans, 6pm; Lil’ Buck
Sinegal, 10pm, $5
Hi-Ho lounge: The Honorable South, Denise Bonis,
Friends of Treme, 10pm
The Hookah: DJ Mark Farina w/ Smurl, Josh Sense, 10pm
House of blues: Shpongle Presents the Shpongletron
Experience, 9pm
The Maison: Some Like it Hot, 7pm; Corporate
America, 10pm; Yojimbo, Midnight
one eyed Jacks: Ballzack, the Buttons (DJ set),
Shadow of the Capricorn
The Shadowbox Theatre: The New Movement’s
comedy marathon, 10pm
Siberia: DJ Q Bounce Night with Nicky Da B, Fly-Boy
Keno, NOLA Fam, and Blake Harris
Tipitina’s: The Twilight Singers, Margot and the
Nuclear So and Sos, 10pm, $20
SATuRdAY 6/4
Antoine’s Hermes bar: Leroy Jones Quartet, 9:30pm, 11pm
d.b.a.: Lightnin’ Malcolm f/ Cameron Kimbrough,
11pm, $5
House of blues: Toots and the Maytals, 8pm
louisiana Music factory: Bob Andrews, 2pm;
Charmaine Neville, 3pm
The Maison: Kelcy Mae, 5pm; Ingrid Lucia, 7pm; DJ
Jubilee, 10pm (Upstairs)
one eyed Jacks: Masters of Reality, earthlings?
Siberia: The Spits, Wizzard Sleeve, TV Ghost,
TIREFIRE
Spotted Cat: Christina Perez, 6pm; Davis Rogan Band, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Koan’s Chronicles of a Dying Breed
Release Show f/ Koan, DJ Skratchmo and Sean C,
Billsberry Flow, 9pm, $12
SuNdAY 6/5
d.b.a.: Mas Mamones, 10pm, $5
dragon’s den: Bass Church f/ Baby D, Rus, Shanook,
Unicorn Fukr, 9pm
The Hangar: The Black Dahlia Murder, Beast in the
Field, Oceans of the Addict, Invoke the Nightmare,
9pm, $13
House of blues: Killing Joke, the Crying Spell,
Indicator Dogs, 8pm (The Parish @ House Of Blues)
The Maison: Dave Easley, 6pm; Low Stress, 10pm
one eyed Jacks: Those Darlins, R. Scully’s Rough 7
Siberia: Woods of Ypres, Omegas, Fruit Punch, Solid
Giant
MoNdAY 6/6
d.b.a.: Glen David Andrews, 9pm, $5
one eyed Jacks: The Protomen, Mega Ran,
K-Murdock
Siberia: Guitar Wolf, Cheap Time, Hans Condor, King
Louie’s Missing Monuments, 10pm
TueSdAY 6/7
one eyed Jacks: Eagles of Death Metal, Gnarltones,
Star and Dagger
Siberia: The Back Pockets, Sorry OK, Colder In
Moscow, 10pm
WedNeSdAY 6/8
d.b.a.: Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, 7pm
House of blues: Matt and Kim, the Thermals, Autobot
from Flosstradamus, 8pm
Siberia: H.O.D., High Priest, the Fuckheads, Serpentis,
10pm
THuRSdAY 6/9
The 12 bar: Aura, the Green Genes, Toast Beards,
10pm, FREE
d.b.a.: Shannon McNally, 10pm, $10
du Mois Gallery (4921 freret St.): New Orleans Craft
Mafia’s 6 th Birthday Party, 6pm
House of blues: Legalpalooza f/ the Ibervillians f/
Margie Perez, the Soul Practitioners, Sombrero Verdi,
7pm (The Parish @ House Of Blues)
The Maison: Alex Pena, 10pm
Republic: Bounce VI w/ Big Freedia, Sissy Nobby,
Katey Red, DJ Jubilee, Ricky B and More
Siberia: Reckless, Fast Boyfriends, Adults, 10pm
Tipitina’s: The Radiators Last Roundup Farewell Tour,
10pm, SOLD OUT
fRIdAY 6/10
Antoine’s Hermes bar: The IQ f/ members of the
Iguanas, 9:30pm, 11pm
The big Top: Green Demons Album Release Party w/
DJ Lingerie, 9pm, $10 (Includes CD)
d.b.a.: Lost Bayou Ramblers, 10pm, $5
Hi-Ho lounge: Slow Burn Burlesque Slumber Party,
10pm, $15
The Hookah: AF the Naysayer, 10pm
Howlin’ Wolf: The Sky Walkas, Gus, Southern Hard
Hittaz, Nectune Ins.
The Maison: Pinettes Brass Band, 10pm; Doombalaya,
Midnight
one eyed Jacks: Settly, the Help
Republic: Beirut, Twin Sister
Siberia: Stinking Lizaveta, Spickle, Erode & Disappear, 10pm
Tipitina’s: The Radiators Last Roundup Farewell Tour,
10pm, SOLD OUT
SATuRdAY 6/11
Antoine’s Hermes bar: Shannon Powell Trio, 9:30pm, 11pm
The big Top: Opening Reception for “Artifacts of a
Crochet Savant” by Elizabeth Eckman, 6pm
d.b.a.: Little Freddie King, 11pm, $5
House of blues: Rock 92.3 Presents NOLA Rocks f/
Poltern Kinder, Robert Fortune Band, Godspeed the
Jackal, the Auto-Pilots, 9pm
The Maison: Chapter Soul w/ Kirk Joseph, Calvin
Johnson, Kevin O’Day, 10pm
one eyed Jacks: Fleur de Tease
Siberia: Strange Boys, the Vignettes, Bellys,
Superdestroyers, 10pm
Spotted Cat: Panarama Jazz Band, 6pm; Jazz Vipers, 10pm
Tipitina’s: The Radiators Last Roundup Farewell Tour,
10pm, SOLD OUT
Word of Mouth Gallery (1118 Pauline St.): Super

Hot Summer Surf Sun in the Funathon! Including
Francis Wong triple threat, 7pm
SuNdAY 6/12
d.b.a.: Louisiana Hellbenders, 10pm, $5
dragon’s den: Bass Church f/ RMonic, Kaizor,
Unicorn Fukr, Mr Cool Bad Guy, 9pm
House of blues: The Sword, 8pm (The Parish @
House Of Blues)
The Maison: Cristina Perez, 7pm; Refried
Confuzion, 10pm
one eyed Jacks: Fleur de Tease
Siberia: Hollis’ Birthday w/ Toxic Rott, Donkey
Puncher, the Bills, She’s Still Dead, 4pm
MoNdAY 6/13
d.b.a.: Paul Sanchez, 6pm; Glen David Andrews w/
Paul Sanchez, 9pm, $5
one eyed Jacks: Noah and the Whale, Bahamas
Siberia: Holy Dirt, Life Erased, Embolization,
Struggle Bear, 10pm
TueSdAY 6/14
Siberia: Psychomatic, Peckernut, Los Vigilantes,
SS Boombox, 10pm
WedNeSdAY 6/15
d.b.a.: Tin Men, 7pm
Howlin’ Wolf: George Prentice (Live in the Den)
Siberia: The Show is the Rainbow, Super Nice
Bros., Rhodes, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Bootsy Collins, DJ Soul Sister, 8pm,
$37
THuRSdAY 6/16
The 12 bar: Ted Boasso, the Reveners, 10pm,
FREE
d.b.a.: Jake Eckert Band, 10pm, $5
Green Project: Screening of Handmade Nation,
6:30pm
The Maison: Influencia de Jazz, 7pm; Big Fun
Brass Band, 10pm
Republic: Bassik w/ DatsiK
Siberia: The Parishoners, the Fens, 10pm
fRIdAY 6/17
Antoine’s Hermes bar: Alex McMurray and Bill
Malchow, 9:30pm, 11pm
d.b.a.: Hot Club of New Orleans, 6pm; Grayson
Capps, 10pm, $5
The Hookah: Don Chezina, 10pm
House of blues: Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea,
Sun Hotel, 9:30pm (The Parish @ House Of Blues)
Howlin’ Wolf: Rebirth Brass Band; The Tangle
(Live in the Den)
The Maison: Kristina Morales, 7pm; Dirty
Bourbon River Show, Blair Crimmins and the
Hookers, Megan Jean and the KFB, 10pm
Mid-City lanes: Mia Borders, 10pm
one eyed Jacks: Heartless Bastards, Micah
McKee, Members of Little Maker
Siberia: Happy Talk Band, Graves Bros. Deluxe,
My Graveyard Jaw, Jai Young Kim, 10pm
SATuRdAY 6/18
Antoine’s Hermes bar: Glen David Andrews,
9:30pm, 11pm
d.b.a.: Otra, 11pm, $5
House of blues: The Chee Weez, the Brandon
Foret Band, 9pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Birdfinger’s 2001 Class Reunion
Extravaganza
louisiana Music factory: Grayson Capps, 2pm;
Gravy, 3pm; Joe Adragna, 4pm
The Maison: Ramblin Latters, 5pm; Soul Project,
10pm; Tony Scratchere and Friends, 10pm
(Upstairs)
Maple leaf: Khris Royal & Dark Matter, 10pm
one eyed Jacks: Sick Like Sinatra, Big Fat and
EVENTS
Delicious, Rok Boms
Siberia: The Paperhead, Nature Boys, Bipolaroid,
10pm
Spotted Cat: Kat Walker Jazz Combo, 6pm;
Smokin’ Time Jazz Club, 10pm
SuNdAY 6/19
d.b.a.: Marc Stone Band, 10pm, $5
dragon’s den: Bass Church f/ Carmine P. Filthy,
Spamm Kidd, Zander, Mr Cool Bad Guy, 9pm
House of blues: Rob Riggle, 7:30pm
The Maison: Cliff Hines Quartet, You Are an
Airplane w/ Marion Tortorich, Teenage Rage, 10pm
(Upstairs)
Siberia: Viva Le Vox, Bill Haite, 10pm
MoNdAY 6/20
one eyed Jacks: An Evening with Red Elvises
Siberia: Flamingo Nosebleed, Opposable Thumbs, 10pm
TueSdAY 6/21
Siberia: Girl in a Coma, 10pm
WedNeSdAY 6/22
The big Top: Community Records Tour Kickoff
w/ A Billion Ernies, Caddywhompus, 8pm, $7
d.b.a.: Tin Men, 7pm
Howlin’ Wolf: My Life With Thrill Kill Kult, 16
Volt, Twitch the Ripper, 9pm
THuRSdAY 6/23
The 12 bar: The Wooden Wings, Apollo Sunshine,
Liquid Peace Revolution, 10pm, FREE
The big Top: “The Roaring Twenties” Birthday
Burlesque Show f/ Rev. Spooky LaStrange and
Her Billion-Dollar Baby Dolls, Trey Boudreaux,
Vagabond Swing, Graveyard Jaw, 9pm, $10
d.b.a.: Ernie Vincent & the Top Notes, 10pm, $5
The Maison: Influencia de Jazz, 7pm; Doombalaya, 10pm
Siberia: Machinage, Split Heaven, 10pm
fRIdAY 6/24
Antoine’s Hermes bar: Sasha Masakowski &
Sidewalk Strutters, 9:30pm, 11pm
The big Top: Dancing Room Only Presents Ska
& Reggae w/ Maddie Ruthless, DJ Yamin, Dubla,
10pm, FREE
d.b.a.: Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns,
6pm; The Iguanas, 10pm, $5
The Hookah: Gravity A, 10pm
House of blues: Zoso (Tribute to Led Zeppelin), 9pm
Howlin’ Wolf: All I Am, Divebomb (Live in the Den)
The Maison: Nasimiyu, 10pm
Maple leaf: Mia Borders, 10pm
one eyed Jacks: James McMurtry, Johnny Burke
Siberia: Crime Wave, Pallbearers, Die Rotzz, 10pm
SATuRdAY 6/25
Antoine’s Hermes bar: Paul Sanchez, 9:30pm, 11pm
The big Top: Felix-Blues, Garage, Ghettotech,
Lucky Lou, 7pm
d.b.a.: Rotary Downs, 11pm, $5
Hi-Ho lounge: Joey Allcorn, the Unnaturals,
10pm, $10
House of blues: An Evening with the Psychedelic
Furs, 8pm
louisiana Music factory: Joyful, USA, 2pm;
Sasha Masakowski, 3pm
The Maison: Josh Reppel, 5pm; Smoking Time
Jazz Club, 10pm; Killahouse Presents, 10pm
(Upstairs); Yojimbo, Midnight
one eyed Jacks: MyNameIsJohnMichael,
Kopecky Family
Siberia: Southern Whiskey Rebellion, the Void, 10pm
Spotted Cat: Panarama Jazz Band, 6pm; Dominick
Grillo & the Frenchmen St. All-Stars, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Generationals, Giant Cloud, Empress
Hotel, 8pm, $13
23

24
REVIEWS
Reviews, Continued from Page 21...
Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” that ended up in Quentin Tarentino’s Pulp Fiction. It’s
therefore only right to wonder why their Submarine chose this time to surface. UO’s power is still evident in
“Mason/Dixon” and “Effigy,” catchy riffs, edgy lyrics and all –it’s easy to remember, with those two songs,
why this band was a standout among the ‘90s grunge of Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam. It’s also easy
to listen to this 12-song release and point to it as the perfect example of a musical time capsule, a window
into an arrested development. With Rock & Roll Submarine, it has now been established that the ‘90s never
left Urge Overkill; problem is, the album doesn’t stir up much curiosity in any further strides the band might
take in leaving the ‘90s. –Leigh Checkman
zIGABOO MODELISTE
NEW LIFE
(JzM)
Perhaps I was wrong to expect too much here. Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste has
gained legendary status due to his past work with the funk band The Meters, and
rightfully so – the drum lines he laid down for tracks such as “Cissy Strut” and
“Chicken Strut” were solid yet complex engines on which to build grooves that
still resonate today. The only thing that resonates from New Life is how tame
Modeliste has become; this album plays as a study in a great musician resting too heavily on his laurels.
“Holiday Squeeze,” the weakest of the tunes, qualifies as easy listening, and on too many of the tracks,
the engine that Modeliste is more than capable of getting into gear merely spins its wheels. The three
instrumentals—“Ate Ball Waltz,” “Tough Nuts,” and “Let It Go”—are the best things on the album, though
they still hint at beats not taken and a studied, too-careful direction. Modeliste sings in “Les Bon Temps
Roule”: “Everybody get a hanchika out/And dance like you got a transmission.” I want to, I really do. Sadly,
it ain’t happening. –Leigh Checkman
Interview with the Green Demons, Continued from Page 18...
alt-country band in college. It fell apart while we were trying to record a DIY album. That was
my first foray into singing while playing guitar. The Green Demons have played about 20 shows
by now. But honestly I’ve always been far more interested in excelling at guitar than singing.
TV: That’s just because you’re already good at singing. Gwendolyn has a huge, soulful voice and in
the studio she is a one-take-wonder. “One-take-Knapp” we call her [read that aloud for the joke].
Who plays those wild metal guitar solos on Outer Sex?
TV: Jason Core plays the good solos on the record. I play the bad ones.
GK: Jason plays the fast ones. He grew up listening to metal. When it came time to record, Jason
was a huge asset.
TV: He was only set to record us, but became part of the band in the process. We write the songs
and then Jason puts all this texture on top with synthesizers and whatnot.
GK: And I have to say that one talent Todd has is putting together the right people for chemistry.
He did an especially good job picking this rhythm section. Seriously, Bill Humphrey, the bass
player, just falls right in. Any idea these two bring to us, we can make into something. We work
fast and try to not over-think it.
Todd, you’ve been in some movies as well, including the restaurant comedy Waiting, which
I think many New Orleanians especially find pretty poignant and surprisingly good. And
nowadays it means a lot to have been in a Ryan Reynolds vehicle!
TV: And Dane Cook. My scenes were all with Dane Cook. Then in Harold and Kumar Escape
From Guantanamo Bay I was in the Ku Klux Klan, baby! I don’t believe in [racism], but I was
more than happy to wear the cowls to get to work with Richard Christie and John Hurwitz!
GK: He was a fine, fine racist.
TV: I was also on Treme; and on Memphis Beat I played a killer who stabbed some guy in the
stomach over some hogs. And I am in a sci-fi movie that hasn’t come out yet called Quantum
Apocalypse, where I get hit in the face with a crow bar.
GK: We were at Guitar Center, me and Todd, and I noticed one of the employees taking cell
phone pictures of him until finally he came up and was like, “Dude, are you the guy from Waiting,
man?” He went apeshit. Anytime we sort of venture out into like, the Metairie area… But I did
know Todd even before I knew him, from watching his movies, watching him spit in the mashed
potatoes… That guy spits so good, I wanna be in a band with him!
I don’t want to touch a sore spot but I was wondering what happened with your former
band Hands of Nero? They continued on without you as the singer?
TV: Well, I moved to France, and while I was in France I got into this psychedelic boogiewoogie
music that didn’t really fit their style. They wanted to be more of a bar band and I wanted
to be more of a show band.
GK: Todd very much likes to do characters, and that was his heavy metal character.
TV: I mean, the Green Demons is serious, but we’re serious about our comedy. When we say
something comedic in nature there’s spine behind it.
Tell me about Scott Guoin’s cover painting of you all being beamed up into a spaceship. It’s
sort of worth the price of admission alone.
GK: Yeah, Scott really got it.
TV: Definitely. And the thing was, he snapped the original photo of us coming down out of the
spaceship. Then he did the painting from that photograph.
GK: You can tell in that painting that I had been using Thighmaster for a really long time.
The Green Demons release their new CD, Outer Sex, on June 10th at the Big Top 3 Ring
Circus, 1638 Clio Street, 9 PM. Joining them will be DJ Lingerie and Trixie Minx. For more
information, check out greendemonsrock.com

SuNdAY 6/26
d.b.a.: Linnzi Zaorski, 10pm, $5
dragon’s den: Bass Church f/ Gris Gris, Ribbz,
Mr Cool Bad Guy, Unicorn Fukr, 9pm
The Maison: Courtyard Kings, 7pm; Margie Perez,
10pm; DJ T-Roy, 10pm (Upstairs)
Siberia: Mundo Muerto, Porkeria, 10pm
MoNdAY 6/27
d.b.a.: Paul Sanchez, Glen David Andrews w/
Amanda Shaw, 9pm, $5
Siberia: Tinsel Teeth, Satanized, 10pm
TueSdAY 6/28
The Hangar: OTEP, Blackguard, Destrophy, Sister
Sin, One Eyed Doll, 8pm, $18
Siberia: HPP, Teen Wolves, Fast Boyfriends, 10pm
WedNeSdAY 6/29
Republic: Borgore
THuRSdAY 6/30
The 12 bar: New Balance, 10pm, $10
The Maison: Those Peaches, 7pm; Righteous
Buddha, 10pm
one eyed Jacks: David Bazan, S. Carey
Siberia: Local Celebrity Night w/ DJ Yrs Trly, 10pm
SuNdAY 7/3
Howlin’ Wolf: RX Bandits, Maps & Atlases, 8pm
EVENTS
WeeKlY eVeNTS
MoNdAYS
banks Street bar & Grill: N’awlins Johnnys, 9pm
bayou Park bar: The Hooch Riders, 9pm
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Mad Mike, 8pm
Circle bar: Kelly Carlyle, 6pm
d.b.a.: Glen David Andrews, 9pm, $5
desperados: Kickball Disassociation After Party &
Old Timey Music, 9pm
dragon’s den: Slide Guitar Domenic
Hi-Ho lounge: Blue Grass Pickin’ Party, 8pm
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Bob French and
the Original Tuxedo Band, 8pm
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm; Dominick
Grillo and the Frenchmen St. All-Stars, 6pm; The
Jazz Vipers, 10pm
TueSdAYS
banks Street bar & Grill: NOLA Treblemakers,
10pm
bayou Park bar: Open Mic
The big Top: Brit Wit, 8pm
Carrollton Station: Acoustic Open Mic, 9pm
Café Negril: John Lisi and Delta Funk, 7pm
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Acoustic Open Mic w/ Jim
Smith, 10pm
d.b.a.: The New Orleans Suspects, 10pm, $5 [Dark
6/7]
desperados: Noxious Noize Tuesdays, 9pm
dragon’s den: Climate Change Hip-Hop Nite
Hi-Ho lounge: Euclid Records Triva w/ DJ Lefty
Parker, 8:30pm
Howlin’ Wolf: The Big Busk, A Night of
Burlesque and Live Music (Live in the Den)
The Rusty Nail: Open Mic w/ Whiskey T., 8pm
The Saint Tikioke, 9pm, FREE
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm; Smokin’
Time Jazz Club, 6pm; Davis Rogan Band, 10pm
WedNeSdAYS
AllWays lounge: Marygoround & The Tiptoe
Stampede
banks Street bar & Grill: Major Bacon, 10pm
The bar: Musician Appreciation Night, 7pm
bayou Park bar: Dale Galatas and Friends
blue Nile: United Postal Project, 8pm; Khris Royal
and Dark Matter, 10pm
The Box Office: Dan Wallace Quartet, 7pm
Carrollton Station: Standup Comedy Open Mic,
9pm
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Kenny Holiday and the
Rolling Blackouts, 9pm
Circle bar: Jim O. and The No Shows w/ Mama
Go-Go, 6pm
d.b.a.: Walter Wolfman Washington and The
Roadmasters, 10pm, $5
deckbar: Blues & Beyond Jam w/ John Lisi &
Delta Funk, 8pm
dragon’s den: DJ T-Roy Presents: Dancehall
Classics, 10pm, $5
Hi-Ho lounge: Busker’s Ballroom, 10pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Booty Trove Brass Band, FREE
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Sasha
Masakowski, 5pm
The R bar: DJ Lefty Parker
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm; Free Swing
Dance Lessons, 5pm, The Orleans, 6pm; St. Louis
Slim and the Frenchmen St. Jug Band, 10pm
Yuki: Mojotoro Tango Trio, 8pm
THuRSdAYS
banks Street bar & Grill: Dave Jordan’s
Neighborhood Improvement, 10pm
bayou Park bar: Classic Country w/ Ron
Hotstream and the F-Holes, 10pm
blue Nile: DJ T-Roy, 10pm; Gravity A, 10pm
(Upstairs)
Checkpoint Charlie’s: The Fens w/ Sneaky Pete,
10pm
Circle bar: Sam and Boone, 6pm
desperados: Loose Marbles, 9pm
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EVENTS
THuRSdAYS (Cont...)
dragon’s den: Basebin Safari w/ DJ Proppa Bear, 10pm
Hi-Ho lounge: Stooges Brass Band, 9:30pm
The Hookah: Exhale: A Ladies Night, 10pm
Howlin’ Wolf: Comedy Gumbeaux, 8pm (Live in
the Den)
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Roman Skakun, 5pm
la Nuit Comedy Theater: A.S.S.tronot, 8:30pm
le bon Temps Roule: Soul Rebels, 11pm
one eyed Jacks: Fast Times ’80s Dance Night
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm; Miss Sophie
Lee, 6pm; New Orleans Moonshiners, 10pm
Republic: LEGIT, 10pm, $7
fRIdAYS
bayou Park bar: Friday Night Dancy Party
The big Top: Friday Night Music Camp, 5pm
blue Nile: Mykia Jovan and Jason Butler, 8pm; DJ
Real and Black Pearl, Midnight (Upstairs)
Circle bar: Jim O. and The Sporadic Fanatics, 6pm
desperados: Michael James and His Lonesome,
9pm; Bobby Bouzouki, 11pm
The Hookah: The A-List Unplugged w/ EF Cuttin’, 10pm
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Piano Tribute
to Professor Longhair f/ Tom Worrell, 5pm; Leon “
Kid Chocolate” Brown, 8pm; Burlesque Ballroom
f/ Trixie Minx and Linnzi Zaorski, Midnight
la Nuit Comedy Theater: God’s Been Drinking,
10pm, $10
Republic: Throwback, 11pm
Spotted Cat: Brett Richardson, 4pm; Washboard
Chaz Blues Trio, 6pm; New Orleans Cottonmouth
Kings, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Tipitina’s Foundation Free Friday!, 10pm
SATuRdAYS
blue Nile: Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, 7 pm
Circle bar: The Jazzholes, 6pm
d.b.a.: John Boutte, 8pm [Dark 6/18]
The Hangar: Ladies Night
The Hookah: Hookah Hip-Hop w/ DJ EF Cuttin, 10pm
House of blues: Sabado, Fuego, DJ Juanes, DJ Q,
Midnight (The Parish @ House Of Blues)
la Nuit Comedy Theater: ComedySportz (1st/3rd
Saturdays), 7pm
lePhare: DJ Jive
Republic: DJ Damion Yancy, 11pm
Spotted Cat: Luke Winslow King, 3pm
SuNdAYS
banks Street bar & Grill: Open Mic Jam w/ Ron
Hotstream and the F-Holes
bayou Park bar: Swing w/ Johnny Angel, 9pm
blue Nile: Mainline, 10pm
Café Negril: John Lisi and Delta Funk, 7pm
Checkpoint Charlie’s: Acoustic Open Mic w/ Jim
Smith, 7pm
Circle bar: Drink N Draw, 3pm; Micah McKee
and Friends, 6pm
d.b.a.: The Palmetto Bug Stompers, 6pm
desperados: Stumps the Clown’s Variety Show
Sundays f/ Jo Robbin, Stalebread Scotty & More, 9pm
dragon’s den: Bass Church: Dubstep for the
Masses, 10pm (Upstairs)
The Hookah: Ear Candy w/ DJ Rik Ducci, 10pm
House of blues: The Sunday Gospel Brunch
Howlin’ Wolf: Brass Band Sundays w/ Hot 8 Brass
Band
Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse: Tyler’s
Revisited f/ Germaine Bazzle and Paul Longstreth,
7pm
Spotted Cat: Rights of Swing, 3pm; Kristina Morales,
6pm (1 st /3 rd Sun.)/Ben Polcer and the Grinders (2 nd /4 th
Sun.), Pat Casey & the New Sound, 10pm
Tipitina’s: Music Workshop Series, 12:30pm;
Cajun Fais Do Do f/ Bruce Danigerpoint, 7pm

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COMICS
28

COMICS
29

MUSIC
Hangout Fest Review, Continued From Page 15...
on. They are still so powerful and focused all these years into their career. It’s refreshing to see an aging band still
really put on a show.
We stopped by the foo fighters show out of a mild sense of obligation. And I think if I were more familiar with their
catalog, I would’ve really enjoyed the set. They still perform with great verve and passion and Dave Grohl is a textbook
front man. Rattling on about eating lobster and downing Corona and Crown, he puts on a “rock show” for all intents
and purposes. But it never did really click for me and that hasn’t much changed over the years. They make enjoyable
tracks and it was cool to hear the “anthems” of my youth (even if they never spurred me on to much anthemic action)
like “Everlong,” “Best of You” and “My Hero.”
With Sunday dawned mixed emotions of excitement for a full day of rocking and dread for the ride home.
But nothing could squelch my fire for the one, the only, Drive-By Truckers. If I had a spirit animal, it would be
the Truckers. These guys are the rock show. They opened with a burning, snide “Lookout Mountain” and rolled
nonstop from there. They focused on tracks from their last two releases, The Big To Do and Go Go Boots, which
lean more to the soulful side of things. This clearly disappointed some fans that were hoping for a blistering set
of old tracks, all venom and Jack Daniels. But the new stuff has a charm all its own. Tracks like “Birthday Boy”
and “Go Go Boots” give the Truckers a chance to show off their country and soul influences. But fear not, they
brought the rock with tracks like the beloved oldie “Zip City” and their now famous cover of Warren Zevon’s
“Play It All Night Long” (which includes the line “Sweet Home Alabama, play that dead man’s song” – can you
imagine the sing-along that elicited?) They ended with “Let There Be Rock,” their ode to the institution of the
rock show, with Patterson Hood proselytizing from his onstage pulpit, throwing his hands in the air and rambling
on about how fucking beautiful life is. A fitting homecoming for the Bama boys (and girl).
From here we literally ran to the Ween show, just in time to hear them tear into the tropical chords that open
“Bananas and Blow,” the tongue-in-cheek Buffett-esque track from White Pepper. Only interested in upping
the weird factor from there, enter the creepy bass line from “Spinal Meningitis” – a song for which Gene Ween
sings in a totally unsettling little boy voice and utters lines like “Am I gonna see God, Mommy?/Am I gonna
die?” (Fun fact: my boyfriend had this song set as his alarm for some months early in our relationship – and
I stayed with him). I was a late bloomer on the Ween train. I really didn’t “get” them for a long time and I
thought it was mostly jokey and forgettable. But they grew on me over time and put on one of the best live
shows around. They move seamlessly from tracks like the fast-paced, frenzied “I’ll Be Your Johnny on the
Spot” to the trippy, hippie “Ocean Man” and the lead-bellied “Buckingham Green.” If you haven’t seen them
play live, I highly recommend it. Also, they covered Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” and it was blazingly ridiculous in
its awesomeness.
If I thought the tent (dubbed The Boom Boom Room) was packed for Bassnectar and Pretty Lights, there isn’t a word
for what it was during Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk)’s set. Festival organizers should seriously rethink the placement
of this tent for next year. When the crowd spilled over, it blocked the main thoroughfare and the only (already difficult
to find) bank of porta-potties, obscured the VIP/Artist/Media entrance and poured into one of the main stage areas,
making it nearly impossible for people to move from point A to point B. In fact, we got trapped in the media area after
our only way out was shut down by the fire marshal due to the turgid crowd pressing against and nearly buckling the
gate separating the tent and the walkway. That shit was Brazilian soccer match levels of insane. Venues have got to
learn to give Girl Talk a wider berth. The man packs a house, people! From what we could hear backstage, his set at
Hangout was very similar to the set he played this January here at the House of Blues, featuring some on-the-fly mixes
but pulling mostly from his recent release, All Day.
Our last show of the fest (sorry Paul Simon!) was Akron, Ohio’s proud sons, The black Keys. Despite their
recent rise to radio fame, these guys are still some of the best straightforward blues-rockers to be found. Their
sound is tightly coiled and walks the razor’s edge between grit and polish. Brothers was one of 2010’s best efforts
and songs like “Tighten Up,” “Next Girl” and “Howlin’ For You” are popular for a reason – they kick ass. Proof
that the world doesn’t always have crap taste. We sauntered out of the gates to the dwindling sound of the Keys’
sweet, sweet blues and we reluctantly threw our bags in the car and headed home. Out of the bubble, back to
reality.
For the price, Hangout Fest is a great deal. The location is gorgeous, only a few short hours away, and if you plan
early enough, you can easily book an affordable pad within walking distance. This is a festival that I think is here to
stay. The response this year was unheard of and I see only good things coming down the road. Hopefully by next year
they will have taken hints from some of the more established festival models and worked out the logistical kinks they
suffered from this year, because it would be a shame to not see them next year. Until then…
All photos courtesy of Matt Rosenthal. Visit barryfest.com for more photos and daily wrap-ups from the festival
from Erin and Barryfest bloggers Matt Rosenthal and Taylor Gray.
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