May 2009 (PDF) - Antigravity Magazine

ANTI-NEWSCAN’T STOP THE ROTT:The swamp, the NOPD and even house arrest can’t contain Toxic Rottinterview by brett schwanerWelcome to 21st century life—an alluring mix of modern, space-age technologicalconvenience intermingled with fuzzy, digitally transmitted images of germwarfare, torture, and violent culture clash, where every day is like The Jetsonscrossed with 28 Days Later. At this point in the downward slide of the bell curveof western civilization, I would hope that none of this seems like a particularly shocking orforeign notion. If so, please revisit a portion of Black Flag’s melodious documentations of theReagan administration circa 1982. If not, well, I’d advise that you and a loved one attend alovely protest rally against the WTO or the World Bank (bring your own bricks, of course). Ifthat happens to be out of your realistic scope of travel, you at least owe it to yourself to checkout an upcoming performance by Toxic Rott, the latest in a new generation of antiestablishmentpunk and thrash bands to emerge in New Orleans. Toxic Rott’s members, who go by the stagenames of Dirt, Murda, D-Hammer, and Slox, have been tearing up stages across the crescentcity since 2007. And when we say “tearing up,” we’re not exaggerating. ANTIGRAVITY satdown with the three-quarters of Toxic Rott not currently placed under house arrest for a briefchat about nihilism, vengeance, self-destruction, and motherfucking pigs…ANTIGRAVITY: Alright, let’s start off by telling the people what they need to know…Dirt: Our first full recording for Beyond Superdome… We banged it out in about six hours. We spent, well,forever to write the songs themselves. [Laughs]Murda: Beyond Superdome is our first demo. We released it in 2008, but for the full-length we’re going tore-record all seven songs from the demo and add in six new ones. We’re looking forward to getting to thosepretty soon.Where are you guys coming from? The 9th Ward? New Orleans East? The Marigny?Murda: We all live out in the middle of St. Charles Parish.Dirt: Right in the middle of the swamp, actually.Okay, so my first experience with Toxic Rott was seeing a video of the song “Fuck N.O.P.D.” about ayear ago, recorded at the Hi-Ho Lounge. What’s that all about?Murda: “Fuck N.O.P.D.” was a song that we wrote after we played a show at Checkpoint Charlie, andI went to jail for about six days for something that happened after that show. I got out of jail and we justwrote that song from there.D-Hammer: The show that the song refers to was actually The Pallbearers’ 10th Anniversary show, backin 2007.Murda: I had parked just outside of Checkpoint that night, which, apparently, was a no-parking zone.I’d asked the meter maid if it was okay if we just temporarily parked to unload our equipment, and sheimmediately started cursing at us. Soon after that, a tow-truck driver showed up to tow us off and startedpushing me around and cursing at me. I pushed him back and I immediately got tackled by two cops. Theydragged me out into the middle of the street, slammed me around, and took me straight off to jail fromthere.Dirt: After they got him, the cops went inside of Checkpoint and pretty much started rounding up anyonewho was dancing or pitting at the show. They took in about seven or eight people from the show thatnight.Continued on page 6...antigravitymagazine.com_5

ANTI-NEWSTOXIC ROTT (CONT...)Murda: Everyone got out of jail after a day or so, but theyheld me the longest. They charged me with battery of anofficer, resisting arrest, and public drunkenness. They alsomessed up my paperwork, which was enough for them tohold me in there for a couple of extra days.So the cops fucked up your gig [allegedly]. Then what?Murda: As soon as I got out of jail, we all got back together andstarted bangin’ out new songs. We’ve been going since then.Your lead singer, Slox, isn’t here to talk with us today.What’s the story on that?Murda: No, we’re not going to talk shit or exaggerate aboutSlox. What happened is what happened.Dirt: We do love Slox, he’s a great guy. When we get reallywasted, our favorite thing to do is to listen to him makeprank calls to Waffle House and Wal-Mart late at night.Murda: Driving home from work one night, Slox took a turn toolate and got his car stuck on the train tracks. The cops showedup and gave him all kinds of sobriety tests and sent him off tojail. He was in jail for about five months and then house arrest.Dirt: During that time, we laid kind of low and didn’t playany shows. We were supposed to play a show back on April3rd with The Panic, but we had to cancel at the last minutebecause of Slox’s house arrest. Recently, though, we’ve beenback and playing shows full force.Murda: Slox is still under house arrest, but he’s allowed tocome out and do shows with us on the weekends.Now that Toxic Rott is able to play shows again, do youguys have any plans to record new material?Murda: We’ve decided that we’re going to start in the nextmonth and possibly put it out by July or August. We haven’tset a definite date yet, but we’d like to have it out by the endof the summer.Dirt: We haven’t set a date yet because I’m about to havea child in the next nine weeks or so, so that’s going to bea whole other world for me from then on out. I’m sure it’lldull down my practice time a bit, but I don’t think it’ll cutdown on our shows.We need to know where your musical style is comingfrom. Let’s explore that, because you guys seem kind ofpissed off.Murda: The song “Syringe Revenge,” for example, is aboutsomeone we knew who screwed us over really badly bystealing a bunch of money from us. He ended up gettingaddicted to drugs because of it.Dirt: I really like to go out to the woods with guns to wastetime. We all live out in the swamp, so going out to terrorizewarning signs and small animals is something that I really liketo do. There’s nothing really to do out in St. Charles Parish.There are sports bars out there, but no one’s ever let us play ashow. Our friend Jerry asked us to play his birthday party outin the Spillway, so that might be your best bet to see us outthere. It’ll probably be a bunch of guys with four-wheelers,shrimp boots, and crab-nets hanging out in the mud.You need to let us know about that spillway show if/whenit happens. Is there anything else that ya’ll need to let theworld know about?D-Hammer: I play in a little jazz-funk fusion band called theToast Beards. We play at the Dragon’s Den pretty often.Dirt: You should really add that if people don’t like Rambo,they need to get outta here. We all love Rambo and Slox triesto make a point of that at our shows. [Laughs]See Toxic Rott with All Rise at 7pm on Saturday, May 16that The Dragon’s Den and with The Pallbearers at 8pm onSaturday, May 23rd at Outer Banks. For more info and a fulllisting of Toxic Rott’s upcoming summer shows, visit myspace.com/toxicrott.THE BEST GAME IN TOWN ISHARVEY MILKAthens, GA, it seems, has been a hub for musical creativity fordecades on end. Indie-rock stalwarts such as R.E.M., The B-52sand the Elephant 6-ers have all found inspiration in that smallcollege townand its outlyingareas. Now,the reigningbadasses ofthe city, metalgods HarveyMilk, are readyto unleash “AMaelstrom ofBad Decisions”upon NewOrleans forthe first timesince last year’srelease of theircrazy-good, Life… The Best Game in Town. Splitting the bill with BatonRouge scuzzsters Thou, this show at the Zeitgeist is set to be an injectionof pure rock fury. Those already acquainted with Harvey Milk, see youthere, and others, go and get Life… right now, and the rest of their records,and begin to prepare yourself for the opportunity to see some of the mostimportant metalheads of the last twenty years. —Dan MitchellHarvey Milk plays The Zeitgeist with Thou and Stupid Man on Friday, May22 at 7pm. Cover is $5. For more info on Harvey Milk, go to myspace.com/harveymilk.6_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

ANTI-NEWSNEWS, NOTES & FEEDBACK!—The first NOLA Veggie Fest will be held on Sunday, May17th from 11:00am-6:00pm at Café Bamboo (the first floor ofThe Dragon’s Den). The event will feature vegetarian and vegancooking demonstrations, hosted by Jessica Roberts of No Whey!Vegan Baking. Speakers from Farm Sanctuary and People forthe Ethical Treatment of Animals are scheduled to appear andall proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Louisiana. Freefood samplesand othergood eats willbe available(it’s tastystuff, trust us).NOLA VeggieFest is opento all ages.A d m i s s i o nis $5. Thefirst fiftyattendees willalso receive a free subscription to VegNews Magazine. —BrettSchwaner—Missed Miss Maddie Ruthless at the Community RecordsBlock Party in April? As of press time, Maddie has noimmediate shows lined up for May, but she can still be heardevery Sunday on crescentcityradio.com from 5-7pm, spinningsweaty ska and rocksteady. Miss Ruthless’s original podcastscan also be downloaded at maddieruthless.podomatic.com.And if that wasn’t enough for you, then log on to myspace.com/maddieruthless, where the local queen of rude girl soundswill be debuting new tracks from her much-delayed upcomingEP release. —BS—The Zeitgeist Arts Center is where you need to be onMonday, May 25th for an early-evening dose of undergroundpunk music. Pumpkin, a group of local electro-punks withsuspicious facial hair, will be appearing along with NOLA’sown The Rooks and touring group Canadian Rifle. Showtimeis 7pm. Open to all ages. Bring a friend. Bring 500 friends andremember: nothing is fun without alcohol. NOTHING. —BS—Sick Like Sinatra has been the hardest working band in NewOrleans this spring, playing at least one show every week sincelate January. Your last chance to see Sick Like Sinatra in theNew Orleans area before their big, greasy, sticky summer tourhappens on May 16th, when the self-proclaimed “sex-rockcrusaders” take over The Metro on Andrew Higgins Drive foran evening of inappropriate pelvic grinding. Showtime is 10pm.Don’t bother wearing a shirt. For more, visit myspace.com/sicklikesinatra. —BS—From .b., via e-mail [Note: As is the standard when we runfeedback, the following is unedited. —Ed]:As “journalists” I expect you lads to rise above the fray and makehonest assessments about the music you’re reviewing despitethe easy lure of media-bandwagoning. We both understandthat taste is subjective and that pop culture is like a growingoroborus constantly eating its’ own entrails at an alarming rate,but the integrity of your publication lies in the ability to breakthis chain and call a spade a spade, which is does from time totime. Yet......This brings me to the review of “the pains of beingpure at heart” by Mike Rodgers in your April issue. Objectively,the band is mediocre at best and, subjectively, complete drosseven among the latest fad of shoegaze revivalists. They makeeven the worst song by Chapterhouse sound like Beethoven.Though it ultimately doesn’t matter that your readers like therecords you review, in the case of this band, we already havethe wankers at Pitchfork feeding us a line of their greatness - weexpect you all not to buy into that crap as well.with all do respect,.b.Thanks for e-mailing, .b., we’re always interested in what people thinkabout the mag, whether we agree or not.Now we’ll bring in Mike Rodgers for a quick retort.Dear .b.,I often agree with what the media conglomerate says, thoughI just as often disagree.The key lies in my abilityto seperate my actualenjoyment of a record fromthe presupposed narrativethat the evil likes ofPitchfork or NME foist uponme. If you believe thatThe Pains of Being Pureat Heart are at best a tweebit of poorly crafted music,or at worst a symptom ofthe cultural zeitgeist slowlydevouring itself like Saturn and his child, then more power toyou. I think The Pains of Being Pure at Heart are a good band,I liked their record, and unless you think [the existing reviewsare] all manufactured hype, then so do many other people.antigravitymagazine.com_7

ANTI-NEWSJEFFREY BROWN GIVES YOU A TOUR OF HIS FUNNY MISSHAPEN BODYinterview by leo mcgovernIhave some making up to do with Jeffrey Brown. I scoffedat Clumsy, his first graphic novel, when it was releasedby highbrow publisher Top Shelf a few years ago — itwas full of personal vignettes featuring crude, simplisticart that didn’t meet my then-standards for what a professionalindie comic should be, so I filed Brown away as a creatorwho’d surely never resurface. A few years later, after follow-upbooks such as Unlikely, Be a Man and Every Girl is the End of theWorld for Me were released, Brown was being hailed in comicsdiscussions as the “next great thing” after Adrian Tomine orChris Ware — his work was clearly making an impressionon people. His Transformers sendup Incredible Change-Bots wasfavorably reviewed in these pages, but still I wasn’t sold and itwasn’t until I happened upon Little Things (A Memoir in Slices)that I regretted not seeing Jeffrey Brown’s potential muchearlier.Little Things is an emotional look at Brown’s life, a brutallyhonest narrative that gives the reader a voyeuristic experienceunlike most autobiographies. Brown finds a way to meaningfullyportray innocuous events (like having a back-and-forth with acoffeeshop waitress or the persistence of a cough) alongsideintimate details most people interesting enough to read anautobiography by would never willingly divulge. WhereClumsy’s artwork admittedly turned me off, I was surprised tofind the drawing in Little Things not just better than his earlierwork, but great in the mode of Dan Clowes or Craig Thompson.Given those comparisons, it’s no surprise that both Clowes andThompson have greatly influenced Brown, as de facto mentorand friend.Funny Misshapen Body is the affective sequel to LittleThings, and it focuses most on Brown’s development as anartist, in part how critiques by college fine arts professorsaffected his journey to becoming a cartoonist. Where LittleThings detailed Brown’s relationships, Body weaves betweenhis time in college and his childhood, and while there’s no“ending” to the book, you’re left with an understanding ofhow a little kid with an interest in comics travels through lifeand ends up making them for a living.Here’s where my apology comes in — it turns out Clumsywas Brown’s first effort at creating longform comics and wasan idea that depended upon putting ideas on paper as quicklyas possible. If an error was made it was simply scratched outin the name of emotional immediacy. While I came to JeffreyBrown late, I see we have a rare opportunity with a rare talent,one that is better compared to following a musician rather thana comics artist. In Clumsy we see the demo tape, in Unlikely thefirst EP, in Be a Man the first album, works like Bighead andChange-Bots show the experimental stage, and Little Things andFunny Misshapen Body find Brown in a groove most musiciansyearn for, the time where material and execution are so insync you can’t imagine a misstep.ANTIGRAVITY talked to Jeffrey Brown about the differencebetween working for an indie comics company and a majorpublisher, what comics he’s reading right now, and whetherhe’ll ever work for Marvel Comics.ANTIGRAVITY: Does it feel any different when you’redoing work for a “bigger” publisher, rather than Top Shelf?Jeffrey Brown: I try not to. Anything I work on I always tryto go in not thinking about the actual publication of it, or theaudience, or all the other issues that come with putting yourwork out. I try to focus on the work. Working with a biggerpublisher, whether it’s real or imagined, there’s a pressure toperform. With Funny Misshapen Body, at one point I had abouta hundred pages finished and just froze, couldn’t work on itanymore. I abandoned those and started over. It wasn’t that myeditor was pressuring me, but in my mind there was additionalexpectations I put on myself.You wound up not using those hundred pages at all?I basically redrew them. There were some pages I didn’t usebecause they really didn’t have that much to do with the overallfocus of the book. Part of it was just how the drawings felt. Agood chunk of the hundred pages I drew again and if you lookat them [side-by-side] they look slightly different. It was just amental thing for me, where I couldn’t just take those pages anduse them with new pages — I had to start from scratch.What’s your process like? In one of the books you mention8_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternativethat you started drawing without layout or plotting, and hereyou had a hundred pages you didn’t use.I had the whole book plotted out panel by panel, and I thinkit started to feel really restricting. Unlikely was the first bookwhere I had a really detailed script. There wasn’t a lot of roomfor maneuvering, and I worked that method with my otherautobiographical stuff. With Funny being a huge book — itwas going to be 500 pages, though as it is now it’s 320 — Iknew something was wrong in terms of the feel of the book andthe way I was writing it, and part of it was having planned someticulously. I went in the other direction and kept a lot ofthe elements but rewrote the script after abandoning the otherpages, so it was more a page-by-page breakdown. That gaveme more freedom of movement in terms of how much spacethings were going to take up and how that affected the pacingof the book.Do you still have those pages?I do. Some of them were one-page, standalone things. I kindof use those for different magazines, if someone asks me to doa one or two-page story. It’s not like I just threw them in thegarbage or something.Little Things is like a good movie, where you get to the endand want to keep watching — Funny Misshapen Body feels likethe sequel.I think in terms of the autobiographical work I’ve done, theywork together to give a bigger picture of a life. They workindividually, as they give different aspects of life, but they’re alllimited in how they get there. In one book you might see oneaspect of relationships, with Funny mostly about being an artistand an adolescent trying to figure out what to do with your life.They add up to form a more complete portrait.Are you still following comics in general?I feel it’s important to not work in a vacuum. Some people can,but if my work is going to continue to evolve and not repeatitself and hopefully get better, part of that is knowing what elseis being done and knowing what new comics are coming out,how others are pushing the medium. Not that the differencein one book of mine to the next is going to be substantial, buteverything I read feeds into that down the road.How does it feel to have a friend in Dan Clowes, particularlywhen it deals with your comics work? How big a validationis it that someone you were a fan of is in turn a fan of yourwork?There’s definitely a sense of validation when someone whosework you’ve admired for so long finds your work and findsthings they admire. In terms of getting to know other artistswho’ve gone through the same things, they become less abstractand become real people. Part of the inspiration comes fromseeing these people… You see their work isn’t just conjured outof thin air, they’re living life and having experiences and takingthose and sitting down at the drawing table and turning theminto something.Why do you think a book like Eightball is such a revelation topeople who’ve mostly read superhero comics?Not that the superhero genre in inherently limited, but whenyou look at the late-’80s through now, superhero comics allkind of follow each other and do the same thing over and overagain. You see The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, andsuddenly superheroes are all grim and gritty. My theory wouldbe that when you’re reading all these superhero comics youget to a point where you’ve seen it all and you forget there areother stories. With superheroes dominating the market for solong, you forget comics are a medium and there are all kinds ofdifferent stories you can tell using that medium. You stumbleupon other books and realize there are things outside what’salready been done.Do you still have ambitions to work for Marvel Comics?It’s still a dream. I don’t think I’m going to be the new artist onX-Men, but I wouldn’t mind doing a project of some smallerscope, like a limited series or one issue of something. Marvelhasn’t gotten back to me on that yet. I still have a soft spot inmy heart for all things Marvel. There’s room in the world forthings that are just entertaining and you can set aside the needfor something being mind-shattering, extra-meaningful work ofart. There’s room for a good action movie.Sometimes you just want to see stuff explode.Yeah.Jeffrey Brown’s Funny Misshapen Body is now available atbookstores and comic shops. For more info, go to jeffreybrowncomics.com.

COLUMNS LOCAL MUSICSLINGSHOTS!by derek zimmer derek@antigravitymagazine.comFOUR-FOOT-NINE WITH A TEN FOOT...LIST OF ENEMIES[Derek is the newest addition to our ANTIGRAVITY family; heprobably intends to finish what scene master Bryan Funck couldn’t:to Crimethinc Antigravity out of its hipster orbit and degenerate themagazine into an all-out anarchist publication decrying capitalism(damn you, advertisers!) and individual credit for submissions. Butreally, he’s just a good kid who mans the Iron Rail Bookstore &Library table at punk shows and finds himself adopted by touringbands, exploring the country one house show at a time. Oh, and henever pays for anything, ever. Because he keeps it real like that.Welcome aboard, Derek. Floor’s yours. —Ed.]Sometimes I’m awful disappointed by the so-calledpunk scene in New Orleans. Yes, I know—you haveno idea what I’m talking about. You’re thinking toyourself, “Jaded? With punk rock?! Absurd!” A few of youmay even be asking yourselves, “There’s a punk scene inNew Orleans?!” Well, shocking as it may seem to some ofyou idealistic or uninformed readers, between the rampantalcoholism, low turnout at shows and nomadic crustieswho—drawn like flies to shit—saturate the city like spilledmalt liquor, I can better understand the origin of my “fascistleanings.” For sometimes I do, dear readers, wish toinstitute a campaign to “purify” New Orleans of the lowerorder of humanity known as the “crust punk”—photocopysome new Crew Change Guides sending them aboard traincars deporting them directly to the “showers” of my ownpersonal Treblinka. Most of the time I can set aside suchpetty grievances with this town and retain my youthfulconfidence in the worthiness of “the scene,” but every now and again something forcesme to reevaluate why I am here.For example, someone like Chuck “Scumfuck.”The event was the first annual Gulf Coast Hardcore Fest at The Dragon’s Den,where Candice and I spent the entire day tabling an assortment of radical literaturecourtesy of the Iron Rail Book Collective. Seriously, tabling punk shows is a full-timejob for me. It’s a labor of love. I’m like the father on Christmas morning watching mybright, young child beam as she unwraps her brand new Slingshot! Well, not exactly...The Fest, we soon figured out, could stand to be a bit more...subversive. Early in theday a few of the jocks in a certain band had thrown around the words “bitch” and“pussy.” Heck, maybe I am “too PC.” When they took the stage hours later, theybegan one of their songs—in a spirit that could bring a tear to any football coach’seye—with a chant of “Cock-suckin’ motherfucker!” Then they threw out condoms tothe (predominantly male) crowd and remarked “They all got holes.” Candice and Ijust shook our heads and booed from the back of the room. Partly combating boredomas much as injustice after spending almost six consecutive hours in the same crowdedroom.To the credit of the promoter Seth and the rest of the otherwise semi-intelligentfolks, I must say there were some redeeming moments. Reclaim Life, a local, up-andcominghardcore band, brought the ’90s mosh excellence. Four-fifths of the membersof this band at some point worked in the bakery department at the Uptown WholeFoods, giving their group the nickname among some as “The Baker’s Guild.” Thankthem for all those vegan cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies in the baked goodssection. As an added bonus, their singer Scott happens to be a karate black belt! Andwhether churning out fresh pastries, ill tracks or droppin’ bows here or there, they areall around solid people. A band from Mississippi called Mordechai delivered a reallyimpressive performance of melodic screamo coupled with quieter moments of violin/glockenspiel ballads. Those two sets alone made the whole day worth it. Plus somepeople bought records from us.But as the night stretched on it become more and more of a brodeo. A real BrohemianRhapsody, so to speak. The testosterone level peaked at around 10pm and—after a fullnine hours—Candice and I decided to call it a day. Between tabling the night beforeat The White Bitch show and the Fest, we’d made about $140 total. Gosh, if only wecould do half this well at all the other events we table—I might not have to cry myselfto sleep every night in the stifling, mosquito-infested sewer of a city I call home. Sethdid a last call over the mic for anyone else interested. No takers—save for one.As we packed up, one of the members of the sleazy shock-rock group The AIDSPatients (very considerate name), who hadn’t yet played, walked up to us. The aptlynamed Chuck Scumfuck. Loaded out of his mind, commenced harassing us.“Fuck you guys! You aren’t gonna stick around for the best bands!” he yelled.Dignifying his inebriated egotism, we tried to explain how we’d been hanging out allday long and were tired, but in his irrational state he wouldn’t have it. He jumped onthe stage, where his bandmates were setting up, and began hollering out how we were“pussies” over the mic. Candice and I exchanged hostile words with him from acrossLeft: Bryan Funck; Right: Derek Zimmerthe room as we packed up the last of our books.He countered by announcing, still over the mic: “Ohhh, I just got called a poseur bya midget! Get the fuck out!!!”We hauled all the books and records back to the Iron Rail, spirits slightly dampenedthat we’d spent all our waking hours at this event helping an anarchist collectiveand here was the thanks we got. But this job, like any, comes with its fair share ofhardship. Shitty bands. Apathetic show goers. The one episode where a beefy guyripped a pamphlet to shreds before my eyes. But verbal and physical assault?! Call itan “occupational hazard.” After we dropped the box off and reshelved, we realizedwe’d forgotten Bryan Funck’s staple gun and Candice’s bag at the venue. When wereturned to retrieve them (a good fifteen or so minutes later at least), the band’s frontman was still spewing verbal flatulence of his drunken idiocy. I couldn’t believe peoplecould still be captivated by such a spectacle. I guess I expected more from the VarsityLettermen in attendance. He soon spotted us and resumed hollering slurs at us overthe mic. I nudged Candice, my partner in crime. “We should applaud him on theway out,” I whispered conspiratorially. If he tried anything funny, I figured, I wouldretaliate on behalf of the real NOLA Underground with the same stapler used to coverthe streets with many a punk poster! But as it turned out, I started something I couldn’tfinish.So we sauntered right on past the stage cheering and clapping! Scumfuck stared inour direction for a moment and then—realization dawning on him—lunged off thestage after us! Yikes! At that point I intended to, you know, exit as quickly as possible;however one of the Shaquille Bro’Neals in the aforementioned bands stood right infront of me and blocked me on either side like we were in the middle of a game ofb-ball—all while AIDS hurtled toward me from the rear! I guess it serves me right,the hubris of one frail PC “midget” rewarded with a beat down by a violent wastoid.In his stupor—which, considering the state of his motor-skill degeneration, is almostcommendable—Scumfuck aimed a kick to my derriere, hurtling me forward. I turnedaround to find the brave Candice—worked up to tears—in the dude’s face as a few heldhim (and her) back! Gosh, where is the Reclaim Life karate-pastry posse when I needthem?! We just got out of there fast. I heard later that following our departure, afterAIDS Patients actually began playing, Scumfuck got completely naked and proceededto shove a beer bottle up his own ass, cutting himself and bleeding in the process. No,I’m not making this up. One audience member—infamously known by his graffititagger alter-ego “Snake”—later described the fiasco to me: “Watching him was likewatching a child play with his own shit.” Hmm...Interesting...All in a day’s work...I actually savor the challenge of a belligerent drunk punk or theconservative meathead. Because when it comes down to it, I can honestly say I love my“job.” I go to shows I planned on attending anyway (most often for free), and it forcesme out of my socially awkward shell. But more importantly, it provides a platform tospread my ideological propaganda to the impressionable masses, so that gradually Imay come one step closer in my diabolical scheme to exert ever-greater control overthe New Orleans punk scene—by which I may lead my subjects as dictator into aneventual, blissful state of clean-cut anarchy! Mwhahahaha! Just try and stop me!antigravitymagazine.com_9

COLUMNSADVICEGUIDANCE COUNSELINGthis month’s trusted advisors: musa alvesABORT THE FRIEND ZONE!It’s not easy being mayor of PartyCity, but Musa Alves administersher own brand of good times witha smile, some ass-shakin’ tunes andher trusty camera for documentingthe crazy happenings (check out herphotography at musaalves.com). Musais bringing back her scandalous andsensory-overloaded Jocque Se Bloqueparty to One Eyed Jacks on the 30th,and you can also catch her DJing atthe Saint a couple of times this month(including her own birthday party onthe 8th, hint, hint). Being the kind ofperson who knows everybody, we thought she’s probably heard and seen it all and could use hercosmopolitan ways to help out this month’s crew of puzzled people. Take it away, Musa.Dear AG,What’s the protocol for breaking up with a girl you’ve had sex with only once? I was dating this girl fora few weeks, and when we finally slept together it was the worst experience I ever had. Part of me saysI should try it again to see if the first time was an aberration, but I know if it sucks again I’ll be in evendeeper. She’s an okay person and we’ve had a decent time together, so the only reason I’d have to breakup with her is the sex. What do I do, and should I even mention the sex?Bad sex is bad sex, and bad sex is a totally reasonable reason to halt any more romancebetween you and your mate’s incompatible genitals. Everyone knows that when the sexis bad, this gets you one first class ticket to the FRIEND ZONE! Clearly, by the tepidvocabulary you used to describe your soon-to-be pal (“okay person,” “decent timetogether”), this wouldn’t be a huge loss—regardless of the force you use to crush her ego.Just tell her that you’ve given it some thought and you don’t think you two are a goodmatch romantically. That’s honest and not as bad as saying “you were a dead fish in thesack. You suck. It sucked. Please go home.” Or “Your crying during and after sex made mewant to eat glass and die. Please lose my number.” I support you 100%.Dear AG,My roommate has been acting weird lately. We’ve lived together for two years and I haven’t had aproblem until now. He’s been staying out later and later, to the point where we pass each other whenI’m leaving for work at 7am. To make things weirder, we each have a small storage room in theapartment and he’s been keeping his locked up the past few weeks. He hasn’t done anything wrong,technically, but it’s driving me crazy that he could be keeping something weird in there. Should I cutthe lock and see what’s up?You sound like a chick, so I’m going to address this as if you are... Nosy Nancy! Perhapsyour roommate has spied with his third eye your lack of trust and ability to be meddlesome?The fact that you two seem to be curiously seeing each other less and less is a sure sign thatsomething’s up, but breaking into his storage will only incriminate you and make you looklike the psychopath his loss for openness is turning you into. Clearly what needs to happenhere is a little real talking. Tell roomie that you sense some tension and want to know if youdid anything to bum him out or piss him off. If he says nah and blows you off, continuingto seem “weird,” then tell him his attitude is affecting your home life and maybe it’s time topart ways. If he says “Yeah, you’re all up in my shit and won’t leave me alone. I’m a dude. Iwant to live with someone who isn’t wondering why my schedule has changed or why I likemy privacy,” then try not to freak out and take it from there. Maybe you’re the type who likestheir personal life all out in the open for your roomies to see and know, but some people aren’tlike that. You might have done something to damage his trust and now it’s time to repair.Most likely he’s got pot down there and doesn’t want your hound nose snooping around andblowing it for him. Don’t come at him with a butcher knife, just be cool.I was “late” last month, and for a few days things were tense with the BF and me, but in a weird way.Basically, he got all starry-eyed and started talking about kids and how great it was going to be, whenall I wanted to do was make a quick appointment at Planned Parenthood (Not down for kids yet; I’m23 and got some things to do first). Of course, a few days later I got my period and everything wentback to normal, except now the BF is acting all weird and bummed out and things are “on ice.” Veryawkward. How should we address this?Abort mission!!!!!! (Pun intended?) Sounds like you’ve got a closet mommy on your hands. Idon’t trust men who have a biological clock before I do. You’re 23 years old? If this incidentdidn’t scare you away from the relationship completely, I salute you. Tell bromom he needsto man up and be happy you two are in the clear or else you’ll find 198,129,381 other dudeswho want to have protected sex, eat Mexican food and listen to records without babies onthe brain. I’d also check your condom supply to make sure there aren’t tiny pinholes in all ofthem. Or that your birth control hasn’t mysteriously turned into all “pink pills.” Or... waita minute... Why were you late in the first place? Maybe you SHOULD START USINGTHESE CONTRACEPTIVES!!! Problem solved.10_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

THE GOODSby miss malaprop mallory@antigravitymagazine.comCOLUMNSFASHIONiLOVE iSOCKITSSo you’ve got a shiny new iPhone or Macbook and want to keep it, well… shiny andnew? Pittsburgh native and South Louisiana seamstress Blythe King is your go-to girlwith her iSockits, a line of cell phone, laptop, and MP3 player cases made by handentirely from vintage, recycled materials. I recently caught up with her to find out how shecame up with the idea and what made her decide to move down South.Miss Malaprop: How did you get started as an artist?Blythe King: Looking back now, I think my favorite classes in school were wood shop,metal shop, jewelry making, printmaking, and Chinese calligraphy. I have always distractedmyself by drawing, painting, cutting, gluing, stitching, folding, threading, arranging,designing, and assembling. There was not really any starting point, and definitely noreason why.How did you come up withthe idea for the iSockit?It took a little coincidencealong with necessity to inventthe iSockit. Four years ago I gota new, shiny iBook that neededto be protected from scuffs andscratches. This was around thesame time I came home froman estate sale with five boxesof old fabric. So I designedthe iSockit, using the old fabricalong with some padding, as aprotective, unassuming laptopsleeve. That was my firsthandmade product that I sold.Then I started to teach myself more about sewing. I got a sewing machine forChristmas and played around making various things, like pillows and toys for my cat.But then I focused on learning how to make clothes. I worked diligently for months,and got to the point where I felt fairly competent on the sewing machine. I lovedworking from 1940s dress patterns. I actually use pockets on my cases that are verysimilar to those found in 1940s dress patterns. I began giving lots of hand-sewn gifts,like voodoo dolls and baby blankets. I received enough encouragement to finally openmy Etsy store in May 2008. Also, by this time, I’d amassed quite a large collection ofvintage fabric.How did you wind up in Louisiana? Has this region influenced your work in any way?Also by coincidence and necessity, I ended up in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. My boyfriend,George, grew up in Lafayette, and after living in Boulder, Colorado for a few years hemissed the grit (and andouille) of his home state. I’m from Pittsburgh, so I missed the grit,too. We left Colorado in 2004 and headed for New Orleans, but after almost two monthswe still hadn’t found a place to live in the city, so we started looking at the small townsaround Lafayette. The first place we stopped in was Breaux Bridge. One of George’s goodfriends from high school lived in town. He invited us in for coffee and gave us the name ofthe guy we needed to talk to. It just so happened that the apartment above the old hardwarestore in town was available, and that is where we’ve lived for the past five years.My work has been influenced more by the people here than anything else. There are a lotof talented and creative people down here, and everyone is working on a project, startinga band, restoring a house, filming a documentary. It is an encouraging place in which todo your own thing.Where do you find all of your awesome vintage materials?I find almost everything at estate sales and thrift stores, but also receive a lot of my materialsfrom the friendly people in town who’ve heard I like to sew. Everyone’s mother here usedto sew, s no one throws anything away and there are lots of closets full of old fabric thatneed to be cleaned out. They’re more than happy to hand over the polyester, and I ammore than happy to use it!What do you do when you’re not making iSockits?When I am not making things, I am looking for things, painting houses, watching movies,reading books, sprouting beans, collecting seeds, playing tennis, throwing dice, doingresearch, learning anything.My favorite place, lately, is the old Domingue car dealership right next door to whereI live. It sat abandoned, dilapidated and deteriorating for thirty years, but was recentlybought and is being restored. It is totally empty inside, with exposed brick walls and smoothcement floors. George and I zoom around in there on our bikes almost every afternoon.Riding my bike around town is one of my favorite things to do, along with searching forfruit trees. I know the spots if you like kumquats, loquats, and mulberries!Where can people find your work?I sell mostly online at blytheking.etsy.com and at blytheking.com, although if you comethrough Breaux Bridge, you can find some of my handmade voodoo dolls for sale at thecoffee shop in town.antigravitymagazine.com_11

DR. FEELGOODby nancy kang, m.d. nancy@antigravitymagazine.comCOLUMNS MEDICINEHERE COMES THE SUNOne of my favorite pastimes following any music festival or trip to the beach is to peelhuge sheets of burned skin off the backs of close personal friends—so disgustinglysatisfying. I know you know what I am talking about. Alas, I never have my ownpersonal carapace to peel off because I always wear sunscreen (and usually a floppy hat,sunglasses and sleeves). Are you guilty of solar overexposure? Did you go to a festivalrecently? Are you sporting a farmer’s tan? Were you out in the hot New Orleans sun,under-protected and overexposed? When nude, can you see the outlines of embarrassingfestival fashions while the rest of your skin is bright red or golden brown?Although many find tan skin healthy and vigorous-looking, there are many ill effectsfrom long-term sun exposure: cancer that can result in death, for one. Cancer that canresult in excision of large portions of one’s face. Wrinkles. Brown age spots. Need I saymore? So how much sun is too much sun? How can you prevent damaging effects of thesun while living in such a sunny, sultry city?Getting a sunburn is not only painful, but a person’s risk for skin cancer doubles if he or shehas had five or more sunburns. Ultraviolet rays of the sun cause damage to the skin by breakingdown elastic and collagen fibers, making skin more wrinkled and slower to heal. Damagecauses brown spots on the skin, sometimes called “liver spots.” Ultraviolet radiation also canderail the genetic code in skin cells, causing cells to go haywire and become cancer.There are three major types of skin cancer. The first type of skin cancer is Basal CellCarcinoma. It is characterized by a pearly, waxy or shiny raised bump on the skin.Sometimes it has an ulcer on the surface. Sometimes tiny blood vessels can be seen in thelesion. Although it does not usually metastasize (travel to other parts of the body), thiscancer can destroy adjacent tissues and structures (such as one’s nose). Another commonskin cancer is Squamous Cell Carcinoma. It is usually a crusty, red, raised bump or canbe a crusted ulcer. It might simply be a red rough patch on sun-exposed skin. SquamousCell Carcinomas, like Basal Cell Carcinoma, is locally invasive and locally aggressive witha low risk of metastasizing. Local excision of these two types of tumors is the treatmentof choice. The most dreaded and deadly skin cancer is Melanoma. It arises from cells thatmake pigment in the skin. Because of this, these tumors are usually brown or black but canbe blue or red. Melanoma can invade deeply and then metastasize, showing up as tumorsin the liver, lung or brain.Most of us have “moles,” or dark, flat or raised spots on our skin. How do we knowwhen these dark lesions might be evolving into a cancer? Keep in mind the ABCDs ofMelanoma. If you have a mole, look for these features. It may raise the suspicion that your“beauty mark” is more deadly than it seems:A: AsymmetryB: Irregular BordersC: Variegated Colors (brown and black, or black and blue or red, or a change in color)D: Diameter greater than 6mm (or larger than the end of a pencil eraser)If any moles have these criteria, you should have them checked out by your primary caredoctor or dermatologist and possibly have a biopsy or have it removed.Maybe this information is reaching you after many years of beachcombing, JazzFesting,tanning, fishing, golfing, hackie-sacking or whatnot. But it is never too late for a newbeginning. What can you do to decrease your skin cancer risk?*Wear sunscreen SPF 15 or greater. They even make SPF 80 (that is what I use, myfriends).*Wear sunscreen even on cloudy days.*Wear sunscreen and reapply often.*Stay out of the sun at peak UV hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.*Wear a floppy hat.*Wear long sleeves in swampy, humid New Orleans.*Buy some fashionably large sunglasses.*Carry an umbrella or other sunshade.*Avoid tanning salons! Use tan-in-a-bottle if you like that Miami Sound Machine look.*Examine your skin regularly and note any changes, especially in areas exposed to the sun:hands, *neck, face, ears and especially on the left side if you drive a lot.Did you not heed my warnings? Are you red as a rock lobster? Now what?*Drink water: sunburns make you lose a lot of fluid.*Take a cool shower or use cool towels on the area.*Take ibuprofen or other over-the counter anti-inflammatory medicine will lessen theredness and ache.*Apply soothing aloe vera: right off the vine or from a bottle.*Leave blisters alone! Do NOT try to pop those suckers. That can lead to a skin infection.Welcome summer, and see you at the beach (or at the Fest, at Blue Bayou Water Park).I am the one with floppy hat, long sleeves, Yoko Ono sunglasses, zinc oxide face paint,umbrella, musician’s earplugs and a Calvin and Hobbes tattoo. And if you are sloughingoff your last unhealthy horrific sunburn, come by for an exfoliating personal peel.This column serves the public health interest of New Orleans’ music community and is not meant asmedical advice. For medical treatment or counseling, seek care from a medical professional.12_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

FEATURE MUSICEUROPE’S PLACED IN A CONE OF UNCERTAINTY BYMC TRACHIOTOMYphotos and words by zack smithWhile summer slowly takes over New Orleans and we all dreamof escaping to somewhere less humid, we here at ANTIGRAVITYthought we’d take you on a virtual vacation. Our friend and constantcollaborator Zack Smith tagged along with MC Trachiotomy forhis European tour this spring, and here are his collected thoughtson seeing one of the more mysterious performers in New Orleansinvade Europe.In the days of computer-aided recording, one man cancreate a cacophony with a digital symphony. I am eager tosee how the computer translates to the stage, much less theEuropean Theatre. I have an idea of how it will go, havingopened for a 2008 show with Trach and The Butthole Surfers(with my band Rotary Downs) in New Orleans. There wasdrummer Ben Hare, there were guitarists, there was multiinstrumentalistRatty Scurvics on whatever he could get hishands on, and outnumbering Trach and his band were six whiteleather-strapped “dancers.” Dancing would be stretching it— humping each other is more like it. Although these weren’tthe most attractive humpers, they were motivated. The musicwas loud, the drums were solid, Trach was at times inaudible,with his Greek-9th Ward shouts, the smell of stale beer andbody odor wafting around One Eyed Jacks like a cyclone. Inshort, it was beautiful chaos. Every sense was engaged and,for half an hour, Trach was a legend.THE CONE OF UNCERTAINTYAfter doing the airport shuffle for fourteen-plus hours, myplan was to hop an Amsterdam train to Paris before takinganother train to Bordeaux, where I’d meet up with DJ Urine.Riding to Paris first class is the way to go. The Dutchcountryside is beautiful. Its flat, saturated green fields remindme of Ville Platte, but there aren’t this many sheep in FlatLand, and a lot fewer crawfish. And they won’t stop feedingyou! I think it’s the common thing in Europe to “Give thegringo the chicken” — and then get sick (on Rotary Downs’last overseas show, a few band members got the chicken andthus turned white and spewed out of both ends for days,saving forty-five minutes to hold it all in for our gig).On this night, MC Trachiotomy’s band is dubbed TheCone of Uncertainty, and that couldn’t be more dead on.Anyone who lives in New Orleans will tell you what theCone of Uncertainty is, just like they’ll rattle of pertinentmeteorological terms and talk loosely of isobars and risingtemperatures in the Gulf of Mexico. The Cone refers to theprojected possible path a hurricane may take and wherethere will likely be inclement weather. A lot of guessing isleft up to the prepared ones as a storm approaches, as is therelevance to the “uncertainty” part. Trachiotomy’s band isjust that; although the songs aren’t that long or complicated,each time one is played it’s just a little bit different than thetime before. Maybe Ben is having a good night and decidesto throw in some African rhythms during a bridge or Rattyjust decides to go off into space. That is the uncertainty partand Trachiotomy is using the Cone as a megaphone.The live sound being created on this tour was first pennedby the songwriting duo of Tony (El Tonios) Barton, andPoggi, but the music is being fleshed out during the monthof this European tour. Some songs are from the new,unreleased record, Rats Live On No Evil Star (try readingit backwards), which is already in the bag and primed fora label deal. Poggi’s no stranger to record deals gone badand is past the point in his career of letting a new recordgo out with a fizzle. This one has to be the perfect release.Never has a live show of his had such promise, even sincehis days in legendary live band Crash Worship the mid-tolate’90s. Poggi’s earlier releases have been on smaller localand national labels and are mostly out of print; distributionis in his hands now.The band is made up of veterans. The current rhythmsection was formed only a little over a year ago, duringMardi Gras 2008. On a random party night at The PearlLounge (Poggi’s now famous home/speakeasy/recordingstudio) the band was formed out of necessity, to fill the voidof a band not showing up. And instead of putting on hisantigravitymagazine.com_13

FEATURE MUSICiPod to back him, Poggi called on drummer Ben Hare andkeyboardist/guitarist Ratty Scurvics. This is a punk bandthat can read charts, not that they need to; but put to thetable by any jazz literati, they could hold their own. Theirmusic is raw, edgy and in-your-face rock.Ben Hare has been in a few metal outfits, such as Moxie,Philo Beddo, The Gin and Tonics and, with his twin brotherJohn, Pignuckle. In these groups, Hare has played a range ofstyles from progressive metal, rockabilly, and screamo metal,and is now in a few groups other than MC Trachiotomy’s.Hare easily blends each genre with the group, a task that’sseen him travel from learning old drum machine rhythmsto working in his own interpretations of some decade-oldTrachiotomy songs. Hare says that, “At first it was a bitdifficult, but once you learn the simplicity of the beats youcan add your own stuff to it.” He’s learned about ten songsin Trach’s massive repertoire and, even though they all usedto be drum machine-based or stored on iPods, Hare hassome help on the rhythm end.In New Orleans, Ratty Scurvics is New Orleans’ ultimateone man band. Rightfully so, since Singularity, his live act,features Ratty on two keyboards, a kick drum and a snarewith a kick pedal attachment. He is master of the organ,guitar and many other instruments. Ratty’s role in the band istwofold, as he’s both spiritual adviser and a rock solid bassist.His attire of ratty Mohawk and Indian sarong would placehim as both mystic and monk. His fuzzed out, overdrivenbass sound harkens back to the garage. For the last fewyears, Ratty has been Singularity, so this group effort marksthe beginning of a new chapter. For Ratty, this tour is forpleasure, but he’d like a return to the one-man show.Chris Capdeville rounds out the local contingency of theCone. A vocalist at heart, he plays a personally circuit-bentCasio SR-1 for the Trach band. His New Orleans groupscurrently consist of War Amps and a group in the making,featuring Poggi on drums, called Crystal Shit.Also important to the sounds of the band’s European touris the vinyl manipulation of NOLA/Brooklyn transplantBisquit and underground Paris sound manipulator, DJUrine.THE TOULOUSE WHERE ONE EYED JACKS ISN’TAfter a stop in Bordeaux, we arrived in Toulouse and madeit to our scheduled venue. Well, I should say flop, consideringthe Le Pavillion du Sauvage is Toulouse’s only legally squattedproperty. The stage is small and in the basement, and from thelooks given us at load-in, it’s going to be a big night.After a few rumblings and line checks, the band laid into the set, opening with “19th Hole,” and the Cone wasdown to business. After ripping through “Myths” then“Like Cherries,” the majority of the set was history fairlyquickly. We maybe got a whoppingtwenty-five minutes of rock.Although Bordeaux’s attendance hada fraction of Toulouse’s, the bandwas in rare form — Bordeaux’s showsaw Hare taking small solos on thekit, Ratty played most of the gig inthe crowd, or on his back, while Jaywheeled around with his keyboard,sweating and preaching like a postpunk lunatic. Tonight there was noneof that. Maybe last night was allthe band had and tonight was chillnight; you never know. The bandhas been on the road a total of twoweeks and things catch up with youboth mentally and physically. Upongetting to the venue, Ratty had aweird feeling and was already beingfollowed by a strange Toulousiangutter punk who kept stealing beersfrom the band and crew.The Toulouse show over, the band packed and chattedup some locals. The scene here is very young, with mostshow goers in their early twenties. No one really talked tothe band, and that may be just what they need — a break. Aten-hour drive to Paris stared us in the face, and thank Godtonight’s post-show may just be sleeping. We find our roomfull of dusty, smoky mattresses, and thankfully we weren’tin the rain. Another night in the bag.Next Month: Part II of MC Trachiotomy’s Europeaninvasion!MC Trachiotomy’s European tour is over, but you can catch himat The Balcony Music Club on Saturday, May 16th. For moreinfo, go to mctrachiotomy.org.14_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

FEATURE MUSICantigravitymagazine.com_15

REVIEWSCRYSTAL ANTLERSTENTACLES(TOUCH & GO)On Crystal Antlers’ debut EP,the band showed that they hadno idea what they wanted to soundlike, similar to what …And YouWill Know Us by the Train of Deadsounded like on their “brilliant” 1999release, Source Tags & Codes. TheEP’s six songs worked in unison to create the sound of a band Iwas sure I never wanted to hear again. However, as Tentaclesis likely Touch & Go’s last new release, I just had to listen. Andhere I am, greeted on opener “Painless Sleep” with warm rolls oforgan, sympathetic, almost Death Cab-like coddling bass-lines,and removed, unobtrusive drum fills, which then accept a strongerrole when met with Dismemberment guitar enmeshment and allbut buried keyboard accentuation, culminating into a free-for-allinstrumental miasma, short-lived but instantly affective. The greatchange, evident on the first track, was the emotionality infused intothe notes by each individual member and instrument, just about theexact opposite of their EP. This early emotive signifier acts as keyto the understanding of the album. These guys came together andcreated a dedicated triumph on Tentacles, fraught with touchstonepunk/ blues/ prog-ressions, mixed with strained, indecipherablevocal howlings and, coated with blaring organ and guitar leads, thealbum rocks steady. Beneath the immediate sound, on the otherhand, there resides a certain sadness and remorsefulness, maybea yearning for acceptance dusted with the wrath of life’s isolation.Regardless, Crystal Antlers’ newfound passion and precision hasignited a flame that burns true throughout. There are moments thatbegin to tire, like the meandering midsection of “Memorized” andalmost the entirety of “Swollen Sky,” but highlight songs like thesoulful, purge-mourner “Andrew,” the hook-laden herky-jerk ofthe title track and the general Prog on “Your Spears” far outweighthe tracks that drag. As one of the more impressive turnarounds inrecent memory, Crystal Antlers’ Tentacles is a joy and a pain at once,complex, yet inviting. The sound they must have been reaching forearly on has just clicked, and we are here to bear witness, one lasttime. —Dan MitchellDALEKGUTTER TACTICS(IPECAC)will never forget the night I sawI Dalek perform at the MermaidLounge (RIP) many years ago, whenthey practically blew the paint off thewalls with their ultra-unique brandof hip hop (and their own PA, whichwas way too big for that little space).Completely disoriented and tone-deaf, I bought the album they weretouring on, From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots and have been adevotee ever since. Their blend of nasty, spine-gripping gutter beats,reverberated chainsaw drone and sick, primal flow is a wake-upcall for hip-hop, which seems more concerned with squeaky-cleanproduction and vacuous repetition these days. Gutter Tactics, theirlatest release, is tame by comparison but still packs enough genrebendingorchestration (think Sonic Youth, Sun O))) and Eyehategodover a Wu-Tang beat) and continues their litany of b-boy gripes.This album would surely make the career of a lesser band, but forDalek it doesn’t feel quite feel as sharp: it might be in the tempo,which is slower on most songs than in previous efforts, or thebacking melodies (a word to be used loosely in their case) whichsound more ethereal and cool than the hot-blooded tones of theirearlier albums. Gutter Tactics opens with one of Reverend JeremiahWright’s more famous speeches, and while it is interesting to hearthis cut at greater length than was ever afforded to him in the mediaduring the recent presidential campaign, it doesn’t quite live up tothe Malcolm X quotes on earlier albums and will surely date GutterTactics in the future. All in all, though, this album is another solidrelease from a group that is pushing the boundaries of hip-hop—andmusic in general. Let’s hope they plan another sonic assault on NewOrleans soon—though in a bigger club this time. —Dan FoxDOOMBORN LIKE THIS(LEX)For a time, MF Doom teetered onthe verge of overexposure andself-parody. One after the other hisprojects dropped as reliably as electricbills, and you could assume a new solorecord about food, beat collection,collab album or cartoon compilationwould be released almost every month. Then Doom vanished, hisannounced projects becoming vaporware with only the meekestspecs of news finding its way into the public ear. With Born LikeThis it now makes sense — Doom went into seclusion to sharpen hisskills and drop the overly cartoonish aspects of his persona only toreemerge in all caps, DOOM. On first listen, Born Like This felt halfbaked.The beats lacked the eccentricities I’d come to expect andDOOM, while still comical, wasn’t as upfront about it. But a funnything happened; on subsequent listens the album became more andmore essential until now, and as I write this it sounds stronger thananything DOOM’s released since Madvillain. Doom’s ditched the’70s-era Saturday morning sound collages in favor of police rapportand Bukowski reading his apocalyptic piece the record draws itsname from. This is a darker, serious Daniel Dumile, who’s notcontent with calling out beef raps anymore; instead he takes onthe entire legal system (“Absolutely”). And even though the addedsnare snaps on the years-old Angelz collaboration with GhostfaceKillah doesn’t really add anything significant to the cut, it’s hard tofind fault in any chance to hear these two rappers trade storytellerrhymes. “Batty Boyz” is an interesting signifier for DOOM’s currentmood. Its superhero diss rhymes are the strongest callback to hismost recent work, but its overt homophobia and oft-vicious imagerybelies the anger that flows throughout Born Like This. One sensesthat DOOM must have been frustrated with the surface level readingof most of his previous work (“Metal Face spinster playin’ with thedirty money, sinister. Don’t know what he’s sayin’ but the wordsbe funny.”), or even the all-surface nature of much of that music,and this record is his reaction to that. DOOM still throws coupletstogether no one else ever would, and his rediscovered interest indeeper themes makes Born Like This, packed with dense rhymes andsharp beats, a return to eminence for the MC. —Mike RodgersI WAS A KINGI WAS A KING(THE CONTROL GROUP)Notice: This is in no way anElephant 6 offshoot, rarity releaseor lost treasure. I Was A King is themusical outlet for Frode Stromstads, apsyche-pop master with a slightly scaryname. Enlisting a cast of musiciansfor the recording effort, includingcontributions from members of Serena-Maneesh and Danielson,as well as Sufjan Stevens, Stromstads unleashes some seriouslyinspired and densely distorted pop on this debut release. Given thefact that he presumably grew up speaking Norwegian, his lyrics,which are sung entirely in English, are shockingly poignant andreflective, if not completely deflated and downtrodden. Deliveredin a shy, reserved falsetto straight from early Olivia Stereo Control,his deceiving cheer belies, “All your kindness which makes me sad;”just one of many one-liners on this record sure to make your day.Musically, this is primarily a guitar driven affair; Mascis, the Reidsand Ejstes all in good measure. Piano spots appear, countering theguitar presence, most notably on “It’s All You,” a cathartic/doeeyedexpulsion set to time and one of the biggest growers on thealbum.I Was A King ideally works in two movements; the first disheveled,BJM-chaos, ending with the brief highlight “California,” and thenext ordered neuroses put to tape. “Soaked in misery,” Stromstadsbemoans in a “Weighing Anchor,” yet another display highlightinghis proclivity towards bittersweet self-deception. He then counterswith the rich and remorseful “Extra Number” for absolution, beforespilling into the overzealous and suffocating brilliance of the leadsingle “Norman Bleik.” I have come back to this record repeatedlyover the past month, if not for guidance then for condolence. At timesfeeling like a ruler and at times a pauper, but always a human. “WhereI walk the grass turns brown/ And no one will come near me/ Hardluck and bad news/ If you were in my shoes you’d die.” Life can getrough, but for that one moment, I Was A King. —Dan MitchellIMPULSSCATEGORY SHYBE(QUARTER RAT MUSIQUE)In a city where bounce rap sucks upa lot of air, it’s not easy to carry thetorch for old-school beatmaking andlyrical prowess. In this city, the MPCand the infinitely-looped phrase areking (and ain’t a damn thing wrongwith that) but it’s still nice to see a scenethat tries to incorporate more of a New York style to hip-hop, even ifthe lyrics and ideas are still “Naturally N’awlins.” Daniel “Impulss”Perez personifies this approach in his latest release, Category Shybe,reminding us in practically every line what city he calls home; earlyon in the album he tells us: “I get my fame from my pen skills / I’ma claim New Orleans like my name was Bienville.” There’s plenty ofvocal calisthenics on this album, which is impressive, but sometimesImpulss’ flow seems more like the Mississippi during flood seasonthan a bike ride down Decatur. It’s easy to get lost in his river ofwords, where really interesting thoughts and phrases pop up onlyto get lost in the current (something about a wide-stance?! Ha ha, Ithink.). It also feels like the vocals and backing tracks are constantlyfighting each other for prominence and the album comes off as alittle busy. A couple of good exceptions are the deep groove andheavy-swagger of “Look Me in My Face!” which features longtimecollaborator and talented turntablist DJ Quickie Mart, and “Lockedand Loaded” (featuring Truth Universal) which slows down enoughto paint a dark picture of our city under martial law. Impulss clearlyhas a lot to say, whether he’s dropping a barrage of NOLA-onlyreferences, getting political or even a little silly, and his chops arethere—maybe just not the editing. —Dan FoxKYLESASTATIC TENSIONS(PROSTHETIC)Kylesa is a tough nut to crack.Emerging from the dirty south,their crust punk-cum-sludge metalhas slowly been permeated by everincreasingamounts of acid-hazedpsychedelia. Static Tensions is a creativehigh mark for the band, the momentMUSIC REVIEWS SPONSORED BY THE OFFICIAL RECORD STORE OF ANTIGRAVITY16_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

REVIEWSwhen all of Kylesa’s divergent influences cohere into a massively compelling whole. Abitch to categorize, the band augments each of their various styles with enough countersto elude even basic genre tags. For instance, how do you classify a song like “RunningRed,” which glues together a piano-laced dirge metal drone session with vaguely Easternmelodies, heroic leads that soar straight out of the 1980s and a crunching swamp rockchorus that’s as gloomy as anything on Southern Lord? The short answer is, you don’teven try. Kylesa has turned the rare trick of expanding the sonic boundaries of their coresound by experimenting with new instruments and spacier song structures while retainingall their muscle when needed. The driving riff of “Said and Done” is as heavy as an anvil,whereas “Only One” feeds off of proggy guitar lines and persistent hi-hat taps (I love hihats!).Speaking of those hi-hats, to contribute to the newfound scope of their music, Kylesahas recruited a second drummer, and far from the “alternate percussionists” of bands likeSlipknot, where you’re left wondering what exactly they’re doing, the added drums are anintegral part of this record. Sometimes playing rhythmic harmonies, other times playingelaborate polyrhythms that sound like a condensed marching band, this added dimensionto the band perfectly compliments Kylesa’s modus operandi while farther stretching itsreaches. Even vocalists Laura Pleasants and Phillip Cope are given more room to breathe,letting their voices sing more often than on previous records, but still punctuating the songswith gravelly growls. Everything about this record is bigger and better than their previousreleases. Static Tensions is their breakout effort, a truly crucial metal album and a peakmoment when the stars align and a band creates a record that encapsulates everything thatmakes them worthwhile. —Mike RodgersMASTODONCRACK THE SKYE(REPRISE)After 2006’s Blood Mountain, many fans worried Mastodonwas moving further into the mainstream. And ifworking with producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, BruceSpringsteen) and softening their sound doesn’t immediatelyalleviate those concerns, the pure rock goodness of Crackthe Skye should all but erase any doubts about the band’splace in the American metal hierarchy. Skye is an incrediblydense record that packs about an hour’s worth of progressive metal tinged in classic rocksensibilities into just seven epic tracks — definitely not something aimed at the casual radiorock fan. It’s hard for me to imagine a song like “Divinations,” with its banjo opening,galloping riffs and string quaking breakdown, showing up on preteen Myspace profiles. In amove to match the wider scope of Mastodon’s music, singers Brett Hinds and Troy Sandersdwell less in the beastly growl octave and instead open up their vocals, singing more oftenthan gnashing their teeth. Hinds resembles a young Ozzy, his nasal wail befitting the moreoperatic texture of this record. The album in general is less aggressive than their previouswork, as the band just barely softens their brutal edges and expands the reach of theirsongwriting and guitar work — a roiling mixture of dense imagery and complicated riffsthat emphasize subtle shifts in time and tone over down-tuned chugging. Brann Dailor’sdrumming is especially complex, eschewing traditional timekeeping with a fill and roll ladenstyle more akin to a guitar solo than a rhythm section. Even the very structure of the albumshows a band willing to stretch their boundaries, as they tell a multi-layered allegory aboutastral projection, Russian mysticism and personal tragedy with labyrinthine songs that shiftfrom ethereal to heroic on a dime. As a perfect example, the final and longest track, “TheLast Baron,” is a clear-cut case of a band forgetting about record sales and instead pushingthemselves into more indulgent and rewarding territory. Its thirteen minutes begin as anechoing, sing-song dirge, cracks into Maiden-style leads and quick-fire riffing, breaks downinto sledgehammer metal, a ’70s prog freakout and a funky classic rock jam before comingfull circle again, playing directly against the tendencies of today’s attention deficient youthculture. It’s heartening to see a band create such an expansive record that combines thebest elements of their southern sludge metal with classic progressive rock, explore esotericthemes and push their own boundaries all in the name of artistic experimentation, andthat’s just what Crack the Skye does. —Mike RodgersMORE REVIEWS ON PAGE 18...In Mr. Michael’s ‘Music Writing’ Class (part of the Young Audiences Arts for Learning program), public school kids learnto make beats, write lyrics, and record their own original hip-hop songs. The kids are also taught to pen album reviewsof hard-to-define New Orleans musicians. The following reviews were written by third-graders from Gentilly TerraceElementary:CARL LEBLANC7TH WARD GRIOTThis music makes me happy. Itis related to good songs. Thereis a jazz guitar with colors.Song two sounds bad becausehe sounds like an alien. Thatman Carl LeBlanc sounds likea cowboy and a tiger. His musicis pretty good so far. All I hear is instruments. Song three[“Lonely Teardrops”] sounds like a cover song becausewhen he sings the song it is smooth like one. Number foursounds like rap music and hip-hop and old school. Numberfive sounds like a different voice, a sweet voice. When Iclose my eyes I see a man walking the beach and a dolphinjumping. This is so stupid. And I love it so much. —AmyariJamesCarl LeBlanc’s songs are good because he sings the bluesand he talks about poor people and he asked us did weknow Lil Wayne, did we know P. Diddy. And he asked usdid we know some songs “Stop, Stop the Violence” and hesang some song called “Stop, Stop the Violence”Song number one makes me mad because it is lame,sounds lame, because it is old. Number two makes memad because it’s crazy. Song number three the musicmakes me mad because it sounds like a bum singing it.Song number four makes me happy because it sounds likeit’s from the French Quarter, and the genre is pop jazz. Onnumber five, when I closed my eyes I saw a bench withcrabs and turtles with a whale and I saw a girl on the benchplaying piano.This music makes me mad. —Keenya BanksTHE BAD OFFLADY DAYThey have an awesomeguitar solo and the drums areoutstanding. But the personthat is singing, you cannotunderstand a words he issinging, but other than thatthe music sounds good. It isembarrassing he can sing this in public. On song two, itsounds like he is talking, but you would not know whathe is talking about. The next generation of people wouldnever listen to this trash. All the freakin beats sound thesame. He sounds like he is giving birth to a baby pelican.The music also sounds louder than him.Song four starts out like the phone is ringing, or an alienlanding his space ship. The singer is supposed to be talkingabout New Orleans, but it sounds like is talking to hisgirlfriend about their relationship. Song nine has the samebeats as every other song but they made a few changes.The singer sounds like Michael Jackson now in a way butlike he just came out of surgery. The Bad Off are not badin a good way. —Alliah FultonIt sounds like bellydancing. It sounds like somebody inspace, or people lost in the woods and they are scared. Themusic and the drums get louder, like when something badhappens in the movie. After a while it sounds like a firetruck.—Ariol KingCOUNTRY FRIEDSAINT OF NEWORLEANSSong number one is countryand the guitar sounds like acotton candy machine. I like thebeat, it’s like a roller coaster, itis exciting. Song two is in fastmotionand it doesn’t have drums. I like when they said, “heha!” like a cowboy. On the next song the girl singing soundscountry, like she’s riding a horse. Song number three, Ilike the man’s voice. They have a whistle in it, the whistlesounds like a fly. The man is mad at somebody in song four.His voice is country, like the guitar. The guitar sounds likea horse. Song five has a violin. It sounds like a hair-dresser,and like the girl was sad. Song six sounds like leaves, andthe man sounds old, and the guitar sounds like horse’s feettapping. Song seven sounds like jamming. I like the man’svoice; when he talks he drags his words. —Kia Vaughn PaulGROOVESECTON THE BRIMSong one reminds me of ThePink Panther. It sounds sneakyat first, then it goes to a bluesand jazz beat. It sounds likesomething you would hear inan elevator. Song two confusesme. It makes me think of foodbecause it sounds like a hippie song. I can imagine hippieslaying in the grass and eating their veggies and fruit. I don’tlike this song because it sounds like the first one and itis way too long. The vibe of song three is great. It sendsa message to have a good time. If the song had words itwould probably say “party”. It might be long, but I likeit. Song four: if you like fast songs, this isn’t the song foryou. The tempo is slow like a turtle. This song fills me withaggravation. I like songs that will wake me up, not put meto sleep. Song five makes me feel pain, it makes me want tokick the CD player. At first it was OK but now I can’t takeit anymore! —Khalia BriscoSong one is a fast song and it makes me feel good. Itmakes me want to bounce around. It is the kind of musicyou would dance to at a wedding recital, or like somesong you can put as the opening for a mystery show ormovie. Without words, it sounds like background music.If this was my band I would make it louder. It makesme want to scream out loud and sing. It sounds like jazzclub music that is live and ready to perform with dimmedlights and flashing lights. Song four starts off kind of slowthen speeds up. It’s a little mellow. It sounds like they’resinging through their instruments. I don’t like song four,it feels very uncomfortable. If they had some tap dancers,the song would sound better. Song five sounds old, thenmodern and fast; it’s a very short song. Song six starts offgood, but now it’s boring and I don’t want to listen to itanymore. When I close my eyes I see tourists dancingin the French Quarter. Too much drums. All the songssound the same. It makes me tired. —Darian Hapantigravitymagazine.com_17

REVIEWSMSTRKRFTFIST OF GOD(DIM MAK)For about four minutes,MSTRKRFT’s Fist of God hadme intrigued. Opening track “It Ain’tLove” cocoons Lil Mo’s forcefulghetto soul vocals in a suitably gnarly,distorted keyboard riff and backs thewhole thing up with enough discobig beats to rock a party. It’s a great synthesis of old school house,new school French techno and hip-hop. Unfortunately, the rest ofthe record is at best a let down and at worst a “What were theythinking?” waste. Fist of God, despite its less than stellar substance,does raise a few questions. First, how closely can a group ape otheracts within their genre before it goes from homage to wholesale ripoff?The neo-disco elements are almost all half-cooked, lacking theingenuity and creativity of Daft Punk. Their sleazeball, Francophilehouse tendencies are far less interesting or polished than Justice,whose sweaty, mid-range tracks sound like complicated symphoniesnext to MSTRKRFT’s simplistic songs. It seems their only real“innovation” is in plastering slapdash raps over their beats. Thisbrings up the other big question of the album; if you have the chanceto get Ghostface Killah in the studio, would you just get him to beltout a few bars of hype and then chop up a handful of words to repeatad nauseam throughout the track? “Word Up” features Killah in theloosest sense possible, letting him shout an intro, stuttering a rhymeor two for a few minutes and finis! Sure, if you’re a total junkiefor the kind of slinky, robo bass and boom-bap beats that currentlydominate much of the dance genre, you could find some enjoymenthere, but for someone looking for a good record that isn’t rolling onE and coke, I’d suggest steering clear. —Mike RodgersWOLVES IN THETHRONE ROOMBLACK CASCADE(SOUTHERN LORD)Enjoying a small bit of notoriety,Wolves in the Throne Roomhave suddenly become the exemplarof hipster black metal, embraced bytrue metal fans and Pitchfork editorsalike. It would be easy to cry sellout, but the truth is there’s nothingphony or fake about the Wolves in the Throne Room’s music. Aparticularly sweeping form of the U.S. black metal sound, BlackCascade is a new gem for the heavy metal community to embrace.Instead of shifting harshly from brooding ambience to ghoulishriffing, it’s Black Cascade’s nuanced sound that elevates the band’spower to new heights. The sound is more aggressive on this record, acontinual caterwaul of ghastly howls and pounding guitar riffs — therecord sweeps and climbs like classical music, with the double-bassracing and guitar lines shifting pitches like an orchestra. The music ofBlack Cascade is not unlike a wave — distortion and production fog,courtesy of ever-present synthesizers, lend depth to what had beena thin, brittle sound. A song like the fourteen-minute “AhrimanicTrance” would be in danger of running into the ground if not forthe blackened atmospherics that fester in its middle mark, splittingthe intense barrage with horrific mood. Wolves in the Throne Roomhave long thought of their music as somewhat transcendental, usingthe alienation and fear of traditional black metal as a starting pointand exploring further reaches of meditation, nature and magic withtheir own music. It’s impossible not to feel the cold loneliness ofthe forest, its cold wooden bark or wet stones in the classical leador windswept breakdown of “Ex Cathedra.” Wolves in the ThroneRoom combine all that is strong within black metal: the insistent,lightning guitars and pummeling blast beats, and grafts onto it asensibility with more grandeur. Black Cascade is a metal record justas concerned with smashing your eardrums with monstrous playingas it is with expanding your mind with haunted melodies and adepressive yet beautiful ambience. Wolves in the Throne Room areone of the most powerful bands to emerge from the USBM scene,and are certainly the group capable of luring converts to the causewith their increasingly sophisticated songwriting and grandiose styleof metal. —Mike RodgersTony Herrington, current publisher,formereditor-inchiefandl o n g t i m econtributorfor Wire,one of Britain’s most esteemed musicpublications, has taken recent offense toSan Francisco’s “calculated and cynicalhacks,” known to some as WoodenShjips. Decrying their debut full-lengthas the embodiment of the “difference betweentrue art and meaningless pastiche,”he goes so far as to call upon Lester Bangsto the stand to bear witness. Not only isWooden Shjips’ sound reminiscent ofgroups like The Stooges, Suicide and TheFall, all favorites of Lester, but Wire gavethem the honor of a slot in their Top 50albums of 2007 with their first collection,Vol. 1. Herrington takes particular offenseWOODEN SHJIPSDOS(HOLY MOUNTAIN)to “all these knowing but soulless fakes and flakes currently colonizingthe so-called avant-rock underground.” He goes so far as to discreditthe entire Siltbreeze line-up of newer artists — obviously never havingheard groups like Naked on the Vague. Well, newsflash for you, establishedelite upper echelon music writers and arbitrators — as coolas I’m sure it was, witnessing Vega and Rev shred one “Teardrop”at a time in NYC in the late ’70s, us younger generations weren’t affordedsuch underground bliss and thusly such smugness.Dos billows forth on the wings of basslines that commote anddrive, each note further entrenching, solidifying and promoting thesound onward. Enhanced by acid-infused guitar washes, sepulchralorgans and loose if not persistent Dinger-kraut backbeats, thisalbum is representative of a group comfortable with their oeuvre.No longer do we have the abrasive, amateurish sound of Vol. 1, butrather a cyclic, stoner swing. And the album never rests; from theopening moments of “Motorbike” through the hazy distortion of“Down by the Sea” and up until the final moments of “Fallin,’” thegroup does not slacken or tire — it’s all propulsion. While each songreferences some past genre or artist, the aforementioned Stoogesand Suicide certainly ring true, some very unlikely influencessurface in addition. On the nearly eleven-and-a-half-minute closingtrack “Fallin,’” Wooden Shjips lock into a convincingly enjoyablecondensed tribute to Roxy Music’s “Virginia Plain.” I keep waitingfor Ferry to break through with “Make me a deal/ And make itstraight.” Alas, he does not, but this hinders Wooden Shjips not oneiota. Dos is not the groundbreaking masterpiece some have thoughtthem capable of making, but it does not mask itself as one either. Itis instead an open-ended invitation to the stoner ball held aboardWooden Shjips, ready to sail when you are. —Dan Mitchell18_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

EVENTSNEW ORLEANS VENUES45 Tchoup, 4529 Tchoupitoulas (504) 891-9066Banks St. Bar And Grill, 4401 Banks St., (504)486-0258, www.banksstreetbar.comBarrister’s Art Gallery, 2331 St. Claude Ave.The Big Top, 1638 Clio St., (504) 569-2700,www.3ringcircusproductions.comThe Blue Nile, 534 Frenchmen St., (504) 948-2583Broadmoor House, 4127 Walmsley, (504) 821-2434Cafe Brasil, 2100 Chartres St., (504) 947-9386Candle Factory, 4537 N. Robertson St.Carrollton Station, 8140 Willow St., (504) 865-9190, www.carrolltonstation.comCheckpoint Charlie’s, 501 Esplanade Ave.,(504) 947-0979Chickie Wah Wah, 2828 Canal Street (504)304-4714, www.chickiewahwah.comCircle Bar, 1032 St. Charles Ave., (504) 588-2616, www.circlebar.netClub 300, 300 Decatur Street, www.neworleansjazzbistro.comCoach’s Haus, 616 N. SolomonThe Country Club, 634 Louisa St., (504) 945-0742, www.countryclubneworleans.comd.b.a., 618 Frenchmen St., (504) 942-373, www.drinkgoodstuff.com/noDer Rathskeller (Tulane’s Campus), McAlisterDr., http://wtul.fmDragon’s Den, 435 Esplanade Ave., http://myspace.com/dragonsdennolaEldon’s House, 3055 Royal Street,arlovanderbel@hotmail.comErnie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge, 1500N. Claiborne Ave.Fair Grinds Coffee House, 3133 Ponce deLeon, (504) 913-9072, www.fairgrinds.comFuel Coffee House, 4807 Magazine St. (504)895-5757Goldmine Saloon, 701 Dauphine St., (504) 586-0745, www.goldminesaloon.netThe Green Space, 2831 Marais Street (504) 945-0240, www.thegreenproject.orgHandsome Willy’s, 218 S. Robertson St., (504)525-0377, http://handsomewillys.comHi-Ho Lounge, 2239 St. Claude Ave. (504) 945-4446, www.myspace.com/hiholoungeHostel, 329 Decatur St. (504-587-0036),hostelnola.comHot Iron Press Plant, 1420 Kentucky Ave.,hotironpress@hotmail.comHouse Of Blues / The Parish, 225 Decatur,(504)310-4999, www.hob.com/neworleansThe Howlin’ Wolf, 907 S. Peters, (504) 522-WOLF, www.thehowlinwolf.comKajun’s Pub, 2256 St. Claude Avenue (504) 947-3735, www.myspace.com/kajunspubKim’s 940, 940 Elysian Fields, (504) 844-4888The Kingpin, 1307 Lyons St., (504) 891-2373Le Bon Temps Roule, 4801 Magazine St., (504)895-8117Le Chat Noir, 715 St. Charles Ave., (504) 581-5812, www.cabaretlechatnoir.comLyceum Central, 618 City Park Ave., (410) 523-4182, http://lyceumproject.comLyon’s Club, 2920 Arlington St.Mama’s Blues, 616 N. Rampart St., (504) 453-9290Maple Leaf, 8316 Oak St., (504) 866-9359Marlene’s Place, 3715 Tchoupitoulas, (504)897-3415, www.myspace.com/marlenesplaceMcKeown’s Books, 4737 Tchoupitoulas, (504)895-1954, http://mckeownsbooks.netMelvin’s, 2112 St. Claude Ave.NEW ORLEANS (Cont.)MVC, 9800 Westbank Expressway, (504) 234-2331, www.themvc.netNeutral Ground Coffee House, 5110 Danneel St.,(504) 891-3381, www.neutralground.orgNowe Miasto, 223 Jane Pl., (504) 821-6721Ogden Museum, 925 Camp St., (504) 539-9600One Eyed Jacks, 615 Toulouse St., (504) 569-8361, www.oneeyedjacks.netOuter Banks, 2401 Palmyra (at S. Tonti),(504) 628-5976, www.myspace.com/outerbanksmidcityRepublic, 828 S. Peters St., (504) 528-8282,www.republicnola.comRusty Nail, 1100 Constance Street (504) 525-5515, www.therustynail.org/The Saturn Bar, 3067 St. Claude Ave., www.myspace.com/saturnbarSide Arm Gallery, 1122 St. Roch Ave., (504)218-8379, www.sidearmgallery.orgSouthport Hall, 200 Monticello Ave., (504) 835-2903, www.newsouthport.comThe Spellcaster Lodge, 3052 St. ClaudeAvenue, www.quintonandmisspussycat.com/tourdates.htmlSt. Roch Taverne, 1200 St. Roch Ave., (504)945-0194Tipitina’s, (Uptown) 501 Napoleon Ave., (504)895-8477 (Downtown) 233 N. Peters, www.tipitinas.comThe Zeitgeist, 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.,(504) 827-5858, www.zeitgeistinc.netVintage Uptown, 4523 Magazine St.,askmexico@gmail.comMETAIRIE VENUESAirline Lion’s Home, 3110 Division St.Badabing’s, 3515 Hessmer, (504) 454-1120The Bar, 3224 EdenbornHammerhead’s, 1300 N Causeway Blvd, (504)834-6474The High Ground, 3612 HessmerAve., Metairie, (504) 525-0377, www.thehighgroundvenue.comKeystone’s Lounge, 3408 28 th Street, www.myspace.com/keystonesloungeStitches, 3941 Houma Blvd., www.myspace.com/stitchesbarBATON ROUGE VENUESThe Caterie, 3617 Perkins Rd., www.thecaterie.comChelsea’s Café, 2857 Perkins Rd., (225) 387-3679, www.chelseascafe.comDragonfly’s, 124 West ChimesThe Darkroom, 10450 Florida Blvd., (225) 274-1111, www.darkroombatonrouge.comGovernment St., 3864 Government St., www.myspace.com/rcpzineJunkyard House, 3299 Ivanhoe St.North Gate Tavern, 136 W. Chimes St.(225)346-6784, www.northgatetavern.comRed Star Bar, 222 Laurel St., (225) 346-8454,www.redstarbar.comRotolos, 1125 Bob Pettit Blvd. (225) 761-1999,www.myspace.com/rotolosallagesThe Spanish Moon, 1109 Highland Rd., (225)383-MOON, www.thespanishmoon.comThe Varsity, 3353 Highland Rd., (225)383-7018,www.varsitytheatre.comFRIDAY 5/17th Annual Bayou Rendezvous f/ The New OrleansAll-Stars, Papa Grows Funk, Zigaboo’s FunkRevue, Vinyl and More, Howlin’ Wolf, 9pm, $26ActionActionReAction Indie Dance Party, CircleBarAnders Osborne, d.b.a., Midnight, $20Dr. John and The Lower 911, John Fohl, House OfBlues, 8pmAn Evening with Umphrey’s McGee, House OfBlues, [Late Fri.] 2amThe Dynamites f/ Charles Walker, The Parish @House Of Blues, [Late Fr.] 2amFord Fest f/ Morella & The Wheels of If,Manwitch, Hands of Nero, The Way, The Big Top,9:30pmGarage A Trois, One Eyed Jacks, 9pmGeorge Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, DJMotion Potion, Republic, 9pmThe Greyboy All-Stars, Tipitina’s, [Late Fri.] 2am, $35Ingrid Lucia, d.b.a., 5pmJFJO, Mynameisjohnmichael, A LivingSoundtrack, Caddywhompus, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmJoe Krown, Walter Wolfman Washington, RussellBatiste, d.b.a., 8pm, $10John Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen,The Parish @ House Of Blues, 9pmMeadow Flow, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)Mike Dillon’s Go-Go Jungle, Dragon’s Den(Upstairs), 3amThe New Orleans All-Stars, Papa Grows Funk,Zigaboo’s Funk Revue, Vinyl, Eric McFaddenTrio, Howlin’ Wolf, 10pmNew Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, Dragon’s Den(Upstairs), 10pmPretty Lights w/ Dieselboy, One Eyed Jacks, [LateFri.] 2amR. Scully & The Rough 7s, Les Bon Temps Roule,[Late Fri.] 2amThe Radiators, Tipitina’s, 9pm, $25Slang Angus, Jealous Monk, Enharmonic Souls,The Frat House, 10pmSteve Kimock Crazy Engine f/ Melvin Seals,Tipitina’s, 10pm, $25Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave., Tipitina’s(Downtown), [Late Fri.] 2am, $20Zydepunks, Saturn Bar, 9pmSATURDAY 5/2An Evening of the Classics w/ Aaron Neville andHis Quintet f/ Charles Neville, House Of Blues, 9pmAn Evening with Lez Zeppelin, The Parish @ HouseOf Blues, [Late Sat.] 2amBig Chief Bo Dollis and The Wild Magnolias,d.b.a., 8pm, $15The Bruisers, Circle BarDeath Cab For Cutie, Cold War Kids, Ra Ra Riot,Contemporary Arts CenterDirty Dozen Brass Band, Tipitina’s (Downtown),10pm, $20Eyehategod, The Bar, 9pmFord Fest f/ Stand Pat, Won Ton Lust, ManMade Disaster, The Poppies, Grayskull, The BigTop, 9:30pmGalactic, The Greyboy All-Stars, Rebirth BrassBand, Howlin’ Wolf, 10pmGravity A, Signal Path, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Illuminasty Trio f/ Skerik, James Singleton, MikeDillon, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmLittle Freddie King, d.b.a., Midnight, $10Marco Benevento & Joe Russo f/ Dave Driewitz,Scott Metzger, Tipitina’s (Downtown), [Late Sat.]2am, $20Michael Franti Trio, Tipitina’s, [Late Fri.] 2am, $33The New Mastersounds, House Of Blues, [Late Sat.] 2amParticle w/ Josh Clark, One Eyed JacksPorter Batiste Stoltz f/ Page McConnell, Tipitina’s,9pm, $25The Ramblers, d.b.a., 5pmRotary Downs, Happy Talk Band, The OtherPlanets, Saturn Bar, 9pmShut Up Travis, Ta Ta Destroyers, The After SchoolSpecial, Reagabomb, High Ground, 6:30pm, $8Zachary Richard, The Parish @ House Of BluesSUNDAY 5/3Cedric Burnside and Lightning Malcolm, d.b.a.,Midnight, $15Eric Lindell, One Eyed JacksHotel Hotel, Kevin O’Day, Able Chris, Dragon’sDen (Downstairs)Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk f/ Skerik, The LeeBoys, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $30The Luke Allen Band, Circle BarNoizeFest w/ Big Baby, Ray Bong, El Gordo,Star of Kaos, Fox Rocks On, Mikronaut, LucasDavenport, Various Artists, 609 Lesseps, Noon,FREEThe Palmetto Bug Stompers, d.b.a., 5pmQuintron and Miss Pussycat, Tirefire, PsychedelicHorseshit, Saturn Bar, 10pmSusan Tedeschi, Marva Wright, House Of BluesTin Men, d.b.a., 8pm, $10Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave., The DrummerCometh f/ Zigaboo Modeliste, George Porter Jr.,Stanton Moore, Russell Batiste, Various Guests,Howlin’ Wolf, 9pm, $25MONDAY 5/4Pine Leaf Boys, d.b.a., 10pm, $5Flyleaf, Paper Tongues, House Of BluesThe Honorable South, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Paper Scissors Rocketpack, Circle BarSchatzy, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)TUESDAY 5/5Brotherhood of Groove, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)John Delore, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)Matty Charles, Louis Ledford, New DopeySingers, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmWEDNESDAY 5/6Asylum Street Spankers, One Eyed JacksFelix, Circle BarMC Chris, Whole Wheat Bread, I Am the Dream,The Parish @ House Of BluesRed Jumpsuit Apparatus, Framing Hanley, Fit ForRivals, Go Radio, House Of BluesScatterjazz Presents Simon Nabatov, RussianPiano, Helen Gillet, Rex Gregory, Doug Garrison,Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmTHURSDAY 5/7Drive West, Circle BarThe Human Abstract, Oh Sleeper,iwrestledabearonce, Vanna, A Tragic Victory, HighGround, 7pm, $12Paul Sanchez w/ Matt Perrine, d.b.a., 7pmPhat Word, Mykia Jovan, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)The Roller, Green and Wood, Mars, Saturn Bar, 9pmShamarr Allen and The Underdogs, d.b.a., 10pmSimon Nabatov, Trinity Episcopal Church, 6:50pmSnoop Dogg, The Hustle Boyz, DJ Spin, House OfBluesFRIDAY 5/8Bustout Burlesque f/ Jessica “Sugar” Kiper, HouseOf Blues, 7:30pm, 10pm, $20Dough Stackin’ Up All-Stars, Dragon’s Den(Downstairs)Good Enough for Good Times, d.b.a., 10pm, $5Hot Club of New Orleans, d.b.a., 6pmMoose, Converts, Misled, The Pests, The Bar, 8pmNatalie Mae Album Release, The Big Top, 8pmThe Public, Circle BarReagabomb, The After School Special, GammaRingo!, MVC, 7pm, $5Smokey Greenwell and The Blues Gnus, Hi HoFilms Screening, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmSoul Rebels Brass Band, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)SATURDAY 5/9Big Rock Candy Mountain, The Blue Party, TheRevivalists, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $7DJ Rusty Lazer Birthday Bash w/ Sissy BounceThrowdown f/ Big Freedia and Sissy Nobby, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmEF Cuttin, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Jack’s Mannequin, Matt Nathanson, ErinMcCarley, House Of BluesJohn Boutte, d.b.a., 7pmThe Knux, Slang Angus, Howlin’ Wolf, 10pm, $12Matt Holt Album Release, The Big Top, 8pmantigravitymagazine.com_19

EVENTSOtra, d.b.a., 11pm, $5Saaraba, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)Simon Nabatov, Johnny Vidacovich, Matt Perrine,Snug Harbor, MidnightTouching the Absolute, Pandemic, Mr. Whiskey,The Bar, 9pmSUNDAY 5/10Coco Robicheaux, d.b.a., 10pmFleur de Tease, One Eyed Jacks, 8pm, 10pmScott Miller, Circle BarThe Tanglers, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)The Way, 3rd Annual Mother’s Day TalentExtravaganza, Hi-Ho Lounge, 9pmMONDAY 5/11Trannyshack, One Eyed JacksSUNDAY 5/17The Crystal Method, House Of BluesKilowatt Rising Presents a Variety Show, The BigTop, 9pmNoxious Noize Presents Your Drugs My Money,Cornelius w/ Van Stafrin III, Pariah Veil, Who byFire, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)Washboard Chaz Blues Trio, d.b.a., 10pmMONDAY 5/18King Louie, Damon Moon, Round Pegs, Dragon’sDen (Upstairs)Saaraba, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)Bipolaroid, The Plexi Three, Ted Matthews, CircleBarThe Krunchies, Saturn Bar, 9pmNoxious Noize Presents Godhate, VesperianSorrow, Ayasoltec, Catholicon, Balcony Music ClubThe Screaming Females, Rougarou, NecroHippies, The Big Top, 8:30pmTUESDAY 5/12Bill Haite, Crack in a Haystack, Bastard Son of aBastard Son, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Born in Winter, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmWEDNESDAY 5/13El Ten Eleven, The Peace of Mind Orchestra,Circle BarStinking Lizaveta, Darsombra, Mountain ofWizard, Saturn Bar, 9pmTHURSDAY 5/14Antenna Inn, Smiley With a Knife, A LivingSoundtrack, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $8Dr. Gonzeaux, Circle BarThe Hive Dwellers, Chain and The Gang,Spellcaster LodgeJimmy Carpenter & Friends, d.b.a.,Local Spotlight Series f/ Red Carpet Reflection,Enharmonic Souls, Michael Vincent Liuzza, SeanMullady, Jason Frilot, Howlin’ Wolf, 9pm, $10Luke Winslow King Album Release, d.b.a., 7pmYoung Comedians of New Orleans III, Hi-HoLounge, 10pmFRIDAY 5/15Brass Bed, Circle BarCedric Watson & Feufollet, d.b.a., 10pm, $5Ghost, Lichens, One Eyed JacksThe Green Genes, Lovehog, The Burning Castles,Saturn Bar, 10pmHard Drive, Floodstage, The Bar, 8pmHaarp, A Hanging, Mountain of Wizard (TripleAlbum Release), Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmIngrid Lucia, d.b.a., 6pmJealous Monk, DEE-1, Kevin O’Day’s Hip-HopAlive, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $8Simple Play Presents Meadow Flow, Big Fat &Delicious, Veil Era, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Stereohype Album Release w/ Fatter Than Albert,Shoot the Daily Edit, The Parish @ House Of BluesSteve Eck & Midnight Still, Kid Midi, PepperLane, Ted Matthews, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)TV on the Radio, Little Dragon, House Of BluesSATURDAY 5/16The Cholesterol Ball w/ Dr. Funk, Dirty DozenBrass Band, Tipitina’s, 7:30pmCrude, Unit 21, Hellkontroll, Wartorn, ChooseYour Poison, Saturn Bar, 10pmFrontier: A Tribute to Journey, House Of BluesKilowatt Rising Presents a Variety Show, The BigTop, 9pmOrange Tulip Conspiracy, I Octopus, MarkWeliky Project, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)The Pallbearers, Face First, The Bar, 9pmReverend Spooky LaStrange and Her Billion-Dollar Baby Dolls, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Second to None, The Pests, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmSuplecs, d.b.a., 11pm, $5WEDNESDAY 5/20Sequoyah Prep School, Magnolia Sons, Hi-HoLounge, 10pmTHURSDAY 5/21Brian Coogan, d.b.a., 10pmAn Evening with Queensryche, House Of BluesDJ Bomshell Boogie Presents The Bombshelter,Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Homegrown Night w/ Zachary Quinn, The Deadand the Postponed, The Stratus Project, The ClassWar, Tipitina’s, 8:30pm, FREEPaul Sanchez w/ Matt Perrine, d.b.a., 7pmSarah Quintana, Thaddeus Conti, The SweetOnes, Guitar Bomb, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmFRIDAY 5/22DJ Soul Sister’s Revolution Thriller: Prince vs.Michael, One Eyed JacksFree Jazz, Brah!, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)Hot Club of New Orleans, d.b.a., 6pmKenny Brown, d.b.a., 10pmKlezmurder, Hi-Ho LoungeMusicians Bringing Musicians Home V w/Bonerama, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, JonLangford, Paul Sanchez, Tipitina’s, 9pmShadow Gallery, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)SATURDAY 5/23Gavin Rossdale, Nico Vega, House Of BluesHarvey Milk, Thou, Stupid Man, Zeitgeist, 7pm, $5Indigo Girls, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $25Mctuff, d.b.a., 10pm, $10Mod Dance Party, Saturn Bar, 11pmMusical Mayhem’s Traveling Rock ‘n’ Roll andBurlesque Review f/ Suicide Girls, The Hot Rods,One Eyed JacksReverend Spooky LeStrange’s Church ofBurlesque, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmStanton Moore Trio, d.b.a., Midnight, $10Terry Mullan, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)SUNDAY 5/24Corey Henry, d.b.a., 10pm, $5An Evening with Brandi Carlile, Gregory AlanIsakov, House Of BluesZachary Quinn, Further Reason, Wolves, Where?Mad Happy, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)MONDAY 5/25The Business, Flatfoot 56, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)TUESDAY 5/26Doomsdayers Psychobilly, Hi-Ho Lounge, 10pmHumanization 4-Tet, Blue Nile, 9:30pmOne Man Machine, Bog Long III, Dragon’s Den(Upstairs)WEDNESDAY 5/27Humanization 4-Tet, Chickie Wah Wah, 11pmRex Gregory, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)Witchhunt, Hi-Ho Lounge20_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

EVENTSTHURSDAY 5/28DJ Bomshell Boogie Presents The Bombshelter,Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Joe Krown Organ Combo, d.b.a., 10pmKate Voegele, Angel Taylor, House Of BluesSt. Louis Slim, d.b.a., 7pmFRIDAY 5/29Better Than Ezra Album Release, Tyrone Wells,House Of BluesBox Elders, Saturn Bar, 10pmGal Holiday and The Honky Tonk Revue, Circle BarHot Toddies, The Rooks, Oso Closo, New Dress,Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Greyskull, Parabellum, Resurrection Man, Hi-HoLounge, 10pmIngrid Lucia, d.b.a., 6pmJackopierce, Creede Williams, The Parish @ HouseOf BluesKirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove, d.b.a., 10pm, $5New Orleans New Music Ensemble, The Big Top,8pmWalter Wolfman Washington & The Roadmasters,Dirty Bourbon River Show, Tipitina’s, 10pm, $10Virgins w/ Lissy Trullie, Anya Marina, One EyedJacksSATURDAY 5/30DJ Kemistry, Republic, 11pmDJ Matic, HostelDJ Proppa Bear Presents: Bassbin Safari, Dragon’sDen (Downstairs), 10pmFast Times ‘80s Dance Night, One Eyed JacksThe Fens w/ Sneaky Pete, Checkpoint Charlie’s,10pmHap Pardo Jazz Trio, All-Ways LoungeSam and Boone, Circle Bar, 6pmSoul Rebels, Les Bon Temps Roule, 11pmSweet Home New Orleans R&B Heritage Night,Banks St. Bar & Grill, 9pmFRIDAYSDJ Bees Knees, R BarFriday Night Music Camp (5/29: Margie Perez),The Big Top, 5pmRatty Scurvics Lounge, All-Ways LoungeThrowback, RepublicTipitina’s Foundation Free Friday!, Tipitina’s,10pmSATURDAYSDJ Bees Knees ’80s Dance Party, All-Ways LoungeDJ Damion Yancy, Republic, 11pmThe Drive In w/ DJ Pasta, R BarJavier Drada, HostelJohn Boutte’, d.b.a., 7pmBetter Than Ezra Album Release, Tyrone Wells,House Of BluesBig Organ Trio, d.b.a., 11pm, $5Dubla Hip-Hop Music Night, The Big Top, 9pmFlow Tribe, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs)Lorien, Farewell Flight, One Eyed JacksNew Orleans Partying, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)SUNDAY 5/31A Scribe Called Quess, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs)The Bingo! Show, One Eyed JacksSchatzy, d.b.a., 10pmTestament, Unearth, Lazarus A.D., House Of BluesUncle Lucius, Burning Castles, Hi-Ho Lounge, 9pmWEEKLIES & DANCE NIGHTSMONDAYSBeacoup Crasseaux w/ Free Jambalaya, Banks St.Bar and Grill, 10pmBlue Grass Pickin’ Party, Hi-Ho Lounge, 8pmGlen David Andrews, d.b.a., 10pmMad Mike, Checkpoint Charlie’s, 8pmMissy Meatlocker, Circle Bar, (Every Other Monday),5pmTUESDAYSThe Abney Effect, HostelAcoustic Night, Dragon’s Den (Downstairs), 7pmAcoustic Open Mic, Carrollton Station, 9pmAcoustic Open Mic w/ Jim Smith, CheckpointCharlie’s, 10pmJonathan Freilich and Alex McMurray, Circle Bar, 6pmNew Orleans Jazz Vipers, d.b.a., 9pmOpen Mic w/ Whiskey T., Rusty Nail, 8pmReggae Jam with The Uppressors, John Lisi, DaveJordan, Mike Burkart, Banks St. Bar and Grill, 10pmWEDNESDAYSDJ Lefty Parker, R BarDJ T-Roy Presents: Dancehall Classics, Dragon’sDen, 10pm, $5Gravity A, Banks St. Bar and Grill, 11pmJim O. and The No Shows, Circle Bar, 6pmKenny holiday and the Rolling Blackouts,Checkpoint Charlie’s, 9pmMarygoround & The Tiptoe Stampede, All-WaysLoungeMojotoro Tango Trio, Yuki (525 Frenchmen St.), 8pmTin Men, d.b.a., 7pmWalter Wolfman Washington and TheRoadmasters, d.b.a., 10pm, $5THURSDAYSSUNDAYSAcoustic Open Mic w/ Jim Smith, CheckpointCharlie’s, 7pmCajun Fais Do Do f/ Bruce Danigerpoint,Tipitina’s, 5:30pm, $7Corrosion, Dragon’s Den (Upstairs), 10pmLatin Dance Nite w/ Los Pinginos, Banks St. Barand GrillLinnzi Zaorski, d.b.a., 6pmMicah McKee and Friends, Circle Bar, 6pmMusic Workshop Series, Tipitina’s, 12:30pmThe Palmetto Bug Stompers, d.b.a., 6pmThe Sunday Gospel Brunch, House Of BluesCOMEDYWEDNESDAYSStandup Comedy Open Mic, Carrollton Station, 9pmTHURSDAYSKaraoke Fury, La Nuit Comedy Theater, 10pmRabbit Hole, La Nuit Comedy Theater, 8:30FRIDAYSGod’s Been Drinking, La Nuit Comedy Theater,8:30pm, $10Open Mic Stand-Up, La Nuit Comedy Theater,10pm, $5SATURDAYSComedySportz: All-Ages Comedy Show, La NuitComedy Theater, 7pm, $10Jonah’s Variety Hour, La Nuit Comedy Theater,10pmNEXT MONTH:ANTIGRAVITYMAKES5!Come Drink with Matt Vaughn, R Barantigravitymagazine.com_21

COMICS22_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

COMICSantigravitymagazine.com_23

PHOTOS24_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative

PHOTOSantigravitymagazine.com_25

CROSSWORD26. I’m one, she’s one, he’s one27. Tops in roadie fashion29. Anonymous L.A. punk’s foil30. I don’t wanna hear that, see?31. Vinyl stop in MemphisDown:2. Short front, tall rear4. Wrecking spelling bees from Uptown to the CBD5. She’s a big deal in Dayton6. Headgear choice of fat men in miniature cars8. There will be no spitting on the microphone9. Unmanned killer11. Scooby’s unbearable cousin12. Reactionary potatoes14. Danzig wants these. From you.15. NOLA singer who ain’t got no home17. Inner light that may “Cramp” your style19. Denim demons might rock against this22. Abbreviated band with an electric feel24. “Smart man’s salt”25. Where your Frisbee was probably made28. ___ Tau BayCREATED BY J. YUENGERAcross:1. Big Pixie3. Land of The Lost villains7. Local club owner who flies on “Temptation’s Wings”10. Chinese headache powder13. A po-boy’s best friend16. It’s not a roly poly…18. Kubla Khan and Olivia Newton-John dwell here20. Iconic, porcine Cuban21. The official gun of New Orleans23. Unfortunate Mumbai denizen26_antigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative