November 6, 2009
“ I felt really blessed to have an all-ages venue that by its nature and by the many obstacles that tried to thwart the experience became a genuine experience. It wasn’t easy for Kimber to open the venue or to keep it alive. It wasn’t easy for volunteers to maintain it. It wasn’t easy for bands to perform well. And it was always so damn hot. It was definitely not an “easy” viewing experience. Nothing was really comfortable and nothing came without at least some effort from each person involved or in attendance. And because if it, everything felt genuine. For rock shows especially, if you were at Modified, you were there for the music and to support the bands and venue. For what other reason would be there? There was no other distraction or sustenance. You couldn’t get food. You couldn’t get drunk. You couldn’t get comfortable. You couldn’t even use the bathroom without standing in line, or waiting for some dude to get out of the shower.”

So Much Silence

Modified, in downtown Phoenix, opened in late 1998. In mid-99 I took it over and ran it for a couple of years before Kimber Lanning, the original owner, took the reins again in late 2001. She’s run it ever since along with help from Leslie Barton and an army of volunteers. Apparently it is changing hands again and is going to head in a more art-focused direction (it always doubled as an art gallery).

So Much Silence is running a series of posts about Modified in honor of the club-as-kids-know-it ceasing. Dave Jensen, an old friend, offers the first post.

I haven’t been back to Modified since I left it in 2001—once I stood in its parking lot but couldn’t bring myself to actually go inside. Running it for that brief time was one of the greatest experiences of my life, though it also taught me a few hard lessons. Even if my participation has dwindled to a blip in some people’s minds, it will always be a significant memory and accomplishment for me. I’ve always been happy to know that it continued on, and remain happy that it will still continue on, even if in a different form. 

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“ That’s a little lazy. Beach Boys is just kinda your go-to vocal harmony band—especially given the fact that there are so many bands right now with guys in them who do legitimately sing like the Beach Boys. I feel like Amber and Angel’s tones are very, very different. They’re much less about that “warm, round” thing than a very linear, angular thing. That’s a little lazy, dude.”

Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth reacts to comparisons of his music to a wide range of reference points in articles and reviews about Bitte Orca. He says some nice things about Beyoncé and of Montreal, so that’s cool. I guess he’s into insolent sex parties. (via perpetua)

Shared for calling out the limited vocabulary in music.  I’ve fallen into this trap as well, but he’s right - too often, these “this sounds like that” comparisons are lazy.

(via bwall05)

Beach Boys references drive me up the wall. “This band harmonizes. What’s an old band that also harmonizes? The Beach Boys? Okay, these guys sound like the Beach Boys.”

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November 4, 2009
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newspeedwayboogie:

Nirvana - School

When I was in high school in 1991—I think I was a sophomore—my band’s first-ever show was a talent show at the high school our guitar player went to. One of the other bands on the bill played “School,” and I think it was the first time I had ever heard anything from Bleach.

My band did a cover by this band Kinghorse, “Lay Down and Die”. I don’t know how I found that record. Yes I do: I walked into the record store and the guy behind the counter saw the bullseye on my back: “Glenn Danzig produced it, and Pushead did the cover art.” So I bought it immediately and fell in love with it.

This weekend I met and interviewed the singer of Kinghorse while I was in Louisville working on the Slint book. It was probably equally exciting as meeting and talking with one of the guys from Slint.

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October 27, 2009
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songsthataregood:

Can - I’m So Green
(Ege Bamyasi)

In addition to being the second most racially insensitive musical term (behind didgeridoo), Krautrock is the number one coolest genre it is possible to listen to.  A properly delivered krautrock reference can reduce a lady’s undergarments to dust within microseconds.  And of all the krautrockers, nobody has higher panty-disintegrating power than the almighty Can.  ‘Tago Mago’ is basically the ‘abracadabra’ of getting some. ‘Ege Bamyasi’ not so much, but only because it is the Turkish word for okra.

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grimmertown:

pas-d:

whitneymcn:

Wooden Shjips - Contact

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newspeedwayboogie:

Holy Sons - Getting Old

You think you know everything, being a music snob and all, you’ve heard it all and can express opinions ranging from the guitar solo on Maggot Brain to the direction the Minutemen were taking before D Boon passed away.

Then you hear something you were previously ignorant to.  And you realize you don’t know shit.  And a new obsession starts all over again.  Holy Sons.

This song is terrific.

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October 23, 2009
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marychrist:

lilyna:retropop:

Neil Young: “Harvest Moon”


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dontforgetthecoffee:

Dillard & Clark - Train Leaves Here This Morning

Man, I need to get this record.

(A bunch more Gene Clark classics over at Don’t Forget the Coffee today.)

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October 22, 2009
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newspeedwayboogie:

Espers - Trollslända

Another great song from Espers III, particularly if you like strings and lullaby harmonies and crescendos and sharp guitar.

Amazing.


 This starts kinda okay and then somewhere in the middle really takes off.

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countrysong:

George Jones - The King Is Gone (And So Are You)

My favorite song about drinking alone at home…

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