A gig worthy of a heads-up methinks. Jeffrey Lewis and his band the Jitters are playing in Crawdaddy tonight with support from The Mighty Stef . Tickets are €14 standing / €17 seated. I first saw jeff in the same venue in March 2006 and he was an engaging performer complete with anecdotal songs and powerpoint slideshows of his comic artistry. He is touring to support a new album 12 Crass Songs , 12 interpretations of songs by the anarchist punk band Crass out on Rough Trade. His recent album recorded with [...]
Some quiet songs this morning. To help ease my delicate disposition. For yes readers, I overindulged in the world of alcohol last night. Or to be more precise, in the wonderful world of vodka. Wonderful until this morning that is, where it now feels like my brain is trying to escape through my skull using whatever large, heavy tools it can lay it's hands on. So I have called on the services of some gentle songs to wash over me and ease my self inflicted pain. And frankly, I can't think of anyone [...]
I opened my inbox the other day and I stumbled upon this little slice of heaven. In their own words " Mixtape Vol. 1, was compiled to celebrate Cross-Pollination, a weekly NYC concert series that brings together some of the most incredibly, and at times, undiscovered raw talent from across the country. Giving musicians the opportunity to stretch creatively with other like-minds, the premise of Cross-Pollination is simple. Every Tuesday evening at Pianos (158 Ludlow Street, NYC) two artists are invited to play together. Both of them play a solo 40-minute set followed by a 3 [...]
It's pretty rare that I get emails/packages that have more than a couple of songs that I can share with you guys, but yesterday I got sent a message about a mixtape that was meant to be distributed to the masses. The name of the compilation is Cross-Pollination: The Mixtape Volume 1 and it contains some great unreleased material from a lot of well known artists like: My Brightest Diamond, Cloud Cult, The Lloyds and Kevin Divine. I didn't post up the entire thing, just the highlights, so I highly recommend jumping here so that you check [...]
Last Sunday, JC and I had to give thanks. Thanks to World Café Live, WXPN, and YRock for hosting a free members-only concert featuring Dr. Dog and, unexpectedly, the folk duo Jeffrey and Jack Lewis. The main event, Dog MD, rocked as usual, so I won't go into detail about them. The Lewis brothers, however, were an entirely different breed of musicians. Cut from a more indie-folk cloth than the Dog, the brothers led by singer-songwriter Jeffrey, played sped up Subterranean Homesick Blues-ish poems put to music. They [...]
I had a bit of read about Jeffrey Lewis . Turns out he write's and performs with his brother Jack and hangs out with other Anti-folks like Kimya Dawson and her moldy buddy Adam Green. He's had a couple of albums out on Rough Trade with some great titles ('The Last Time I Did Acid I Went Insane' and 'It's The Ones Who've Cracked That The Light Shines Through'). He's also produced his own comics which look all suitably chock full of pop culture and sharp observations. Here's the song from the video in the [...]
Okay, so I thought long and hard about what to give you donkeys for the holidays. But the thing is, you're really fucking hard to buy for. Truly. Look at yourselves. You're choosey. You're discerning. And if mp3s were expensive toys, you'd be the spoiled children of software moguls. For weeks now, you've been playing with the stuff that hasn't even been released yet: the new CYHSY, the new Arcade Fire. I mean, really... What does one give to the kids who have everything? I wasn't sure. At [...]
OK. Let's cut to the chase. My Favorite Song of the Year: "Nina, Olen Palasina" by Risto. Maybe it's the chorus that sounds like a bunch of kids all shouting in unison, or maybe it's the upwardly cascading structure of the song itself, but something about this burrowed meaningfully into my cranial cavity and has made no overtures that would indicate a looming departure. I first bumped into it last April on a Fonal Records compilation [...]
While I?m trying to work out what my top 20 songs of the year are (so many songs, so hard to choose!), I?ll press ahead with the next installment in my end of the year best of lists - my favourite gigs of the year. And because I?m not finding much time to post these days, I?ll save myself some writing time by quoting my own reviews of these gigs. 10. No-Neck Blues Band @ Barden?s Boudoir (13 Dec) The self-quoting lark has got [...]
As we are approaching the 40th anniversary of the LSD ban in October 1966, here is a fair and balanced look at acid, as seen through the eyes of popular culture. Wendell Austin and The Country Swings - LSD (MP3): The drug of choice for country singers has always been alcohol (with the notable exception of Willie Nelson ), so it is no surprise that acid did not appeal to Wendell at all. Acid, The Story of LSD (MP3): Taken from the soundtrack of an educational (supposedly [...]
Jeffrey & Jack Lewis "Williamsburg Will Oldham Horror" - If you've ever been on the L train, or walked around Williamsburg and its vicinity, you can see a lot of people who clearly have some variation of this song's lyrics running through their mind. It starts out as self-deprecation and a mixture of pride and revulsion for the lifestyle that they've attained. The next step is getting sucked into an undertow of fear and doubt about the inherent lack of pragmatism in pursuing the arts as a career, and then the art itself is torn apart after [...]
I don't normally post so many songs at once but I'm in a buoyant mood and I've been listening to these songs a lot which may have helped. This music combined with being off work today and a busy weekend ahead taking in Saturday at Oxegen has probably attributed to my sunny disposition. Plus Animal Collective and the Go! Team are playing and I only got a ticket yesterday so it's fresh anticipation that's got me in a good mood. If anybody is in Limerick tonight, head along to the Trinity Rooms where Super Extra Bonus Party will [...]
Jeffrey Lewis hitchedhiked his way into Dublin town last night to play an excellent show in Crawdaddy. Jeffrey is known for his blunt voice, direct lyrics and for his humorous comics. I wasn't too enamoured with Jeff before last night's show, I heard 'Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song' and 'The Last Time I did Acid I went Insane' before and was impressed, but quickly forgot about him. But he won me over last night with his amusing and seemingly ramshackle performance backed by his brother Jack and a great drummer. He sang punkier versions of [...]
nialler9
to die by your side
The World Forgot
Side One: Track One
The Canals
I prefer their early stuff
Merry Swankster
WFMU's Beware of the Blog
The Daily Growl
Fluxblog Is So Hot Right Now
Cadence Weapon - "Conditioning" (CFCF Remix)
Gaggie x Bo Deal – Loose Lips [Prod. by Young Chop]
Summer Camp - "Always"
