It's almost mid-summer and folks everywhere are having fun in the sun, BBQs, baseball games, surfing, swimming, fishing, hanging at the beach, and in general, making the best long hot days of July. Summer is a time for celebration, recreation, relaxation, family and friends, and of course, listening to music, whether in your home, [...] Related posts:Summer 2010 Mixtape, Vol. I: The Drums, Surfer Blood, Local Natives, Arcade Fire, Radiohead, MGMT, Beach House Summer 2010 Mixtape, No. 2: Animal Collective, The Drums, Jay-Z, Magic Kids, The Flaming Lips, Spoon, LCD Soundsystem, Radio Dept. Best New Releases of [...]

I have only to glance at Stereogum's post on the most anticipated albums of 2010 to be assured that next year will be better than 2009, when my most-visited album was the Stone Roses' reissue . [Heartfelt thanks again to the person who gifted me that; you know who you are.] That said, '09 had some high moments. There were a lot of albums to which I matriculated like comfort food — at so many moments, only hooks would do — and there were others that seemed to stalk me, especially the haunting, synth-addled Fever [...]

Warpaint Here's our guide for next week's CMJ Festival in New York. Look for Warpaint, Rough Francis, Electric Tickle Machine, Sin Fang Bous, Japandroids, The Megaphonic Thrift, The Very Best, Speech Debelle and The xx to generate the biggest buzz. Air Waves (Myspace) Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Label: Catbird Records Air Waves - Knock Out Alec Ounsworth (Myspace) Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Label: Anti [...]
Today's free and legal mp3 downloads: Bloodkin : 2009-06-27, Athens [mp3,ogg,flac] "You Better Pray" [mp3] other Bloodkin posts at Largehearted Boy Carolina Chocolate Drops : 2009-09-05, Carrboro [mp3,ogg,flac] "Likes Likker Better Than Me" [mp3] other Carolina Chocolate Drops posts at Largehearted Boy Drive-By Truckers : 2002-08-27, Boulder [mp3,ogg,flac] [...]

The ever-touring machine that is Cracker will be making another stop in Eastern Iowa at the end of this month at The Mill in Iowa City . Cracker is touring behind their new rocking release and debut on 429 Records Sunrise in the Land of Mint and Honey . Their stop at the Mississippi Moon bar in Dubuque in February was great- they played a handful of the new songs, but I'm hoping to hear more of the new album in a live setting. The show will be at 9PM on Sunday, 8/30 with [...]

A few years ago, the Detroit outfit The High Strung made a splash when they got peevish over a bad review on Pitchfork . Now they're the subject of a Vanity Fair profile thanks to their recent show at Guantanamo Bay, which one band member describes as "Like a giant summer camp, but with a Defense Department budget." Much, much more-including the story behind a rivalry between the High Strung and an Army-directed cover band-at the link. [ Vanity Fair via A Well Respected Tumblr ]

These pictures make me really upset I wasn't there. These photos come care of Tamara Grayson and Lind Marie. FLOATING ACTION GENERATIONALS THE HIGH STRUNG THE PEEKERS [...]

i wish i was going to this, but sadly the bride has to work. this being new orleans label, park the van's showcase at the marigny theatre on friday night. its a record release party of sorts, or lets just call it a showcase of a few of park the van's artists. opening the night off will be seth kaufmann, who performs/record's under the moniker, floating action . you can download his/their live at the grey eagle for free, by clicking here (will automatically start downloading.) [...]
Day two of Park the Van Week and I am still just as excited as when I thought it up on Sunday. Today we look at a band that defines being on the road, The High Strung . This Detroit threesome is a joy to watch and their lead singer fits a name for a band about as well as it comes. I recently had the honer of seeing a little bit of a documentary on them and their National Rock and Roll Library Tour . This is something that I think makes them [...]
Today's free and legal mp3 downloads: Gene Ween Band : 2009-05-30, Hunter [mp3,ogg,flac] "Mountains and Buffalo" [mp3] other Gene Ween Band posts at Largehearted Boy Gomez : 2009-05-30, Hunter [mp3,ogg,flac] "Sunset Gates" [mp3] other Gomez posts at Largehearted Boy The Gourds : 2009-05-29, Charlottesville [mp3,ogg,flac] "Mister Betty" [...]

Do you remember those English teachers that made you turn in the gigantic term papers at the end of the school year in a big yellow envelope filled with notecards, outlines and rough drafts? I'm that English teacher. The mention of my name this time of year is likely to spark a multitude of emotions, particularly a healthy mix of dread and outrage. If I were to go spy on the facebook pages of my students, I'd no doubt find a slew of insults, swearing, and outright threats streaming down their update threads. Sometimes I laugh because I'm in complete [...]

[Kylie Minogue celebrates a birthday today, and on a more modest scale I submit to you a celebratory list of fine shows tonight ...] St. Vincent , the nom de tune of Annie Clark, returns to L.A. for a show at the El Rey Theatre behind her new album, "Actor." Should be good: The Times spent some time with her in April when she performed at Hollywood Forever, and some friends aren't reserved in their praise — I mean, "the saint herself?" ... It [...]

So, our friends in The High Strung have found Tumbler and are really committed to bringing new content. These Detroitians (is that a word?) are always on the road, so I am sure there will be a lot of videos inside Super 8s and truck stops. The really neat thing that they are doing is they are committed to posting a brand new song or a different version of some of their old songs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Take that MyNameIsJohnMichael ! So, subscribe to their Tumbler , and I think now is a good [...]

New Orleans Indie Rock Collective is presenting a Park the Van showcase on June 12th. Now if you are living in New Orleans, and listen to music and haven't heard these bands, than where the hell have you been? Seriously...I talk about them all the time. Probably to the point where you stop reading this blog, because you think all I do is kiss Park the Van ass all day. Well it's true, because they, as a label, consistently put out amazing music just about as well as any other label out there. So, if you live [...]

Athens, Ohio, if you're unfamiliar, is a glorious small college town nestled along the Hocking River in Southeast Ohio. James and I spent our more formative years at Ohio University, engaged in rigorous studies of anatomy, physics, and interpersonal communication. What separates Athens from typical college towns is its proximity to nothing. It's literally the only bustling area betweeen Columbus and West Virginia, and all of the students seek binge drinking and social outlets because they're simply bored out of their minds. It's spectacular. So many nights of our young adult years were spent contemplating exactly where and when to [...]

Park the Van Records is one of our favorite little bluesy hippie labels, and maybe it's because we featured three or four of their bands in the last week of April that we really fell behind on our listening pile. Detroit trio, The High Strung, dropped Ode to the Inverse of the Dude quietly on April 21st and, regretfully, we weren't here to get the word out ahead of time. There's an old adage in the world of education that proposes any mistake or flaw can easily be corrected the next day in the classroom. We'll side with this [...]
Do not forget, little birds, that the Midwest Musicians Foundation is debuting its Stay Tuned series tonight at 7 p.m. at Davey's, featuring the Mr. Marco's V7, the Afterparty, Hipshot Killer, Thee Wa... Continue reading "More Select KC Concerts this Weekend, May 8-9, featuring lots of tribute action." >
After a lengthy hiatus, The Daily Rind's weekly podcast is back. The new studio is up and running in our recently relocated Daily Rind HQ and we'll now resume supplying you a weekly dose of new music as well as some catalog favorites. Download it here or subscribe to it on iTunes. Track 1: ISIS "20 Minutes/40 [...]

I know I talk about Park the Van a lot, but how can't I support a label with an awesome story of coming back to New Orleans after Katrina to try and bring something positive back to the city. But, you know what the best part about them is? Their music! They just constantly put out great records from outstanding artists. We are blessed today to have 2 of their albums released today. Much like the Teeth , the High Strung won me over with a [...]

...with so much going on in Dayton these days, we somehow missed catching Detroit trio The High Strung at Canal Street Tavern a few weeks back. While this may seem trivial, THS are a band you need to see live. Often averaging 200-300 dates a year which eventually resulted a few years back with their van being left on the steps of the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame (with a gold plaque no less), but more recently with a series of touring in public libraries across the [...]