Blog: You Aint No Picasso

This was another great week for comedy podcasts: Doug Benson hit NYC and brought Eugene Mirman, John Mulaney and more out for Doug Loves Movies, Comedy Bang Bang had Lennon Parham and Jesica St Clair (Listler & Wompler) back on, and the Thrilling Adventure Hour did an hour-long Sparks Nevada "I'm From Earth" Day Special [...]

The Polyphonic Spree have announced their newest LP Yes It's True for an August release. This'll be the latest in a string of several releases for the Spree, following Songs From the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Holidaydream. Polyphonic Spree frontman Tim Delaughter was kind enough to answer a couple questions about what all his [...]

My ongoing love affair with the new Portugal. The Man record continues! Their video for "Atomic Man" is a hypnotizing affair that combines high-speed photography, video morphing and lots of little tricks that turn the whole video into a trippy masterpiece. It's directed by David Vincent Wolf and edited by Nick Rosen - both clearly [...]

Lexington's Jovontaes have a new album on the way. Paranoia Makes a Crazy Gift is out June 4 on Sophomore Lounge Records. "Hilltop Sex Making" certainly backs up the "paranoia" aspect of the new record. It's a dark and unnerving track that still manages to be quick and exciting. I have a feeling that this'll [...]

Oh boy! It's one of the best parts of the anticipation for a big music festival: making your schedule! Forecastle just posted their full schedule for their 2013 festival the week of July 12-14. Get your tickets here and kill the next two months by checking and double-checking your schedule to make sure it's perfect! [...]

I couldn't really tell you what Chic-A-Go-Go is, but it looks like a rad, ultra-low-budget kid's show. The reason it's popped up on my radar is because they hosted a lip-syncing performance by James Swanberg BKA Today's Hits. This dude has been writing a song a day for years, with a great many of them [...]

I've spent the past couple days packing up books, records and everything else I own in preparation for our move this weekend. While doing that I've also been converting the last of my CD collection to digital backups. This has led me to no small number of old favorites that I haven't heard in a [...]

When Houndmouth rolled through Lexington a couple weeks ago they did this amazing John Prine/Jerry Jeff Walker one-two cover combo. I happened to remember it today and was lucky enough to find a great recording of it on youtube. This makes me look forward to both the next time I can see them live and [...]

My gut reaction is to throw Pascal Pinon's "Þerney (One Thing)" onto my summertime mix, but it's such a thoughtful, introspective song that I wonder if it might not make me freeze in my tracks when it comes on. It's a bright song, but with lyrics like "I don't know why the tears come by [...]

My Song of the Year contender just got a music video for it. Lorde's "Royals" is now paired with some simple, shots of young men going about their day shaving, boxing and swimming. Minimalism suits the themes of the song, but this video is a bit of a letdown. Still, it's another excuse to hear [...]

While there was nearly overwhelming compulsion to pick the DLM episode with Kumail Nanjiani and Marc Maron, I have to give this week's highlight to Comedy Bang Bang's 4th Anniversary Episode. While it was full of fan-favorite characters (Traci Rearden, Marissa Wompler, Mike the Janitor!), this was a pretty newcomer-friendly episode. Do you have to [...]

I forgot to post this after I wrote it, so here it is almost three months after the show! This could be the best Man Man setlist (and set) I've seen in a long time. They played a classic "just recorded an album" set: greatest hits, fan favorites and a handful of new songs. Sometimes [...]

MP3: Magic Man - Texas Magic Man's song "Texas" sounds like it'd be well at home on the new Shout Out Louds album: it's anthemic, but grounded pop music with some strong lyrics. It could be the keyboard riff as a chorus hook, but it's also got little traces of Matt & Kim scattered throughout. [...]

I listen to a bunch of podcasts, but until today I've never checked out Rafflecast on the Earwolf network. But when they snag a guest as good as Honus Honus to appear on their segment "Building the Track," I've got to tune in. After you check out their work writing and recording "Doo-Wong," you can [...]

Merrill Garbus and Jim James have teamed to release this remix of "A New Life" as a promotion for the Global Citizen Ticket Initiative. Numerous bands have donated a pair of tickets to the GCTI to be given away to socially active online fans who help spread information about global hunger and poverty. You can [...]

This was a big week for WTF's Marc Maron. His show on IFC premiered May 3, so to promote it he's been all over the radio/podcast/TV circuit lately. In fact, I could have easily picked his appearances on WTF, Nerdist or Howard Stern. But rather than highlighting Maron on other people's shows, I like him [...]

Justin Paul Lewis Lately there's been a lot of Louisville/Lexington bleed-over and I couldn't be happier. Bands from the two cities are pairing up for shows in each other's towns, collaborating on albums or doing mini-showcases of their city's skill. While there wasn't any sort of official "Louisville comes to Lexington" billing about this weekend's [...]

I saw Houndmouth put on a great show this weekend at Cosmic. While on stage, they mentioned that they released a video for "On the Road" the day prior. Well, I forgot about that offhand comment until I saw that they covered Wilco & Billy Bragg for the AV Club. So get your Houndmouth on [...]

After a couple years of highly successful, seemingly stress-free shows, Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum is re-joining with the band that made him a record collection staple. Given how much fun he seemed to have on his solo tours (and how frequently he brought out Elephant 6 collaborators on stage), it's no surprise that [...]

My favorite song from 2011 is getting full-length release tomorrow when Cayucas' Bigfoot hits stores. And while Oregon Bike Trails has changed into Cayucas, all the added recording budget and everything that goes along with that transformation has made for an A+ record. Originally I had some heavy "version-itis" where I clung tightly to he [...]